The X-men run missions and work together with the NYPD, striving to maintain a peaceful balance between humans and mutants. When it comes to a fight, they won't back down from protecting those who need their help.
Haven presents itself as a humanitarian organization for activists, leaders, and high society, yet mutants are the secret leaders working to protect and serve their kind. Behind the scenes they bring their goals into reality.
From the time when mutants became known to the world, SUPER was founded as a black-ops division of the CIA in an attempt to classify, observe, and learn more about this new and rising threat.
The Syndicate works to help bring mutantkind to the forefront of the world. They work from the shadows, a beacon of hope for mutants, but a bane to mankind. With their guiding hand, humanity will finally find extinction.
Since the existence of mutants was first revealed in the nineties, the world has become a changed place. Whether they're genetic misfits or the next stage in humanity's evolution, there's no denying their growing numbers, especially in hubs like New York City. The NYPD has a division devoted to mutant related crimes. Super-powered vigilantes help to maintain the peace. Those who style themselves as Homo Superior work to tear society apart for rebuilding in their own image.
MRO is an intermediate to advanced writing level original character, original plot X-Men RPG. We've been open and active since October of 2005. You can play as a mutant, human, or Adapted— one of the rare humans who nullify mutant powers by their very existence. Goodies, baddies, and neutrals are all welcome.
Short Term Plots:Are They Coming for You?
There have been whispers on the streets lately of a boogeyman... mutant and humans, young and old, all have been targets of trafficking.
The Fountain of Youth
A chemical serum has been released that's shaving a few years off of the population. In some cases, found to be temporary, and in others...?
MRO MOVES WITH CURRENT TIME: What month and year it is now in real life, it's the same for MRO, too.
Fuegogrande: "Fuegogrande" player of The Ranger, Ion, Rhia, and Null
Neopolitan: "Aly" player of Rebecca Grey, Stephanie Graves, Marisol Cervantes, Vanessa Bookman, Chrysanthemum Van Hart, Sabine Sang, Eupraxia
Ongoing Plots
Magic and Mystics
After the events of the 2020 Harvest Moon and the following Winter Solstice, magic has started manifesting in the MROvere! With the efforts of the Welldrinker Cult, people are being converted into Mystics, a species of people genetically disposed to be great conduits for magical energy.
The Pharoah Dynasty
An ancient sorceress is on a quest to bring her long-lost warrior-king to the modern era in a bid for global domination. Can the heroes of the modern world stop her before all is lost?
Are They Coming for You?
There have been whispers on the streets lately of a boogeyman... mutant and humans, young and old, all have been targets of trafficking.
Adapteds
What if the human race began to adapt to the mutant threat? What if the human race changed ever so subtly... without the x-gene.
Atlanteans
The lost city of Atlantis has been found! Refugees from this undersea mutant dystopia have started to filter in to New York as citizens and businessfolk. You may make one as a player character of run into one on the street.
Got a plot in mind?
MRO plots are player-created the Mods facilitate and organize the big ones, but we get the ideas from you. Do you have a plot in mind, and want to know whether it needs Mod approval? Check out our plot guidelines.
“I am tool or I am dead. You think this too, or you would let me go.”
Kaz had been a bit taken aback by Panu's response. That was not that he thought about the boy at all. It hurt Kaz a little that the boy seemed to believe that he was in fact a tool to be used. He knew what it was to be a tool, to be used by others.
Tara had warped and twisted Kaz's memories, even created new ones, just so she could use him and his abilities to further who own goals and agendas. She had been his sister at first, then later, after he had begun to see the inconsistencies, she was his lover, his wife. In the end he had killed her after spending a night together.
He had done something especially well and she had rewarded him, but something she said or did tickled something within his memories that let him push through her manipulations just enough to take advantage of the moment. Kaz remembered the taste of her skin, as he kissed her neck, a breath before he ripped her throat out with his teeth.
Xander... Thinking of that man always hurt Kaz's mind. He didn't remember much about what had happened to him or what he had done after Xander had literally turned Kaz into a mind slave. His will had been broken and smashed and locked away within his mind so strongly that he only had fractured, broken, and jumbled memories of that time. Even those little flashes of memories were disjointed, distorted, and incomplete. Kaz had been the man's perfectly obedient puppet, at least until someone had attacked Xander.
As far as Kaz had been able to piece together in the years since, Xander had been at war with some other group, or faction or something similar, and Kaz had been his muscle. They had finally found Xander and attacked. Xander had, at some point, crushed the attackers into submission, but let his control over Kaz slip. In that heartbeat of weakness, Kaz had punched his fist into the man's back and tore his spine out. At least that's what he assumed. He had been in such an insane rage that when he finally came to some semblance of sanity, absolutely everyone that had been in the area was dead, and Kaz still had the man's spine in his hand.
…
Kaz forced those memories from his mind. Hard. Yes, he knew what it was like to be a tool. He hated it, hated hearing that this child felt that he was a tool to be used and discarded when it was no longer useful. It was wrong. Panu didn't understand, he didn't get it. Kaz wanted to let him go, wanted him to be able to grow up to be able to make new mistakes, and hopefully those mistakes wouldn't be as dangerous or have the same consequences as he was facing now.
Though he refused to let it show, Kaz felt his frustration at the situation as something palpable, his sympathetic compassion towards Panu made him want to choke. 'How can I get him to understand?'
Panu's words had sent Kaz into his own memories and made him think and dwell, so much so that he hadn't been able to give the boy a response right away. There was no way he'd have the time to try and explain it while he and Rose were having their little pissing contest.
It seemed that Ambrose was the type of man who thought respect was the same thing as kissing his ass. And that was something Kaz had no skill in whatsoever. Kaz knew that most business men liked to posture, making people wait before meeting with them to show who had the power and who was in charge. Not to mention that that was disrespectful to the person waiting. Kaz couldn't stand that sort of thing. They seemed to want to talk in circles, taking forever to get to the point, which always seemed to be more posturing. He figured it was more respectful to just come out and say what his business was. There was no posturing or any roundabout 'my dick is bigger than yours'.
And threats? Rosie-boy was the first to threaten Kaz. There was no threat from Kaz. The boy did something and his actions had consequences. Kaz had come to him to solve and resolve the issue, something Ambrose didn't seem to have any intention of doing.
In fact as Kaz listened to Ambrose spew words, he realized that all of the threats had come from Ambrose himself. Even now, he continued to to try and escalate his threats towards Kaz.
Kaz's body tensed up when he saw Ambrose's teeth change to resemble something similar to Kaz's own. There was something different about the man's..everything. He had thought Rose wasn't a fighter, but every sense Kaz had told him that he had been wrong.
In preparation Kaz had released the mental bindings of his power, no longer holding himself to a mere fraction of his abilities. So of course that's when someone appeared next to he and Panu and moved his hand to grab the boy. Kaz moved before any thought crossed his mind, conscious or subconscious. The appearance and slight movement triggered the instinctual response. Kaz felt his hand crunch down on the newcomer's forearm. It was only after he felt bones grinding under his grip that he realized the person was male, and had his hand was on Panu's shoulder.
Before he could blink or begin to think about uttering a sound both of them were gone. Kaz blinked once, twice, and looked at Ambrose. Unless he was mistaken, the man hadn't expected that to happen either. He saw the man's eyes flick down to his desk and Kaz strained his eyes to find any reflection that would let him see what Rose looked at.
There was absolutely no doubt in Kaz's mind that the man's appearance and Panu's disappearance were not linked to whatever Rose looked at.
Kaz found a reflection quickly enough in Ambrose's own blu...gree... 'Ignore that for now. Look. Read. Pay attention moron.' And he did so. Not there was much to see. Kaz had to look away after he saw Ambrose's response to his 'mother'. He had strained his eyes to not only see the reflection, but to to see it clearly enough to read the words. Such intense, pinpointed vision, was hard to keep without looking too deep. It took a lot of effort to ignore the yellow of Ambrose's natural eyes blending through the blue contacts, which made Kaz believe he was seeing green in a few spots of the man's eyes.
Instead of answering Ambrose, Kaz crossed his arms and shifted position. 'Huginn...Huginn....that seems familiar. Don't think I've every met anyone with that name...so...' He didn't try to figure it out just then, it would come to him eventually. Instead he glanced at Specter who gave him a slight twitch of one eyebrow before flicking his eyes to the other room. Kaz understood immediately that Panu hadn't gone far and was in fact on the other side of the door.
When he looked to Rose again, he caught the man looking not at Kaz's face, but...”Huh...That was unexpected.” Kaz said softly to himself. He was completely naked. And Ambrose seemed to be enjoying the view. He hadn't expected a pretty-boy like Ambrose to go both ways.
Kaz stared at Ambrose's eyes daring him to look him in the eyes after ogling him so openly. Of course there was absolutely no way Kaz didn't have a smirk on his face the whole time Ambrose rambled on, again. He even made a point of shifting his weight at least twice during the man's little speech.
If nothing else, Kaz was confident in himself and his body. He looked good and he knew it, he worked at it, worked hard for it. Being able to augment your own body and alter it to be even better than it was naturally, that was just a bonus.
”Take it or leave it, Kaz....”
Letting out a sigh Kaz stepped forward twice, calmly and without hurry. Making a dissatisfied sound, Kaz raised his hands and looked down at himself. ”Your lighting is terribly you know.”
Those words spoken, Kaz's skin tone began to darken and change until it was the perfect shade for the room's lighting. Kaz didn't stop there though, he made sure that he looked the best he could. He enhanced his physique by making his muscles more accentuated, smoothing out his too-sharp edges, and sharpening those he felt were too soft. When he was done, he was almost a perfect, idealized, version of the human male, with just the right about of 'flaws' to keep him from seeming fake or created with an artists eyes for perfection.
”So much better, don't you think Rose?” Kaz grinned at the winged man, while at the same time giving a command to Specter. Kaz closed in on Ambrose's desk, placed his hands on it to support his weight as he leaned forward and down to look at the seated man. This put their faces quite close.
Grinning, ”Do you realize Rose that I could have dealt with Panu whenever I felt like it, when he broke into my property? That no one but I would have known what happened to him? Instead I took care of him and treated him like a person, and then brought him here to speak to you directly because you are who is responsible for him. Instead of doing the one thing I hoped for, that I wanted, which is give me a reason to trust that what he did won't happen again, all you've done is threaten me. Think about it. I haven't threatened you once since coming here.”
~~~~
Behind Kaz, Specter created a lance of red-violet light and swept it through the room where Cail, the tiger woman, teleporter, and Panu stood in. The light beam was actually shaped like a very long, thin, double edged sword. As it passed through the room and door it left no trace. The first pass sent the light blade through the adults and cut them off from their mutant abilities, the second one severed that room's ability to let anyone pass through it for 10minutes.
Specter seemed to float through the door that was barred to all but him, lancing out with a light spear at Panu before jamming the spear into the floor. Specter had just removed any distance between himself and Panu, making it possible to him to find the boy no matter where he was in the world with just a little effort. In addition, a moment after the light spear was connected to the ground the every mutant within 75ft of him, except for Kaz, Ambrose, and of course himself, had their abilities suppressed so they could not access them until he allowed it. If the boy showed any signs of freaking out, he had orders to exclude him from the suppression.
~~~~
Kaz's eyes flicked to the side where Specter had been until a few moments ago. ”Don't worry, he's just shut down your mutant friends in the other room. Only you and I are except from it right now.” Returning his gaze to Ambrose, ”Why couldn't you just work with me Ambrose? Do you hate being put on the spot so much that you'd rather fight me than work with me? Could you really not see how badly I wanted a reason, a legitimate reason to trust the boy, for reassurances from the person who's suppose to be responsible for him, so that I could let this go with a clear conscience?”
~~~~
In the other room, while maintaining the field, Specter had received words from Kaz to say to Panu. ”Panu, Mr. Corydon would like me to rely some words to you.” Specter looked at the boy, but kept the others in his view as well, even then they wouldn't be able to touch him physically. Panu, you are not a tool. I'm saddened that you actually feel that way about yourself. I know what it's like to be used that way. You are a child and a mutant, not an object to be owned and used. I want to be able to let this go, let you go free, to let you return to your normal life, whatever that is. But since I cannot hold a child to their oaths, especially one I hardly know, I need to get assurances from Ambrose. If I could get that, and believe it, I would leave you alone.”
Specter stopped speaking for a few minute. ”If you were nothing but a tool, would I have let you spend the night with Kalli, treated you to that breakfast, or tried to teach you how to swim? Tools don't need any of that, but little kids do. If I thought of you as a tool to be used, wouldn't I have tried to get you to do something for me, to use you for something? Something like, getting me full control of this company? So please don't think of yourself as something only to be used. You're a child, not on object Panu.”
~~~~
With a deep breath Kaz continued in such a low whisper only those with highly enhanced hearing would be able to hear what he said to Ambrose, ”Do you really want to start a war between you and I, right here, right now? How far do you think someone who has nothing to loose would go to destroy everything you have? Hmm? Oh, and just so you know you can take Panu wherever you want, but he'll never be out of reach for me.”
Kaz stood up straight and put a hand on his hip while waving dismissively with his other hand. ”Well? Should we start right now, or would you like to give some cooperation a real shot?”
Kaz couldn't help notice when Panu put his hands over his mouth, it was such a sudden motion that it moved the boy under his hands. He swore he could feel the kid shaking as he stood there, but without seeing Panu's face he doubted he'd be able to tell what emotion the boy was feeling. Fear was the most likely he decided. The meeting was not going in a positive direction for the boy's fate.
Kaz raised one brow a fraction as Rose sighed and let the door shut. As the man sat back down in his chair Kaz realized he was a bit surprised that the man was staying calm. A mutant with mutant security and secretary would be confident they could deal with whatever situation they found themselves in, but this situation wasn't exactly normal for most people.
There had to be a reason why he wasn't worried. What was it he had said? Running the conversation backwards in his mind he found it.
”...He's part of something a little bigger than that."
'Maybe there was more to what he said than I gave him credit for... In that case.. Opening his connection to Legion, Specter next to me. Mindjack and Blackout in the other room. Blow the electronics as soon as she arrives. Find where the surveillance is stored, then destroy it, make them vegetables to find it. Glyph, Landslide, and Replicant in the basement. Begin the quake.' Kaz knew it would take at least a few minutes to get everyone ready and into place, and for Blackout to build up enough power to fry everything when she arrived.
Kaz's attention had slipped from Rose as he gave orders to Legion, but when it returned to the winged man, he couldn't help giving him a deadpan look. It seemed that Panu had lied about the man being responsible. When it came to Panu the man seemed completely irresponsible and dismissive, as if he really didn't care about he boy at all.
As much as Kaz wanted to believe Ambrose's words were just for show, there was something in his voice and demeanor that he couldn't ignore. Kaz found himself irritated by the man's words. Panu was just a tool, something to be used, Ambrose didn't care about the boy any further than that. He wasn't concerned about Panu's life, just loosing an asset. It was galling! Kaz wanted to rip the man's throat out.
Taking a deep breath, Kaz calmed himself as much as he could and looked down at Panu.”This man is anything but responsible kid. Are you really okay with being just a tool?”
Looking back to Ambrose, ”You don't seem to be taking me or this situation seriously Rose. This boy is a child, their promises mean nothing, they're made and broken on a whim. As such it doesn't hold any weight with me, that's why I looked to you for assurances. But since you're so dismissive, I'll do what I have to to protect what's mine.” Kaz's fingers gained razor sharp claws.
Just as he was about to move his hand to Panu's throat. A figure in a dark black robe appeared at the side of the room. The disgusting scratch at the back of his mind and the feeling of insects crawling over Kaz's followed moments later. The face under the hood looked partially mummified, while the rest of his body seemed insubstantial and wispy, with a red-violet mist clinging to legs and falling to the floor.
Kaz smiled at the man, ”I'm glad you could join us Specter.”
Inclining his head the robed man spoke, his voice coming out like a rasp to scratch at the ears and mind while still being melodious and soft. ”As you commanded Sir. We stand ready for your word.”
For a moment Kaz wasn't sure what the man had meant by those words, but he got it a second later. Legion had sent Specter on ahead of the others. Kaz could only guess that Legion had understood that Kaz didn't want to start a brawl unless it was unavoidable. Since Specter was one of the most difficult Sentinels to harm or contain it was safe for him go first. 'Besides, the guy IS kinda creepy when he's like that.'
The others would be ready and in place the moment Kaz, or Specter gave the signal to Legion.
Grinning full fanged at Ambrose. ”Instead of giving me any assurances this sort of thing won't happen again, assurances that don't hinge on the untrustworthy word of a child that is, you continue to threaten me. Unless you want to create an incident, I'd begin cooperating.” Quirking one brow, ”Well?”
Kaz laughed as the girl crossed her arms and stomped like a little child. He knew it would probably make her angry, but he couldn't help it. She was so petulant it was almost cute. Shaking his head, <”No no no, you misunderstand what I meant.”> With a wave of his hand, the area around them lit up more than it would normally be for that time of night.
All around them lights came on or got brighter. The space around the tower was usually kept dim and dark so that its light would be a clear beacon in the night. Now that the lights had come on the streets leading to and from the tower, like spokes of a wheel, were visible, with some plain looking buildings, houses, and even a few small fields and playgrounds. Off in the distance larger houses and apartment complexes could be seen. There were a number of peculiar glows that didn't seem to fit the normal light pattern of the streets. Those would be the Sentinel stations placed across the Estates, within easy access of any of the residents for whatever emergency or concern they had.
<”To answer your earlier question,”> Kaz stepped away from Astrid and turned to face her, stretching out his arms. <”This is the Corydon Estates. A place for mutants to live in peace and safety, where human society and prejudices are held back, where we can life and work together, or separately. I built this place of us, and I protect it from humans and all that would threaten it. My Sentinels, the men and women around us, are all mutants, their job is to serve and protect mutant kind as a whole, but this place first and foremost.”>
Pulling out the feather-like crystal he flipped it into the air and caught it. <”If this is as strong as I think, and hope it is, there's no way you could produce what we'd need. Of course I'll pay you for it, if it pans out. I'm not asking, or telling, you to live here. If you want to, that's up to you. I'm not telling you to work for me either. I want to help you get on your feet, that's all.”> 'Mostly....but you don't need to know anything else.'
Kaz motioned for Dominique to come over with one hand and dismissed the rest of the Sentinels with his other hand. There was a very audible sound as they all saluted at the same time and dispersed back to their usual posts, some of them flew away, others melded into the ground or seemed to disappear from where they stood, a few went bounding or running past, most of them strode off purposefully, but not in a hurry. Besides the two at the tower, there were five Sentinels, one at each main street spoke.
Dominique strode over with a liquid alien pacing. <”This is Dominique. She speak French. It's because of her we can speak to you in your language. I thought you might like to meet her...and get your cello back.”>
<”There's noneed to be scared Astrid.”> The way the woman's voice came out was oddly modulated and carried a subtle calming push from the empathic woman. <”We don't wantyou to loose anything important to you.Would you likeme to hold onto thisuntil you leave? Orwould you like to takeit with you now?”> Dominique looked at Astrid with a smile that seemed like it would warm even the most frigid heart.
Kaz found Dominique to be strangely attractive and couldn't tell if it was because of her personality, her body, or the otherworldly sensation he got from her. Though he never said anything and she didn't look at him, he got the sense that she knew exactly what he was thinking, and he also knew it was a common thing. That odd attractiveness she had was apparently the reason why all her children had different fathers, but it was also why she was an only parent.
Feeling a little embarrassed Kaz cleared his throat. <”If you let us help you find a job, you can live wherever you want Astrid, and do whatever you want after that. Like I said, I'm just trying to help. I could employ you at one of my companies, but without knowing your skills and what you would and wouldn't enjoy...”> Kaz made a 'nothing I can do' gesture with his hands.
Kaz hid the smirk he felt welling up in him when he saw the girl move towards him and the gate. He hadn't been sure if she would follow, and if he was honest with himself, he had half expected her to bolt. The other half of him had been ready to be attacked, if not by her, than by someone in the bar.
Using his eyes to judge the distance, Kaz had Gatekeeper open a Door and transport Astrid's cello to Dominique. He then used Legion to inform Dominique and nine others to form up outside the pillar with Dominique the last one in her line.
Kaz stepped fully through the Gate and into a dimly lit room. He knew where he was but Astrid would get nothing from it. The room looked completely bare, the white stone walls so smooth even Kaz's enhanced sense of touch couldn't feel any ridges in its surface, a soft, defused, sun-yellow glow seemed to emanate from somewhere in the ceiling. The room was a 10ft cube, with the Gate's exit at the exact center of the back wall. That wall, Kaz knew, would slide away to reveal the actual entrance to the tower, where maintenance could be done and some storage space was.
The tower...Kaz really hated calling the thing a tower. He had been trying to think of something to call it. The best he had come up with was giving it a title like, the Monument or something similar. Kaz could do some amazing things, but naming thing was not one of them. It had become something of a joke to the Sentinels who called it the Sentinel Tower just to rub it in Kaz's face. It was their tower after all.
The tower, Kaz absolutely refused to called it Sentinel Tower, had five sides measuring 20ft long at the base, the sides getting smaller as it increased in height, until each side was only 5ft long. The tower itself stands 180ft tall, with the last 20ft taken up by a rotating, shifting image that is visible during the day and night from just about any spot on the Estate grounds. The image is that of the Sentinels, glowing with its own light that changes to appear as an analog clock once a minute for one ten seconds as it completed a full rotation. Fifty feet below the top of the tower, on each side, was a digital clock set below another Sentinel symbol, both were inset into the stone, backlit to be visible at all times, and covered by the toughest transparent material possible.
It was meant to give everyone living there a sense of security, knowing that the Sentinels were always present if needed, that they could live their lives within the Estates without worrying about safety and security. It was also a reminder that the Sentinels were always around, that any and all threats against the mutants and residents would be dealt with immediately and swiftly. Despite his inability to give it a proper name, he loved the tower. It was probably about as subtle a statement that Kaz could ever make.
Kaz moved to the opposite wall and waited for Astrid to step through the Gate. As soon as she did he had Gatekeeper snap it shut to prevent anyone else from following. Kaz didn't move or say anything for a few minutes, letting Astrid's eyes adjust to the lighting and waiting until any difficulties from the transportation faded. It wasn't extremely common and when it happened it wasn't bad, but it could be disorienting.
<”I don't know if I have anything you could do for work here, but this is why I'm positive I can help you, if you let me.”> He put a hand to the wall where he knew the hidden control panel was. <”Ready?”> With a few quick taps, the stone door slid into the ground.
Outside stood not only the 10 Sentinels Kaz had wanted, but 50 of them, with one more flanking each side of the doorway. They stood on the five tiered platform the tower was built on. The ones on the first tier below them had one knee on the ground, their arms crossed at the forearm over their chest, hands in fists, heads down, their bodies facing towards the path Kaz and Astrid would have to take to get off the tower. The next tier was much the same, but consisted of those who were larger of body than the first row. On the third and fourth tiers the Sentinels stood straight, heads down, arms crossed at the forearms over their abdomen, hands also in fists. The final group stood like the third and fourth tiered Sentinels but in a straight line of five on each side.
The soft glow that had emanated from within the room lit the tiers the Sentinels stood and knelt on, letting Kaz and Astrid see the Sentinels in their work uniforms, as well as see the little touches and changes each of them made to make it their own. On each one the symbol of the Sentinels was proudly displayed by each one, though not all in the same place. Some wore it on on the shoulders, chest, belt buckles, or on their back.
The Sentinels themselves were the opposite of their uniforms. The 52 sentinels at the tower ran the full range of human looking to completely inhuman, compared to their appearances, their uniforms looked identical.
Kaz realized as he saw out the door that he must have let more slip to Legion than he had intended. 'You wanted to impress her, did you not?' 'This was your idea?' 'I only imparted to them your wish and intention, they did the rest.'
With one brow raised a bit playfully, he waved a hand toward the door as he stepped out of the way, <”Ladies first.”>
He'd wait until Astrid stepped out before following her and standing at her right side as they descended the tiered steps. Kaz knew what the Sentinels would do as they approached and passed. Those on the first and second tiers would stand just before they stepped down, those on the third and fourth tiers would kneel down as Kaz reached the tier two ahead of them only to stand just before he set foot on their tier. As he passed each one, they would spread out in a loose formation around their final stop at the end of the line where Dominique stood. The only Sentinels who wouldn't move from their places were the two flanking the door.
There was 10ft between each tier with a drop of one foot at the end of each, so Kaz and Astrid had a short ways to go before they'd reach Dominique. <”You'll be able to speak to any of my Sentinels the way I've been speaking to you. This is to accommodate any and all mutants we interact with. We don't want any of our kind to feel like outsiders here, or anywhere else, but....we can't change the world overnight.>”
Up ahead of them, he could see Dominique at the end, with Astrid's cello at her side. He knew who she was immediately, and would have recognized her without the knowledge Legion gave him. She looked human in the same way a chimpanzee does, similar enough to know there's a relation somewhere in their genetic line, but still very different. Dominique was...well, alien. Everything about her was off, different, wrong, unsettling in a way that was wholly undefinable, and yet at the same time she was beautiful, alluring, exotic, ephemeral and ethereal. She was all of that before a person would have a chance to see her face or get a chance to judge her physically.
Dominique was pleasant, kind, caring, and motherly. Kaz figured it came from having seven children. It might also be the only way the empath could stay sane.
Kaz glanced at Astrid, <”I'll take you to the counseling center.”> After he said it he realized that he might give her the wrong idea so he continued quickly, <”That's where we can find out what your skills and interests are, and what we could do to find you a job and a place to live.”> He waved his left hand in a small dismissive gesture to Astrid, <”After that, you are free to do whatever you want to do, as long as it doesn't disturb or negatively impact my Estates here.”>
Kaz smirked when he heard the tiger woman whisper his name at Ambrose. It was always nice getting free information about those you're dealing with, and this man apparently had enhanced hearing like Kaz did. The elf eared man wondered if it was a match for his own or were those whispered words the limit of his superhuman hearing. Kaz guessed the woman had been given his name by Panu at some point. Sure it was possible they had information about him already, but he doubted that they had had any reason to know about him before this incident. He could ask Panu about it, but there was no reason for the boy to tell him the truth if he had given them his name, so Kaz didn't let himself glance down at the young boy holding his hand. He didn't want to look at the boy and think about what he could do, he already disliked what he was doing, he didn't need to make it worse for himself.
Kaz watched and listened to the man, a man he was sure had a stick up his arse. If no stick was involved, then Kaz figured there were only two possibilities: This man was better and controlling his reactions that he would have expected, or he doesn't really care that much about the boy. He could deal with the first one, though it could be irritating, but the second option...If that was the case...
Kaz briefly entertained the idea killing the man to save Panu the trouble of growing up with a shitty father. 'Obviously the boy's adopted, even if they looked similar, and they don't, he's too cute to be this man's kid.' As that thought came to Kaz's mind he barely contained his reaction to a single, brief, 'Heh'. It was quickly followed by a few more as another thought came to him, 'He's kinda pretty, in a way, and a bit prickly...I'm gonna call him Rose.'
It was just about then that Rose decided to touch Kaz. It was very possible that Panu would be the only one who'd have been able to feel Kaz's slight tension as he readied himself. Rose was a mutant, as was everyone in the immediate area he was sure, and Kaz did not know anything about the man's abilities other than enhanced hearing and his bat-like wings. Some mutants could do terrible things with just a touch and in a situation like they were in, that touch could have easily been an act of aggression. If it had lasted a moment longer, Kaz wasn't sure he wouldn't have broken the man's arm.
He had turned to face Rose as he walked past so he both saw and heard Cail's slight movement as he was given orders.
”Cail, if you're smart, you won't act on Rose's order just yet. In fact, it would be in all of your best interests not to.” There was no playfulness, joy, mirth, friendliness, or even slight respect in Kaz's voice, just irritation, annoyance, disdain, and contempt.
Kaz had opened his mouth to say more when he glanced down at Panu, who's hand seemed to have become much cooler and had begun shaking.
Kaz couldn't help but feeling like a royal bastard, he felt a bit ill looking at the boy.
As he kneeled down to be at eye level with Panu, Kaz's hair writhed and pulled itself into a number of silver spikes covering his head, none more than five inches long. He had done it for one reason, so that no matter what, his hair wouldn't obscure his vision of the others who he kept in his peripheral.
They'd probably think it was cowardly that he kept himself so close to the boy, making it obvious the boy's fate was literally in his hand. Kaz thought so too, but it was also for the boy's own good. If they thought that anything they did could and would hurt Panu, Kaz hoped it would make the possibility that he didn't have to hurt the boy more likely.
Kaz gave the boy's hand a gentle squeeze before speaking softly to the boy. ”I don't hate you Panu. I don't even necessarily dislike you. I wouldn't have trusted you with Kalli if I did. But, you're a kid, and kids do stupid things, its expected. You just had the misfortune to break into my stuff.” He gave the boy a soft, little apologetic smile. ”That's why we're here, cuz I don't want to hurt you. But your adoptive father apparently doesn't care to be a father, Kaz couldn't help but say that bit with a bit of a sneer, ”So promise or not, I can't risk the threat your pose....I may not have much of a choice. I'm sorry.”
He didn't bother rising as he looked back at Rose, Cail, and the tiger woman. ”As you can tell Rose, I'm not concerned with the threat of legal action and if you knew anything about me besides my name, you'd know it's a bad idea to threaten me. Especially with something vague and mysterious. I assure you, there's nothing you have hidden that I haven't seen before.”
Standing up, Kaz moved to stand behind Panu and placed his hand on the boy's shoulder. ”I came here to resolve this without it getting ugly or unpleasant. I came here hoping you would be the responsible adult Panu said you were and would be willing to figure something out, a way to deal with the situation your son precipitated. If you're not, then there's no point in us staying here, and I'll have to deal with this my way.”
”So what do you say Rose, willing to talk like two men who care what happens to Panu?” Kaz made a motion with his head indicating the chairs and raised an eyebrow at the man.
From his peripheral vision, Kaz noticed more than a few people had taken an interest in the two mutants. He doubted many, if any of them could actually understand what they were saying, but words were only part of a conversation. Kaz didn't think it was enough to be interested in, but apparently it was. His quick glances at those paying attention were enough to get them to avert their gaze, and attention, at least for a time.
The sudden change of Astrid's wings was enough to grab the attention of most people that could see her. Kaz found himself a bit surprised at the speed of the change. The sound he heard as her 'feathers' moved against each other made him think of glass wind chimes. Kaz didn't have much time to examine the girl's changed wings before she pulled out one of her feathers and slammed it into the table, impaling the card he had set there.
He raised one eyebrow as he watched her stand up and told him to basically 'buzz off'. Instead of responding right away, he reached out to the feather and pulled it out of the table. Kaz was surprised by how sharp its edges were, having felt it graze the outer layer of his skin, and wondered how the girl was able to slam it into the table with enough force to make it stick but without slicing open her own hand. When he flicked his eyes to her hand, he couldn't see anything different about it. 'Hmm...Is her skin thicker...or tougher than it looks?'
After plucking the ruined card from the feather, he looked at it from a few angles. Kaz thought it looked similar to quartz, if anyone sculpted quartz into small objects. 'Huh, that would be kinda cool if they did. Maybe I'll check that out later' Another quick glance at Astrid, 'Maybe her skin is made of this stuff as well.'
Putting the long, slim crystal between his fingers, he tried to snap it...and failed. Speaking to himself, <”Impressive. I think I can use this.”> Kaz looked at Astrid, his face appearing slightly more feral than it had a few moments before, <”I'm a creep with money, power, and connections kid.”> Kaz smoke in a slightly sneering tone, <”Don't let your childish ego blind you from making good choices..profitable choices.”>
In a blur of motion, a motion that took less than a heartbeat to complete, Kaz had a blade an inch from the girl's throat. <”I can as easily help you as I can....remove you. So it might be a good idea to swallow your pride, before you piss off the wrong person.”> He gave her a fang filled, wolfish grin.
<”Now,”> Another blur of motion replaced the blade with another business card, this one with the address to the Corydon Estates, with the money he had offered her before held behind the card. <”If you actually want to improve your situation, instead of scraping by, go to this address and see for yourself what I can help you with.”> Kaz set the card, and the money, on the table before taking a few steps away.
<”The money is for this.”> Kaz held up the crystal feather, <”If this is as strong as I think it is, it would be quite good if we could recreate it.”>
With a thought he had Gatekeeper project a Gate onto the stage where Astrid had performed. The area seen behind the gate was twisted and warped into strange shapes and patterns. Kaz stepped up to the gate and put one leg through it. His leg disappeared from view. Pausing Kaz looked toward the bar and a look of remembrance crossed his face, 'Oh, right.' Motioning to the server, he held out a few large bills. ”For the food, and the damage to the table.”
Looking at Astrid. <”I'm going to the address on that card now. This Gate will stay open for a few more minutes...”> Kaz glanced at the card and money on the table, <”Or you can take the money and..do whatever you want.”> He shrugged as he stood halfway through the Gate, and waited.
Kaz shook his head, a bit disappointed. The girl was stubborn, stupidly so. Did she really think the 'tough girl' act would work? Of course she did, she was 14, a child. Children always seemed to think they were invincible. Always seemed to have a super inflated ego and pride, that was based on nothing but itself.
He didn't feel like making the meal last long, he ordered and would eat because he needed to. So instead of cutting up the steak and eating little pieces, Kaz's skull and jaw shifted, allowing him to open his mouth wider than normally possible. With two quick snaps of his jaw, he bit the meat into three chunks and swallowed them whole. The burger followed close behind, as did the potato. He washed it all down with a long drink, draining over half of the bottle in one go. The only things he had left were the chicken strips and mozzarella sticks, and those he would eat normally.
When his skull and jaw were back to normal he spoke. <”Astrid, you're a terrible liar. I doubt you'd fool another kid your age with that 'I've got a rich family' line, let alone an adult.”>
Biting off a chuck of chicken, <”I get it though, you're trying to keep some sort of power or control on your side. That's not a bad thing, and neither is pride in yourself, but you can't survive on it alone. I wanted to learn more about you, so if you took my offer of help, I'd be able to do just that, help. I could have just thrown you the money, that would have been a handout, but it probably wouldn't help you in the long run.”>
Chomping down a few mozzarella sticks, <”I'd like to help you Astrid. I might even be able to help you find an actual job, with a steady pay, but if you don't help yourself....well....”> Kaz shrugged as he stood up. <”If you change your mind...”> He set a business card down in the middle of the table, but didn't step away from the girl. He would give her a few moments before he did anything else.
Kaz lower jaw jutted out a bit and to the side as he sighed heavily. He closed his eyes for a ten count before opening them again and took a deep breath. 'Are all kids like this?' He thought to himself, 'Heh, was I?'
Normally the 'old man' comment would get under Kaz's skin, and he'd have said something about it, something like, 'I'm not that old.' Which, even to him, seemed to be what old people said. Instead, Kaz kept his voice calm and mostly pleasant, though there was a hint of exasperation in it, <”I do believe I did say that didn't I? I was guessing, assuming, postulating...take your pick. It's what people do with others until they learn more about them. And that's what I want to do, learn more about you.”>
<”But,”> Kaz shrugged and spoke in a light tone as he moved to put the money back into his pocket. <”If you don't want this 'puny handout', I can take it with me when I leave. Of course, that would mean you wouldn't get any money tonight, since I also agreed to cover not just your meal, but your pay for the night. That was the cost of letting you play what you wanted earlier.”>
Kaz raised an eyebrow as he looked at her, only looking away when he saw their food and the drinks coming their way. ”Perfect timing!” He said as their waiter set out their orders.
When Astrid's mouth opened, the literal action of her jaw dropping, Kaz grinned, and chuckled a little. Though he had been almost certain he was right, her reaction confirming it made him happy. He was glad the Sentinels come from so many different places and walks of life. Before he could truly begin to consciously wonder who's knowledge he was using, the name 'Dominique' floated into the forefront of his mind.
Of course that was Legion making sure Kaz had all the information he wanted and needed from the mental network. Not only did it let him know who he was getting it from, but it let him give that person a bonus whenever he did so. Kaz thought of it as a sort of incentive the Sentinels would continue to learn and expand their own personal knowledge, and in doing so, add to the collective, making them all better able to handle anything that came their way.
Kaz figured he should answer her question before asking anything else, <”I've never learned French to be honest, at lest nothing more than a handful of words. I'm sort of cheating right now. I'm using another mutant's ability to understand and speak French.”>
Kaz noticed the waiter walking over to the table with his next bottle in hand. <”Thirsty?”> He didn't wait for Astrid to answer, she hadn't ordered anything to drink earlier, so when the waiter set his bottle on the table, Kaz asked for water and a few glasses of soda to be brought over.
<”Astrid, I don't meant to pry....ok, well that's not exactly true, I do, but not...”> Kaz grimaced slightly as he fumbled over what he was trying to say, <”I'm curious about you, and your...situation. Since you seem to have some trouble communicating in English, I'm betting it's not your native language. With your obvious mutation, I wouldn't be surprised if you either ran away or were forced from wherever you had lived, it's a fairly common occurrence.”>
Finishing the last of his first bottle, <”From your accent I'd guess you're from France. You're young, younger than I thought, and if I understood correctly, you normally play your cello outside? Doing this gig isn't something you want to do, but needed to do, for money, and food. So,”> He took a long pull from the new liquor bottle, <”correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm guessing you're basically alone here, not just in New York, alone in the US. You are trying to support yourself, and it isn't going too well, so you probably don't have any place to live.”>
Kaz went into his pocket, slid a few bills from a money clip and put them under his liquor bottle. <”I'd like it if you'd tell me about yourself. If you don't want to,”> Shrugging, <”you don't have to, I'll leave you alone and you can have that money. If you do, you can still have the money, and if I can help you, I will.”> Kaz spread his hands wide for a moment before linking his fingers together and resting his arms on the table.
Kaz tilted his head as the girl began speaking. If she weren't speaking as slow as she was, he may have had issues understanding her. Her disjointed way of speaking wasn't helping, but her gestures did help a little. Kaz was beginning to believe the girl either had a speech impediment or she didn't speak English very well.
Going on the assumption that there was a language barrier between the two of them, Kaz closed his eyes for a moment and 'felt' for the connection to Legion. After a moment he opened himself to the mutant's presence, and without needed words, imparted to Legion what he needed. With the mutant's help, and drawing on every mutant connected to him, Kaz opened his eyes and focused on the girl in front of him.
He felt relatively sure he knew where the girl was from, or at least what language she spoke, based on the sound of her accent. There was some conflicting information and experiences, but he went with the strongest and most dominant. <”My name is Kaz Corydon.”> He said in French, and hoped he was right. <”It's a pleasure to meet you Astrid. I hope this will make it easier to speak to each other.”>
Kaz had let his hand stay outstretched towards the girl longer than normal, and then a bit longer, until it was clear they wouldn't be shaking hands with mutual introductions. As he brought his hand back and rested his arm on the table Kaz frowned slightly. He couldn't help but take it as confirmation that she had been, and possibly still was, irked with him for his actions earlier. Kaz couldn't really blame her if she was irritated with him, he'd have been just as irritated if someone had done that to him during one of his performances when he was younger.
Irked or not, she did take him up on his offer to pay for her food. Seeing her point to the steak Kaz smiled a little bit. 'If someone offered to pay and to pick whatever I want, I'd probably get the most expensive thing too.'
Waiting until the waiter finished taking the girl's order, Kaz selected a steak and potato, burger and fries, chicken strips, and mozzarella sticks, as well as another bottle of, ”This.” holding up the nearly empty bottle of liquor.
Kaz stayed silent for a minute after the girl's terse, one word answer to his question. The answer, after he understood what she had said, was, or should have been, obvious, but he had expected, and hoped for, a slightly longer response.
Leaning back in his chair, Kaz pursed his lips. ”You're what, 16 years old? There have to be other ways to make money than doing something you dislike so badly.” He absently tapped a finger on the table a few times before speaking again, ”I'm going to go out on a limb and guess this was a type of last resort option. What do you normally do for money?” There was another question that popped into Kaz's head that he almost asked, but he knew better. It wasn't uncommon for mutants like her to have problems at home, so asking about parents would probably be tactless of him.
There was a different question he would ask, and hoped she'd answer ”Would you mind telling me your name? Thinking of you as 'girl' or 'kid' seems a bit rude.”
When the mutant teen put bow to string there was an immediate and dramatic change in the girl's posture and energy, not to mention the music. There was more life in every note than there had been in her previous performance. At least that's what Kaz would say if asked, even if it wasn't exactly accurate.
It was clear to him that she was enjoying herself much more than she had been, even if Kaz didn't. Oh it wasn't terrible, but it certainly wasn't something he would normally go out of his way to listen to. It sounded to him like something that should be accompanying or supported by other instruments. Despite that, he found himself watching the girl, watching how she moved in time with each note, watched her delicate fingers pluck the strings and manipulate them with precision, and as he watched, a slow, satisfied smile crept onto his face. Towards the end he noticed the fingers of his right hand were moving in time with each note, as if they were connected to each of the vibrating strings.
When the last note faded, signaling she was done Kaz heard a small, polite applause from the audience. Though it wasn't what they had intended to listen to that night, they seemed to be polite enough to give the girl the credit she was due. Kaz met her eyes with something halfway between a full smile and a smirk on his face as he tilted his head a bit to the side and down in a sort of seated bow.
Kaz stopped his video recording and moved his arm to indicate the chair across from him at his table. The girl seemed to hesitate for a few moments before deciding to join him. While he waited for her to come over and seat herself, he caught the bartender's eyes and motioned for a server to come over. Turning his attention to the girl and held his hand out towards her, ”Kaz Corydon.” Glancing at the server approaching, ”The manager told me about your deal, but since I..derailed the scheduled music, I told him I'd pay for your meal, and everyone else's, so pick whatever you'd like.”
”I apologize if I offended or embarrassed you earlier, but if I'm honest, and I try to be with fellow mutants, it was almost painful to watch you suffer up there. Why'd you agree to do this if you disliked it so much?”
Kaz wasn't in the habit of frequenting random bars, especially low class, hole-in-the-wall bars, but he found himself outside just such a bar, staring at its garish neon sign. Sighing, he ran his hand through his short, tousled hair, before looking at his phone again. 'This is definitely the place. I hope this is worth it.' As he stepped through the door, presented his ID, and headed to get a drink, Kaz began questioning why he was there.
Earlier in the day Kaz had seen the flier posted on a few of the public boards in the Corydon Estates. There were always numerous things posted on the boards, from someone looking for a babysitter to people planning small 'block parties' to short comic strips. He hadn't given it much thought or attention until he heard a few of the residents discussing it. The group quieted down at his approach, but answered his questions readily enough. Apparently the group, he didn't know if they were all mutants or if some, or all of them, were a part of the small human population in the Estates, weren't old enough to go to the event. After expressing some curiosity himself the teens got him to agree to go and record it for them.
Before leaving the bar proper, Kaz had already downed two glasses of their best whiskey, and paid for the entire bottle, which he took with him as he made his way to the side of the bar, but close to the 'stage'.
Halfway to his spot Kaz stopped when he spotted the night's performer, his eyebrow quirked in a somewhat confused manner. 'There's no way she's old enough to drink, let alone be allowed in this place.' Looking around he saw that he wasn't the only one thinking what he had, but no one seemed to have much of an issue with it. Kaz mentally shrugged it off, figuring that it must not be an uncommon thing.
As Kaz sat down, forcing the previous occupants from the spot by sheer will until he had was the only one at the small table, he eyed the youth and took a pull from the bottle. The girl's porcelain white skin practically glowed under the lights which only made her hair, eyes, and wings stand out even more than they would have normally. With a glace down at his own attire he wasn't sure which one of them stood out more in at sink hole of a bar. Kaz knew he was extremely overdressed for the venue. Bright silver shirt, silken crimson vest held together with silver buttons, and black designer jeans with silver threaded designs and stitching clashed with the entire atmosphere of the place.
Kaz remembered to set his phone up and start the recording just before the girl finished setting up.
While Kaz enjoyed all sorts of music genres, he wasn't so into them or skilled enough to say whether a musician was especially skilled, but he did know a lot about watching people who had become familiar with their craft. The ease with which the girl held her instrument, Kaz couldn't remember what it was called, how her fingers moved over the strings and her self assurance as she coaxed out of it told him that she knew that thing as well as he did any of his swords.
And yet...
Something was off.
It took him quite a while to notice it. One he did though, he couldn't help but see anything else. The girl did not enjoy what she was doing, not one bit. Kaz couldn't understand why she would be playing, and playing so well, if she hated playing the instrument. As he continued to watch and listen he thought he could hear the music take on sour notes. Moving his attention from her 'That's what it is, a cello.', and watched her, he could see that her posture and expression matched the sour, now somewhat listless tone of her music. The more he watched and listened, the more he frowned.
Looking around the room Kaz saw that he wasn't the only one notice what he had. Making sure he didn't walk in front of his phone's camera, Kaz made his way to the bartender and asked for the person in charge. After speaking to the manger, or owner, or whatever their position was, and greasing the wheels with some cash, Kaz walked toward the girl. Halfway to her he began clapping, drawing stares from the patrons around him. ”I'm sorry to interrupt,” He lied as he held his arms out with a placating gesture to those in attendance, before turning his gaze to the girl, ”You play quite well m'dear, quite well indeed. But, I can't help but notice you don't seem to be...enjoying yourself.”
”I've taken the liberty of speaking to the management already. When you begin again, if you still feel like it that is, please play whatever makes you happy.” Hearing a few people groan from the audience Kaz turned slowly to face the crowd, with a cold scowl on his face but a light tone in his voice, ”Since I'm willing to cover the cost of your food and drinks for the duration, I'm sure no one will object to the young lady playing a bit more.”
Turning back to the pale, winged girl, Kaz gave her a slight bow before returning to his seat. 'I'll have someone edit that bit later.' Kaz was curious to see if she would continue, and if she did, he wanted to see and hear the difference. He hoped it would be worth the money he had just spent.
Kaz didn't twitch his hand or try to avoid the slap Isabel aimed at his hand, instead he opened his hand and let her hand clap against his. He knew it was probably a bad idea. He remembered how quick she had been with her bones years before and meeting her slap as solidly as he did put him well within her reach. It didn't matter. He didn't really care.
Kaz met her scowl with his own. ”I've already secured Aura's help with my work, if needed. But if your actions or the Order's actions negatively impact the mutant cause, than what you do is my business Isabel. Because of you they've brought back their machines, good job with that.”
Sneering at the woman in front of him. ”I may be a nobody in your eyes, but I'm a nobody who has more power than you every will. I'm a nobody who has accomplished more than you ever have. If you think you can take me out Izzy m'dear, stop threatening and try it.”
I'm sorry I haven't been around. I've been in a depressed funk for a while and no amount of time holding babies or playing with toddlers has been able to help (those are my usual go-to things when this happens). I hope to be able to come back and do something as soon as I'm feeling like myself again.
