AfroBandit23

Outcasts Assembled (An AU X-Men roleplay)

"We messed up" struck Errol like a lethal blow. Biting his lower lip, he shifted his head, positioning it toward the floor and averting his gaze. That old saying "the truth hurts" was all to relevant right now. As Clem's older brothers, it was their duty to protect her and they'd failed. The weight of Duncan's statement would hang between the pair before, thankfully, the eldest Corleone child finally broke the silence - moving on the conversation to immediate matters.

Duncan was coy, as always, about the contents of the briefcase and why the "U-Men" were after them. The Mutant leaned back against the wall behind him, folding his arms as he listened to Duncan's non-answer.

Errol raised an eyebrow, unsatisfied "Are you serious, Duncan?" he kicked off the wall and took a few steps closer "You understand you've given me nothing here, right? We were attacked, we fought in the street, I caught a body, Clem caught a body. All of this because of the U-Men being after you."

Throwing his hands in the air, he exhaled a frustrated sigh before turning to head back to the others. This was unbelievable. Now was not the time to be choose-y with his information, especially with how high the stakes were right now. Before fully exiting the tunnel, he stopped and turned to look over his shoulder.

"You owe us a real answer, hermano."

With that, Errol left Duncan and finally returned to the others. Taking note of Noa, he left her to her devices, not wanting to bother her yet. Spotting Clem, who seemed to be in her own world, he noticed that while she wasn't completely back to normal - her spirits seemed to be lightened a little at least. Whether that was thanks to Prep Boy or not, he wasn't sure.

Settling in next to Clementine, he nudged her with his shoulder and offered her a weak smile Hey Tangerine, you good?" stupid question, but he had to break the silence somehow. Errol took a few seconds before following up, his smile grew as he thought of what to say next Tried to help Duncan remove his head from his ass but..." Errol shrugged dramatically Think he's a lost cause.

Living in the Shadows

The stench attacked his senses, filling his nostrils with a fiery sensation. The air tasted like rot, and coldness rippled on the surface of his copper skin. A vampire was on the loose. His favourite creature of the night to hunt. Floyd Landry, the nomadic child of the moon found himself in York, England - having spent the past few days tracking this vampire and the trail of missing bodies it had left in its wake. Ever since Floyd had received his "great gift", he rejected his beastial nature and clung on to the man within him with a vice-like grip. Refusing to lose himself, he dedicated himself to become a force for good - to use his curse against those that would harm others.

Perched atop a small and weathered building, a relic of this nation's long history. Floyd's head lifted toward the starless sky, sniffing for a trace of his ancient rival. The four scars drawn across his chest itched, the wolf could sense its time was near - time to face its competition as the apex predator.

The corner of Floyd's left lipped curled into a smirk, licking his lips he bared his fanged teeth in a toothy grin. For once, himself and the wolf were in agreement. Floyd felt the rythm of his heart accelerate and the surface of his skin warm over, combatting the cold effects of the vampire's scent on his senses.

Recalling the memory of his last encounter with a vampire, the details were hazy but his other senses remembered vividly. The ice cold sensation of its blood splattered on his fur, his claws tearing its flesh apart like mache paper, the toughness of its heart between his razor-like teeth. The rush of going to war with an adversary so intrisic to the core of his nature filled him with a rush of excitement he rarely felt since he contracted his affliction.

Returning himself to the moment, to his hunt. Floyd's glowing eyes lingered to the cobbled street below, his ears picking up on the echo of footsteps approaching the empty street. He steadily listened to the rythm of the approaching individual's heart and tuned his nose to their scent. Female, no older than 25. She wasn't his prey, but... her blood wasn't human... it smelled ancient.

@KinkyPrawn @MightyHorus @Posh Raven

Outcasts Assembled (An AU X-Men roleplay)

Now that his job was done, Errol was left with nothing to do once more. The mutant stuck his hands in his pants' pockets and directed his gaze at Nathaniel, slightly jerking his head upward in acknowledgement of the lawyer's nod. Then he watched as he approached Clem, Errol opted to back off - while feeling protective of her, he believed it best to give his sister some space to sort her head out. However, Errol had trouble erasing today's events from his mind.

His baby sister had just murdered someone - Errol was privy to violence and death himself but, after wanting to keep her away from a lifestyle like his for so long. Seeing what had transpired... he felt like he needed to talk about it. He was worried how it was affecting her. Morale was shot to shit, Clem's traumatised, Noa's going through her own shit, and Nathaniel... well, Errol'd rather talk to Duncan than Nathaniel.

As if right on time, Errol caught wind of his older brother leaving the area - to look for more things to burn. Or so he says. An inquisitive look formed on his features and he started to follow Duncan. Passing the broken sign that was indicative of the emergency exit, he found himself inside the same safety gallery. Noticing the lights weren't working, Errol worked his magic lowering his shades and shooting a small stream of electricity from his eyes at one of the circuits. The light was dim from the damaged picture light.

Following that, Errol continued after Duncan through the now more illuminated tunnel and made out the figure of his slightly broader sibling. He looked deep in thought, barely reacting to his presence and focused on his brieface. Drawing nearer, Errol could hear Duncan mutter something to himself. It seemed to be related to the contents of his briefcase.

"Please what be there?" Errol parroted inquisitively. Standing over to the right side of Duncan, Errol glanced down at him. A moment of silence would pass before the middle-sibling continued "We need to talk about Clem. She just-- she--" Errol pinched the bridge of his nose as he struggled to find the words. "She's not okay. This is fucking with her." in truth, he didn't know what needed to be discussed or how they could even solve this but she was their sister. That desire to keep her safe and protected was an impossible feeling to shake. There was no way he could fix this, fix Clem's problem, but every cell in his body told him he had to.

Dropping the topic as abruptly as he brought it up, Errol growled in exasperation "Por el amor de Dios, Duncan! Why the hell were those U-Men fuckers even after you? The hell you do to get on their radar?!" he exclaimed in an accusatory tone. His frustration from today's events boiling to the surface and coming to a head - he needed someone to blame for all of this, to be mad at. Duncan was always the subject of Errol's ire, it was almost like a reflex to point the finger at the man who's caused so much trouble for him all his life.

Outcasts Assembled (An AU X-Men roleplay)

This was demeaning, hiding away like a rat in the gutter. They were all wanted fugitives for a fight they didn't start, despite certainly finishing it. Errol sat at one of the chairs, resting his arms and head on top of the table bored out of his mind. Ignoring what Nathaniel had to say, as he didn't need traditional food sources for sustenance. The only reason he actually consumed food was for the taste alone, and nothing on this table appealed to him unfortunately.

Errol wasn't used to quiet places like this, the lack of electricity he could feel around him was always an uncomfortable feeling. Whenever he was in the dense concrete jungle of New York, he could feel the buzz of it all around him - ranging from phones, power lines, electric cars and much more. Here, it was quiet. There were some electricly powered devices and equipment around him, but compared to where they had just all been - it was a quiet hum in comparison.

Lifting his head from the table, he responded with a simple "I'm good." before laying back down.

Errol shook his head upon hearing the mention of 'cars' by both Nathaniel and Duncan - thoughts dwelling on his pride and joy, now reduced to pieces thanks to the handiwork of their attackers. An unknowing sigh escaped his lips as he stopped pining over his lost car. He lifted his head up again, focusing his attention on his older brother who had pulled out some construction lamps from one of the containers.

"That all I'm good for now? A glorified electrician?"

Errol's natural reserves had replenished at this point following the fight, the mutant had more than enough juice to start up these lamps. Getting up from his seat, he approached to where Duncan had left the lamps. Looking at them grouped together, Errol aimed his index finger and shot out a small yellow torrent of electricity, chaining it between the objects.

"And let there be light." he stated, clasping his hands together as the tunnel illuminated with light.

As well as this, the light from the fire Clem had created added some additional light too. She still didn't seem okay after the whole ordeal back in the city. However, if she was anything like him - he knew she would want time to herself right now.

Outcasts Assembled: All's Fair in Love & War

The quarter Dominican continued rambling in Spanish under his breath, continuing toward the crowd. Errol continued ignoring Noa's pleas, his eyes transfixed on the young man stood on a table, above the crowd. His words served to fuel his anger, Errol was so tired. Tired of his existence being questioned, threatened. The hypocricy of it all. They're worried that mutants are abusing their power? Call it karma. Humans have been subjugating each other for centuries, now that they're no longer top dog, they're scared.

Noa's voice finally manage to snap him out of his conquest - however, her assertive tone wasn't directed at him. She called out to someone called 'Martin'? Errol's eyes scanned the crowd for who she could be calling out to. Finally, his eyes locked on to the dark-haired man on top of the table, the one who Errol was preparing to fry to a crisp. Confusion etched on Errol's face, how could Noa possibly know this guy... this Martin?

Errol watched the man approach Noa through the crowd and promptly pull her into an embrace. What was going on? The mutant continued to display his bewilderment while taking some steps closer to Noa and Martin, just within earshot but still far enough to not be noticeable to the pair.

Listening to their exchange, he quickly deciphered that the pair clearly had a past but was still unable to figure out the nature of Noa and Martin's relationship. Noa never really spoke of her past, despite how close they were, he respected that and never pried. But now, not knowing much context to what was happening between the two was frustrating. Were they related? Past lovers? Old friends?

However, once Martin called Noa a mutant with an accusatory tone and a look of discomfort, Errol's instincts kicked in. Involuntarily he stepped between the two, his back facing Noa while he stared down Martin's familiar blue eyes through his black shades. Suddenly, it clicked, Martin was her brother. The pair's eyes were almost identical. Regardless, realising their connection didn't detract from the words that would leave Errol's lips.

"Yeah, and what?" aggression could be clearly heard in his tone.

Outcasts Assembled (An AU X-Men roleplay)

The humanitarian act was starting to get old. Although Errol didn't have the energy to debate with Duncan, he scoffed at his brother's words. The world already hates and fears them, why bother trying to prove them any different when mankind jumps at the chance to label them as freaks. Monsters. Other. One could only take so much unjustified hate and oppression for so long before they turn it back on their tormentors.

Duncan lived the luxurious life of being an X-Man, shielded away from the plights of mutants in that mansion. He didn't understand what it was like, to have the warmth of your own family's love turn to cold hate, to have those who you thought would always be there for you suddenly turn their back on you. To be ripped away from all you've ever known because you were born different.

If the homo sapiens believed him to be dangerous, he'd show them the true meaning of the word. Errol had no quarrel with harming those who would do the same to him given the chance. Mutants were the next step in human evolution, why should he have to bend over backwards to cater to humanity's fear. It's not his fault they're obsolete now.

*******

"Oh, shit." escaped Errol's mouth upon seeing what had just transpired between Duncan and Noa. He didn't expect this to go that far and before Errol could do or say anything else, Noa had been launched through the driver side door and out of the armored truck by Duncan's powers. "¿Qué carajo? I oughta give you a permanent stutter!" Errol exclaimed at Duncan as he shot out of his side of the car and rushed over to Noa.

"Cabrona, why'd you have to go and slap him?" Errol reached for her unexposed arm and lifted her off the ground. His attention quickly turned to face Clementine who had rushed over to Noa too, but not from concern, she too came to give Noa a piece of her mind. Seeing her defend their father with such loyalty and ferocity never failed to trigger Errol. "Back off, Clem. She was out of line but she's right. Dad's a low-life piece of shit. Why the hell are you so loyal to him?!"

Before things could escalate however, Nathaniel had arrived. Examining him, he wore a three-piece suit and despite his messy hair, still managed to look somewhat smart and presentable. What an uppity looking tool. Of course Duncan was familiar with a guy like this. After he ushered the group over to his car, Errol stayed behind for a few moments to check on Noa. "All things aside, getting knocked on your ass by Duncan is pretty embarrassing." he knew Noa was physically fine but something else was bound to be hurt "How's that Loxley pride doing?" he playfully asked, gently nudging her chin with his fist, not before erecting a small electromagnetic barrier around his fist to protect himself from Noa's skin.

Making his way over to Nathaniel's car, he watched as he ordered Noa into the front seat and raised an eyebrow as Nathaniel handed her a hoodie. Was it his? That's a little forward, right? Errol wondered if this was something Nathaniel tried with all the women. But that wouldn't work on Noa... right? Errol caught his internal thoughts, ridding himself of them with a shake of his head. She was a grown woman, she could mess with whoever she wanted to.

Nathaniel's eyes then landed on Errol, he folded his arms and eyed the man down through his black shades. A bitter "Truce?" left the lawyer's lips and Errol rolled his eyes and responded with an equally bitter "Whatever." as he entered into the backseat, foolishly placing himself in the worst seat. The middle. Once he realised, it was too late.

The lawyer entered the driver's seat muttering about redheads, Errol's temper quickly flared as he realised Nathaniel was talking about Clementine. Balling his fists tightly, small yellow sparks crackled from Errol's hands. However, they subsided when he apologised to her. Upon hearing that they were going to Jersey, Errol threw his head back and sighed "Fucking Jersey. Imitaciones baratas, de mierda y que dan mal nombre."

Outcasts Assembled (An AU X-Men roleplay)

A snicker escaped Errol's nostrils when Duncan snapped at Noa. For 2 reasons: one, it was always funny watching the super composed Duncan Fraser blow a gaskit. Two, he had no idea what he'd just unleashed on himself by yelling at Noa. Noa was an otherwise level-headed individual, Errol's 'straight man' but when she, rarely, reached her boiling point. It was a sight to behold. So, instead of speaking up for Noa he just bided his time and prepared for the chaos to unfold.

Errol didn't visibly react to Duncan's disclosure of their attackers, the U-Men, but he took on what he said. Humans who cut up mutants and give themselves their powers. It made him think of that saying "They hate us, 'cause they ain't us." which felt relevant to the current situation. So, what? Were they intended to be the latest victims in the U-Men's campaign?

Duncan's anger shifted to Errol after he attempted to lift Clementine's spirits. However, Duncan quickly answered a phone call he received before Errol was able to say his piece. It didn't matter, he'd get in his last word regardless. Listening quietly as whoever called Duncan was put on speaker, he realised the voice sounded familiar. "Dimwitted lowborn mutantspawned leech" guy? You know what, it didn't surprise Errol that Duncan kept company like him around.

As soon as the call ended and Noa headed to the location they were directed to, Errol picked up where he and Duncan had left off "Sorry for trying to cheer up our injured and traumatised sister." he retorted sarcastically, rolling his eyes at the following statements Duncan made "The body I caught? Self-defence, kill or be killed. Blowing up the car? It was either that or let them keep shooting at Clem." Errol paused for a brief moment before continuing "Everyone's alive and sort of unharmed. My conscience's clear." he concluded as he put his jet black shades back on.

As they arrived at their destination, Errol was startled by Noa suddenly hitting the brakes. Almost slamming his face into the seat in front of him, he exclaimed "Maldita chica!" Then he realised that this was it, Noa was about to tear Duncan a new asshole. Errol watched the nuke that was Noa go off with a mischevious smirk. She raised several good points too.

That was until she went for the jugular, for all three of the Corleone children. Errol's smirk quickly disappeared and he averted his gaze, turning away to face the window. Noa made a remark about their father, linking him to Clementine and why she behaved the way she did. Highlighting an insecurity Duncan was sure to have about being unable to spare Clementine from their father. But not only that, she called attention to Giovanni's adultry which resulted in Errol's birth - and the main point of contention between him and his brother. It was a multi-layered sore topic for all three of them.

Biting his lip, Errol turned to face Noa as she continued to curse Duncan out "Noa, Duncan, that's en--" he started, only to watch in shock as he witnessed Noa send the palm of her hand toward Duncan's face. Was she going to land it? Or would Duncan stop her?

Outcasts Assembled (An AU X-Men roleplay)

The escape went as smooth as it could. Errol managed to pull Duncan into the back of the truck alongside Clem. Now that they were relatively safe, Errol could feel his adrenaline begin to subside and heavy breathing to catch his breath followed. Recalling Clem's failure to respond to what he said to her a second ago, he turned to face his sister.

She was in distress, of course she was, after what she just went through and what she just did to that woman. There was no doubt she was going through all the motions. Errol scooted closer to Clementine and examined the graze on her shoulder. He was no doctor, but from his experience, he knew this wouldn't be life threatening.

"There's gotta be some first aid in here." he muttered to himself, climbing over into the passenger seat. These guys looked like some sort of paramilitary organisation, mercs or something. They'd be pretty stupid not to carry first aid in their vehicles, right? Rummaging through the glove compartment, he found a small first aid box.

"Thank you, Noa." he said, placing a hand on her shoulder "For looking out for Clem."

Errol climbed back into the back seat and opened the kit. Thankfully the contents inside had everything he would need to treat an injury involving a bullet, due to the work these guys seemed to apparently be involved in. "Roll up your sleeve." Errol pulled out a disinfectant wipe and quickly warned his sister "This'll sting a little." before placing it on her wound and wiping around it.

"I'm proud of you." he said with a smile "You did good. Not dying is pretty impressive and you took a bullet like a champ." Errol hoped Clem would at least crack a smile with this.

Once he was finished disinfecting her wound as best he could, Errol began to cover it with some bandages. Hopefully, Clem's mutation would allow her to heal from this faster than most... or something. As he continued wrapping the bandages around her shoulder, Errol addressed Duncan "You used to run with the X-Men, yeah? Buddies of yours?" he asked.

"Also, some asshole called me a "mutantspawned leech". The fuck does that even mean?" Errol wasn't a stranger to mutant prejudice, but he had to admit, he'd never heard something as colorful as "dimwitted lowborn mutantspawned leech" been hurled his way before.

Outcasts Assembled: All's Fair in Love & War

Noa Loxley and Clementine Fraser; the only people on this Earth who could coerce Errol into doing something he didn't want to do. Laboring? Painting? It was beneath him, and a completely unsatisfying method of making money. But, he knew this was something Noa enjoyed - a semblence of normalcy, a brief break from the Strays and what working with them entailed. He understood completely that if Noa had the option, she wouldn't be with the Strays but thanks to her status as a mutant - she had to make do with the cards life had dealt her.

In her heart, this life wasn't for her... but it was adapt or die. For Errol though, this was all he knew really. Almost as if he was bred for... the unsavoury lifestyle. Sired by a crime lord, then groomed to take over said crime lord's empire, it felt like this was some sort of destiny he couldn't escape. As if it was in his blood. Why not embrace it.

Regardless, as much as he hated this. Errol was more than happy to support his best friend. The shade wearing mutant stood in the doorway of the front door, watching as Noa received the cash for a job well done. He smirked to himself seeing the small amount of paint she'd accumulated on her clothes, always hands on she was. Errol had managed to avoid getting any paint on him luckily, simply due to putting in lackluster effort painting.

Errol backed out of the front door, turning to walk alongside Noa as she passed him, patting his back. He playfully nudged her with his elbow in return. Resting his hands in his pockets, he tilted his head in Noa's direction "A woman after my own heart." he retorted following a snort at Noa's offer.

Errol's electrified yellow eyes peaked through his shades "How much did you make anyway?" he pondered. He knew Noa was planning on splitting the cash with him but a hot dog would suffice, money... in this instance... wasn't an issue for him. The gesture of spending time with Noa was more important than the money in his eyes.

The sound of angered voices overlapping each other, with some amplified by megaphones caught the attention of the duo. Errol watched as Noa listend in to what was being said, assuming she was using one of her gifts to focus in on the words being used. Her demeanous shifted and the reason why was soon shared.

An anti-mutant protest was ahead of them. It was mutantphobia that tore him away from his mother - mutantphobia spread by his own family. Once his grandparents had found out he was a mutant, they demanded that his mom get rid of him unless she'd be disowned too. He never blamed her, she did what she had to do and if she had chosen to keep Errol - she had no way of supporting both of them. Not in this economy, not in New York. She did the best she could in a shitty situation.

Regardless, anything mutantphobic was sure to trigger Errol. Forcing bad memories to bubble up to the surface, as well as strong feelings against racist humans.

Noa attempted to get Errol to go another way, but her words fell on deaf ears. Not responding to her words, Errol followed the disgruntled and passionate voices spouting anti-mutant rhetoric.

"¿Quieres odiarme? Te daré una razón para odiarme." Errol muttered angrily under his breath, small yellow electric sparks began to pulsate from his hands as he drew closer to the crowd.

Outcasts Assembled (An AU X-Men roleplay)

Errol finally made his way to Clem and Noa, placing one of his hands on Noa's arm, holding her while reaching out to Clem but quickly pulling his arm back once he felt the heat emanating from his sister.

"This is fuckin' crazy!" he exclaimed, still processing what Clementine had just displayed with her powers.

His electrified yellow eyes locked on to Noa's, returning her concern through his brows. So much was happening but his concern for Clem outweighed everything in his mind. However, Errol was forced to return his focus to the immediate threat as more of their adversaries threatened them. Noa, as always, was quick to think under pressure and immediately resorted to a solution - ordering him and Clementine to get in the truck.

However, Clementine wasn't all too thrilled about potentially leaving their brother behind. Errol wouldn't even be able to grab and pull her to the truck due to her current state, radiating all this heat. And if things couldn't get worse, the 12 pulled up. A bead of sweat began to trickle down from Errol's temple, whether that was from Clem's heat signature or the stress of the situation was up for debate. He knew he needed Clementine to be safe, and that she needed to get to the truck.

"Right now, mine and Duncan's priority is keeping you safe! The longer you take to get in that truck, the more--"

The sound of gunfire echoed throughout the area and a cry from Clem quickly followed. A small splatter of blood left her shoulder and the heat surrounding Clementine dissipated almost immediately. "CLEM!" he exclaimed, fury in his features. A sphere of electricity surrounded Errol's left fist and he promptly fired a torrent of electricity at the police cruiser, blowing it up.

Thankfully, Noa had caught Clem and was already directing her toward the truck. Errol followed after them and launched himself into the armored truck's backseat. Noa immediately hit the gas but not without direction from Errol "We need to get Duncan!" and quickly addressed his sister "How you doin', Tangerine? You still think its a good idea to live my lifestyle?" it was a stupid question to ask, but he hoped it would at least temporarily distract her.

As Noa drew the truck nearer to Duncan, Errol kicked one of the door's open and positioned himself on the edge of the exposed side of the truck's seat. Clasping one hand of the grab handles on the truck's ceiling, he outstretched his free arm as he called out to his brother.

"Hermano! Duncan!"

Errol shook his free arm, signalling for Duncan to grab him as they were about to drive past him. This was going to be tricky, and they'd both have to time this perfectly as this was their only chance at escaping together.