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.
((Wont take as long next time, just got real busy at work lately, but now I'm kinda used to it so I'll try and post more regularly again... Expect a post within a day from you posting next..))
Bear smiled as Noel handed him the knife willingly, he hadnt expected her to let it go so easily, considering everything he's shown. However, everything he's shown is probably the reason she gave it to him so willingly. "Thanks Noel..." After getting the knife, Bear proceeded in prodding at the rubberman, but to his surprise, Noel stopped him and told him of their mission. The gears in his head turned a bit as he worked this over, before shrugging it off and watching Noel get to work. As he was asked, he lifted his foot from the rubberman but only to grab him and flip him on his stomach.
After doing so, Bear pressed the middle of his foot over the wrist of rubberman but not so hard as to injure him. He only wanted to keep him pinned down to the best of his ability. He watched Noel pull up the mans shirt and place the cylinder in the middle of the mans back, just off the spine, close to his shoulder blade. She pressed a button, a weird clicking sound was made and Bear almost understood what was going on.
"So... Now we release him?" Bear paused a moment releasing the arm of rubberman and stepping back a bit but not too far. He then turned his back to Noel for a moment and slid the knife across the flesh of his arm to keep himself going for a bit longer, increasing the number of stripes on one arm from 8 to 9. He didnt cut deep enough to do any major damage but deep enough still to cause a bit of damage.
After doing this, Bear pulled his sleeve down and turned back to Noel after cleaning off the knife on his pant leg. To his surprise the rubberman was nowhere to be seen. "Sorry... I had to take care of something... What do we do now? Oh and... I'm really sorry about that, I thought maybe you were some kind of Cop for Mutants or something... Wait a minute... Who are you anyways? You're not a cop, otherwise you would have gone along with what I was doing... And you dont hate mutants, otherwise you wouldnt have let me help you..." Bear really couldnt wrap his mind around this situation, he didnt even understand what he just did. He helped her catch a dangerous mutant then willingly let said mutant go.
"I'm confused now... But, I guess that doesnt matter so much... I had fun... Now I think I'm going to need some first aid soon... I've got a few broken ribs, busted lip and probably a dislocated or broken wrist or hand or whatever... But dont worry, I dont feel it yet..." Bear laughed a bit. "Oh and a cut." A smile crept across his face before he let out another stiffled laugh.
"Before you ask, no I'm not a masochist... I just had a lot of fun... Taking a beating for something more than just having someone randomly pick a fight with you is kinda fun..." Bear smiled, hoping not to weird her out. Man... She is smoking hot.... Gah keep that in your thoughts, dont say that out loud... But wow...
((Sorry it took so long, I'm going to try and keep up from now on... Work has been kicking my butt lately...))
Bear smiled to himself as he listened to Andrea tell her story, he was glad that she could see both sides of the situation and he was glad it didnt always bring her down. His mind drifted around in time, looking back at himself being laughed at for getting hurt then hearing people scream and run away when he got up, blood dripping from different wounds and acted as if nothing happened. These things people couldnt understand so they were afraid of it as Andrea said.
"People are afraid of what they do not understand... That is so true Andrea.. But I will say I try my best not to be afraid of what I dont understand. That's why I didnt shy away from you, I dont feel sorry for you at all. Heck, if anything, I envy you... You may feel the same way when you look at me but dont. I used to be ashamed of what I am and I used to hide myself away from people, thinking they could see that I was a mutant even though I looked normal." Bear smiled a bit as he looked at Andrea.
"I dont know about you, but I think I'm tired of seeing the sights, what do you say to us going to find that room at the hotel that we talked about?" Bear smiled, his hand sliding into his pocket to finger the small wad of cash floating around in there, he counted it in his mind assuming he had all twenties. The truth behind the matter was quite a few of the bills in his pocket were of a higher numerical value. "Do you know of any hotels in the area?" Bear glanced at Andrea, hoping she knew of a couple, considering he didnt.
The pair walked through the park peacefully, Bear standing at his rather tall and broad stature and Andrea looking like a child next to him. It mattered not, how tall she was, anybody would look small next to this large man. "You know why people call me Bear?" He laughed a bit, the question kind of random in the middle of their conversation. And almost obvious. He didnt wait for her answer, hoping not to cut her off mid sentence. "They call me Bear because of my size, I'm Six Foot Three and a whoppng Two-Hundred Seventy Five pounds. I know, I know, I'm a big guy... The good thing about that, people dont usually mess with me all that much. I can walk down the street and not get a single person saying anything to me because they're afraid of me... But that's also the bad thing, nobody talks to me because they're afraid of me..."
Wait a minute... I do kinda know what it's like to be considered weird just by my looks... "Y'know, I just realized something... I do know, a little, what it's like to look like a mutant... My size makes people avoid me for the most part... It's not every day you see a very large man walking down the street..." Bear thought about it for a bit, never realizing how much really went into the fear part of peoples minds.
Bear growled as he looked at the Rubberband man, "So what if we're crazy... Everyone is crazy and I highly suggest you not try to run again." Bear rolled away from the man and slowly stood up before looking down at him and Noel. "Now... What do we do with him?" Bear knew his mutation would wear off soon but he also knew he had to help Noel keep this man captive. He looked at his hand and saw it was already starting to swell a bit from the ladder, his fingers also looked a little loose. He felt around at his ribs and places were softer than they should have been, his hand then went up to his mouth so he could check for blood. He felt some moisture from his lips and pulled his hand away to spot some blood.
"No I dont heal... Well... Not faster than everyone else.." Bear grumbled to himself, trying to think of a way to keep his adrenaline going long enough to not collapse in pain and pass out. "Would you mind handing me my knife?" Bear moved over to the Rubberband man and pressed his foot to his chest. "So.. We need you to tell us everything you've been doing the past few days.. There have been reports of a man that could do things no other could breaking into peoples homes and a few businesses. Now, we think this man may very well be you. Admit to it and we'll talk about some kind of leniency."
Bear could feel his heart pounding away, this made him happy, knowing he wasnt going to collapse soon because his adrenaline was still pumping hard. His mind raced as he hoped Noel would hand him the knife he asked for without too much of a problem, there wasnt anything he would do to her more or less he was going to do it to himself. He knew he needed to cut himself a bit to keep himself going but doing it in front of Noel didnt seem like too much of a good idea. He wanted to be able to stay conscious long enough to make sure Noel made it wherever she was going safely, he also wanted to make sure he wouldnt just fall down and die on this roof top, the knife was quick becoming the most important part of the day and himself.
"What do we do now?" Bear kept his foot pressed into the chest of the Rubberband man just trying to make sure not to let him get away.
"There really is no telling Andrea, but you're probably right. She probably wouldnt do anything to me now after spending all of that time nursing me back to health." Bear smiled lightly, he liked the fact that Andrea was trying to help cheer him up a bit or rather turn his mind away from his paranoia. He, however, couldnt really fathom the idea that people werent generally corrupt more often than not. His mind raced with thoughts of what could have happened in that shack the whole time he was unconcious.
"Well, if you ever need someone to talk to. Please feel free to talk to me, I really dont mind.. I like the idea of helping people after being helped myself." Bear smiled, knowing Andrea cared for him enough to not want to push her problems off on him. He also liked the idea of being able to make a pretty girl smile even when she was feeling down from life in general. Bear watched Andrea intently, he could tell she was troubled even when she was being annoyed by her new snake hair.
"I honestly can say that I'm used to not seeing the Ocean. I grew up in Vancouver Canada but I was basically in the center of the city. I couldnt see the Ocean without driving to try and see it. So this is really what I'm used to, I know the Ocean is there but I really dont mind not seeing it all that much. The city life is something I'm used to.. I bet it was nice living in Rhodes.. I always dreamt of living in the mountains or something like that." Bear smiled as he looked on at the ducks in the water. His eyes wandered around the park as he walked with Andrea, his paranoia was ever present, he always had to keep his eyes moving and focusing in on the distances and things other people couldnt see or didnt care about.
"Andrea.. Whats it like not being able to hide what you are? I mean, dont take that the wrong way... I just have always had the luck of being able to hide from the general public and basically fit in... But now, I fit in as long as I'm wearing a jacket or sleeves... Otherwise I am easily noticeable. Scars..." Bear didnt want to push too much and really was hoping he wouldnt offend Andrea. But he always wondered what it was like to not be able to hide. He thought it was hard before but he couldnt imagine the difficulty of surviving while not being able to hide from people.
((OOC: It's ok, I just hope I gave you enough to work with in this post... Do you have any ideas on where you wanna go with the thread?))
Bear sat back in his chair, tonguing the roof of his mouth, feeling for the burned flesh from the hot coffee. He winced slightly, touching at a spot on the roof of his mouth particularly burned by said coffee, he couldnt help but to let his mind wander a bit as this was happening. He thought about the time when the two were kids, thought about when Aris first told him of her ability and thought of the first time he told her about his. At the time, he didnt want her to feel like she was the only one but that probably didnt change much. Aris was a strong girl back then, and she is just as strong now, if not stronger.
Bear could hear the strength in her words and her voice as she spoke with him, even when she felt like she could let her guard down, she was still strong. Which, to Bear, is probably the reason he said he'd always be there for her, because no matter what she did, she always had his respect. Everything could change, she could suddenly become a force of good in the world and Bear would have the same amount of respect for her. Which was a great amount. Aris was his best friend when they were growing up, and Bear felt he could still consider her one of his best friends now.
After hearing Aris explain to Bear about having the killing in the city covered with Aura, Bear laughed a bit to himself, not really knowing what to think. Except to think that she was more than likely right, everyone has a purpose and everyone has a reason for the things they do, no matter what each person does, it will always be important in a weird way. In a way of anything that happens always has a cause and effect. "Aris, I will keep that in mind, I dont think I'll be in any trouble any time soon but who knows really... Anything and everything can happen all at once, but I know, if something does happen, I will give you a call. It's nice to have someone you know you can rely on for important things."
Bear grinned a bit, not really knowing what to say next, he knew he wanted to spend more time with Aris but he also knew that sitting in a coffee shop all day really didnt seem like something either of them would want to do. Bear was always relatively active when around people and Aris was always active in general with everything she did. It wouldnt be a surprise to Bear to find out that, this whole time, Aris has been bouncing her knee up and down, just keeping herself going. "So..." Bear finally let thoughts turn to words. "What should we do? Honestly, I dont think either of us wants to sit in this coffee shop all day just talking... We should at least go for a walk or something, I mean heck, I spend all day laying around when I'm home... Rather... When I have a home.. No worries on that though, let's go for a walk or something... And dont you worry, I wont let anything happen to you.." Bear laughed a bit, knowing Aris didnt really need protection considering she was now one of the most renown mutants in New York. Renown, not so much in a good way though.
((Sorry it took so long to post, been lacking personal inspiration... Then I watched Troy and wanted to post... ))
"How can you say that you'll be here for me, Nick, when you don't even know what's inside me? The monster within me, it drives me to kill. When I kill I kill for a purpose, always. Except when my inner monster takes over and then it demands blood and sometimes I can't control it. Sometimes I'm powerless against it, although I havent allowed it to take control for months." Bear listened instently as Aris described what she was going through, he couldnt help but feel powerless in his attempt to help her. He couldnt, for the life of him, find any part of him that he was willing to reach that could remember what that felt like. Feeling a blood lust or just wanting pain and death just wasnt something his mind could fathom without losing what sanity he had.
"I am trying as hard as I know ho to control the monster inside me. Not everyone understands what I do or why I do it, but I have a purpose for my actions and despite what the news might tell you, I have morals that are stronger than ever. Sometimes what I do is wrong, but I'm working on that as best as I know how." Bear wanted, with all of his being, to be able to understand what she was going through. He wanted to be able to help her but maybe he is helping by simply giving her someone to talk to, someone she could actually get emotional with. With the way she was acting, it seemed like that's all she wanted was for someone to tell her it was ok to cry or just ok to be upset or uncomfortable.
"Aris, before we go on... I just have to say that I'm here for you just so you have someone you can do what you're doing right now, with. I'll be here just for you to talk to. I'll be here to give you a hug when you need one." Bear smiled as he reached out, putting a hand on her shoulder gently, he knew she couldnt feel it but it may help just to know it's happening. "I cant tell you that I know what you're going through, and I honestly cant say that I can relate to that feeling, my monster is something that comes out suddenly, I have no way of controlling it. Someone else probably did that for me..." Bear sighed lightly, pulling his hand back, knowing he was probably making her uncomfortable because she couldnt feel it.
After letting Aris calm down a bit, he asked his question and she responded with something that all Bear could do was smile at. "Aris, I know I can ask you but you should know by now that I cant ask. I'm a proud man who wants to do things on his own. I helped a person yesterday, a person who was tracking a dangerous person. And... I may have a job sometime soon, and if I do, I'll have a place to stay. I want to help mutants just like you do... But I'll have to do it my own way, I learned not to fight unless I needed to. Even though I already knew that.." Bear laughed a bit before leaning back in his chair and looking around at the people in the coffee shop. Obviously there wasnt anybody he noticed but he still didnt trust people.
"I just have to say that it's really nice to see you again. I missed you Old Friend."
Noel shouted in Bear's ear, surprising him slightly by her still being on his back, he shot his head in the direction she was pointing and took off in a sprint towards a corner of the building where someone could have hid where he couldnt see. One thing popped into his mind as he took off running in the direction she pointed, Mech Warrior.
His legs moved quickly and they bound across the roof top, he shot his hand out and gripped tightly onto the wall where rubber-band-boy must have run and whipped himself around the corner of the building. He checked behind him quickly to make sure Noel was still there before continuing in his sprint, he could see the mutant jumping across a gap in the roof. Running in full sprint, Bear had a feeling he would make the jump but didnt know for sure if he would make it. Mid-sprint, Bear decided on going for the jump, "Hold on!" He shouted back at the girl riding on his back before increasing his speed as much as his body would allow, leaping across the gap in the roof, the ground was very far down, his eyes went wide as his foot barely gripped the edge of the second building.
As he continued his chase of the mutant, he carefully reached down into his pocket and unsheathed his knife, making sure to speak quickly so Noel wouldnt get the wrong idea. "I'm a mutant, I have the ability to get stronger and faster the more physical damage my body takes but it doesnt last forever... Take this.." Bear held the knife up as he continued his heavy sprint, chasing after the mutant. "When I tell you to, stab my arm or cut me or something, if I fall down in pain or scream out in pain stab me no matter what. The guy could get away if you dont."
Bear grunted a bit, looking ahead of him as the mutant jumped the gap in another roof before dropping down between the two buildings. Bear couldnt help but regret what he was about to do as he leaped across the gap, missing the building slightly before sliding down it and pushing off to a nearby fire escape. As he did this the mutant rebounded off of another fire escape and sent himself back up to the roof. Bear growled loudly before looking to the building across from himself and spotting the fire escape. He checked to make sure Noel was still attached before leaping across the gap towards the ladder, he fell a few feet before grabbing hold of the ladder and hearing some sort of pop come from his hands. A sigh escaped his lips at this sound before he launched himself up the ladder using both his arms and legs, exploding over the edge of the roof with amazing power.
"He's ours!" Bear sprinted after the mutant, surprising him with the speed at which he caught up before diving out, lunging at the legs of the mutant on the run. He could feel the mutants leg in his hand before slamming down on the ground, still holding on.
"Well, Andrea, I dont know if the person was kind or not, they could have been nursing me back to health just to use me at a later date. There's never any telling with people, I dont even know whether she was a mutant or a human. She could have planted something in my head, she could have done anything, I barely remember that whole situation." Bear sighed, putting his hands in his coat pockets, not really knowing what else he was going to do or say. He really didnt know what to think about the girl that brought him back to health, he just knew he was given a second chance at life and he had to make the best of it.
Bear listened to Andrea tell him about her little story, but didnt really know what to say, she suggested him staying at the School. But that didnt sound like something he could see himself doing at the current moment in time. Then she mentioned not being able to stay there anymore for fear of putting them all in danger. What Bear couldnt figure out though, was what danger was she trying to keep them from. She didnt seem that dangerous to him, maybe she had someone following her that was dangerous. Who knows, it could very well be her past that was dangerous in general.
Near the end of her short story, Bear could feel her sadness as she said she couldnt say anymore, he couldnt help but feel like he had to do something. A hug? No that probably wasnt the best idea at the time, obviously she was afraid of people touching her in general much less giving her a hug, especially considering the snakes. All Bear could think to do to comfort her was pat her on the back gently. "I understand, but.. Just so you know, I'm more than willing to be an ear for you. Or even a shoulder, I can take quite a beating if that's the case even." Bear smiled lightly at Andrea before looking to where she was pointing.
"That sure is a sight to see Andrea, you werent joking." Bear smiled as the two approached the water that Andrea seemed to like so much. He could tell why she enjoyed walking in the park by the water, it really was beautiful as she said. At least, he wasnt experiencing the beauty of this park by himself. He was experiencing it with a wonderful young woman who he knew he wanted to be friends with after today.
Bear slowly and, as quietly as possible, followed Noel up the ladder, trying not to stare at her back end the whole way up. He saw her look down and put a finger to her lips before continuing the climb, trying to be quiet herself. She readied herself a moment, pulling out her weapon, before popping up over the edge of the roof, but to her surprise a boot landed on her chest and sent her flying backwards. Bear's eyes went wide as she began to fall but luckily he was far enough behind her to try and catch her. Much to his surprise though, Bear didnt have as good a grip on the ladder as he thought and when he went to catch Noel, he lost his grip completely.
A look of, 'oh well, go with it', crossed his face and he pushed off of the ladder completely, getting himself under Noel and catching her in his arms. The two fell all the way to the ground from the near roof and Noel landed on top of Bear forcing a cough from his lips and a thud on the concrete alley. Blood found it's way onto the lips of the big man as he let out another cough before sitting up as the pain passed. Bear shook his head slowly, knowing this was going to hurt when the ability wore off, but at the current moment in time, he knew he had to help Noel catch the dangerous mutant.
"Noel, please jump on my back..." Bear groaned a bit as he forced himself to stand up, setting Noel on her feet in front of him. He turned around slowly so his back was facing Noel. "Just trust me, I'll get us up the ladder quickly so he wont get away..." Bear waited a moment for Noel to hop on before looking up at the ladder and leaping up, grabbing the fourth rung before launching himself up the ladder even further and faster than before. His strength and speed kicked in from the fall, allowing him to nearly sprint up a ladder it would take any normal person a bit of time to climb.
When the two reached the top of the ladder, Bear launched himself up over the edge of the roof before landing on the roof and looking around, hoping to see the mutant they were chasing. His mind raced with thoughts of what Noel would think of him being able to just stand up from a fall like that before he realized he still had blood on his lips. His hand shot up to his lips quickly and he swiped the blood away before looking back at Noel.
Bear had read all about Meld's exploits in the news papers, but he never truly believe she did the things they claimed. As she told her story Bear listened intently, comparing her recollection to what he could remember from the papers but he couldnt wrap his mind around what she was telling him. He more than likely had a confused and surprised look on his face but he really couldnt tell, all he knew was he had no room to judge anyone especially his childhood friend. Her words seemed full of pride yet a little bit of regret, probably only from having to tell him about it. "Wow, that's a big thing to state Aris. I mean, I understand what you're saying and I can honestly say that I even feel the same way kind of... But I dont know what I'd do in your position. I'm a mutant too, and I feel that we need to be accepted and at least equal to humans, we're people too right?" Bear knew, as he was speaking that what he was saying probably wasnt going to go over that well with Meld. Was it Meld or Aris these days? She developed her Meld persona while he was away and it seemed that Meld was more prominent than Aris. But at least she felt that what she was doing was right. She wasnt killing in cold blood and that was something that held some sort of weight in his mind.
Insanity was something that haunted Bear constantly, he lost his sanity before and was brought back only to have something trigger his sanity to leave him. He knew there was some kind of trigger but had no real idea what that trigger was, nor did he know how to get his sanity back after being set off. It could be any number of things, the weeks or months he spent in that shack seemed to all blur together, leaving him to try and piece things together the best he could. Which wasnt an easy feat in the least. But hearing Aris or, Meld, explain what she went through on top of killing for a cause, was hard to swallow indeed. But again, he had no room to judge his child hood friend, the only room he had was to help her to find some kind of inner peace if at all possible.
"Aris, I guess I am probably the only one that can even come close to understanding your trouble with losing your sanity. And I'm glad you told me about this... But I have to ask, what did it drive you to do?" Bear looked at her with true concern for her well being, he didnt want her to feel trapped and didnt want her to feel like she couldnt talk to him. He wanted her to know that he would always be there for her even if fate draws them in opposite directions. The two could end up being mortal enemies but Bear would want to be able to sit down in a neutral place like this coffee shop and just talk if she or he needed it. "No matter what Aris, I will be here for you, I want you to know that. As long as I'm around, you can talk to me..."
Bear had no sound of lies in his voice when he said what he said, he always prided himself on being completely honest no matter the occasion. If she tells Bear that she killed people for fun then asked what he thought, he would want to lie, but he wouldnt be able to. He would want to tell her what she did was ok, but he wouldnt be able to tell her. Even white lies were something Bear had trouble with telling people, it might as well be a mutation for him to only be able to tell the truth. But it wasnt, and Bear is physically able to lie, but he wont let himself. He knows honesty is one of the strongest tools in a discussion and he knows honesty is the best policy between friends.
"Is there anything you want to ask me? I mean, there probably isnt much you dont know... Because I didnt do that much and I dont remember everything since I left... But you can ask me anything Aris, and I'll tell you the truth." Bear let a smile creep across his face as he looked on at his good friend, hoping to be able to give her a light in a dark room just by talking to her. He quickly finished off his mocha and set the empty cup on the table, oddly enough, unable to feel even the slightest warmth from the coffee. Then it hit him, all at once, his mouth felt like it was swollen and on fire, he realized that the coffee was still smoldering hot while he was drinking it and his ability kicked in, thusly allowing him to burn his mouth without knowing. He let out a small groan at the pain before sucking it up and trying to focus on something else, hoping the pain would go away soon or at least dwindle a little so he could speak when she was ready for him to.
"Yeah, it really is good to see you as well Aris.." Bear smiled, embracing his old friend warmly, doing the awkward thing of waiting till she's ready to let go. Once the signal comes through, Bear lets go of the hug and touches her face gently with his hand. "Still no feeling huh?"
After the hug, Bear sat down in his chair across from Aris and sipped at his coffee a bit more. "Yeah I guess we do have some stories to tell... Heh.. Where do I start?" Bear laughed a bit to himself, not really knowing where to begin at all. I went insane, then got shot, then went not insane.. That doesnt sound very good does it?. "Well, after meeting that Abyss guy for the first time, I wound up leaving the place I had and getting a rundown, disgusting apartment with low rent. Locked myself in the apartment and found myself having a mental break down. I found out what triggered my ability, physical damage to my body, and I kinda learned to accept it. Quickly..." Bear grinned as he took his jacket off, revealing a short sleeve shirt and 8 'Tiger Stripe' cuts going up his arms. "I did all of these myself.." Bear slowly stood up and looked around before lifting his shirt to show two long scars across his stomach. "These too... With a knife..."
He sat down and pulled his shirt collar down to show the bullet wound in his shoulder, then pulled his shirt up again to show another bullet wound. "Couple through and through's with a broken clavicle. These were done by someone else..." Bear laughed a bit, letting his shirt go back to normal but leaving his jacket off. "I ended up having a complete mental breakdown, killing 2 people on my way out of town before going completely insane. Robbed a bank, got these gun wounds and passed out afterwards... Woke up in a shack and was nursed back to health." Bear laughed nervously.
"I spent some time just walking around the towns outside of New York after being released from the shack... With the clothes on my back, some of the money I stole and a new Knife. I like it... It's a combat knife. Havent had to use it on myself that much yet..." Bear smiled, pulling said knife from the sheath in his pocket and setting it down on the table. It was a regular combat knife with a black handle and a sharp edge and a serrated edge. "That's about it though... And yeah I've read a little... But I want to hear it from your mouth.." Bear smiled as he drank from his cup a bit and sat back in his seat. "Unless you have some questions that is..."
A few days back in New York and Bear finally works up the courage to call Aris.. Almost.. His mind is made up, he needs to call her, he found out the number he had for her a while back was still the same. His fingers just couldnt do the dialing, heck she probably thought he was dead. His heart races, his fingers twitch and his brain keeps turning the gears trying to figure out what to say. He picks up the phone, punches in the number and presses the clear button. He lets out a groan and looks at the phone and punches the number in again and looks at it a moment before pressing the clear button again. "GAH! What the hell?! You know her? She was your best friend you idiot..." With these words a passerby glances over at Bear as he sits in the alley he spent the night in. "WHAT?!" Bear snaps at the person who then proceeds to scamper past the alley quickly.
"Alright... Punch in the number..." Bear lets out a sigh and punches in the number on his phone. "Ok.. Now.. Press call..." Bear stares hard at the green call button on his phone before pressing it quickly followed by the red 'Clear' button multiple times. "SHIT!" Bear scratches his head a moment and looks through his duffel to see what he's got in there. A wrapper from a hot dog, a few applications, a pen, some money and nothing. "Ok... You can do this..." Bear punches in the number on his phone and presses the 'Call' button before holding the phone up to his ear. It rings once, then twice and right as he's about to give up prematurely, someone answers the phone. Bear sits silent for a moment before speaking, he introduces himself and Aris responds positively. The two agree on a meeting place and time, he promises to tell her about what happened to him and she promises to be there.
"That phone call couldnt have gone better..." Bear lets out a sigh of relief and stands up, gathering his duffel and checking his pockets. Phone? Check. Knife? Check. Wallet? Check. Sanity? Sanity? Check... Bear just couldnt catch a break in his own mind, no matter what he did, he felt like something was wrong. But maybe seeing Aris would change that, all Bear knew was he needed to find some reason for him to stay in this place. Wait... A reason was already found, Andrea, Andrea was his reason. Bear knew he should stay just to make sure Andrea would be ok. He also kinda had a thing for Noel, but that was a different story all together. After the gears in his brain stopped turning, Bear finally decided it was time to move his feet forward, one after the other, and he started heading to the coffee shop. He thought about where he was at the current moment in time and smiled, not too far from the coffee shop. Must have been a subconscious thing that brought him to stay in an Alley close to The Sanctuary.
After a bit of a walk, Bear found himself standing outside of the Coffee Shop, he waited just at the corner, knowing he was already early for their meeting. As he was waiting he saw someone that looked like Aris heading towards the coffee shop, only.. She had a bladed metal tail, he right arm was fully metal and robotic and her left hand was a mutant hand. What had she done to herself? Bear almost turned and left but he knew he had to talk to her. She was, after all, his best friend growing up. He let out a sigh and forced himself to walk into the coffee shop. He ordered a large mocha and looked over at Meld and smiled before reaching for the sky and waving at her.
The cashier handed Bear his coffee and Bear exchanged it for money before turning to go and sit in the corner of the shop. He sat at the same table, directly across from her, setting his coffee down in front of himself. "Hello there Aris. How have you been?" Bear couldnt help but smile, despite everything he read about her, she was still his best childhood friend. She had to have a good reason for everything that happened. "So... You wanted to hear about my story huh?" Bear let out a smile, drinking from his cup of coffee. He didnt want to rush anything.
"It sounds like a plan, Nick. We should walk down by the water. I have been there many times, and it is always beautiful." Bear smiled to himself as she stood up and brushed herself off, following in her footsteps, Bear stood up slowly himself. He watched her ready herself for the walk, pulling her hood over her head and tucking her snakes back, he looked down at himself and saw a crumb and brushed it off before looking over his person and shrugging realizing all he had was his duffel, knife and the clothes on his back. He let out a slight laugh at himself before shaking his head and turning to walk, he glanced back quickly and saw Andrea catching up to him, giggling a bit at his previous comment about the beds.
"I know, I know... I'm one of those weird guys who tries NOT to take advantage of women... Dont let it get to your head... Most guys arent like me..." Bear laughed a bit as they continued their trek deeper into Central Park. He made sure to look around at all of the scenery, making mental notes about the tree he slammed into when he was hit by Abyss. He lets out another laugh and continues to walk, but instead of checking behind himself, Bear keeps side by side with Andrea, but arms length away as she requested.
As they were walking, Andrea looked at bear and shot a question his direction. "What did you do before you came back to New York, might I ask?" He raised an eyebrow to this question and thought about it a moment, trying to find the words to answer said question. He didnt really do much, went crazy, robbed bank, got shot, passed out, brought to health, wandered over the state of New York.
"Do you want the short version or the long version?" Bear laughed lightly to himself, deciding to give her the short version unless asked specific questions. "Well, as you know, I went crazy, then I robbed a bank and got shot in the process. Then passed out afterwards on the side of the road and woke up in some weird shack under ground, where a young girl came in and fed me and gave me water but only after I calmed down. After nursing me back to mental and physical health, she released me and I spent the rest of the time wandering New York." Bear looked back in his mind a bit and checked everything off, nothing he could think of between New York visits. It wasnt super eventful. "To be honest... The long version isnt much longer..." Bear laughed lightly, rubbing the back of his neck before looking around the park, keeping an eye on everything going on.
Bear isnt a paranoid person per se` but, ok yeah he's a paranoid person, it's gotten to the point now where he wont sit anywhere in a restaurant but in the corner so he can watch the window and door and everything around him. He wont walk into any situation that he hasnt already thought of a ton of ways to get out of it. He always scans his surroundings trying to pick out suspect characters, never knowing who was going to jump out with a knife and try to kill you. Paranoia is probably something that didnt help his sanity but his paranoia has kept him alive thus far. Either that or his ability has kept him alive, one or the other. As far back as he can think, his ability has even kept others alive before. "What about you? I dont know much about your life before today... Why are you on the run? I mean, you've been here for a year, there's no way you've been living on the street this entire time... Where were you that you felt you couldnt be anymore? With your parents?" Bear sighed a bit, feeling like he was asking too many questions. "You dont have to answer if you dont want to.."
"Well it's good that we're going after him if he's dangerous..." Bear panted a bit and just as he was about to say something else she stopped mid sprint, Bear being a bit bigger, couldnt stop so easily so he threw himself away from her and into the brick building in the alley they were standing in. Looks like I wont be needing the knife... That kinda really hurt.. Bear panted a bit and looked up when she asked her question. He couldnt see anything right away but at second glance he saw a foot disappear over the top of the roof.
"He went on the roof... We gotta do something..." Bear looked around and saw the fire escape, he leaped towards it and looked up, it must've been a good ten feet up at least. He looked over at Noel and motioned to her to come closer. "C'mon I'll give you a boost... We arent going to catch him down here and I bet he thinks he got away... He's probably just as tired as you..." Bear got in a position, with his hands clasped, to help boost Noel up to reach the fire escape.
After giving Noel the boost up to the fire escape, the joints in his fingers seem to get tight again and he twists and contorts his fingers stretching out the skin between them and giving himself maximum mobility. After doing so, Bear looks up to see that Noel had climbed high enough for him to jump up and grab the bottom rung, before pulling himself up and climbing up the ladder behind Noel.
"So.. You think he stopped? Or do you think your tracker thing fell off? If he didnt stop it wont be easy to catch him..." Bear continued to pull himself up the fire escape, speaking as low as he could so Noel could hear him but nobody else could.
Bear laughed to himself when he was asked to hold her phone, he watched the dot roaming through the streets at a relatively quick pace. He couldnt help but to check her out a bit as she bent over her leg and pulled something out of her ankle pouch. His eyes went wide a bit and he let out a small sigh to himself before shaking his head a bit, making a note about how much fun it'll be just following her around while trying to help. Then she made a pretty good point, something Bear obviously didnt know, she tagged him but it was only attached to his clothing not in his leg.
"Spring loaded? What is that? The subdermal tag you were talking about?" Bear was a bit confused, he saw what looked like a gun but wasnt a gun by description. "I'm in decent enough shape, I spent the last few months walking around everywhere..." He glanced at the point on the map that she pointed to and was about to put in his two cents when she took off in a full on sprint. He paused a moment to watch her run away then shook off the daze and took off as fast as he could to catch up. A few seconds later, Bear found himself running by her side, headed in the direction of her old target, his new target.
Wait... Why am I chasing this guy down? I assume he did something wrong... Maybe she's just a mutant hunter.. Which makes me glad I can hide my mutation from people in general even if I do get hurt... Hmm.. I'm going to enjoy this day even more than I thought I would... Suddenly Noel changed direction to accommodate the route she chose and Bear fell behind a bit, getting another chance to check her out before catching up as quickly as he could. He may have been in decent shape before but honestly, he hadnt run in quite some time. It seemed as though Bear might be using that knife sooner than he thought, though at first he might try and do it only slightly so he can ignore the pain from the run and the fact that he's going to be out of breath soon. Walking does wonders but it does nothing for keeping a steady sprint going.
"So.. Why are we after this guy again?" Bear let out a few pants between breaths, trying not to show his lack of stamina just yet but knowing anybody would be slightly out of breath by now. Wait a little longer for the knife, when you start falling back, the knife can come out... But only then... Just keep it ready... Even his thoughts seemed to be slightly out of breath, with this he reached down into his pocket and un-clipped the sheath the knife was resting in, making it so he could pull it out quickly.
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