Sunfrog

Outcasts Assembled (An AU X-Men roleplay)

Rather unceremoniously, she unfastened her seatbelt and dropped onto the underside of the roof with a grunt before dragging herself through the shattered window to escape the wreckage - though the sight she was greeted with wasn’t much nicer.

Pushing through the bruises and soreness, she got to her feet and froze in shock upon the realisation that the group was being confronted with numerous automatic rifles among their unknown adversaries. Only upon Duncan’s transformation did she snap out of the trance to face the gravity of the situation.

Ducking back down behind the car, she tried to ascertain everyone’s whereabouts by peering over the hood, though it would be hopeless trying to keep track of Errol who was as erratic as he was electric.

“Errol, what did you do?!” She called out to him among the chaos, naturally assuming that he was the culprit.

Still crouched against the car, she looked up upon hearing the whirr of helicopter blades and in the opportune moment she sprinted towards the nearby burning black van with a couple of its downed men outside. She pulled the rifle from one of them and crouched with her back to the van for cover, taking her gloves off as she did.

The sound of footsteps approaching from around the back of the van caught her attention. Silently, she approached her would-be assailant and thrust the end of the rifle upwards, stunning him with a follow-up punch for good measure.

The man was immediately incapacitated, reacting in a way that appeared akin to anaphylaxis but Noa stepped over him, unconcerned and with the knowledge that he would likely be fine.

Her attention returned to Errol and she got the first glimpse of one of the new assailants, one of whose appearance was particularly disturbing. “Fils de pute.” She muttered under her breath.

Outcasts Assembled (An AU X-Men roleplay)

Noa turned her head to try and hide an amused smile at Duncan’s retort. Of course, it didn’t make her like him any more but it was humorous in the moment and it reminded her of the bickering between herself and her brother, though that had been more playful than the poisonous display between Errol and his brother.

It was times like these that she missed her brother but then again it was also times like these that made her thankful she didn’t have such a toxic relationship with him.

“No worries.” She replied with a dismissive hand gesture which turned into a sharp nudge of her elbow into Errol’s side. “Shut up.” She smiled at the teasing which characterised their friendship. “Hang on, she might want one too.” She stopped on the way to the car and called back to Clem. “Clem, do you want a hot dog?” She asked, not offering Duncan the same privilege.

Once they were all in the car, she leaned down to find the shades she had left in the car somewhere, hitting the back of her head on the dashboard as she returned to a sitting position. “Fucking ow.” She muttered, briefly touching the back of her head before moving onto whatever task she was fiddling with next.

Plugging the aux cord into her phone, she browsed music for merely a moment before settling on Mr Blue Sky without offering input from anyone else, joining in once the lyrics kicked in, unperturbed by Errol’s annoyance at the traffic. “Sun is shinin’ in the sky, there ain’t a cloud in sight…”

However, the mood soon changed when it became apparent that there was more to be concerned by than rush hour. Quickly fading into silence, she shared a look with Errol but there was no time for words to be exchanged.

Once they had been hit and their fate sealed, there was nothing they could do in that moment other than pray they made it out on the other side. In one moment, everything stood still and there was a momentary silence until she took a breath that she hadn’t realised she had been holding in and with the breath the silence and stillness disappeared.

Reality hit.

“Errol.” She looked across at her friend and then back towards their other two occupants. “What is happening?” She asked, making no attempt to conceal the panic in her tone.

Outcasts Assembled (An AU X-Men roleplay)

Noa nodded in agreement at Errol’s reasoning behind trying to protect his sister from following the same path as them. It was understandable. Having a younger brother herself, she knew the demand of carrying the world on your shoulders all too well. Older siblings made mistakes so that younger ones didn’t have to but clearly Errol’s older brother wasn’t doing too well at fulfilling his responsibilities judging by the state of the family.

“Even worse, it’s the same word in French.” She admitted with an amused smile. “I just never had one until a couple of years ago.” It was double the culture shock of moving from a small town to the city while also moving to another country but she found solace in Errol and his quirks. He had shown her more kindness and understanding than most, quickly earning her trust and in turn - friendship.

People who knew what she was capable of often treated her with a degree of caution, even though she had gained much greater control over her abilities or rather… condition in the last few years, but it was different with Errol. She could let her guard down around him and she learned to be more relaxed and enjoy whatever little semblance of a normal life she had left.

“Relax. It won’t take long.” She told Errol quietly as they caught the first sight of Duncan. Whether that would be true or not was another matter but at least maybe if he thought it was true then he would follow through. It was everyone’s prerogative for the evening to avoid becoming heated.

Noa leaned against the wall with her arms folded while the brothers sorted out their affairs, smirking at Errol’s comment towards Duncan’s appearance. Her eyes briefly glossed over the comings and goings of the station idly while listening into the conversation beside her. After catching Errol’s pointed remark towards Duncan, she spoke up without looking at the pair. “I hope everyone’s playing nice.” She addressed neither in particular. While Errol would’ve had her undying support if he were to put Duncan in his place, now was neither the time nor place.

Then again, maybe the two of them sharing a jail cell for the night could be the family therapy they needed.

She stifled a snicker as Errol whispered to her before clearing her throat to try and focus the attention on the situation at hand, though she was still smiling, and thankfully Clem arrived before long and Noa offered a brief single wave as a greeting when they caught each other’s gaze for a moment. They may not have known each other well but Clementine’s reputation clearly preceded her and as Errol’s sister then she was practically like extended family, though she couldn’t say she’d give the same consideration to Duncan.

Though she had a few choice words she wanted to say at that moment, she held her tongue.

Outcasts Assembled (An AU X-Men roleplay)

Between Errol’s lack of reaction and their sudden departure, Noa didn’t need to be a telepath to understand what had transpired. At this point, she knew more about the inner workings of Errol’s family better than her own, especially how tumultuous it could be. Still, she understood that familial ties were not so easily cut and she knew that his responsibility towards his sister outweighed his responsibility to the Strays.

Lingering behind Errol with no real sense of urgency and a cigarette dangling idly between her fingers, Noa slid into the passenger seat and cracked open the window a couple of inches. Unphased by his outburst, which was commonplace by now, she remained silent, allowing him to finish his venting before producing a small orange bottle from her pocket which rattled with pills. “Xanax?” She offered, half-joking, before placing the bottle in the cup holder.

“What’s that saying? Kill two birds with one stone? Bring her to the next deal and show her how to not get caught by the police.” She replied, remaining cool and collected in spite of Errol’s irritation. It wasn’t easy to anger Noa, but then she had little to be angry about unlike Errol who spent so much of his time chasing his responsibilities. Noa didn’t have to worry about her younger brother anymore since he returned to France. He was safe far from the city and far from her.

Idly gazing out of the window, she brought the cigarette up to her lips before the conversation demanded her attention again. “Ah yes, my favourite sibling from your dysfunctional family.” She replied sarcastically. “Say what you will but Clem really knows how to bring people together.” She teased. Previous experiences dictated that any charges Clem received were likely to be minor but Duncan’s presence would likely cause more upset than a petty crime.

Noa knew how Errol felt about his older brother and based on what he had told her, she was pretty certain that she knew how Duncan felt about his younger brother too - though of course she had only heard Errol’s point of view. It was enough to at least form a prejudiced judgment. Even with the biased knowledge she had, it was hard to dismiss the notion that Duncan had been dealt a better hand of cards in life than his siblings, so any resentment from Errol was understandable in her eyes.

In any case, as long as the night didn’t end with anything more than bickering then it would be another successful family reunion.

In the moments before stepping out, she gently placed a hand on his shoulder in an offer of moral support. “It’ll be okay.” She attempted to reassure him. “I won’t let him talk down to you but you try and be reasonable too.” She removed her hand and reached for the car door, her tone and attitude shifting as she did. “Ok? And then we can go and get some of those sausage dog… things. The sausage and the bread. Uhh... hot dogs.” She clicked her fingers after remembering the word.

After closing the car door, she used the cover of the car to obscure herself from view as she crushed the remainder of the cigarette under her heel before joining Errol and slipping her hands into her pockets.

Outcasts Assembled (An AU X-Men roleplay)

General
Name: Noa Loxley
Age: 24
Gender: Female
Height: 5’8
Weight: 155lbs
Nationality: French-American
POB: Toulouse, France
Mutant: Yes
Affiliation: The Strays
Relatives: Jesse Loxley (Father), Nicolette Loxley-Veilleux † (Mother), Martin Loxley (Brother)

Physical Description
Noa is naturally a brunette with wavy hair and blue eyes but she dyed her hair blonde and cut it shorter following the estrangement from her family to avoid being so easily recognised. She is slightly above average height with an athletic build. She dresses for comfort and practicality but is not well-kempt and often has the appearance of being untidy, though she consistently wears long sleeved shirts and gloves to avoid any accidental exposure to her skin.

Backstory
The result of a whirlwind romance, Noa was born to a French mother and an American father who had been stationed overseas. The relationship persevered and after welcoming a second child her father left the military in favour of his family, settling down to live a modest, unassuming life working in the family restaurant in rural France.

In her teens, her mother mysteriously fell ill and with no known underlying cause, she succumbed to her fate after months of medical tests and deteriorating health. The sudden death of the family matriarch created turmoil and forced the closure of the restaurant. With no income and the threat of eviction, the family moved back to their father’s homeland to be supported by their extended family as they rebuilt their lives. Although she had only visited her father's side of the family periodically in the past, Noa and her brother were welcomed and grew closer to their cousins and grandparents.

After settling into her new normality, her life would once again get turned upside down. While greeting a dog on the way home from school, the animal startled and bit her. Within seconds, the dog was convulsing with no obvious cause. With a dozen pairs of eyes staring at her, she realised that the death around her was no coincidence but due to her upbringing she had little knowledge about mutants and didn't recognise her status as one.

Confused and afraid, instead of returning home, she fled to protect her family from any misfortune - disappearing from their lives. With no means of money or shelter, one opportune evening led her to being taken under the wing of a gang of mutants who earned her trust through their acceptance and understanding of her plight. With newfound knowledge of herself and her abilities, she forged strong ties with the group and its members.

Although she maintained distance from her family to protect them, fearful that the discovery of her abilities could put herself and her brother at risk of deportation, she continued to observe them from a distance to ensure their wellbeing in her absence. She also knew that revealing the truth to her family would expose her role in her mother's accidental death so without the certainty that she would be accepted back by her family, she remained in limbo.

Personality
Calculated by nature, Noa can err on the side of caution as she is painfully aware of the consequences of her actions, intended or not. She is not a naturally independent person, nor strives to be, but circumstances dictated that she became more self-reliant, though with the added cost of loneliness and a craving for connection.

Through her newfound understanding of her abilities, she has become more laidback but remains cautious enough to continue keeping distance from her family and is far from level-headed. She is more comfortable around other mutants who are aware of her abilities.

Noa is not malicious and has no desire to hurt anyone except out of necessity. She has a reckless disregard for her own life due to the mental self-flagellation she experienced since the revelation that she was responsible for her mother's death, believing that she is deserving of any ill-fate she encounters.

Wracked with guilt, she attempts to overcompensate by any means necessary, though she is not of the view that everyone is worth saving and opposes those who use their abilities to cause serious harm to innocent people, believing it acceptable to use lethal force on mutants who abuse their abilities if they refuse to change their ways.

She is not ambitious and is content with remaining low-ranking in the Strays as she seeks neither fame, glory or power but is rather simply looking for protection from persecution and to protect undeserving people from her abilities. Despite her inclusion in the group, she still keeps somewhat of a distance between herself and the other members, some of whom are wary of her abilities and unsure of her control over them.

Having fallen in with the Strays, she has become accustomed to a life of crime out of necessity as she can't see any way of living a normal life again. Most of the crimes the group commit don't phase her after years of following their lifestyle but she still holds some moral quandaries about the more serious ones.

Mutation
Mutant power level: Alpha
General description: While initially appearing as as the ability to produce poison, the true nature of the compound is not fully understood and appears to behave differently depending on the target and user's state of mind. It is believed to respond differently depending on varying levels of neurotransmitters and hormones, displaying the markers of an unknown neurotoxin.

Because of its somewhat volatile nature, the toxin is not certainly fatal in every use but can produce other undesirable side-effects such as malaise, anaphylaxis, hallucinations, paranoia and paralysis. It can generally be controlled and physical contact can be made without any harm but in period of high stress it is more difficult to regulate.

Despite its apparent predictability as a toxin, its effects on mutants are not widely understood due to the unique genetics and physiology of each person. While they may experience the same ill-effects as humans, it's possible that some more powerful mutants may receive positive effects instead providing greater strength or an enhancement of their own abilities.

It's clear when someone has been dosed as the veins on the surrounding areas of both people both glow an iridescent blue for a few moments before fading.

It soon became apparent that the compound had affected her in other ways when she displayed heightened senses which provides her with a natural advantage in marksmanship and sometimes warning of incoming hostiles.

Limits & Weaknesses
Potency: The potency of her abilities depend on the receiver as the compound interacts differently with different people, being particularly affected by both her own and the receiver's emotional state. Though the specifications of the compound are unknown, it is believed to be have a particularly profound negative response to cortisol.

Questionable immunity: While using her abilities, Noa suffers no ill-effects but in other mutants the compound can produce unpredictable effects as it adapts dependant on each receiver, providing the opportunity to both be weaponised and cured - though each cure would be unique to the receiver and dose.

Skin contact: The compound requires a living host and as such can only be transferred through skin-to-skin contact with the user and receiver or their blood. It is not airborne nor can it be transferred through surfaces. It is also only known to affect mammals.