a siren's call

{zión moreno, 21, trans woman, she/her/hers} || yazmín navarro montes is a mutant with the ability of hydrokinesis (water manipulation). they’ve been in new york for eight and a half years where they spend most of their time as student attending xavier’s/unwilling omega. when i think of them, i think of words and pictures carved into desks, a pool of water’s wobbly reflection, necklace chains tangled in hair, and fast footsteps following the sound of a schoolbell.

“Dying? Yeah. Don’t worry, Siren. You and me are on the same damn page.” The ache of it still is present within him, as if Theo and David just died yesterday. Victor doesn’t cry or wail or mourn, but he does drink. And he pours one out for both of them when he does. He dries it out after, of course—can’t have his room smelling like a bar. Again.

At the quip of becoming a music teacher, he barks out a laugh. “Oh, no,” he says, caught off-guard for a moment. “I’d be a horrible teacher. I think I am right now to that kid I’m supposed to be training. But I’m—” Victor bites his lip before just going for it. “Looking to help someone get safe. From some real bad people he wants to leave. Like extremely bad.”

It’s a relief to hear Victor say that, since his drinking did make her wonder if he wanted to live still or not. “Good, because if you died, I’d bring you back to life and break your nose.” She doesn’t judge the way he copes, in fact she almost envies how he’s able to drink until he passes out. It’s hard not to want that for herself, a way to forget everything, even if it’s only for an hour or two. 

LOCATION && WITH WHOM : : OMEGAS FESTIVAL W / @unchartedwcters​

“Oh my– You’re! Siren! Oh wow, this is so–” She was speechless, smile wide and hands clutching on tightly to poster ( a Siren poster to be exact ). If Makali was actually alive, Anamika Sinha was sure that her best friend would be a huge fan of Siren. Might as well play into that act. “I’m, like, a huge fan. Can I get an autograph?” 

The Omega Festival || @unchartedwcters​

“Hey! There you are!” Laurel calls out with a wave, both her glow and her smile brightening. Her arms almost instinctively wrap around one of today’s guest of honors as she nears her. “You look great! It’s exciting getting a festival in your honor, huh?” Though she knows it’s also a somber occasion, Laurel is determined to keep things upbeat today. 

“Nope. I told them all that I’d be on bed rest because I wanted to give myself liver failure for a couple of days.” Not his best work, but he was going to punch Han-byul one of these days, and he didn’t really need the team fucking themselves up over this. “But, I was going to ask about Baldy’s school. If it’s as great as the mutant phone line says.”

“Yaz?” Laurel calls back, sudden emotion building in her chest. It’s a rushed and clunky movement, but she practically leaps out of her chair and pulls the door the rest of the way open, abandoning the book she’d been reading. Her glow dazzles around her as her grin grows just as bright upon seeing Yazmin there– right there, in front of her! “Yaz! Ohmigod you’re back!” She wastes no time, instantly throwing her arms around the other in a tight embrace, copper hair flying over her shoulder. “They wouldn’t let me see you! I tried– oh! Sorry. ” 

Laurel pulls back from the hug, concern flashing over her face. She doesn’t know if Yaz still has bruises that hurt or not, so she gives her an apologetic smile and takes hold of her hand instead, guiding her inside the room. “Please, come in! It’s just me right now.” A selfish part of her closes the door behind the pair as they enter the room, so that maybe she wouldn’t have to share Yazmin with anyone for a while. “I’m so glad you’re okay! I heard some about what happened down there–” In the subway station, with the ice and obviously with Theo. “Yaz, I’m so sorry.” Her glow dims a respectable amount, but not all the way down- she’s still far to happy to simply see Yaz for that to be possible. She gives the omega’s hand a squeeze. “How are you, really?”

As much as she tried to prepare herself before seeing Laurel, Yaz can’t hold back her tears. She’s hugging her back the moment she leaps on her, burying her face in her shoulder and letting herself feel the warmth that is Laurel. “They didn’t want anyone in the compound but us–I wanted to see you so badly but they wouldn’t let me leave,” she explains with her face wet from her joyful burst of crying. 

When she pulls back, Yaz nearly asks why, until she hears the apology. “Hey—Hey, I’m fine, I promise. They healed me up.” Besides, she’d take any feeling of pain if it meant being able to hug Laurel. Once she’s ushered into the room, she feels more relaxed. There are very few people right now she can handle being around; Laurel’s one of those precious few. Still, a chill runs over her at the mention of what happened in the subway. She doesn’t say it—No one does, Yaz has found. Maybe they, like her, worry the more it’s said the realer it gets. But, she knows sidestepping it won’t change the facts of the matter; Theo is dead and nothing can bring her back. 

“Ren, yeah,” she nods. Her eyes find Yaz’s just for a moment, before she casts her gaze down. Staring isn’t a good first impression. Better to appear a little awkward, a little unsure how to deal with displays of emotion – and that’s true enough. Ren’s awful with emotions. Usually she’d offer a slap and suggest the weepy fuck pull themselves together. But, this is the role of a life time and she intends to act her little heart out.

The red rimmed eyes and scratched face should probably elicit sympathy, but she finds herself more curious than anything. Don’t you make your peace with the potential death of your teammates pretty fast? Ren loves the other Sins, but she knows full well they’ll probably all die young. At the woman’s question, Ren looks back up with wide, sheepish eyes. “I thought I could find my own way. Trying to do the whole ‘strong, independent woman’ thing, y’know, and I’m just a bit frazzled from the last few weeks. I mean–” She hurries to add an addendum – “Nothing like what you’ve been through, obviously. I’m just very much not in Kansas any more, as it were.”

From what she’s learned of Yazmín, Ren thinks she’ll respond best to someone flawed. She’s the only young woman in the Omegas: she will probably want companionship more than a confident mentor. They can be friends.

“Ren,” Yaz repeats, both to confirm she’d heard and lock the nickname in her mind. What’s the point? Will she even last that long? The voice in her head taunts, and she has to close her eyes for a moment to rid herself of it. Just because Theo has...It doesn’t mean Ren will too. Still, maybe it’s better for her to keep her distance from the new Omega for her own emotional sake. 

She listens quietly to Ren’s explanation, nodding along with her, until she mentions it. “Nothing like watching a teammate die in the field, right?” Yaz pushes herself off her bed and slips into a pair of shoes nearby. “You don’t have to tiptoe around it, or put your feelings into the context of mine. It’s not—” Going to bring her back is what Yaz wants to say, but she holds back. “Just—You didn’t do anything wrong. I understand the stress of being new here.” She smooths down her hair as she looks into her vanity mirror, then makes eye contact with Ren through it for a moment. In the next second, she breaks it, looking down and grabbing a hair tie from the table. 

“victor, as much as i appreciate the concern, you’re kind of...hovering. not actually hovering, but the mother hen kind of hovering. besides, shouldn’t you still be on bed rest?” 

Ren has done her research. Obviously. This is a big task, and she doesn’t mean to disappoint Linda. One of the first conclusions she’s drawn is that Yaz is the first one she ought to focus her attentions on. As two young women in an otherwise male-dominated group, it’ll be easier to build up camaraderie. Not right away, obviously: the Omegas will be mourning Theodora and Ren doesn’t want to step on any toes.

With that said, she thinks a bad first impression might be a good thing. A humanising thing. So, she refused help with her bags (she’d have done that anyway. It’s embarrassing letting people carry your stuff when you’re as strong as she is), and marched herself to the residential area of the compound. She knows full well which room is hers. Wheeled suitcase trailing behind her, Ren nudges Yazmín’s door open with her hips and backs into the room, turning about with suitcase in hand and an expression of shock on her face as she founds the room already occupied.

“Oh! God. I’m… this is your room. Shit, sorry, I’d been hoping for a slightly more dignified introduction.” @unchartedwcters​

Everything is wrong. 

It has been since Theo’s death. The world is off its axis, and Yazmín can never imagining it righting itself. How could it, when someone was taken too soon? Everything is off balance, and nothing will correct it because Theo cannot be brought back. The one person on this joke of a superhero team who truly and earnestly believed in their mission is gone. 

When Yaz awoke from her coma after the battle, she had a blissful few minutes where she thought it was all one bad dream. Then, Han-byul and Wesley entered with somber faces, and she knew it’d all been terribly real. As she thinks about it now, she clutches a sweater she’d borrowed from Theo around herself tighter. She never had a chance to return it. Now, it’s all she has left of her. 

Her back is to her door, as she lies down on her bed, still under bed rest orders. Even if she wasn’t, she couldn’t see herself leaving her room. The idea of facing the world anytime soon makes her nauseous. She doesn’t even hear the visitor—more like intruder—until she speaks. 

With a jolt, Yaz sits up, looking wide eyed at the stranger. She’s about to ask who she is, and how she got in, when she remembers. Han-byul sat them all down for a meeting a couple weeks ago to announce Theo’s…replacement. It’d taken all of Yaz’s self-control to not burst every pipe in the building at the reveal. Her anger has only grown since then. 

It’s the first time Yaz has been out of the compound in more than a month. After her coma incident, doctors and Han-byul wanted to keep her on bedrest to monitor her. No amount of protesting would make them relent, even though she’d been seen by a healer several times. Maybe it was her mental state they worried about. Did they think if she left the compound, she’d run away? As tempting as that idea was, it left a bad taste in her mouth to abandon a group and mission Theo had died for. She had to push forward, as much as she didn’t want to. 

But, finally, finally, she was allowed out. The first thing she did was hail a taxi to Xavier’s. On the outside, it looked like the same school as it always had been. It was once she entered she saw the difference, in security and how many rooms were closed off due to fights that had taken place there. Once she cleared the door, she followed a familiar path down the dorms to what she hoped wouldn’t been an empty room. She needed to see her, to know she was okay. Her hopes rose as she saw it was ajar, and knocked on it softly, causing it to open a few inches more. “Laurel?” she called out. “Laur, it’s Yazmín. Can I come in?” 

She would rather give away everything of herself than take something from someone else. “She’s the perfect superhero.” Always thinking of others, the complete opposite of selfish, the complete opposite of him. “Why would someone as amazing and beautiful as her love someone like me?” It was the first time ever that he spoke of himself as something less than, as if he was trash compared to Theo. And others would happily agree with that description of him, just make sure that Daichi doesn’t hear it. 

He tried to avoid her gaze, which was easy enough when he felt like passing out. But he kept himself upright and facing forward, his red eyes meeting Yaz’s. “What’s the point in living if I don’t have her? She’s the only one who has ever made me feel special.” He was being dramatic, as always, but his dramatics were understandable. He was a man who was hopelessly in love and when he realized that he found someone who cared for him back, he ruined it. He was too blame for this. Another ice spike appeared near them, this time closer to Yaz. It was then Daichi realized that his ability was growing out of control, that he could hurt Yaz in his moment of sadness and angry as he tried to trap himself. It was one thing to kill himself, it was another to kill Yaz. Not like this. “Okay.” He finally said, willing himself to get up. “Okay, let’s– let’s go.” 

Yaz nodded at the description with a small, sad smile on her face. She made it hard for her to hate being an Omega from how positive and compassionate she was. When Theo was around, it seemed like they could make the world a better place. “Because you make her happy.” She broke on the last word, realizing Theo would never feel that emotion again. She would never feel anything again. “It didn’t matter who you were, how different you two were, because you make…made her happy. You made her feel loved.” Even on this battlefield, it meant so much to Theo. It meant enough that she chose to die instead of Daichi. 

The ice continued to spread, at first as a simple sheet that froze everything but with each cry he let out, spikes of ice would shoot out. From the ground, the walls, and the ceiling, all of it was a physical representation of the emotional turmoil he was going through. He didn’t care, he only cared about the woman that lied within his grasp, his forehead resting on top of hers, trying to connect them once again. Though, there was no way for him to connect them, no matter how hard he tried, he didn’t have powers like Theo to do so. He was just an ice king, all he could do was freeze everything with a simple flick of a wrist. 

He finally looked up, eyes meeting with Yazmin’s. His eyes were red, cheeks stained with tears, and those tears would fall down before quickly freezing, turning into little ice crystals. “What about me? Do you think I wanted this?” For Theo to risk herself for other’s, instead of just using all of Daichi’s life force to revive everyone. He was ready to accept his own death, he already told Mari that he was willing to die for the Brotherhood and while facing Theo. But he wasn’t ready for her to die, not like this. “She didn’t have to do this, she could’ve lived! God!” He let out another cry, whole body shaking, and more ice spikes shot up, this time closer to the trio. “Why her? Why Theo?” 

She sat quietly for a moment. Her eyes stayed on Theo’s face, and thought she looked too peaceful in death. Theo, who out of all of them, took the Omegas the most seriously. Theo, who cared so much for people, fought someone she loved deeply to save them. Theo, who was always so prepared, knew a situation like this would happen, and accepted that it meant she’d live no more. A broken sob escaped her. She wanted to hit Daichi, for everything he’d done to her and how deeply he betrayed Theo. But the look of defeat and sadness on his face extinguished any anger she could muster. 

RIGHT AFTER THIS THREAD ! ! ! @unchartedwcters

He thought it was all over. He really thought he was dead there, that Theodora was really going to kill him then and there. But she didn’t and Daichi wasn’t sure if he should be grateful or pissed because of her last moment of pity. He laid there motionless on his chest, not having the energy or willpower to even move any of his fingers. All he could do was listen to the chaos around him and watch Theodora save everyone. All of this felt exactly like some cheesy action packed movie, where the heroes defeat the villains and save the people. Theodora and her friends were obviously the heroes and Daichi and his group the villains, though, he hoped his own friends were able to stop the heroes. He could be the only failure of their group, it would’ve been fine because he only had a month left anyways. Not like Erik could punish him, it would only be pointless. 

Though, as he continued to watch Theodora, he had a terrible feeling in the pit of his stomach that was something terrible was going to happen. Gathering whatever little strength he had, Daichi slowly pushed himself up onto his knees. Despite everything happening around them, he could only focus on her, it was always like that. But instead of watching her in awe and love, it was caution and worry that filled his eyes. “Theodora,” he said, weakly, mouth dry. “Theodora what are you doing?” 

Then he saw it, the light, Theodora healing others, saving the hostages. Then he saw her smile as she fell to the ground. He couldn’t catch her, he couldn’t bring himself to stand up. All he could do was crawl over to her, arms shaking as he neared her. Even as he cupped her cheek with his freezing hands, they still shook violently. “Theodora… Theo! Theo! Please, wake up!” Pulling her close to his body, Daichi tried to feel for a pulse, anything! “This can’t be– No! No, I can’t– You can’t–” 

He couldn’t even finish what he was saying as the temperature in the space dropped drastically. It was in this moment that he lost control, of himself, of his ability as he began to freeze the space around him and Theodora before it spread wildly to the rest of the underground space. Friends and foes alike, if they didn’t start running now, they would be caught up in his mess of ice. 

Everything went quiet. 

That’s how Siren knew something was wrong. The loudness of civilians crying for help, and grunts of people fighting had overtaken the long abandoned subway tunnel until now. 

The first noise she heard after was gasps. Then, screams again, but it seemed to come from all sides. Finally, a single voice drew her attention both for who it was and what he was saying. 

Theo! Please, wake up! 

No. Siren spun around just as the air around her turned cold. No, no, no. She’s pushing through crowds of Brotherhood members who are scrambling to leave, praying she’s wrong about what she’ll find. 

But she’s not. 

Daichi’s on the ground with Eurynome’s…No, Theo’s body in his arms. She almost looked like she was asleep from a distance. The illusion shattered the closer Siren got. 

“Theo?” she whispered, dropping any protocol for aliases and professionalism. Her eyes burned with tears and she shook her head. It couldn’t be real. She couldn’t have—

It was Daichi’s reaction that told her it was true. Ice slowly grew out around them, and he didn’t even seem to care. His grief would entomb not only him and Theo, but everyone here. 

Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, Yazmín pushed back against it. “EVERYONE, GET OUT NOW!” she screamed for those still there. The cold grew up her legs to her entire body, but she still pushed back against it. All she heard for a few minutes were footsteps running away, until it soon became quiet again. 

It was only her and Daichi left. 

She could leave. She should leave. But her gaze moved toward Daichi and Theo again, heard the cries coming from him as he begged for her to wake up. She remembered the smile Theo would get when talking about him, how carefree she’d become around him, and the way she looked at him when he didn’t notice. 

“Good memory!” She called back as the brick-like mutant finally stopped struggling, their eyes rolling backwards as their body goes limp. They weren’t dead, simply unconscious. Cyra has a rule about that- a rule with very specific guidelines about breaking. Cyra cuts her hold on them, allowing them to slump to the ground far gentler than they deserved. But she doesn’t get much time to react as Siren yells for her to ‘Watch out’. Her head whips around just in time to see Siren take care of the approaching Brotherhood member, expertly securing them down with makeshift handcuffs. 

Cyra’s hands lift, palms splayed out flat as she connected to her power again. Standing next to Siren, she makes a large, swooping, lifting motion with her arms, then brings them back down swiftly. A large, blunt rush of wind slams down onto the handcuffed assailant, knocking the wind right out of them and leaving them shocked and gasping. That ought to keep that one down for a while, she thought, turning towards the omega. “Well, now we’re even.” She almost laughs. Almost. “Do you think they’ve really done something to the ceiling? Weakened it, or broken it somehow?” It’s all she’d been able to think about, after the initial threats were issued. If it were true, and they really dropped the top of the station down on all of the hostages– Depending on how much energy she used, Cyra could hold the ceiling up for a little while, in theory. Maybe long enough to get everyone evacuated. 

But that was a big maybe– and she’d have to stop using her more advanced techniques. Which wasn’t a pleasant thought as more Brotherhood members took note of the pair’s win. Cyra eyed a couple of them as they drew closer. “If I make a small tornado, do you think you can give me some sharp ice shards? Lots of them?” She whispers, her hands already forming the needed motions.

Siren’s eyes widen and lips part at Cyra’s next attack on the man. “Woah.” The fluidity and intensity of it that seemed to take no energy out of her amazes the young Omega. It takes a lot of self control not to start peppering her with questions on where she learned all of that because she doubted Professor Xavier would allow training with such dangerous methods. 

However, her focus shifts back to the current situation at Cyra’s question. “We weren’t completely sure. I can sense the water flowing through pipes above us, and there doesn’t seem to be a leak. But there could be a way they’ve broken it without effecting surfaces above them.” While it’s a relief to know an entire subway train and its platform wouldn’t fall on them, that doesn’t put them in the clear. She glances up at the ceiling made of hard concrete, biting her lip at the thought of it crumbling down on all of them. 

Then again, maybe it’s all a trick on the Brotherhood’s part. Still, she’d rather not risk hundreds of lives in case it is the truth. 

Yaz gives Tiffany another look, up and down – it feels warmly familiar, the careful look they’d give one another after sparring to double check the other was alright. It inspires something fluttery and happy in her; since she moved away from the Institute, she’s gotten used to living in the peripheral of most people’s lives. It feels nice to have someone concerned for her, and she’s reminded too of what a wonderful friend Yazmín is. She must have a million things to worry about right now, but her heart is still so big that she takes the time to worry about Tiffany.

“Cerebro?” Tiff’s face falls. She doesn’t want to believe that, because a lot of the rhetoric she’s heard from the Brotherhood, she agrees with. The idea that they’d take hostages on this scale, probably including mutants among those captured, to try and get Cerebro… And then her mouth opens in horror. “Wait, they’re not attacking–”

Not attacking the Institute, too? Those were the words on her lips but suddenly they fall flat, lost to gravity. Tiffany’s eyes go unfocused, and she feels her mind slip away like water through a drain. Instinctively she wants to look at her hands, to see if they’ll move for her, but she can’t. The idea of moving of her own volition feels like an insurmountable obstacle; the only trace left of Tiffany within her body is a glint of panic in glazed eyes.

Yaz nods with a grief stricken look on her face. Xavier’s is where she wanted to go when she first learned of their plan, but Han-Byul had tasked her with rescuing hostages. As much as she hates being an Omega and sidesteps most of their rules, she couldn’t go against his orders. She trusts him when he says that Xavier’s will be alright. But, she’s reminded of Duke’s mom, how she knows the school inside and out, and that she’s now on the Brotherhood’s side. It puts everyone at a disadvantage. 

“They are, I’m so sorry, Tiff.” While she’s aware of the less than warm relationship she has with her parents, she knows she’ll still be worried. At first, Yaz thinks that’s what makes her friend stop speaking. Then, she meets her eyes again and…It’s wrong. Something’s wrong. 

“ hey, i take no offense – i mean, 107 years old, i’m aging like a fine wine, ” she replied, gesturing towards herself. she couldn’t beat those complete immortals who would never age a day past… however old they were when they realized they were immortal and, therefore, largely stopped aging, but she could come close ! “ what i wanna know is the skincare routine for those, eh, 500+ year-olds. ” fraternizing with an omega ? never did she think she’d see the day ! but she had respect for the girlbossery… reacting to the tug of the claw – actually just the sharp pointed end of her finger – she risked allowing it in its annoyance to become human(oid) again. and the following punch almost landed perfectly, barely saved by the bell as she attempted to dodge it right as it was about to make contact. and it did make contact, the edges of the ice cutting and inevitably bruising a cheekbone, just a little bit too deep for it to heal with any haste. but, although it would likely take longer than usual, the skin was, if nothing else, starting to close in on the acid blood ( thank god she was invulnerable to that – that side of her face would be fucked if she weren’t ! ). “ credit where credit is due, you’ve got some good aim. but i’ve never really wanted to pay for facial reconstruction surgery before… ” ( not that that would be the case, but… like… we all get the point. ) both arms human(oid)-passing again, it was time to bring out that spiky tail ! it quickly traced to stab siren in the calves and fling her against the wall. 

siren gasped at the age. sure, she was aware of mutants who slowed down or completely stopped aging because of their mutation, but she’d never met one ! “ you have to be messing with me. you look thirty. thirty-five at the oldest. ” her eyes following o6’s hand down her body, before blushing once she realized what she was doing. “ do you know any ? you’re the first person i’ve met that’s as old as you are. i’ve always wondered if it’s only specific mutations or being in a mutant in general can slow down your aging. ” it was not the time to be discussing scientific theories, but she couldn’t help rambling on once the topic was brought up. 

WHO: @unchartedwcters  WHAT:  re;  match.  WHERE: bergen  street.

wretched  trembling  thing;  a  scaffold  of  bone  and  muscle,  one-winged  with  feathers  like  fingers–reaching,  a  tenuous  limb  of  outstretched  veins  and  sinew  dragging  against  the  ground.  the  creature  ambled  slowly,  injured  and  nearly  quadrupedal,  with  strigine  legs  and  thickly  clawed  hands,  retreating  further  into  the  darkness  of  the  lower  burgen  street  tunnel.  at  a  hint  of  movement  in  the  shadows  it  cocked  its  head  high  and  stared  with  its  thousand  eyes–a  thick  mask  of  flared  cartilage  obscured  half  of  its  face,  bled  downward  from  a  thick  horn  in  the  centre  of  it’s  forehead,  though  the  visible  half  was  no  less  distinguishable.

“I  KNOW  YOU,”  inhuman  voice,  emanated  from  malformed  vocal  cords  and  filtered  through  a  jaw  warped  with  fangs  and  tusks.  it  was  not  the  fast,  unyielding  creature  that  had  fought  openly  moments  ago,  now  more  akin  to  the  epicenter  of  a  dying  star–burning  itself  up,  burning  jude  up,  to  stay  alive.  it  puffed  its  chest  slightly,  revealed  the  gilded  cross  that  seared  the  exposed  fascia  of  its  neck,  “THIS…  IS  YOURS…”

how many of them were down here? siren wondered as she threw another brotherhood member to the ground, panting from the strength it’d taken to fight them off. it felt like anytime she finished one of them, three more popped up. she barely had time to catch her breath, when a voice that sounded like something out of a horror film caught her attention.