ng_weaponx:

Nicholas did know how to have fun, despite what Kelly said most of the time, and nothing brought him more pleasure than tormenting Romanov. Sure there was women and booze, but torturing Romanov was an art form. Nicholas considered himself on his way to becoming a master. Though lately he hadn't been able to partake in his favorite activity. He had been ordered to lay low and leave Romanov alone for now.

Sure there was the small incident on sending Tessa into Xavier's and having Romanov see her, but it wasn't him doing it directly. Though the thought of Romanov questioning his sanity made Nicholas giggle like a school boy.

Since he couldn't pay Romanov a personal visit, he did the next best thing. He sent Romanov an email with two pictures attached. One was of his dear old daddy all trussed up in the machine. The other was of his mother all stretched out on a surgical table. All ready to be worked on.

He almost giggled when he sent the email and imagined Romanov's reaction when seeing the email.

rabbitfromahat:

The weather this winter was so bad that even getting back to her little town in Michigan had been a challenge. Summer had been stuck in an airport overnight on her way in. It had turned into a long, miserable trek on top of being one that she had never planned to make again, if she could help it. Of course, death hadn't really been figured into her plans and it had a way of derailing things handily.

An accident, the officer who called her had said. Freak accident. She was well versed in all things 'freak' or so she had thought, but this one had still managed to catch her by surprise. What surprised her more was that the news actually hurt. She had never been close to her parents. She didn't hate them... they were just a vague part of her past that she didn't bother too much with once she reached adulthood. In her mind, they lived in two different worlds even before Summer ever dared utter the word 'mutant' while speaking of herself. Still, the loss was... surprisingly hard.

After the services and once her parents' accounts were all settled, she was amazed to find a small inheritance left for her. It was not much, just maybe enough to buy a small house somewhere, but it was a sign they had thought of her over the years. That revelation had made the trip that much worse. Now, she had guilt to contend with as well as the sadness. It was what had kept her there in that tiny little, one horse town for several months. It never seemed to be the right day to get up and walk away again.

She couldn't stay forever, nor did she want to. Maybe her first departure from her parents' home had been made too soon, but this one was past time. Lingering would only make things harder for herself, and herself was all she had left to care for. There was something freeing in that thought, even though it still made her sad. No family, no home, no real friends, no career... and no limits. It was a trade off, but it was one she thought she could handle. This time.

It took some time to arrange, but she was finally settled into the room assigned to her at the Xavier Institute (a new room, apparently they had been busy). The staff had been very understanding of her abrupt departure from before. She even had classes assigned. How weird did that feel? Not as weird as wandering the school looking for any face she recognized.

Maybe she'd try the kitchen.

hellfireprince:

Julian was still counting the money and good press from the Battle of the Bands a few days later, when the Battle of New York began. People were calling the club at all hours, wanting to know when N.I.C.H Machinegun was performing again, and that put Julian in a good mood.

That all ended the moment Paulo came in and turned on the television.

"Sir, there is...something you must see." Paulo says, rewinding the newscast. TiVo was a wonderful invention.

Julian, for a moment, did not understand what--or who-- he was looking at. Over the space of a few more seconds, his recognition of the young man became clear.

"Andrew...?" Julian said, his eyes widening. "Paulo, bring the car around. I need to get to Ellis Island."

"Sir, may I suggest that you call in aid? The...terrorists have hostages, and you don't know their numbers. It would be unwise to walk into a situation like this without a plan and back up." Paulo said.

Julian considered it for a moment. "Very well. The X-Men can handle themselves. Call Lisa and the others and ask them to come here. If they aren't interested, fine, but anyone I want to talk to anyone who is. We need a plan and someone needs to get to those children." he says, keeping his eyes on the television.

Andrew, it would be unwise for you die right now. It might get us all killed.  Julian thought to himself.

_addy_baxter_:

Addy didn’t know what to wear, she and Ryan had a…. non date/ date. She had no idea how to dress for it. Holding up a skirt and blouse to her body she looked at her reflection. “Hmmm.” And she turned to her giant dog that was lying on her bed. “What do you think Mouse?” she asked him, but did not get anything from the dog. He just lay out on the bed looking at her. “It’s that boring?” she looked back at her reflection and put the garments back into the closet. She finally put on a nice pair of dark wash jeans and a silky blue one shoulder, flowy top and turned to mouse. “And?” she asked and the large dog lifted his head off the bed. “Good.” She said and put on a little bit of makeup. She had about ten minuets before Ryan was supposed to arrive so she and mouse went into the kitchen for his dinner.

dream_catcher:

Everything is still, everything is quiet, aside from the gentle ripple of the water and the crackle of the tiny fires. Lucas sits within a circle drawn into the frozen earth, blessed by the shedding of his own blood as he worked his fingertips bloody doing the carving all by hand, marking the ritual site with his vitality, freely given.
The elements are here in abundance - water from the nearby lake. The frozen ground he sets upon. The tiny fires lit at north, south, east and west marks of the circle.
The Lady Mandarin lies within the circle, stripped of all Earthly things, spread-eagled with her arms pointing northwest and northeast, and her feet pointing southwest and southeast exactly, for she is not right with the world, nor in balance. All of the others have been forbidden to come anywhere near the rite or where they might see it, whether to ogle or whatever other purpose, even her family, though Moira and Danielle have been permitted to stand watch some ways off, just in case. Beyond that, he would have no hostility here - but also no worry, no fear, no darker emotion which might touch the ritual. Those are for the people back in the school.

Anya has been painted in all-natural green dyes here and there, in markings vaguely representative of the Lady Mandarin persona and armor - but other marks as well. Dark marks of a mix of his blood and the stained earth color her eyes, that she might come to see the pure world, each earlobe that she might hear the mother earth and father sky whispering, her lips that she might speak the truth and without poison once more, her throat that the air she breathes might be pure and fill her with the essence of the father, over her heart that it might beat true and strong and pure, over her loins as the gift and curse of the earth mother's fertility where new life enters the world as the mother's greatest gift, over the right hand that it might do good works once more, the left hand that the right shall not be alone, to the sole of her right foot that it might know the mother's touch again and lead along the right path, and the sole of the left foot that it might follow. And a final crimson streak over her brow - when he has fought ten battles, there will be his final battlefield, if he can overcome this terrible dream that long.

Her head is cradled in his lap, both hands resting upon her brow as he goes into meditation, working his way into her troubled dreams, easing himself into the fabric of her mind.

eagleofthebow:

Aridis was thinking over all that had happened. There was much to think about. Fate had much in store for them and theirs and much of it was unexpected. She had always thought that it would be Svalin or Aslief that would end up in the position that the All-Father had said was to be hers if everything went the way Aridis expected it would.

She did not want it for a moment. She could not change fate though. To do so would to risk ruin.

Thinking all of this over she began to fix herself a mug of tea. She had grown fond of the way the mortals brewed it and found some of the more fragrant blends were most enjoyable.