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.
“...you are still human, whether you like that or not.“
While there were a number of things a person could say to irritate Kaz, those words were enough to make Kaz instantly dislike this moron who fancied himself a cop. Anyone who denied the inherent, fundamental difference between mutants and humans was either in some heavy denial or believed God created everything and humans lived alongside dinosaurs. He couldn't help wondering which camp this guy fell into, but he decided not to comment, though he did scowl a bit.
Linely's momentary surprise that Kaz not only knew his name, but that he also had taken his badge was enough to soften his scowl a bit. Even the man's insistence that he wasn't disturbed at all that Kaz had found him out so easily only managed to brighten Kaz's mood. Linely was certainly acting like the typical New Yorker, 'been there, seen that'.
”No, Dectective Linely, you mistake me if you think that's what I'm trying to do. Be impressed or don't, it doesn't matter. I just meant for you to realize that I know who you are and that you are and will be watched. I don't like your kind, and if you do anything I deem untoward, I will hold you personally responsible and accountable.”
Reaching up with a hand, he slowly traced the three scars on his face with his fingers while staring Linely in the eyes. Speaking in a low, almost serene tone, ”Oh yes they were quite painful, and I'm quite proud of them. They're proof that,” His tone changed to something distinctly unfriendly, Unlike you, I'm willing to fight for my people. That when people like you, and the rest of humanity tries to lock us in cages like animals and sick their murderbots on us, I'll put my life on the line to put a stop to it. Can you say the same?” He sneered, ”I doubt it.”
“If you know my name though...”
What was with that if? There was no question in Kaz's mind that he didn't know who this man was, and now he thought there was going to be some sort of exchange of names....why? Kaz couldn't see any reason why he should give his name to this detective. In fact, if the man was good enough to become a detective, perhaps he should do some detecting and figure it out himself.
As he began to open his mouth to tell the cop to go fuck himself, thought not in such colorful language, he shut it as a thought came to him. 'Why?'
Kaz began speaking to himself, internally, 'Granted this guy is a fool for asking a civilian to help him keep his cover and for trying to enlist my help. If that really mattered, he would've taken better care to disguise himself in the first place. For all Detective Dumbass knows, or doesn't know, there's a possibility the guy he's looking for doesn't work alone, or that just hearing that a cop was after someone I could go out of my way to block his efforts.'
That was the problem with relying on the supposed inherent goodness of people and their empathy for their fellow man, they could try to screw you over out of spite or just on a whim, because they could, because it was entertaining for them. While Kaz had plenty of empathy for and towards other mutants, he had very little if anything for humans...except children. It just felt wrong to put the sins of humans onto a child's shoulders. Of course that begged the question, 'When does one stop being a child and begin to shoulder that weight?' It wasn't one Kaz liked to ask, especially of himself, because he jumped around quite a bit. But he had to give a range of 'sometime between 12 and 18 years old' to satisfy himself without feeling like too much of a jackass.
If he was being honest with himself if a human could show that they really did have no ill feelings or intentions towards mutants, Kaz did give them a little slack. And if they were actually sympathetic towards mutants instead of indifferent, then he let himself feel a little bit for them since they may, at some point, help the mutant cause in some way. Oh, and women he found attractive, as much as he'd like to deny it, they were a soft spot for him as well, and tended to get more rope than others. That rope could easily become a noose if they betrayed him in any way.
'But what would be the point of not telling him, he could easily look it up later or call his description in and find out...Well, it'd be fun to watch as he finds out by himself, or it would be if I was able to watch as he did...'
Lifting up his bottle he gave it a little tilt towards the detective, ”Kaz Corydon, the sexiest elf you'll ever meet.” When the man turned and began walking away, Kaz spoke, and didn't really try to be quiet about it, ”Yes please do leave, your porcine stench is vile.”
Kaz watched the detective walk over to a booth where the large mutant had seated itself, which interestingly had been where Kaz had been sitting minutes before, and he couldn't help but scowl a little bit. He didn't like that guy and he wasn't exactly sure why. Yes, he thought he was a failure as a cop, and especially a detective, but...could it be the opposite of 'love at first sight', 'hate at first sight'? Very possible he decided, or it could also have something to do with the guy, at least as much as Kaz had seen and could tell, being false towards a mutant when Kaz was right there.
Linely had an agenda and he was using a mutant to achieve it, something that Kaz was sure had nothing to do with the large mutant. Yeah, that felt more correct.
As he moved to stand against the railing and look down on the dance floor, Kaz caught the man who had been talking to the shelled mutant glance his way. Following the man's eyes, he looked at the not-drunk cop and his lip curled in mild disgust.
Someone with Kaz's enhanced hearing, or enhanced senses in general, would go crazy if they didn't learn how to filter through what they were sensing. In this case Kaz was consciously ignoring the loud music and the conversations around him for the most part, as he put his back against the rail. What he focused his attention on was the sounds coming from the booth he had once occupied, a little miffed he wouldn't be able to go back to his drinking spot and chug his liquor.
Thinking about that made him remember the liquor bottle he was still holding. Putting the mouth of the bottle to his lips, and after checking the time, tipped his head back and began to chug. After a few swallows he wasn't content with his consumption speed. Lengthening one of his nails into a razor sharp claw, he ran its tip along the side of the bottle at its base, grabbed the glass and made a sharp twist with his wrist. The bottom came off easily, the cut being extremely smooth, and Kaz was able to chug the liquid at ridiculous speeds.
In a matter of seconds the half gallon of liquor was completely empty except for a few drops clinging stubbornly to the glass. Sighing audibly in appreciation Kaz let the bottle hang at his side while he idly toyed with the severed bottom. It was then he felt the burn in his throat, quite strongly, ”Ooooh... oh, that's good.” When he had said Honey had good taste before, he was only being partially honest, since he hadn't really be paying attention to the taste. But after chugging it, which granted, didn't give him a lot of time to enjoy or savor it, he found his words to be true. He'd have to get some and add it to his liquor selection at home.
When he had been at the booth, Kaz didn't mind keeping his drinks until he wanted more, but since he was standing, keeping an empty literally in hand felt a little silly. He made it halfway back to the bar before he nearly gagged, and that reaction had nothing to do with the alcohol sitting in his gut. Swallowing, Kaz stopped and blinked trying to clear his head.
Something didn't feel right.
A quick glance around him convinced him that there was nothing overt that would cause such a strong reaction in him. He also realized after a moment that he didn't feel quite as irked at Detective Drunk as he had been moments before, and that triggered his paranoia to jump up a few notches.
Lifting his hand, he furrowed his brows as he looked at the bottle, '...Is that....is this what it's like being drunk? Did it work? This fast?' It was entirely possible, maybe, but with how much he had put away before and not felt anything, and now this feeling, it wasn't going away...
In fact, as he got closer to the bar it got worse.
When he realized that, he was finally able to pick out what was so wrong. He could smell Honey's fragrant, heady, sweet, floral scent, but under that was something else. It was also sweet, but too much so. Poisonously sweet. Like antifreeze. Kaz found himself unable to be properly irritated he couldn't enjoy Honey's lovely, inviting, free-spirited fragrance. And that non-irritation didn't irritate him even more.
Yeah, that had to end. He HATED being manipulated like this.
Cutting the strength of his nose more and more as he got closer to the disgusting scent, just to stay sane, he tracked the source of the smell. Surprisingly the source was a man, if one was being generous, who, if he had heard correctly as he approached, had just bought Honey a drink.
A drink that she not only accepted but actually poured, from an actual liquor bottle. Kaz knew enough that if someone buys a bartender a drink, if they're allowed to 'accept', it's usually just water, colored or not, or they make some sort of non-alcoholic drink for themselves. So if Honey was really as good as her reputation said she was, she shouldn't be having an actual drink. ..And again, even knowing it wasn't normal, he couldn't find it within himself to care, even more so than normal.
Distracted by his own internal musings, Kaz didn't see the brunette man casually reach into and pull something from his pocket while he spoke with Honey. What he see was Honey watching the man and not watching the drink she had just poured. When Mr. Sickly-Sweet's hand moved away from Honey's drink, something did cut through whatever hazy fog was inside Kaz's brain: Suspicion.
Without consciously thinking about it, Kaz moved up behind the man, put an arm around his shoulder in a 'buddy-buddy' way, and put his hand on top of Honey's drink as she was reaching for it. ”Hey there buddy, what'cha go-” Kaz wasn't able to finish his sentence because he had been putting his full weight against the man with the disgustingly sweet scent, and his 400+ pounds had finally made the man overbalance and the stool buckle, and they both went tumbling.
Well, the man did, Kaz just kinda stumbled for a moment, but as he did, he knocked over Honey's drink in the process, spilling its contents all over the counter.
Blissfully, the stench was gone and he was able to smell Honey's pure scent without it being corrupted by something toxic.
Kaz looked to her, ”Oh, Hun, I'm sorry about that. It didn't get on you did it?”
Honey had taken a surprised step back when Kaz and the man had tipped over, so she was thankfully untouched by the spilled liquid. “Uh, oh, no. No, I'm fine.”
She looked like she was about to say something else, but Kaz placed the bottomless bottle on the counter, cutting her off as he grinned toothily down at the man splayed out on the floor glaring daggers at Kaz, “What the fuck man? Who the hell are you?”
Kaz didn't answer him, he just grinned even wider, his mouth growing a bit as new teeth could be seen coming in to fill in the open spaces, all of them were razor sharp daggers.
Kaz was not surprised when the man he had spoken to had called out to him, so he watched, with a smirk plastered on his face, Mr. Drunk 'stumble' towards him. He was expecting one of three responses from the man: Outright denial and being berated because of his accusation; Getting questioned on how he knew he wasn't drunk; And last, but not unwelcome, being assaulted.
When none of those happened Kaz stared at Mr. Drunk with a bit of surprise. That surprise didn't have a chance to go away when the man put a hand into his coat and pulled out a badge. A goddam badge. An annoying, intruding, good-for-nothing cop. He had all the luck. Kaz did not have a very good opinion about them in general.
But...
'...was that...'
He thought he caught a glimpse of something interesting on the badge, but the 'cop', if he really was a cop, had put it away too quickly for him to get a really good look. When the man leaned towards Kaz, he saw his moment. A nearly instantaneous movement so smooth it didn't disturb the man's coat or shirt even the slightest, had the cop's badge in Kaz's hand.
Pretending to check the distance between himself and the 'drunk' with his eyes, Kaz took a look at the badge and the number on it. 'MRC huh.' Mentally huffing, Kaz sent an order along Legion's line to check the badge number to let him know if it was legit or not. What he got in response was an affirmative and the feeling of compliance.
If the 'drunk' wasn't actually a cop, and he became irritating, he wouldn't need to restrain himself. But, if he was legit and he became irritating....
When Mr. Drunk began speaking Kaz blinked at him, slowly, as if the man were an idiot. Kaz took another sniff of the man just be sure he wasn't drunk. Intoxication was the only reason Kaz could think of for an officer to give away what he was up to, so freely and openly, with a complete stranger. If he wanted to, he could expose this moron right then and there! Kaz wanted to put his fist in the man's face on general principle.
As that reasoning slipped into his head, something else followed close on its heels.
A predatory, vulpine grin grew across his face, his enlarged canines prominent in his decidedly wickedly sharp, made to rend flesh from bone teeth. A low rumble sounded from Kaz that was too menacing to be a purr and too feral to be a growl. With the narrowing of his eyes, Kaz's posture and expression looked about as friendly and inviting as a Great White barring down on a seal.
Keeping his voice low, but not trying to keep it just between the two of them. ”Are you a fool or just incompetent?!” Scorn dripped from his lips as he spoke. ”You go up to the man who already marked you, saw through your ruse, tell him what you're up to, and then proceed to ask for his assistance? Please don't tell me you're counting on some ridiculous idea that people are inherently good and want to cooperate out of the kindness of their hearts.”
The smile that had been on Kaz's face became a snarling sneer, ”Pathetic.”
Kaz wanted to spit in the man's face, but he restrained himself. ”What would you have done, or do, if I was the one you were looking for hmm? You would have just given yourself away and let me know someone was onto me and knew what I was planning on doing. Hells bells man, you all but told me you are alone in this, and that makes you a nice target of...”
Kaz paused before he finished his sentence as a bit of information came his way. Legion had relayed his request and the Sentinels had gotten ahold of MRC to confirm if the badge number was legit and get the name of the officer attached to it. Now Kaz's voice almost turned into a purr, ”a target of opportunity..Detective Joseph Linely.”
Leaning back Kaz looked down at the man, even though they were of a similar height, and shrugged his shoulder. That motion made him remember he still had the man's badge in his hand. Turning his hand over, Kaz glanced at the badge and noticed that he had, at some point, accidentally begin to crush it. ”Oh...right.” Lifting his hand, palm down to hide the badge, ”This is yours. I do apologize for the condition, you can bill me for it if you'd like.”
He moved to take a sip of his liquor and paused, the bottle halfway to his lips. Kaz lowered the drink a moment later, and with a heavy sigh nearly all traces of aggression he had shown up until then disappeared. The only bit remaining was the steel in his eyes and mild contempt on his face. ”All of..that...aside, I see no reason why I should care about some humans being taken advantage of. But don't worry,” Kaz gave the man what could charitably be called a 'friendly smile' and even a light chuckle. ”I won't air your dirty laundry for everyone to see.”
Kaz stared at the empty bottles sitting atop the corner table and frowned. Two liters of some type of vodka, he knew not what type, he hadn't bothered or cared to pay attention, had not affected him at all. He had drained them as fast as he could and waited for a time to see if anything happened, and so far, it hadn't. He was forced to admit to himself that he was disappointed with that result.
Making a soft 'tsk' sound as he sucked in air through his teeth, Kaz stood and grabbed the empty bottles and headed towards the bar for more alcohol.
~~~~~~
A few weeks ago, while sitting in his brooding chair, something that had been tickling and scratching at his conscious mind for some time finally crystallized and came into focus. He had believed that he had mastered his body and was able to alter every aspect of it, with the exception of altering his organs, but what he realized is that he was wrong.
Each time he altered his size or the shape of his body, his organs changed, moved around within him, or did both. This meant that he was able to alter them, just not on a conscious level, not yet at least. But the last, and only, time he had tried to do it, he had nearly killed himself, and he was not eager to try that again.
For days he tried to figure out how and where to begin working to correct that lapse in ability. When he got a call, two days ago, from one of his investment consultants, who he had had looking into new businesses to either buy out or gain partial ownership of, it finally clicked. Among the options he was told about, one stood out to him, a nightclub called Chrysalis. The place itself wasn't what had interested him, not at that moment at least, but for whatever reason, after hearing about it, he knew what he would do to test himself.
Get drunk.
Well, he'd try at least.
It was something he had never been been able to do, he had never experienced any sort of intoxication. He knew his body was too good at processing a number of chemicals and poisons, and alcohol was included in that. As far as he could tell, he was completely immune to it. But if he could, somehow, figure out how to lower his ability to process alcohol, it would be the first step to gaining true mastery over himself.
~~~~~~
A little googling had given Kaz limited knowledge of how the body, a human body, dealt with alcohol; It can process 1.5 ounces of 80 proof liquor in one hour and half as much 160 proof liquor in the same time span, which is considered 'one drink'. He was sure that if he were a bit better at it he would have gotten more info, but he wasn't. He had started with small amounts and each set a drinks had gotten progressively bigger as he spent more time in the club. That lead up to the two 1 liter bottles, and now he was going to need something bigger, and probably stronger.
As he moved to speak to the woman behind the bar, Kaz's eyes were assaulted by a figure that looked nothing like anything he had seen before. The mutant had to be at least seven-six, if not eight feet tall, its shell looked tough, and its features seemed a bit alien and imposing. He liked it.
Kaz didn't mean to eavesdrop on the conversation the mutant was having with the two men near it, but with his proximity and hearing, he honestly couldn't help it. He didn't miss the slurred speech nor the other man's reply. It was clear he didn't care to deal with anyone sloshed.
Holding up a hand he got the bartender's attention and smiled as she came over.
“Did that work ya?” The lovely, floral scented woman said as he pointed at the empty bottles Kaz set on the counter.
”Unfortunately not. Think I'll need something bigger and stronger.” Kaz looked up behind the woman and pointed to a particular bottle sitting on a shelf. ”Think that one would do?” He asked while quirking a brow at her.
Turning to see what he pointed at, “Hmm..I don't think so..” She trailed off as her gaze roamed over their selection. “Ah, but this,” she said as she grabbed a half gallon of a dark liquor, “Give this a shot. If it doesn't do the trick, I'm sure you'll like the flavor.”
As he handed a couple large bills over to the woman, not expecting any change back, he smiled broadly at her. Kaz had waited for her the first time he ordered drinks, having been drawn by her scent. Once she had come over he had explained what he wanted to do, and she agreed to help him out. Each time he went to the bar, he took a good whiff and tried to figure out why she smelled so good, and what the scent was. So far he couldn't place it, not exactly, but it was definitely a floral scent, and although it was certainly strong and potent to his nose, it wasn't overpowering.
”I'm sure I will. Thanks hun.” Kaz winked at her and drew in a deep breath through his nose, wondering if she wore perfume or if it was natural. Intruding on the pleasing scent were two new, acrid and very familiar smells that nearly made him sneeze from surprise.
Gunpowder and gun oil.
Turning his head one way than the other, Kaz took a few quick sniffs to track down the direction of its origin. To his surprise it was coming from the 'drunk' who, Kaz realized quite quickly, wasn't drunk. Kaz didn't need google to know that anyone who had had enough alcohol to become drunk and slur their words, smelled like alcohol. It would be on their breath, but it also come off their body through their pores in a cloud around them. There was no such cloud around the man.
Taking his half gallon liquor bottle he moved as if to return to seat in the corner, but paused as he passed the man pretending to be drunk.
He leaned towards him and by his flaring nostrils, it was obvious what he was doing. ”A bit of advice for ya, if you're gonna pretend to be drunk,” He said in a soft tone the wouldn't carry further than their immediate area, ”You should try smelling like alcohol instead of guns. Gunpowder totally cuts down the young lady's charm.” He jerked his head a bit towards the female bartender he had been speaking to moments before.
Standing straight backed once more, Kaz took a sip from the bottle in his hand, a little smirk on his face. Turning to the other two he nodded and then addressed them all, ”I didn't mean to overhear ya, but I couldn't help it.” He shrugged a shoulder absently and took another sip. ”This is pretty good, nice burn too.” Kaz glanced back over towards Honey and nodded his thanks to her. To Chief he said, ”That girl really knows her stuff.”
Kaz and Ambrose had appeared 10ft above the floor in Kaz's warehouse, leaving them to deal with the fall on their own. Having been on his feet already and expecting it, Kaz had no trouble dealing with the sudden fall, landing with the ease and grace of a cat. As for Ambrose, well, there wasn't enough light to allow Kaz to see what happened to the man since his eyes hadn't adjusted in time.
If he had had more time, he would have picked somewhere else to go, but his warehouse was his home, a place he spent most of his time, so it was where he defaulted to. Even though the dim edge lighting spaced out along the floor and ceiling was barely bright enough to illuminate the immediate area around them, when his eyes adjusted, Kaz was able to see the room clearly in full detail.
The large open floor had a ceiling 40ft high, off in the distance various machines, weights, and other training equipment stood ready for use. Sparring arenas, gymnastic equipment, thick padded mats, and even an expansive and intense looking obstacle course spread out around them. There was no such thing as 'standard' equipment in the area, every bit of it was all custom made to withstand the punishment someone with Kaz's abilities could put them through. Though if Kaz had a mind to, he could wreck them all.
Towards the back of room a large freight elevator and a smaller, personal elevator had their outer cages shut with the as both lifts were currently at ground level, across from them on the opposite side of the room a somewhat large spiral staircase was clearly visible to Kaz's adjusted eyes.
Standing in a relaxed yet ready posture, Kaz watched Ambrose as the man got his barrings. ”Seems like you've calmed down a bit Rosie-boy.” With one raised brow, Kaz looked the man over, ”Panu and the others were getting a little uncomfortable, so a change of location seemed a good idea. Hope you don't object.” Not that it would matter if he did, it wouldn't do him any good now. Even though it hadn't been his idea to move the two of them, or that he hadn't had any control over it (he was going to have a word or two to say to those two), Kaz thought that this might cause Ambrose to reconsider his ideas about Kaz and his people.
”So, you willing to talk now?” Kaz took a more aggressive stance after a moment. The implication was clear, 'Or do I need to beat you again?'
Specter looked uncomfortable as Ms. Brass demanded he let them out, and what the goings on in the other room, he could not blame her. Unfortunately, he was not able to comply since he wasn't actively preventing them from leaving. He was trying to figure out if he should explain this when the teleporter, who's name he didn't know, spoke up. His request Specter could comply with, or at least he could have if hadn't struck them all the same way he had with the walls.
The woman's response to getting their abilities back was so sharp and quick that Specter's head actually flinched back a bit. Specter couldn't help but wonder why the woman was so against him returning their powers and didn't think it would be the best time to inquire. Instead he made a slight coughing sound just after the button audible cracked in an attempt to cover how uncomfortable he was feeling.
The tiger woman's clipped words, tone, and body language was not lost on Specter. She was angry enough that he figured a physical attack was imminent. Knowing that would be a foolish move on her part, he decided he should do something to stop it before it happened. Specter moved to stand in Ms. Brass' desk, dragging the lance of light through the floor as he did so, he addressed the woman, ”Unfortunately Ms. Brass, I am unable to do what you ask. At least, not for...” He looked at the nearest clock, ”Another few minutes.” This wasn't precisely true, he could let them leave, but it was not as simple as it might appear to be.
Spreading one arm out to the side in a somewhat helpless gesture, ”I apologize, believe me, I really do, but for the moment I'm unable to do anything t-” Specter cut off as he heard what Panu had said in the other room and scowled unhappily.
He looked at the kid as he sat on the floor next a plant and closed his eyes, apparently to shut out what was going on. The two men seemed to be trying their best to disappear into the closet. Ms. Bass seemed to be ready to kill someone as she stood at the elevator doors.
Sighing, Specter began pacing as he pinched the bridge of his nose.
After a moment he stopped in his tracks, grinned, and dismissed the lance of red-violet light. After a brief communication with Legion he turned to look at Ms. Brass, Cail, Panu, and the other man. ”The situation should be taken care of in a few moments, then all you'll need to do is wait a short time before you are able to return to your usual schedules.” Smiling, ”Hopefully without any further.... awkwardness.”
~~~~~~
The nick on Kaz's shin had not only stopped bleeding but it had disappeared by the time Ambrose spoke, the damage having been spread around Kaz's body so well that he seemed untouched. And if one ignored the wounds in his chest from the man's spines, he was unharmed. The blood on Ambrose's back had come from the initial wounds and a little more when he had tried to dig them deeper into Kaz's flesh. There was no point in removing that damage until the two men separated.
If Ambrose hadn't pressed his own neck into Kaz's claws, his words might have caused Kaz to rip his throat and belly open. Submissive tone or not, the man was in no position to ask Kaz for anything or to make demands. Kaz felt the urge to rip into Ambrose, to gouge out a bit of the man's flesh, just to push the point home of who held the dominant hand.
But he didn't, 'There's no reason to, he knows it already.' he told himself as he set his feet on the floor and lifted his weight from atop the man, 'Otherwise he wouldn't have stopped struggling. Even a beast knows when its beat.' He didn't remove his hand from Rose's abdomen for long moments, not because he wanted to make a point, but because of vanity.
In those moments he had removed the damage he had allowed Ambrose to cause him. Those wounds went from something ragged and painful to hundreds of smaller scratches all over his body, making it hard to tell that he had been wounded at all.
The lack of trust was the reason why Kaz took longer to remove his claws from around Ambrose's neck. The man might be beat, and know it, but that didn't necessarily mean he would give up completely.
As he began to stand up, ready to respond to Rose's words, Legion made Kaz aware of what was about to happen. Kaz's head snapped up, 'What?!' He didn't have much time, so he made a decision quickly.
From one heartbeat to the next, both Ambrose and Kaz were gone from the room, with only a very faint shimmer of the air where they had been, and even that quickly dissipated.
~~~~~
Specter looked around the room, but looked at Panu, ”Sorry it took so long, but they're both gone now.” Turning his gaze to Ms. Brass, ”Unless there's a reason for me to stay, I should also be on my wa... But before I do, I don't think it's necessary to track Panu and further than this.” The volent-red light appeared in his hand again and seemed to take on the same of a young woman as moved towards the boy. Specter seemed to sag a bit when the figure moved away from him. When the figure extended her hand and touched Panu's shoulder there was a brief flash of red-violet light from the point of contact.
When the figure retreated back to Specter and the light winked out, the man stood straight backed once again. He'd wait a minute or so until those in the room confirmed what he'd said and to see if they had anything to say or ask of him. After that he'd make his exit the same way the two men had moments before.
Kaz watched, frowning, as Astrid struggled on the ground. Of course she got nowhere with her efforts as Dominique easily overpowered her and kept her pinned. Nonlethal suppression was something all the Sentinels were well versed in, especially against humans, but because of the large and varied nature of the mutants within their ranks and those they protect, there was hardly any type of mutant they couldn't take to the ground and hold down.
For a moment Kaz thought the girl was going to settle down and act rationally, but no. Despite Kaz being able to feel a small bit of Dominique's calming influence, the girl would not stop trying to attack the woman.
When Astrid spat at his feet, a little bit of her spittle landed on his foot, Kaz barely restrained the urge to kick the girl in the face. Barely. His foot actually twitched and moved, preparing to knock her senseless. Instead, scowling at the girl, he moved forward and tapped once on Dominique's shoulder. The alien-like woman looked at him slightly confused, but complied, abruptly releasing the winged girl.
<”You really have no idea how to act towards other do you.”> He put his foot a few inches from Astrid's face, the one with spit on it, and looked down at her. <”I don't know why you're so damned angry and quick to attack and give offense, but if you do not get it under control, someone not as...patient or understanding as myself, is going to take it very personally.”>
<”You're free to go Astrid, if you want. But I have no obligation to help you get back.”> Kaz grinned at her, wide and toothily, as he waved his hand dismissively. <”Hopefully nothing will happen to you kiddo.”>
Posted by Kaz on Aug 4, 2016 14:37:36 GMT -6
Tempest likes this
Delta Mutant
S: Teal / T: Cadetblue
Straight
Single
133
11
Oct 28, 2019 5:25:55 GMT -6
Val
”I see.” Specter nodded to Ms. Brass thankful that she didn't seem to be holding what he had, and was doing, against him too much. He wasn't sure about the others...well, except for Panu, who he was pretty sure hated him.
As much as he wanted to believe Ms. Brass would be correct, he knew Kaz. Or at least he knew him as best as any of the Sentinels did, and the man was not a minimalist. He was an extremist. It always seemed Kaz played by one rule: Go big or die.
”I hope that'll be enough then.” If the look on his face and Ms.Brass' desk clawing were anything to go on, neither of them believed it.
Specter couldn't help but perk up at Panu's suggestion. Grinning, ”Oh yes, please do Panu.” Maybe, just maybe, it would make the two men stop what they were doing and act like responsible adults instead of hormone crazed teens.
~~~~~
Kaz was so intent on throwing Ambrose to the ground that he nearly missed the man's reaction when his throat was grabbed. It was only for a brief instant, one easily missed if they weren't paying very close attention. Even Kaz, who caused it, wasn't sure what he had noticed. It could easily have just been a natural reaction of surprise due to being grabbed by the throat, but...
Kaz's eyes narrowed as he felt Ambrose move in his grip, twisting himself at the last moment to change his angular momentum. The floor beneath Ambrose cracked and splintered, spilling a generous amount of the man's blood as he rolled away. At least that's what Kaz had to assume it was, because it flowed from the man's sliced bicep like blood would do, but it was black, like tar. That really didn't mean much in their world. Mutants didn't conform to any singular mold, so that 'blood' could be acid, oil, gasoline, peppermint extract, literally anything else. Hell, Kaz personally knew of a mutant who had actual glass running through her veins.
Taking a step forward he knelt down where the blood began, and without taking his eyes from Ambrose, reached out and touch the blood with two fingers. He rubbed the liquid between those fingers and his thumb getting a feel for it before he brought it near his nose. Nostrils flared and Kaz was certain it was blood, but it had an odd tang to the scent. Sticking out his tongue a bit, he lightly dabbed a very small amount of it onto the tip of his tongue. It was definitely blood, but again, there was something off about it. As he watched Ambrose set his shoulder he decided that the black coloring had to be the source of the odd taste and smell. He made a soft sucking sound before running the tip of his tongue along his lips as he looked at the other man with slightly hooded eyes and a nearly imperceptible smirk of a smile.
He didn't feel the need to go after Ambrose as he recovered. Not because of some fighting code of ethics, but because he wasn't taking this 'fight' seriously. How could he? He had taken Ambrose's measure and he had no chance in hell of matching up to Kaz.
Frowning a bit, Kaz realized that not only was this not a fight, but it wasn't fun, at least not in that way. He'd never be able to enjoy fisticuffs with Ambrose, it would be a one way beat down. So as he watched Ambrose strip off his shirt, Kaz stood up, ripping a piece of splintered wood from the floor, and suppressed a great deal of his abilities. By the time the man's shirt was fully off Kaz had brought himself down to, what he judged to be Ambrose's level. He even went as far as pushing the wood in his hand into his bicep, in the same place Ambrose had been injured. When that barely drew blood he adjusted his skin a bit more, and was satisfied when he had a small gash in his own arm, which stopped bleeding almost immediately.
Kaz let his eyes roam over Ambrose's chest and abdomen. Rose didn't match up to Kaz's natural physique, but he was no slouch either, which Kaz was actually a little surprised by.
”Hey,” He heard Ambrose speak, but it took him a heartbeat to look up from inspecting Ambrose and meet his eyes, then tracked their gaze downward. ”Mine is bigger” Kaz blinked at Rosie-boy and then threw his head back, bursting out in a belly laugh. Ambrose really had NO IDEA did he. It was so juvenile, but it was funny. He could not help himself from looking pointedly look at Ambrose with a raised brow as he tried to assess the man. 'Well, I suppose it's not exactly fair when-'
He cut off his internal thinking as Ambrose lunged at him again. It only took a moment to realize where the man was aiming, especially since he basically advertised his intent.
Kaz snapped his leading leg back and behind his other leg with enough force that it cause his entire body, with a small bit of pressure from his other foot, to rotate at the center of his chest. It hadn't been perfectly executed, he had been a little slow which earned him a light scratch along the shin of his trailing leg as he spun nearly 270 degrees along his horizontal axis and 180 degrees along his vertical axis. This put him above and slightly behind Ambrose as the man's momentum moved his past where Kaz had been.
He snapped his arm out and grabbed Ambrose's shoulder and pulled. Even with his enhanced strength, he had nothing to push against to be able to move Ambrose, and the man had a significant amount of weight on Kaz. So when Kaz pulled, he pulled himself down, riding Ambrose to the floor Kaz quickly readjusted his grip as he began to rebound slightly, so that his hand was around Rose's throat, fingers and thumb easily finding the soft flesh around the esophagus and jugular veins. Kaz's other hand slipped down and around Ambrose's torso and pressed a hand against the man's lower abdomen, just above his waistline, fingers splayed out.
He had tried to place himself on the side Ambrose's back , but the man's wing got in the way, forcing him to stay in the center. The only satisfaction Kaz could get from that was the crunch of snapping bone that had come from the offending wing. As his weight settled onto the man under him, he felt Ambrose's hard spine press into him, drawing blood.
Kaz's full weight was pressed against Ambrose and as he pulled back on the man's neck a bit, he felt Ambrose's spine press into him even more. Kaz flexed the hand against Ambrose's abdomen and used it to push himself up and closer to Ambrose's face until he was able to either whisper into the man's ear, or tear into his neck with his teeth.
Water started spraying out from the sprinklers in the ceiling, completely covering the room with water, including the two men laying on the floor, one atop the other.
He could feel the claws of his hands pressing into Ambrose's flesh as he flexed them. Kaz's tongue slipped from between his lips to brush against Rose's skin to taste the water running down his jaw. Kaz's soft, nearly inaudible, but unmistakably feral voice moved the short distance between his mouth and Ambrose's ear, ”Show and tell Rose.”
~~~~~~
A loud smack sounded from the room as Specter slapped his hand to his face displaying a very Picard-like facepalm. Groaning, ”I need brain bleach.”
Raising his voice he turned his head towards the soaked room, not much, but enough to show where, and to who, he was speaking. ”You know there are things I can't unsee!”
He let his hand drop slowly from his face and sighed heavily.
After the first rock had hit him in the back, Kaz had turned his attention away from the girl in the fountain to try and find the culprit. Unfortunately that quickly became impossible. As if the first throw had been a signal, more projectiles were being thrown his direction. If he had been alone at the fountain, Kaz might have let the objects hit him just to show the humans how useless their actions were.
But he wasn't.
Kaz's eyes began flicking from side to side while he moved his head only enough to keep track of the thrown objects. His arm moved too quickly to see anything but an after image as he deflected the incoming objects heading towards him and the girl. Kaz smirked when he was able to catch and return a few of them to whoever had thrown the object.
He had fallen into a sort of easy pattern of stopping, catching, and releasing the objects when the first shot was fired. Kaz had not been ready for it. His ears rang from the sound, causing him to wince and flinch, just a little, and miss the shoe that hit him in the chest. Giving his head a sharp, quick shake, he got his hearing, and the ringing udner control and looked down at the ground. 'Who throws their shoe?!'
It didn't take him long to find the man firing shots into the air. Apparently this was the man who had gotten the crown to begin throwing whatever they could find at the mutants in front of them, and he seemed to be trying to rouse them into even more violence. Kaz didn't have the time to spare to watch the man and keep people from pelting the girl, who, from what he could hear from behind him, had begun thrashing.
That didn't surprise him, no child should be able to be calm hearing gunshots, especially so close to them.
The pace, and force, of the thrown objects, picked up after a few more gunshots cracked the air, forcing Kaz to open his wings and using them as large nets. He was able to block the child from most things, but it also limited his movements somewhat. From his brief glances at the girl, he guessed she was trying to do something, but he couldn't attention to what she was doing and keep her from being hit.
When he looked back to the inciter, he was just in time to see the man's head spin around and his body drop. The man who had done it seemed to melt into the crowd almost immediately, and even Kaz's sharp eyes weren't able to track him through the growing throng of people. If he had been watching the whole time, he would have recognized the murderer.
”Little freak, get back here!”
Kaz spun in place, his wings contracting almost instantly to facilitate the movement.
There was a man standing in the fountain and Kaz hadn't noticed him get that close. When he tracked from the man to where he was looking he saw the little girl, who had landed on the ground a few feet away from Kaz. Eyes snapping back to the man, Kaz saw the gun come up, aiming at the girl, and saw the man's finger contracting on the trigger.
'Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuck!'
Kaz knew he wasn't going to be able to get to the man before the he pulled the trigger, there was a fountain between them. Instead, he threw himself between the gun and the girl.
He felt it when the first one hist his shoulder, and almost at the same instant the second one hit him in the back of his head. Kaz hated getting shot. Even if they didn't penetrate his skin, or cause any real damage, they were still annoying. He wouldn't say it aloud, but they did hurt. A little.
The force of the shots threw his balance off for a moment, and just when he got himself under control he expected to feel another bullet hit him. It didn't. Instead the man's head rocked to the side a bit before the opposite side exploded outwards. Blood and brain matter flew through the air, catching more than a few with the spray.
Kaz didn't have the time to spare to find the culprit, but he was sure it was the same person who had killed the inciter earlier.
He flung one wing up and over the girl as he landed on the ground. It wasn't perfect, but it did the job. In another moment, Kaz was crouched next to the girl, both wings covering her in something like a dome. ”Hey kiddo, you doing alright?” Lifting his head up, he looked around and saw, what was quickly becoming a violent mob, begin closing in on them.
Kaz reached out and set his hand on the girl's short blonde hair. Smiling as best he could, ”We can't stay here hun. I'm gonna get you outta here okay?” He pulled her into his arms, somewhat awkwardly. He had never tried to carry someone a fish, not to mention a mermaid. ”Keep your head down, kay?”
With his arms holding her, and his wings keeping her covered, Kaz leaned and sprang forward towards the throng of people.
One. Two. Three steps, and Kaz pushed off a little harder and gained a bit of air. It wasn't a lot, but it was enough to let him use the humans as stepping stones. That had the added benefit of knocking more than a few to the ground, with broken shoulders and collar bones.
Unfortunately, someone got off a lucky shot right as he was about to step on another person. Where? In his left ass cheek, in the muscle as it was flexing. A slight twitch and spasm and Kaz's timing was thrown off, which sent him, and the little mermaid girl to the ground rolling.
Kaz got his feet under him and stood up. He checked to make sure the girl was still covered and protected. The meat sacks stood around them, hate clear in their eyes. He bared his fangs to those nearest and literally snarled as he spoke. ”Make any move, and I'll kill you all.”
Kaz changed.
One moment he looked like he always did, the next he sported a wide, long muzzle, forward facing horns sprouted from his head, his brow thickened, and extremely sharp spines appeared across his body and wings.
If they forced it, he would end them all. It wouldn't be easy to do while keeping the girl safe, but he'd do it. He decided he would enjoy doing it, that it would be a fun, if small, challenge.
Part of him wanted it to happen, but the part of him that was in charge at the moment, knew he needed to get the girl away from the mob. So while keeping his attention on everyone he could, Kaz began moving backwards, away from the humans and the fountain.
Kaz grimaced as Panu's words were relayed to him as the boy spoke them. The boy was misunderstanding why Kaz wanted to talk to Ambrose, why he couldn't just accept a child's word, their promise. If he had the time and was in a place that wasn't hostile, Kaz thought he might be able to explain it well enough, but this wasn't the place or the time to try. 'Even if it were, he might be to irritated with me to listen...My own fault I guess.'
Before he could continue his line of thinking the tiger woman pulled that fire alarm. Kaz was only able to avoid flinching or being startled by the loud sound because Specter, just by being in the other room and keeping his perceptions open and flowing, had warned him of her movements. It did distract him from noticing Ambrose rising from his chair and begin taking off his jacket.
The man in front of him spoke a single word but didn't continue. Kaz waited until the man's jacket was securely placed across the back of his chair before he said anything. ”Sorry?”
'For what? The alarm?'
He gave himself a mental shrug, 'Probably, bu-'
Stopping his internal conversation he listened to the words the young mutant piped in through the speakers. Kaz cursed under his breath, ”Dammit Panu...”
'This is why kids are a chore to deal with.'
'Yeah, but it's hard to stay upset with them...'
Distracted as he was by Panu, Kaz did not miss the change in Ambrose. Even the quickest people would give themselves away if you knew what to look for. The man was keyed up for a fight, so Kaz was not surprised when he moved. He was a little surprised that Ambrose had decided to leap at him over the desk, and he did not expect a pair of wings to burst from his back and aim their hinge claw at him.
Even with the man's hands and claws aimed at him, that wasn't what caught Kaz's attention. It was his eyes. It wouldn't take someone with enhanced eyesight to see that Ambrose Jaager was all but consumed by a primal, bestial rage.
Kaz knew that feeling all too well, remembered it so clearly he actually had the insane desire to beat and break Ambrose just so he could try and help him calm that beast.
Kaz had given a name to the rage, hate, and bloodlust that he had felt years ago: Sarrus. He always knew those feelings were his own, but the intensity so so strong that, to stay sane..as sane as he could be, he had to make it into something separate from himself. In his mind he had always pictured and imagined Sarrus as one of the more feral, malicious, and evil looking types of eastern dragons that people had created in various forms of art.
Along with all of that hate and anger, there was strength, determination, and the will to carry on and push through anything, to survive.
It had taken years to understand and get control of those emotions. Had taken even longer to realize that they were his and break down the fiction of Sarrus in his mind, and then to integrate it back into himself. He knew the intensity of rage he felt wasn't normal, that he had been broken, was still broken.
Kaz felt like he was watching Ambrose's attack in slow motion, the outstretched claws cutting their way through the air at a snail's pace. He wondered if Ambrose was feeling and dealing with the same type of rage he had. If he could he ignore it? Of course he could, the man was attacking him after all. But should he?
Lowering his body and moving one leg back, his feet becoming clawed to better grip the floor, Kaz prepared to take the impact from Ambrose. He wasn't concerned with the claws on Ambrose's hands or wings, he was confident that they wouldn't be able to penetrate his skin. He'd let the man land his attack, and show him how futile it was.
Even though he expected the impact, Kaz found himself driven back a couple inches, only keeping himself from being bowled over because of his superior strength and pushing back with his rear leg. There was another similarity between the two men that wouldn't be apparent to anyone who looked at them; They both weighed a lot more than their frames suggested, and Kaz suspected Ambrose was the clear winner in that category.
Ambrose's wing claws raked across Kaz throat, but slid off, unable to penetrate his thick, armored skin. The claws of his hands did the same, but he could feel the strength in them, a strength that Kaz would have to keep in mind. Even if he was tougher than any living creature on Earth, crushing his throat would still be relatively easy when superhuman strength was involved.
From their brief encounter, Kaz knew he wouldn't have to be gentle with Ambrose, and that knowledge drew a smile from his lips.
Kaz moved his arms in a blur to break Ambrose's grip, before the man could get his feet on the ground to give himself leverage. He grabbed at the man's neck, stepped low and reached up for his waist, intending to use himself as the fulcrum to slam Ambrose to the floor. He intended to hurt the man, not kill him, but if he was less durable than Kaz was guessing, he might end up doing just that.
It was only after he started moving that a thought poked the back of his mind, 'How strong are these floors?' The image of slamming Ambrose through the floor flickered through his mind's eye.
~~~~~
Looking at Panu, Anthony gave him a sheepish smile. ”Sorry about...that,” he waved a hand in a rolling gesture, ”He didn't want anyone else to interfere. Told me to release you if you had a bad reaction. Are you okay now?”
Specter glanced towards the room he had exited when he felt the impact through the floor. Wearing a pensive expression he looked at Cail, then at the woman. ”Excuse me Miss...” He waited a moment to see if she would supply him with her name. Anthony would have used her name if Kaz had bothered to learn it. ”It seems like negotiations have broken down into a brawl. How sturdy are the walls and floors?” Even through the odd, rasping, nerve grating sound of his voice, there was a clear hint of exasperation. It was also apparent by his tone that he would prefer if this ended soon, without causing too much more trouble.
Kaz wasn't sure what he had expected would happen when Dominique held the cello case to the girl, but Astrid's attack was not on the list. Kaz sighed as Astrid bowled Dominique over, but he didn't interfere. It seemed that this girl really had no idea how to handle herself, and that thought was bad coming from himself. He knew how impulsive and reckless he could be.
Dominique had apparently not been taken by surprise at the attack, having been warned by the girl's possessive emotions. The odd woman let the teen hit her, and changed their momentum into something easily managed. She guided Astrid down before using her legs to kick the girl up and off of her. Dominique had grabbed hold of both of Astrid's arms as she kicked her. While the girl was in the air she rolled where she was to twist her around so she would be facing the ground. She let go twisted and spun her legs to get herself up into a crouch.
Dominique began to intentionally pushing on the girl's emotions, to calm her down and make her more reasonable. Speaking with a friendly, yet stern voice. <”There was no needfor that child. You couldhave had it at any time. Mr. Corydon did not want it forgotten about atthe bar, so we brought it here for you. Please be calmAstrid, I do notwish to hurt you.”>
Kaz scowled at Astrid, <”If you attempt to do something foolish like that again Astrid, be assured you will be stopped before you touch anyone.”> He didn't move towards the girl, instead he picked up the cello and rested it on his shoulder. <”You attacked my employee because she had this.”> He tapped the case with a finger, <”Did you even think about grabbing it before you followed me? Did you consider how you'd even get back to the bar to pick it up after you got here? I doubt it.”> Kaz sighed, <”Being decisive and thinking quickly is good, but don't be stupidly impatient.”>
Looking towards Dominique, ”You don't have to stay m'dear, she didn't seem to appreciate any of this unfortunately.”
The alien woman looked at Kaz, ”I do not mind. I wouldlike to stay untilshe decides what shewill do.” Kaz nodded and shrugged before looking back to Astrid.
The silver haired elf man sat atop a roof, one leg on the ledge, the other hanging out in open space moving back and forth as he put another spoonful of a Reese's Cup and Pieces Blizzard in his mouth.
”Oowww! Brain freeze.” Kaz put the palm of his hand to his forehead as he laughed at the pain. He knew better than to eat cold things fast, especially without letting himself letting his body acclimate to it first. Looking into the cup he noticed he only had a fourth left of the delicious frozen treat, and a good portion of what was left was already melted. Kaz found himself scowling at that. He had not realized that he had eaten so much as he walked from the DQ to find a place to sit and relax. For him to get a brain freeze now meant he had eaten the treat slowly as he walked.
'It sure doesn't last very long huh?' He shrugged, ”Oh well.” Lifting it to his lips, he tilted his head and the cup back intending to drink the liquid portion. A moment later shrieks and screams hit Kaz's ear, causing him to start, which dislodged the solid bit of Blizzard and let hit fall on his face.
He immediately set the cup aside and looked for his napkin, which he couldn't find. That hadn't been his only reason to look around, just the reason he told himself. The moments spent looking allowed him to turn his head, and let his ears twitch and move, until he pinpointed the direction of the screams.
Kaz had a hierarchy of what he cared about, and for the most part it was pretty simple: Kaz > His people and his things > Mutants > Children > Animals > Humans > Machines.
If it had just been the screams of adults Kaz doubted he would have even bothered to locate the sounds, but his ears told him there were children screaming as well. While it's true kids seem to scream all the time, at least from an adult's perspective, most of the time they're just excited and playing. Those screams sounded nothing like what Kaz heard, the pitch was too high, it was too primal. Fear was laced into those screams.
As he stood up, Kaz told himself he could be wrong, that he probably was, but he didn't believe it. He knew he was just trying to give himself an excuse to stay out of it, to keep himself from getting involved. A fresh wave a screams hit him and he felt a little fist clench in his gut.
Kaz undid his buttoned shirt, pulled it off, and stuck it into his pants while he ran to the other side of the roof. There was a trick to doing that without tearing the buttons off in haste, a trick even the Man of Steel had never seemed to get. 'Clark's a chump.'
Turning to face the direction of the screams, Kaz burst forward and lept from the edge of the building high into the air. At the apex of his jump, a pair of large wings burst from his back allowing him to continue his straight shot towards the disturbance.
From the moment he first heard the screams and his wings unfurling only about 20 seconds had passed. He knew he was retroactively rationalizing his actions in his mind once in the air, giving himself reasons, cause, thoughts, and comments. That was something he believed everyone did; First they do something, and then afterward they explain it to themselves, but they do it in such a way that it seems like the reasoning happened either before or during the actions taken. Of course he wouldn't know if he was right or not, he had never asked anyone, and he didn't plan to, ever, even thinking about it made it seem crazy. He was sure he didn't need to give people even more reason to think he was nuts.
As he closed in on the source of the screams, Kaz caught sight of a number of people heading in the same direction he was. Taking that as confirmation he was correct, Kaz beat his large, powerful wings again and picked up even more speed. Those below him would only see Kaz as a blur streaking across the sky above them, if they noticed at all.
His speed was so great that he nearly missed the spot he was aiming for. A quick turn and a strong beat of his wings backward killed a lot of his now backwards momentum. Twisting his body to face towards the earth another wing beat had him in a quick dive.
Flaring his wings, Kaz landed 20ft or so from the fountain, surprising, and scaring, more than a few people. As he crouched in a ready posture his wings folded on his back to take up very little space. Looking around Kaz couldn't see the reason why there had been screaming, there didn't seem to be anything in the area that warranted it.
What he did see were a number of adults and more than a few children around the fountain, some were terrified, but more than a few seemed very angry. There were two children in the fountain that he could see, both of them seemed to be shaking because of something he couldn't see. Their parents, at least that what he assumed they were, seemed reluctant to go to them. Kaz couldn't help but give them a disgusted look as he stood up.
He started moving towards the kids and fountain. If their parents wouldn't do anything he would. It was this sort of thing that could really get under his skin, humans being too cowardly to do what needs to be done. Kaz could hear murmurs and disparaging comments about mutants from those in the crowd. The few whispered threats and condemnations he ignored as best he could, though he was getting more angry with each word spoken.
When Kaz finally noticed there was another body in the fountain he moved faster. At first all he had seen was a hoodie, but he quickly realized what was going on. There was a mutant in the fountain, one that apparently had a large tail and fin. He had heard someone in the growing crowd mention something about 'eat them', but he hadn't understood it, not without context.
The urge to punch of the bastards was growing within him. This fountain, this area was clearly a place for children to play and enjoy themselves, so Kaz was sure he'd find the mutant in question to be a little kid. It didn't matter if they were mutant or human, there was no reason for anyone to treat a child like these people were, like a monster, no matter what they looked like.
Kaz really wanted to yell at these people, 'What the hell is wrong with you?!' Instead he looked at the kid who were closest to the mutant in the fountain, ”Go to your parents. Now.” When they didn't move right away, he furrowed his brows a bit. They ran, one of them tripped as they went to their parent. He hadn't meant to scare them. 'Oh well.'
As softly, calmly, and reassuringly as he could, Kaz spoke to the fishy kid, ”Hey, you okay? You hurt?”
Kaz felt something hard hit him in the back and he whipped his head around to see where it came from. On the ground, a fist sized rock was still rolling away from Kaz.
