The X-men run missions and work together with the NYPD, striving to maintain a peaceful balance between humans and mutants. When it comes to a fight, they won't back down from protecting those who need their help.
Haven presents itself as a humanitarian organization for activists, leaders, and high society, yet mutants are the secret leaders working to protect and serve their kind. Behind the scenes they bring their goals into reality.
From the time when mutants became known to the world, SUPER was founded as a black-ops division of the CIA in an attempt to classify, observe, and learn more about this new and rising threat.
The Syndicate works to help bring mutantkind to the forefront of the world. They work from the shadows, a beacon of hope for mutants, but a bane to mankind. With their guiding hand, humanity will finally find extinction.
Since the existence of mutants was first revealed in the nineties, the world has become a changed place. Whether they're genetic misfits or the next stage in humanity's evolution, there's no denying their growing numbers, especially in hubs like New York City. The NYPD has a division devoted to mutant related crimes. Super-powered vigilantes help to maintain the peace. Those who style themselves as Homo Superior work to tear society apart for rebuilding in their own image.
MRO is an intermediate to advanced writing level original character, original plot X-Men RPG. We've been open and active since October of 2005. You can play as a mutant, human, or Adapted— one of the rare humans who nullify mutant powers by their very existence. Goodies, baddies, and neutrals are all welcome.
Short Term Plots:Are They Coming for You?
There have been whispers on the streets lately of a boogeyman... mutant and humans, young and old, all have been targets of trafficking.
The Fountain of Youth
A chemical serum has been released that's shaving a few years off of the population. In some cases, found to be temporary, and in others...?
MRO MOVES WITH CURRENT TIME: What month and year it is now in real life, it's the same for MRO, too.
Fuegogrande: "Fuegogrande" player of The Ranger, Ion, Rhia, and Null
Neopolitan: "Aly" player of Rebecca Grey, Stephanie Graves, Marisol Cervantes, Vanessa Bookman, Chrysanthemum Van Hart, Sabine Sang, Eupraxia
Ongoing Plots
Magic and Mystics
After the events of the 2020 Harvest Moon and the following Winter Solstice, magic has started manifesting in the MROvere! With the efforts of the Welldrinker Cult, people are being converted into Mystics, a species of people genetically disposed to be great conduits for magical energy.
The Pharoah Dynasty
An ancient sorceress is on a quest to bring her long-lost warrior-king to the modern era in a bid for global domination. Can the heroes of the modern world stop her before all is lost?
Are They Coming for You?
There have been whispers on the streets lately of a boogeyman... mutant and humans, young and old, all have been targets of trafficking.
Adapteds
What if the human race began to adapt to the mutant threat? What if the human race changed ever so subtly... without the x-gene.
Atlanteans
The lost city of Atlantis has been found! Refugees from this undersea mutant dystopia have started to filter in to New York as citizens and businessfolk. You may make one as a player character of run into one on the street.
Got a plot in mind?
MRO plots are player-created the Mods facilitate and organize the big ones, but we get the ideas from you. Do you have a plot in mind, and want to know whether it needs Mod approval? Check out our plot guidelines.
"Why you hidin, huh? It's your home, ain't it?" He hadn't noticed her attempt to disappear around the nearest bush until he'd already reached up his non-wounded arm to knock. Saphirus eyed his green skinned girlfriend with a fond smile, which at the same time conveyed the message 'are you serious?', and waved her over.
"It ain't like I'm going in there alone... Maybe... I don't think anyone's here, babe. Lemme knock again."
Knock-Knock-Knock!
...
Knock. Knock. Knock.
"Nope noon-"
He was cut off by a wailing sound in he background. "The... Heck? Is that a baby?" He looked over to Andrea, who was leaving her cover; apparently she was just as surprised as he was. "One second! Hold on!" The heavily accented Greek voice echoed through the door as the child quieted up. He heard her voice through the door, but couldn't make anything out past the first statement until it started getting closer. "Sorry, we were just taking a nap! We didn't expect you so-" The door opened, revealing a middle aged woman with brown wavy hair, and olive skin. Also, there was the obviously quite young child in her arms, staring sleepily at him. A friendly smile turned into a look of confusion. "Oh... I'm sorry... You may have the wrong house, this is the-"
"Eh, no... I think we're in the right place, right, babe?" He motioned to Andrea, and the woman leaned out to follow his hand. Her eyes slowly widened as they fell on the sight of her daughter. "Oh.... Oh dear..."
Shaking her head feverishly at Saph, she remained right where she stood. Behind a rose bush... out of sight. She hadn't spoke to her mother in well over a year, not since the e-mails had stopped, and her father even longer. She had no idea what they had been up too, if they were alive and well or dead and buried. She didn't know if they had moved, or if they did in fact still live in her childhood home.
...and yet there Saph was, knocking on her front door like they were in some New York neighborhood. Andrea frowned, and bit down on the inside of her cheek.
"Nope noon-"
Then, a voice. The Greek's ear perked as her mother familiar alto carried through the solid wood door. She inched around the bush and hesitantly neared Saph. The door opened a moment later, and Andrea stopped in her tracks. There was her mother, same as she remembered, with a baby on her hip. The Greek was stunned.
"Oh... Oh dear..."
"...Momma??" The presence of the child was.. startling, to say the least. The woman stared right back at her, clutching the child close, before she seemed to catch herself. "Andrea...Aye, Andrea, your hair?!"" She gasped, a delicate hand flying to her lips, and eyed the wriggling serpents woven into Andrea's braid. "... You are home, then?"
"Yes, momma... it is very complicated, though." Another bout of silent staring sprang up, before her mother shook herself and stepped aside. "Please, come in love. There... there is a lot we must talk about." The woman glanced at Saph, and dropped slipped back into English for a moment. "Please, come in! Come in!"
She ushered them in, casting a quick, worried glance up and down the road outside, before shutting the door behind them. They were ushered into the living room, which Andrea noticed had been rearranged, and motioned to sit down on the couch. Her mother vanished into the kitchen for a moment, ever the dutiful host, before re-emerging with an armful of cups and a teapot. Sweeping herself into an armchair, she went about setting and filling the cups, then hauled the little boy into her lap.
"...So... you are home to stay, Andrea?'
It was almost musical to her ears; her mothers melodic accent. She'd tried so very hard over the years to make her own vanish, but her mother-- proud as proud could be-- fully embraced her Greek dialect.
"Ah... No, momma. Only to visit." Her own accent bubbled back to the surface, clouding her words as she spoke. She claimed a cup of tea, Jasmine-- one of her mother's favorites-- and sipped at it. From behind her glasses, she watched the child.
"His name is nick, Love..." Her mother explained softly, as if reading her thoughts. "He is your little brother."
... Andrea nearly inhaled a mouthful of hot tea, and ended up coughing and pounding on her chest. Little Brother?!
"Momma... How..?" It wasn't out of the ordinary for older couples to have kids, but there had been no mention of it at all in any of the-- "... this was why you went to the hospital... right?" Her mother nodded, eyeing the man beside her daughter curiously, "Yes."
"Why couldn't you tell me?" It was impossible to keep the hurt from her voice. She'd always wanted a sibling; she couldn't see any reason for it to be a bad thing.
Instead of answering right away, her mother shifted and let the child down. Nick was busy sucking on a fist while casting curious stares at both of the new people. "The... snakes. They are safe around children?" Her mother questioned, refusing to let the child go until she had an answer. Andrea nodded in response, and stared into her tea. "Yes, momma. They are securely tied back."
After a moment, her mother decided that answer was enough, and let the little boy go free. Nick immediately wobbled his way over to Saph, throw his arms up and demanded, "ick up!"
Wow... So this was awkward... Andrea and her mother knew Greek... Of course they did, considering the whole being born and raised there, thing, but the fact that they would choose to speak it in front of him as if everyone in the room understood it... Well, it left him a little confused....
Was he supposed to be nodding? Shaking his head? Doing cartwheels while serenading them with Beatles lyrics? He opted for staying silent... And then something odd happened... He sensed the conversation heading towards them choosing to speak in Greek because not everyone in the room knew it, rather than it just being a normal thing... It started with the mom eying him for a moment, and him waving awkwardly with his one unhurt arm, and then Andrea was eying him as well... was she blushing a little bit? He was distracted when the kid was allowed down, and immediately wandered over to him.
"ick up!" Ick... Pick? Pick up? Well jesus, at least the toddler had enough decency to speak american! He looked down to his casted and tied arm, and shrugged helplessly. "Sorry, sport... Can't help you there. Maybe your sister can...-" He was pulled away from his speech as the conversation between the two seemed to have gotten a little more urgent...
Her mother motioned out the window, and his eyes followed, finding the sight of a small car pulling into the driveway. "Babe... what's goin on?" The kid still looked up at him, his arms up and nagging at his resolve... maybe he could try and pick up the kid with one arm? Oh yeah, his mom would love that...
'Saph, why did you and Andrea break up?'
'Ohh, no reason, I just dropped her toddler bother on his face, forever lowering his odds of being a molecular physicist by 80%'s all.'
Maybe he would just stick to the big stuff and let the kid beg... For instance, why did Andrea's mom almost look a little nervous?
"This isn't the best time for you to have stopped by..."
The Gorgon fiddled with her cup, "I know, momma, but I didn't have very much choice in the matter."
Quizzical eyes turned back to Saph, and her mother pointed her chin at him. "Is he the one...? The man you wrote about?" He didn't exactly look like the type of man she would have ever wanted for her daughter, but watching him interact with her son, well... the woman could see some good in him. "He could use a haircut." She commented, sending a small smile her daughters way. She was about to question why exactly her daughter didn't have a choice in returning home, as there were a few unpleasant ideas nagging at her, but spotted her husbands car pulling into the driveway.
"Peter is home... make sure you are presentable, and keep your friend here out of trouble. The entire family is supposed to be coming over for dinner today, and your father is on a short enough leash as it is. He won't like this surprise at all." Standing swiftly, Andrea's mother re-captured her little tyke and headed back toward the front door.
Andrea watched them go, more nervous now than ever, and reach out to grasp Saph's hand. "We... We should go soon. My mother says that they are to have the whole family over. I do not wish to interrupt them..."
From outside, her fathers voice could be heard muttering. Her mother opened the front door and waited, while he took off his had and loosened his tie. "--those damn neighbor kids again, I swear. If it isn't one car, it's another car right after... how many times to I need to call the police? Gracie, they did it again! Do you see that hunk of junk parked out by our cur--" He froze mid complaint, his gaze firmly fixed on one green face he hadn't seen for years.
"... Andrea?"
She smiled timidly, and rose from her seat politely. "Hello, father."
Grace, stood beside her husband and took his hat and briefcase from him. "Andrea has stopped by to visit, isn't that lovely, Peter?" He nodded without really thinking, unable to take his eyes off the squirming snakes in Andrea's hair. "Can I see you a moment in the kitchen, Grace?"
The two adults quickly shuffled out, taking little Nick with them, and Andrea fidgeted. "... Now would be a great time for us to escape, Saph..."
"We... We should go soon. My mother says that they are to have the whole family over. I do not wish to interrupt them..." She grabbed his hand, and he took it, but he wasn't going anywhere. "Go? What? Why? Your family? You never told be about your family... What if I wanna meet them?" He stopped speaking when he heard the muttering.
It wasn't long before a man entered and started ranting about a hung of junk car... Saph may have reddened a little... It was all he could afford to rent; honestly, it looked a lot like the car he had at home, which stung even more. The man paused when he noticed them. "Eh... Howdy."And then, just like that, he ushered everyone but he and Andrea out into the kitchen...
What the hell was going on here? When he saw her, it was like he was seeing a goddam ghost! His mother had acted like she was walking on egg shells for christ's sake!
"... Now would be a great time for us to escape, Saph..." "Escape? What, are they gonna string us up and get with the tar and feathers? I wanna stay. I'm gonna meet your family." It was simple... He couldn't leave now...
He had plans.
Hastily made, somewhat sloppy, but definitely heartfelt plans. They involved happy people clapping because of a big announcement, and her full, extended family was more than he could ever have dreamed of.
"Escape? What, are they gonna string us up and get with the tar and feathers? I wanna stay. I'm gonna meet your family."
"Saph..." She tried to use a serious tone, but it only came off as timid. It was hard to think with all of this new information! How was she supposed to explain to him that she had never even met her family? Considering how he'd reacted to her telling him about how she was raised, she didn't think it would end well.
From within the kitchen, she heard her fathers voice spike momentarily, then it hushed again. Her grip on Saph's hand tightened, and she turned to him "Okay, fine... we shall stay. But Saphirus, this is very important... you must promise me that you will be on your very best behavior." Pursing her lips at him in hopes that he'd get the message, she drew in a shaky breath and prepared herself for whatever was to come. An entire family meal.. that meant Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, and grandparents.... none of whom she'd ever met.
Her parents shuffled back into the living room, Nick held tightly in his fathers arms, and they sat. Andrea cleared her throat, hoping to get the disaster sure to come at least started on the right foot. "Papa, Momma, this is Saphirus. My b--.. boyfriend..." She quickly turned to Saph, flushed brown from her chin to her eyebrows. "These are my parents, Grace and Peter."
Peter, none to happy as his wife had predicted, scowled at the both of them. "You could have called and given us a heads up, you know. Your mother has to rearrange the table for two more seats, now." Grace cleared her throat, smiling at Saph. "Unfortunately, you both decided to visit on a rather busy day. The rest of the family is due to start showing up in a little while-- um, why don't you tell me about yourself, Saphirus?"
"What kind of name is 'Saphirus', anyway?" Her father openly grumbles, tugging away his wrist watch from Nicks open maw. Grace shot him a silencing glare.
Posted by Saphirus on Feb 14, 2013 10:57:26 GMT -6
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Well, at least she'd finally decided to stay instead of running off. He could tell by the way she said his name. Still, it made him nervous... Maybe there was something about her family that he didn't know... He knew she was very conscious about her mutation.. Wait a minute! Maybe they were all visibly mutated, and she somehow thought he would... maybe point that out to them, like he sometimes had a tendency to do... I mean, how could you not inform someone how amazing it was that they had two extra arms and a nose that could easily hold a roll of quarters?!
"Okay, fine... we shall stay. But Saphirus, this is very important... you must promise me that you will be on your very best behavior."
Yuuupp, that's what it was! A smile and a slanted look her way acted to try and dismiss her concerns, "I'm always on my best behavior... Trust me, I won't poke at anyone. Promise."
He smiled as the family returned, her father clenching the child close like it was a purse in a dark alley.
"Papa, Momma, this is Saphirus. My b--.. boyfriend... These are my parents, Grace and Peter." His smile widened as she introduced him as her boyfriend, and a hand(the only good one) went to her back to comfort her. He didn't notice the reaction that provoked from her father, and before he could, her mother spoke up.
"Unfortunately, you both decided to visit on a rather busy day. The rest of the family is due to start showing up in a little while-- um, why don't you tell me about yourself, Saphirus?" That drew a bit of confusion from him; his eyebrows furrowed a little bit as he pulled a hand back to scratch the back of his head. "Sounds like perfect timing to me, right babe? But yeah, You can call me Saph... And, uh... Well, I guess this is the first time I've ever left new york city... So there's that. Also, I'm sorry, I ain't good at introductions... Um. I guess I work for the community; I'm an honorary NYPD member. I work with...-"
"What kind of name is 'Saphirus', anyway?"
"Oh... Well yeah, I guess it is a little messed, huh? It was given to me; It's kinda a long story, though. Maybe I can tell it to you later." Well, this didn't seem to be going well at all; Her mom was nervously glancing at the door every few seconds, her dad was getting redder and redder by the second, and the baby... well, the baby was just... Staring at him.
"Eh...heh... Tea... Tea is good." He reached for the cup that had been placed before him, sipped, burnt his mouth, dropped his cup in his lap, hopped up and did a dance of pain, with maybe an obscenity or two throw in for added effect as the baby clapped and laugh, and her mother jumped up to clean up the mess.
A moment later, he was sitting in the same seat, pant-less, a towel over his waist as he sat waiting for his pants to come out of the dryer... Was that her dad turning a nice violet color? Why yes it was. "So-eh... High blood pressure run in the family?"
Saph seemed to be taking everything in stride wonderfully. The admission that he was part of a police force was sure to earn him some respect in her fathers eyes, if only a pinch. The way he reacted to her father's grumbled question was a relief, for sure.. she'd been sure the moment Peter had asked it that Saph would say something just terrible in response. She smiled, blowing on her cup of tea for a second or two before taking a small sip.
"Eh...heh... Tea... Tea is good."
"...Careful, it is ho--"
The resulting burn, spill, and dance made Andrea cringe. Her mother shot her a look before hurrying to help Saph with his wet trousers, while her father clenched his jaw and tapped his fingers at an ever increasing pace on the arm of his chair. She was beginning to wish she had stayed outside behind the rose bush, where no one but the spiders and bees could silently judge her.
When Saph reappeared-- clad in a towel from the waist down-- the gorgon couldn't hide her dismay. If a family dinner had seemed simply terrifying before, now it was quickly becoming a waking nightmare.
"So-eh... High blood pressure run in the family?"
Andrea buried her face in her hands, "Saph..."
Her mother plopped herself back into her chair after having cleaned up the tea spill. "So... Andrea," the older woman started, shifting the center of attention from the pant-less man, to her daughter. "... When did the.. um...?" She gestured vaguely toward her hair, and the Greek cast her eyes to the floor.
"About a year ago... "
Grace hummed, and eyed the large white serpent who was struggling to get a look at her from behind Andrea. "And they are... always there?" She questioned, earning a grumble from Peter. "Of course they are, Grace. Those things don't just go away whenever you want them too." The look his wife speared at him forced Peter to quickly shut his mouth, then she turned her attention back to Andrea. "Why don't we talk in the kitchen, love? I have a lamb in the oven that I should check on."
Glancing at Saph first, Andrea nodded slowly. She was more than wary about leaving him alone with her father, even if it was for a short about of time. Reluctantly, though, she agreed. "Of course, Momma." As she stood, she squinted at Saph threateningly, a look she hoped conveyed 'you be good! perfectly clearly. Then she followed her mother out of the room.
Peter, with Nick in his lap, simply glowered at Saph for the first few awkward moments. Then, when the silence grew to heavy, he cleared his throat. "... So, you like football?" Maybe some common ground would make the situation less painful, however unlikely that might be. As her father, he felt he owed it to Andrea to at least extend a proverbial olive branch to the man who was dating his daughter before he condemned him fully. He cleared his throat again.
"It's good to have a nice human boy looking after my daughter. I was afraid she'd run off to that filthy city and end up with some mutant boy."
Posted by Saphirus on Feb 14, 2013 12:13:04 GMT -6
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Saph tensed up a little bit as the conversation trended toward Andrea's hair... Not because of the controversy and calamity it's coming had brought into their life, but rather because of her mother's reaction about it. She was... Afraid. Sure, it was a little odd, and maybe dangerous given the wrong situation, but it disturbed him that they could view their daughter in such a way.
Still, at least his lack of pants wasn't on the table for discussion; The last thing he needed was for old red-face to have an aneurysm. He was snapped out of his mental bubble when Grace asked a question. "And they are... always there?" Saph opened his mouth to explain, but Peter chimed in first. "Of course they are, Grace. Those things don't just go away whenever you want them too."
Well... It wasn't exactly an elegant way to phrase it... And he would know, he was the king of foot in mouth. A release of air was all that came from his mouth, before he closed it, and sat awkwardly, as he had before.
It was about that time that Grace deemed it necessary to invite Andrea to leave the room, dooming him to sit and chat with the bundle of joy that was Peter Gordon. Yay.
"... So, you like football?" Oh, a question not about mutations! Hell yeah, he was on top of this one!
"Like, American football? Yeah, I mean, I'm more of a baseball kinda guy, but I've been known to throw around the ol' pig skin. If you're talking Soccer... Well... I'm not much of a runner. 'nother long story. Y'see, my Mu-"
"It's good to have a nice human boy looking after my daughter. I was afraid she'd run off to that filthy city and end up with some mutant boy."
There wasn't much response to that... His mouth hung open for a second, before he noticed, and closed it. He briefly considered punching the man for a lot of things at that moment, but remembered Andrea telling him to play nice. "I... Wow... Uhm... Well, New York ain't so bad... And you know... Mutants ain't so bad either." New york was his home... Was it maybe a little filthy? Sure, but did any New Yorker worth his salt get angry when an outsider said it? You betcha; that wasn't even the main issue here, though... They didn't want a mutant dating their daughter?
What the @#$^?!
"Eh... Anyway, don't you guys have some mutant blood in the family? I mean, I figured one of you guys would be visible, at least, ya know? It's pretty normal-" He was cut off by an even redder, even more sour old man.
"Listen to me, young m-" He was cut off by the door bell... And maybe Saph was saved by it?
Andrea nodded gravely, and heaved a sigh. "Right through the wall... He can just be so... so--"
A musical chime of bells interrupted her, and grace gasped. "They are here so early!" Wiping her hands on her apron, she hurried out of the kitchen while Andrea grabbed the last of the dishes they needed and rushed to the dining room. She busied herself with setting a places for her and Saph, while battling back a nearly overwhelming panic attack.
Would her relatives like her?... Would there be others with mutations, like herself?
Forcing herself to settle on a positive outcome, the Greek took a deep breath and slipped her coat off.
Out in the front room, Grace had thrown open the front door and was greeting her extended family members cheerfully. "Momma, Papa! So goo to see you!" Customary hugs and kisses were exchanged, and Peter shuffled out of the living-room with Nick in his arms to start taking coats.
"Gracie! Look at you, so thin! I thought I taught you to eat more!" Graces mother, whom Andrea was named after, jabbed a boney finger at her daughter and shuffled into the house. "And you!" She cried, point the same finger in Peter's direction, "When am I going to meet this miserable family of yours?! When I'm six feet under, no doubt!"
Her most recent husband, Stephanos, shuffled in behind her and shrugged his shoulders helplessly when Peter looked to him. "No arguing with a woman, you know, or else there's no dinner on the table that night."
The elderly grandmother cackled with laughter, and despite her back being hunched over with age, she plucked Nick from his fathers hands expertly. "How is my little Nikki, today?" The toddler gurgled happily at her as she moved into the living room, while Grave and Peter greeted the other guests.
Directly after grace's mother and step-father, came her sister Daphne along with her husband Corban, and their three kids Eleni, Georgios, and Lysander-- who all happened to be around Andrea's age.
Then came her second sister, Sibyl, her husband gabriel and their two children Samuel and Nico. Then came Uncle Sergio, with his wife Melina and their teen daughters Helen and Katherine.
Finally, the front door swung shut, and Peter staggered away to the coat closet with an armload. Grace directed everyone to the living-room, where the Greetings and chatter stopped the moment they caught sight of pants-less-Saph and Andrea. Before a single question could be asked, Andrea's mother cleared her throat and moved to stand beside her daughter.
"Everyone... This is Andrea, my Daughter." A stunned silence followed, before one of her cousins, Sergio, quipped, "Cool! We have a mutant in the family!"
His exclamation seemed to break the tension in the room, and like a wave the whole lot of them converged on Andrea all at once. A flurry of hugs and cheek-kisses followed that left her dazed, and by the time it was all over, she felt dizzy.
"It is so good to finally meet you, granddaughter! I haven't heard a peep about you since your were four!"
Blinking as the old woman gripped her hand and patted it, Andrea lifted a curious eyebrow. Hadn't heard about her since she was four...?
"Andrea has been oversees in school, for a long time, momma." Grace cut in, appearing beside Andrea like a phantom. "She only just returned home today."
....What?
"Mother, I--" Graces shushed her quickly, "lets go make sure the table is set and ready, i'm, sure everyone is famished!"
Her mother gripped her shoulders gently and steered her out of the room, away from further questions... as well as answers. Why had her mother lied, like that?
Posted by Saphirus on Feb 21, 2013 12:19:44 GMT -6
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Wow, there were a lot of details to get straight in his head before he could even fathom what was going on, here.
First off. Awkward. Why? Well, for one, he was pantless in front of a whole family of strangers, he pulled his towel tighter around his seated waist, and eyed Andrea nervously. It seemed she was just as nervous as he, though.
What was more striking than the awkward stuff was the strange stuff... When the family came in, they filed in like they'd come in a bus. Also; not one of them had a spark of recognition when they saw their pretty green family member; hell, one of the younger cousins expressed excitement that there was a mutant in the family. No one here knew her.
On top of everything, when they asked about her, her mother spat out a bold faced lie.
What the hell was going on here?
All he knew was that in a whirlwind of motion, he was sitting at a table, with Andrea's empty seat next to him, a chattering family all around him. Wow... He'd been in a lot of families, but now that he thought of it, he'd never been part of a family celebration... It might have brought warm feelings if he hadn't felt like a stranger looking in from the outside...
The seat next to him was empty; Andrea was helping her mother; He supposed that meant some talking to, as 'father' was in with them as well.
"So... Who're you?"
A cousin was talking to him; a young, scrappy looking kid with a black eye.
"uhm... I'm Saphirus... Andrea's boyfriend."
The boy blinked a few times, and then nodded. "Oh... She looks funny."
"Sergio, don't bother the man; he's got no pants." Well, there went the tiny, tiny hope of them not noticing. He turned away, thoroughly embarrassed, and listened in on another conversation across the other end of the table.
"I'm tellin you, you can't walk a damned inch out there without seeing some sorta deformed person on a poster. It's like Mutants are a fashion statement or something. Sick I tell you. Sick."
"You're preaching to the choir! Why just yesterday, I saw one of them walking hand in hand with a norm-" They noticed him listening in. "Ah-well, you know, not that inter-species relationships are bad or anything. It's just... well, you understand." Not at all, lady... not at all. He thought, barely able to hold a glare from his face... What was with these people?
The food started arriving; eating didn't seem to shut them up... It was good food, though. Lots of meat.
Her mother refused to look at her at first, nor answer any of the questions she had. Grace simply cast a small smile in her direction and shook her head. Oblivious to the discussions happening out in the living room, Andrea suffered in her own way under a sea's worth of anxious silence.
She'd known since before leaving home that something wasn't right, it was hard not too, but this... this was an entirely unexpected situation. Aside from one Grandmother it seemed like not a soul out in the dining room knew who she was. Hadn't her parents told anyone about her?
With her arms laden with dishes, she followed her mother out to the table. Once she appeared in the doorway with her mother conversations lulled to whispers and murmurs. Like a well oiled machine Grace went about putting dishes in their place, then took her own seat beside her husband and son. Andrea crept into the empty seat beside Saph, and watched as the others bowed their heads in prayer. At the moment she didn't feel much like joining in.
The dinner went on without much else happening, until everyone was full and happy. Grace brought out drinks and dessert, and the family settled into a lazy conversation. Andrea didn't pay it much mind at first, because she really didn't have a reason to care about what distant family members were up to over seas, but she did notice that more than a few glances were being thrown in her direction. People were sneaking looks at her, and across the table from her a hushed argument was starting up.
"...Never seen one of them in the family before... distant relative perhaps?"
"Maybe... but who's side? My bet's on Peter's side."
"What? Nonsense. It must be from Graces side of the family. Always had a wild streak in them, that bunch."
Gradually the argument grew louder, until the rest of the conversation stopped entirely. Andrea, her mother and father, and everyone else watched as Corban and Stephanos stood from their chairs so they could yell at each other better. "Why you bull-headed lazy excuse of a--"
" Degenerate foreigner!"
"--good for nothing pig thief!" Sergio slammed his fists down on the table, spilling a glass of wine next to him. "It's his bloodline it came from! Those mutations run rampant over there in that filthy country!" All eyes turned to Peter, who shot up from his chair immediately with a face nearly purple from fury. The rest of the family rose as well, pitching in their own heated arguments on the debate.
"Now you see here you, she--"
"ENOUGH!" Grace stood as well, and threw her napkin down. All of the voices died almost immediately, accept one...
"--ISN'T EVEN MY DAUGHTER!" The silence that followed hung like a heavy smog over the table. Only the soft sound of Andrea's fork dropping from her hand onto her plate, and Nick's hushed crying followed after her fathers furious shout.
So... yeah... This was a happy gathering, wasn't it?
I mean, yeah, there were some issues. There was that whole EVERYONE HERE IS A F#%^ING RACIST thing, but what was a little racism among SERIOUSLY F#%@ THESE PEOPLE. Nope... don't react badly. They would be family soon. The kind you never visit, sure, but family. Keep it together. All he had to do was keep it together.
His hand wandered over to hers underneath the table. She'd never met any of these people either, right? This had to be hell for her. He looked over to her to try and give a comforting smile; it ended up being a mix between than and a grimace.
"I'm starting to think escaping would have been-"
"Now you see here you, she--ENOUGH!--ISN'T EVEN MY DAUGHTER!"
...
"..."
...
Shit
"What's that mean, mah?" The younger cousin spoke up, but was quickly shushed.
"It means we should go, honey."
"No... It doesn't mean that. You. You ruined this night by coming here. You ruined my marriage by being born. Y-you're a sin, and, and I WANT YOU OUT OF THIS H-CRACK"
Oh... Oh more shit. He'd just punched him. He'd just punched her dad! Wait, no, he didn't punch her dad. That made it a little better, right? OW OW OH GOD, OW, he'd punched him with his cast arm!
Most of the family just sat there, he was standing, his arm throbbed angrily as he looked about. "You people... You're the goddam monsters. You don't deserve to have this wonderful woman in your life. Andrea, let's go home. To the mansion. And... And you know what? Let's get married. Let's get married and start our own family. These people can rot for all I care."
So... yeah... This was a happy gathering, wasn't it?
I mean, yeah, there were some issues. There was that whole EVERYONE HERE IS A F#%^ING RACIST thing, but what was a little racism among SERIOUSLY F#%@ THESE PEOPLE. Nope... don't react badly. They would be family soon. The kind you never visit, sure, but family. Keep it together. All he had to do was keep it together.
His hand wandered over to hers underneath the table. She'd never met any of these people either, right? This had to be hell for her. He looked over to her to try and give a comforting smile; it ended up being a mix between than and a grimace.
"I'm starting to think escaping would have been-"
"Now you see here you, she--ENOUGH!--ISN'T EVEN MY DAUGHTER!"
...
"..."
...
Shit
"What's that mean, mah?" The younger cousin spoke up, but was quickly shushed.
"It means we should go, honey."
"No... It doesn't mean that. You. You ruined this night by coming here. You ruined my marriage by being born. Y-you're a sin, and, and I WANT YOU OUT OF THIS H-CRACK"
Oh... Oh more shit. He'd just punched him. He'd just punched her dad! Wait, no, he didn't punch her dad. That made it a little better, right? OW OW OH GOD, OW, he'd punched him with his cast arm!
Most of the family just sat there, he was standing, his arm throbbed angrily as he looked about. "You people... You're the goddam monsters. You don't deserve to have this wonderful woman in your life. Andrea, let's go home. To the mansion. And... And you know what? Let's get married. Let's get married and start our own family. These people can rot for all I care."
"No... It doesn't mean that. You. You ruined this night by coming here. You ruined my marriage by being born."
Andrea flinched, eyes wide behind her glasses. She could believe what she was hearing... the words her father was saying to her. She was shaking, holding herself in her seat by clinging to the table in front of her with white knuckled hands. How could he say that?... Why?
"Y-you're a sin, and, and I WANT YOU OUT OF THIS H-"
Saph punched him. Saph stood in the blink of an eye and punched him right in the face, easily knocking the older man off his feet. Everyone flinched then, and fled the table in a frenzy of gasps and knocked over chairs. Nick started to cry louder, and Andrea's mother knelt beside her husband.
"You people... You're the goddam monsters. You don't deserve to have this wonderful woman in your life. Andrea, let's go home. To the mansion. And... And you know what? Let's get married. Let's get married and start our own family. These people can rot for all I care."
Andrea didn't hear much of what was said. She didn't hear people muttering their outrage, or the apologies, or them quietly excusing themselves. She didn't hear Saph's proposal, as rushed as it had been, and she didn't hear herself weeping.
Grace quickly and forcefully pushed everyone out, including Saphirus. They family piled themselves back into their cars, one child waving goodbye to Saph as he was dragged along, while Grace nursed her husband and sat Andrea down inside to explain some times.
"Andrea, listen to me. Quiet down, and listen to me" Her mother shook her shoulders roughly, an urgency in her voice the Greek had never heard before. "I was young and foolish once, just like yourself. I was not content with the life I had built myself and when your real father approached me I... I was weak. No, not weak. I was foolish and bullheaded enough to believe that there would be no consequences for what I was about to do. I spent a week with this man, who was everything your father is not. I broke so many of the promises I had made to god, and to Peter, and I was punished for it."
Nick had been put upstairs in his room-- her old room-- so it was just the two of them. Andrea remained quiet, soaking up all of the things her mother was telling her.
"... I was punished for it. You, Andrea... you were my punishment for the sins I had committed." Her mother sighed, rubbing her temples wearily. "From the moment I had laid eyes on you I knew. God is swift and vengeful when he is wronged; Do not ever forget that."
Reaching into her pocket, Grace pulled out little faded picture. It was handed to Andrea, who took it with the same hesitation someone being handed a sharp knife blade first would have.
"That is your real father. His name is Theo, but he calls himself Zeus. He is... like you. Different," Grace didn't want to outright say 'cursed'. "I don't know where he is; he drifts... but it might do you some good to search for him."
"Mother... will fa-.. will Peter ever forgive me? Will.. will you?" Andrea chanced a glance at her mother, bottom lip still trembling despite her willing it to stop. Grace sighed again, and looked away. "This is not your fault, Darling. It is mine. It is my burden to bear until the day I die and am judged." Peter stirred slightly. "Peter does not hate you, nor do I. We will always love you..."
The woman cringed, inwardly stewing over how to phrase what she knew had to be said next.
"But, Andrea..." Taking the green woman's hand in hers, she squeezed it gently. "...There is no room for you here. We-.. Life moves on. Nick is two now, and... and you have your own life with that man outside."
Both women lapsed into silence, both knowing exactly what was being said, but neither wanting to just come out and say it. Finally, Grace let go of her daughters hand and stood.
"It would be best for everyone if you do not return here. This.. this isn't your home any longer."
Grace was greeted with silence. Andrea was clutching the photo of Theo, tears dripping from her chin. With her mothers back to her, she stood once she was sure her legs could support her, and walked herself out of the house without a word. Once the front door was shut securely behind her, she marched herself toward Saph's car as swiftly as she could.