BITE BACK

JUST BECAUSE I AM SHAPED LIKE A HUMAN DOES NOT MEAN I AM ONE. IN THE FOREST, THERE IS A MONSTER, AND SHE LOOKS LIKE ME.  

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indie mutant oc rp, low-medium activity, tracking ‘changelyng’, mutuals only, personal blogs blocked immediately (send me an ask if you have a sideblog), mun is romeo (she/her). 

“My dogs sometimes act like they don’t even know their own names so I think that is just normal for pets.” There was a soft laugh from Karen at her own comment, a smile accompanying it. “They do answer to gordita and gordito sometimes, though.” Which was Eva’s doing, of course. Karen turned and pulled into a parking spot, checking her rear view and grabbing her purse before motioning for Io to follow her. “I’ve been working on ASL with them as well because a friend of ours is hard of hearing, so I want them to be able to understand him if he ever gives commands.” It was a lot of work for sure, especially with Blue who was much more stubborn concerning learning new things.

If the shapeshifter had had any feathers at the moment, they would’ve puffed up in pride at Io’s compliment. When it came to getting the jump on folks, Arrie was a tactical master - partially from her family’s habit of pranking each other, and partially from studying the behaviours of ambush predators, admittedly. It nonetheless came in handy though, on more occasions than Arrie could ever hope or care to count for. 

At Io’s beckon, the mutant followed, walking in a strange way in which she almost walked on all fours, and even did so when she needed to speed up a bit to keep up with Io’s pace. She noted the glint in the other’s eyes, knowing all too well what it was like to have adapted night vision. Arrie used the same ability, but didn’t rely on it nearly as much as scents and sounds to help her navigate in the dark. 

“So how long have you been living out here?” Arrie asked quietly. “Are you on your own, or…?”

—               }{  IO HAD LEARNT her own way of doing things.  of stalking and jumping out at people.  or animals.  it wasn’t like she didn’t hunt in the barrens.  plus, it was fun to catch birds, even if only to let them go later.  maybe it was weird when she did in more public places, but hey, so what if she was grabbing pigeons or sea gulls out of the air?

io doesn’t necessarily slow for the other, scarcely even looks back . just leads along ahead. s he does, for a moment, glance back to see the other walking.  different from her own, but she understands the usefulness.  io had prowled around all hunched over at times.  she had the flexibility.

“After, you say?” The Merchant… he did not know that. A great conqueror such as He, building a grand repository for all of his works and conquests? It seemed only logical! Though if the girl spoke true, that did poke a bit of a hole in his story about the weapon…

“Then perhaps one of the builders? Or a secret keeper? Maybe a lone soldier was transporting the goods nearby when the place was burned and cast into the sea. The annuls of time are a mystery to us all, but a fine topic of conversation, no?”

Following the premiere demonstration, he reversed his grip on the blade and lay it flat atop the chest it had recently been freed from.

“Now that you recognize its beauty, its Unyielding GLORY! We can speak of a price, eh? How does a million rupees sound to you?”

—               }{  SUCH IS THE life of a girl raised by three women seemingly obsessed with the ancient world.  there was little she didn’t know about ancient greece and its people and a number of surrounding areas.  her words poke holes in his story and she knows that.  still, he goes on.

❝ i doubt a builder would have such a blade. it’s a warrior’s weapon after all, is it not? ❞      she questions back.  maybe she shouldn’t push, but she wasn’t the type to hold her tongue, not when it came to this.     ❝ i do love a good conversation about such things. ❞

She reached around the young woman, holding her dear and moving flawlessly painted fingers through her locks. “I’ll bring wine from Alfheim… and I’ll be fancier than Olympus has ever seen! It’s gonna be-” A breath, sobriety catching her. “Will you be attending, my love?”

Vibrating at speeds just a bit too quick for the average human eye to perceive, Ana'Hira put her hands together and exhaled dreamily. “I’d be delighted to come, my darling! Is there a dress code? Should I bring a gift?”

✘ yo did i hear @cosmicskrull​ wants random starters? 

 ARE DESTINY AND FAITH SO DIFFERENT? Max has found his shaken at times yes , but he has not allowed it to be ripped away. He cannot. “My mother used to tell me that this life was what we made of it - there was no wrong way , i must choose my own path.” He explains. “My father had a very different view. I his only son - he had a plan for me. All fathers expect much from their sons.” HIS HEART WEIGHS HEAVY AT THE THOUGHT. “As a young boy i learned that eventually , fights are unavoidable when you’re different. There will always be people who want to squash you , who cannot understand you and allow their prejudice to cloud their judgement.”  MAX MOVES TO SIT BESIDE HER. “Our strength is in who we are , our strength is in our voice and our actions. When they push us down we must push back up. We lose our power when we stop fighting.” HE KNOWS THERE ARE MANY WHO DO NOT AGREE WITH HIM ; they think the ways in which Magneto deals with humanity are radical , that they incite violence but he has seen what happens when you remain silent. 

Seven languages. Seven! Karen felt proud of herself for knowing two (three of ASL was counted but she was not fluent in that yet); here Io was well-versed in seven. Navigating traffic was easy, Karen’s face showing how impressed she was with Io’s current skills with language as the girl spoke. She turned on the road to her apartment, glancing at the other. “Do you speak to your animals in any of them? Sometimes I use Spanish with my dogs. They understand a few commands in it.”

  “            I never said you were , but you’re cornered , and if i were you , i’d be a little defensive too.” HE GLANCES AT THE CROWD - “Cap , i’m going to need you to disperse this crowd , quickly.” He doesn’t fear for their lives , no , Tony’s worried about hers. He sees the gazes , hears the muttered words. ANTI MUTANT SENTIMENT RUNS HIGH THESE DAYS , which means he needs to diffuse this situation before it gets out of hand. The problem is , he’s human and he knows she’s not going to trust him , not that he can blame her. “I’m not worried about you hurting them.” HE NEEDS TO SHOW HER HES ON HER SIDE. 

@changelyng​  // sc

   “Woah - alright alright , take it easy kid.” HANDS ARE HELD UP IN SURRENDER ; but it’s not fear that has Tony step back. It’s caution. He knows well quickly this situation could take a turn for the worst. “I’m not here to hurt you , i’m here to help.” THE WORDS TO ANYONE ELSE MIGHT HAVE BEEN MET WITH GRATITUDE ; but there is a divide here - and he knows she has no reason to trust him.

THERE’S OBVIOUS ANXIETY IN HER TONE. She’s afraid she won’t fit in , that she’ll found herself surrounded by only mutants with invisible mutations. It was Max’s job to reassure her. HE NODS - letting his shoulders relax. “I am certain , there are many mutants here with visible mutations such as your own , and here , they feel able to relax. They feel safe. Genosha is a place for all mutants , i assure you , you are quite safe. You will be accepted.” THE NEXT QUESTION HOWEVER FILLS THE MASTER OF MAGNETISM WITH EASE ; he begins walking down the path , assuming she would follow him. “I don’t. I know that this is a risky venture , and one day they might try to take it back but if they do , we will come together and we will stop them. This is our home and i assure you , i have no plans to let anyone take it away.” MAGNETO STILL EXISTS ; simmering beneath the surface , ready to rise for his people. “I do not take kindly to government lies. I promise you.”

Arrie’s head perked up a bit as her mother tongue was mentioned. Not that it was a hard language to pick out amongst other languages, but still, it was a pleasant surprise. “Yes, it is.”

An amused, almost cruel smirk cracked across Arrie’s lips as soon as she realized what Io was suggesting. Not only because the other was right, but also because it seemed Arrie wasn’t the only one who got a kick out of spooking some unsuspecting folks. Her friends and family usually got the worst of it, but hey, at least they were used to her shenanigans. They were all probably glad she occasionally picked different victims.

“I think that sounds like a wonderful idea. Maybe one of us could act as bait to lure them in closer to other other one? That way we could really scare them if we showed up on either side of them.”

—               }{  A LIGHT NOD of her head.  it was one of those languages she’d been meaning to learn but never gotten around to.  she already had quite the number of languages under her belt, those she had learned while not being able to leave the barrens though.  now that she could, she didn’t have such free time.

a crack of a smile over the other’s face, eerie in a way due to her features.  not that it really bothered io much.  esprit seemed to see where she was getting at though.  a game for the two of them.  fun for them, less fun for the so-called victims.  a smile grows across her own features. 

“Thank you for your understanding, sweetness.” She reaches forward again, a flawlessly manicured hand seeking to stroke, lovingly, tenderly, hungrily, about Io’s huffed cheek.

“Of Cosmic matters, safety is never guaranteed. Forces that large always carry risk heavier than Atlas’ burden, but the reward? Its worth the fear… every time.” She was stronger than Ana. Maybe not at the time of their separation, but now? After a dozen resurrections? After worming into the black matter of her brain? SHE was the Goddess. Ana'Hira was simply the pretender to the throne…

Despite the darkness welling in her mind, she’d a cheery giggle for the girl’s strategy. The innocence of babes. How delightful~

“She can navigate Space as well as I can, dear. As for a cage? She broke free of one that existed outside of this very reality. To imprison her again would be giving her time to grow, and scheme, and return. No, she must be dealt with.

She’ll come for you before long. She’s a horrible way of sensing the threads that cast from my heart to others. She’ll likely approach you in disguise, wearing my face, my voice… Rather than rebuff her, deceive her in turn. Play along, guide her into a trap you and I will set. When it springs, I’ll seize the opportunity and reintegrate with her. We’ll use her greed against her, she’ll be too blinded by you to see it coming.”

—               }{  A STROKE OF fingers over her cheek, a slight leaning into it.  concern still creased her features as ana continues.  the mention of atlas sparks a light in her chest but she forces it down, even though her mouth opens to speak on it.  it’s not the time to talk about atlas.  later, if ana was interested.  though somehow she figured perhaps ana already knew the tales.  maybe she had even known him herself.  ana was the ‘know-all’ type.

a slight confused tilt of her head.  heavy risk that was worth the reward?  not when that risk was someone dying.  that was a risk she was unwilling to take.

the giggle makes her frown.  was her idea so silly?  as ana continues, she starts to see that it was.  if ana was so powerful, of course her sister was going to be.  she didn’t know much of aliens, they weren’t a topic of study before she’d met the other.

“I don’t know.” HE RETORTS WITH A GLIMMER OF AMUSEMENT IN HIS EYES ; destiny , fate. It’s something Max has wrestled with for a long time. She sees it as something funny , something exciting perhaps. THE VERY THOUGHT OF IT HOWEVER FILLS MAX WITH DREAD. Was this his destiny? to lead Genosha? had he had to go through everything he had to get here? no , he can’t think that way. Whatever the plan was for him , Max has no choice but to accept his life now. This doesn’t mean he has to stop fighting - it means he cannot chnage the past. ONLY THE FUTURE. “Something tells me my attempts would be futile.” He laughs ; a light sound as he reaches for his glass of water. “Keep that fight Io. You’ll need it in this world. Hold onto it. Let it drive you. It will protect you. That i do know.”

“It was the greatest repository of knowledge and history in the ancient world. Can anyone say, with certainty, that THE GREAT Alexander would not have kept more physical aspects of history in its hallowed halls as well?”

The girl spoke as if she’d been there personally. In fact… most who claimed affinity for such weapons and tales were learned of the past and the history surrounding them, yes, but none were ever in as odd a position as this. The blade lifted once more, this time in the merchant’s hands. He was not as practiced as Io, but skill wasn’t as marketable as pure demonstration.

“If you would, miss. A few steps back. I would be remiss to cost you a finger or two.” A moment to clear space, before a single hefty stroke saw the xiphos carving a lone, uninterrupted swath through the stack of cardboard. When he raised the sword, slabs of cardboard falling to the wayside, he held the blade up to the light and grinned. “Sharp! Unblemished. As fine as the day it was forged, did I not tell you? A finer weapon you could not find anywhere.”

—               }{  ❝ well alexander’s interests lay more in documenting the places of his conquests, hence why he brought along historians and geographers.  alexandria was founded by alexander, but not the library or museums.  plus the library wasn’t built until after alexander was dead. ❞ 

she has to stop herself there lest she start babbling on about alexander the great and the library and museum of alexandria.  this was hardly the time, plus she was sure that the merchant wasn’t really interested in all that anyway.  a lot of people weren’t, albeit io didn’t realise that until after she had been babbling on for a while. 

“You’re a fighter. Tougher than your sweet features belie… but Ioana, my darling, you are precious to me. It’s not in my heart of hearts to ask you to put yourself in harm’s way for me. Please, don’t see my choice as thinking you weak. See it as my weakness instead.”

Her voice was kind. Motherly almost, she could feel the whispers of Empress S'Byll guiding her tongue and tone as she blatantly lied to the creature before her.

“I appreciate your concern.” She smiled, turning to look off toward the horizon. A moment to simulate contemplation, as if the mysteries of the cosmos were bare before her. “This is the first time she’s appeared in my life, but I do have an idea. If I can reintegrate with her, absorb her and her power into my being, she’ll cease to be an issue. It might cost me peace for a time, as I try to reconcile with her weight on my spirit, but it’s the safest option, I think.”

As she finishes, she turns back toward her darling, a weary smile on her face. “I believe you can help me with such a plan, Io.”

—               }{  ❝ well  ...  ❞     a hum, then a huff.     ❝ fine, ❞     she said finally.  if ana didn’t want her getting into it, so be it.  faced with such an apparent monster though, io would be quick to jump into a fight, for ana especially.  

ana turns, speaking.  io just tilts her head.     ❝ are you sure that’s safe?  it doesn’t sound safe. ❞     absorb her?  cost her peace?  that couldn’t be good.  and what if ana lost?  if this sister got the upper hand?  then ana would be lost, wouldn’t she?  io didn’t want to risk that, to risk losing ana possibly forever.     ❝ could you not just throw her back into space or something?  or some cage? ❞