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 Welldrinker Cult
A shadowy group is gaining power, drawing in people who are curious, vulnerable, or malicious, and turning them into Mystics. They are recruiting people into their ranks to spread the influence of magic in the world, but for what end goal?
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.
Site adaptation by Sen, Lix, and Tempest. <3
Seja Minha Primeira e Única Amor, Por Favor (Becnes)
>> ”Agnes, Ah… Ah hud tae teel ‘er. She’s mah mom. Ah teel ‘er everythin,”
The hurt in Agnes’ face was pretty clear. While on some level she understood why Rebecca did what she did, deep down she really just couldn’t believe it either. The one thing that she asked for during this whole thing was that they be discreet. She didn’t want people to know, she didn’t want people to judge her. What she wanted was for to handle this, quietly in some attempt to hold onto a shred of dignity. And, lo’ and behold, Rebecca wretched that from her.
Maybe she was over reacting a little bit, it was entirely possible. Mackezie Grey was a great woman, one which Agnes loved immensely. Surely she wouldn’t judge her too harshly for falling in love with her daughter again. But considering the religious upbringing that Rebecca came from, she could only surmise that there weren’t many nice things said about cheaters. And while Mrs. Grey didn’t seem like the type to just call her out on such behavior, she couldn’t help but fear that outcome.
She was hoping that when the time was right, when she and River were officially done and she could be freely with Rebecca again that they could make some grand announcement. She wanted to be there to help give it, to see her face or hear her voice when the time had come. That is probably what hurt most in all this, that Rebecca had seemingly robbed her of that joy.
Again, there was the possibility of overreacting, but that didn’t change the fact that in this moment, she was upset.
>>”Ah gab tae mah ma when Ah need advice ur Ah need someain tae be happy wi' me. Yoo've bin th' hin' 'at makes me happy. Yoo're also th' hin' Ah need advice abit,”
Agnes could feel the pinholes appeared in that blanket that anger that had wrapped itself so firmly around her head. She was angry at her ex, but in some small way she could feel the sparks of understanding trying to break through. In the entire time that they were together, how many times had she caught the redhead on the phone with her mother? It was more than understandable but it was also alien to the ex-runaway as she never had a relationship like that. So while part of her wanted to get it, she…didn’t either.
Her jaw set firmly, the she closed her eyes, shaking her head as she picked up her glass of wine to take a short sip. She needed the distraction, the few moments where she could prevent herself from talking before she said something that she would regret. She loved, Becca, she knew that she did, but at the moment…well…it was hard to remember that everything she was doing was so that she could be with her again.
Becca was visible upset as well, or rather, more confused than anything judging from the look in her eyes. Agnes could see that she was also tired of the eggshells that she navigated ever since they got back together but she clearly wanted to try to understand what the problem was.
>>. ”Whit is it abit me talkin' tae mah mom 'at really troobles ye, Aggie? Ah dornt want tae hurt ye wi' thes. Ye know 'at.”
Agnes curled her lips under her teeth in thought for a brief moment before she breathed a heavy sigh and raised her gaze to the redhead again. She could get lost in those mismatched eyes, easily, but she knew that she needed to focus. If Rebecca wanted to know why she was upset, then fine.
”I’m upset because we both agreed to not talk about this outside of us, Becca,” Agnes said carefully. ”You think I don’t have questions? That I want to confide in someone. But we agreed because we didn’t want to draw too much attention to it.” She shook her head. ”When all this with River is over, I wanted to be there with you to tell your mother, goddammit, “ she said with a frustrated breath. ”A clean, fresh start, none of this…affair B.S…”
She turned her crystalline eyes away. She couldn’t look at her now…
The Metation Guild The Spellsword Guild Mansion English Teacher
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Apr 1, 2024 13:50:36 GMT -6
Aly
Agnes was trying to rein in the hurt in her voice, but it was hard to get rid of it completely. They needed to understand each other, and now they were clearly explaining how they felt. Communication; it was a start.
It sounded reasonable, and if they were holding to the letter of their agreement, Rebecca might very well be in the wrong. They were carrying on their relationship in secret because that was where it needed to be. River finding out about their affair, (and she was right, that was what it was,) would end tragically. Rebecca understood why they had to wait, but there was still a worry in the back of her mind.
She wanted to tread carefully, but she wanted Agnes to understand how she felt. ”Ah know. We need tae keep thes quiet until th’ River thing is settled. Ah gie ‘at. But mah mother’s in Scootlund. She has ae one tae teel, an’ mair importantly… Ah needed tae teel someain.”
It might have sounded like she was feeling burdened by the weight of what they were doing, but that was far from the truth. ”Ah know ye hate whit we hae tae dae reit noo. Believe me, sae dae Ah.” Rebecca hated the hiding and sneaking around more than she wanted to admit, because she was trying her hardest not to push Agnes into making a hard decision to end things with River. ”But Ah cannae see thes as th' 'period afair we start bein' together.' We ur together, Aggie, an' Ah’ve bin ecstatic havin' ye back.”
Rebecca looked down at her plate, empty beyond a lingering orange tint on the ceramic surface. ”Fur aw th' complicated guff, thes is still th' best hin' that's ever happened tae me. Ah needed tae shaur 'at wi' mah mom.” How could she keep something like this from the woman who gave her life? They were forever destined to take joy in each other’s victories and pain in each other’s struggles. Her mother had watched all that pain; she deserved to see the joy. ”She cooldnae be happier fur me... Fur us.”
Her smile was weak, but it was there. ”She said she ‘ne’er stopped rootin’ fur us. Weel, she said she a’ays shipped us. She watches tay mony ay mah videos.”
>> ”Ah know. We need tae keep thes quiet until th’ River thing is settled. Ah gie ‘at. But mah mother’s in Scootlund. She has ae one tae teel, an’ mair importantly… Ah needed tae teel someain.”
Agnes was just upset. She was angry because Rebecca had taken away the one shred of honesty that she wanted to have with this relationship. After all that they had gone through, all the trials that they had (and were continuing) to leap over, she found herself really looking forward to that bright spot at the end of the trail, that point where she could come clean to the only extended family that she ever believed she belonged to. But now it was more than apparent that she as wrong, that that sweet moment she had been looking forward to was gone and she was finding it difficult to console herself.
Rebecca didn’t really make things easier. She wasn’t apologizing, she wasn’t trying to see things from her perspective, as a matter of fact it seemed a little like she was trying to placate her, as one would do to a child who didn’t understand what they did was wrong. Maybe she was overthinking it, maybe she was jumping to conclusions, but it was hard to think straight now with the bombshell that had been dropped.
>> ”Ah know ye hate whit we hae tae dae reit noo. Believe me, sae dae Ah… But Ah cannae see thes as th' 'period afair we start bein' together.' We ur together, Aggie, an' Ah’ve bin ecstatic havin' ye back.”
Her resolve crumbled a little. She did love being with the redhead, she did. It reminded her of old times, the times when she was actually happy. But there was such an anxious energy in the air that it seemingly would suck the joy out of her days because for however much fun she was having with Rebecca, eventually she would always have to return to River.
>> ”Fur aw th' complicated guff, thes is still th' best hin' that's ever happened tae me. Ah needed tae shaur 'at wi' mah mom…She cooldnae be happier fur me... Fur us.”
Her eyes closed tight at that. For a brief moment it felt good to hear that, to know that someone was rooting for them, but, again, this wasn’t the way that she wanted Rebecca’s mother to find out. The sh*tty thing was that Rebecca was desperate to turn to someone, so she turned to her mother – Agnes didn’t have that choice. She had hoped, deep down, that part of her would eventually feel like she could turn to the woman for advice as well. But Rebecca’s action only served as a reminder that Agnes didn’t have a mother; not one that she could call her own.
And that only continued to sour her mood a bit further.
>> ”She said she ‘ne’er stopped rootin’ fur us. Weel, she said she a’ays shipped us. She watches tay mony ay mah videos.”
Shipped them. Yeah, that sounded like her mother. As lighthearted as the comment was taken, Agnes still couldn’t get passed what Rebecca did. It may have been irrational for Agnes to think that Rebecca would have understood how much telling her mother meant to her, but it was all she could hold onto now. Still, she didn’t know how to voice what she was feeling, not in any way that would be productive to this date. Instead, the only thing that Agnes could do was look down at the table in disappointment and muttered the single thought that came to mind.
The Metation Guild The Spellsword Guild Mansion English Teacher
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Apr 1, 2024 13:50:36 GMT -6
Aly
It was maddening. It was like a nightmare where every hallway she walked down put her back where she started. Rebecca was so concerned with finding the right thing to say to make things okay, because she needed them to be okay. Everything was still on the knife’s edge, and if she made the wrong misstep, she would find herself cut out of Agnes’s life for the last time.
And all she seemed to be able to do was misstep. She was trying to make what she did more okay to Agnes, but it was abundantly clear, she would not be able to manage that. The disheartening “Oh” formed a lump in Rebecca’s throat. The weak smile faded from her lips, and she was looking down into her wine glass again.
”Ah’m ****ing thes up already.”
It came out in a shaky breath, but it was all Rebecca could think now. She was working so hard to make everything work, but she was making dumb mistakes and trying to defend herself. Had she learned nothing with Vanessa? She was so worried, all she could think to do was try making everything better and fixing what she broke. Sometimes, it was just more important to own up to being wrong.
”Ah shoods hae tauld 'er wi' ye. 'At was unfair. Ah got excited an' Ah slipped, an' that's still nae reit.” Rebecca had not meant to tell her mother about her renewed relationship, but the woman’s voice pulled the truth out of her without ever trying.
Rebecca wanted the normalcy of sharing with her mother how she found her way back to the woman that made her happy. It was not only her story to tell, and her moment to share. Agnes deserved to hear Mackenzie’s joy; it might have been even more important to her than to Rebecca.
They were in a restaurant, so Rebecca was forcing herself to hold in the tears she knew were hoping to form in her glassy eyes. ”It was a mistake. Ah’m sorry. Ah jist... dornt lae, please.” Her expression and the fear in her voice made it clear just how scared she was about making the one wrong move that would put an end to things.
She wanted this to work. She really did. But right now she was feeling as if she were failing in making them possible. She was upset with Rebecca for what she had done. Maybe, later on, she would eventually come to the realization that it was too much to ask of the redhead. How could she ask her to not speak to her mother? Part of the reason was simply that Agnes didn’t have that kind of relationship. She didn’t know what she was asking of her lover. But on the other hand, Rebecca had agreed to keep things quiet and she had hoped that they could share news like that together, when it was appropriate.
Seeing the look on Rebecca’s face was enough to sour Agnes’ mood further. It didn’t increase her anger towards her, but rather made her angry at herself. She was beginning to feel, for the first time, that maybe all this was just too much. Maybe…maybe they shouldn’t be doing this…
>> ”Ah’m ****ing thes up already.”
Agnes looked up, her blue eyes boring into Rebecca’s. She was so quick to blame herself for whenever things went bad. Agnes knew it was because that she blamed herself for how things went down. The whole reason that they had broken up was because of miscommunication. They had equal parts blame in that, for sure. Right now, Rebecca was taking the shot for this particular shift in the evening and Agnes wasn’t sure whether or not she agreed. How could she blame her when she was being unreasonable?
>>”Ah shoods hae tauld 'er wi' ye. 'At was unfair. Ah got excited an' Ah slipped, an' that's still nae reit.”
It almost made Agnes angry to see Rebecca act in such a way. Not because she viewed Rebecca as being pathetic or whimpering, but because it made Agnes feel like she was the one being an completely unreasonable bitch. She had never wanted that for either of them, never thought that they would ever reach a level like that, and yet, here they were. Agnes closed her eyes, her hands which had been folded on her lap, were now being wrung rather nervously. Things were off…and she didn’t like that.
>> ”It was a mistake. Ah’m sorry. Ah jist... dornt lae, please.”
She turned her head. A tear started to collect in the corner of her eye. Agnes had always been one to want to make the sacrifice. When Rebecca said she was accepted to school, she didn’t want to stand in her way and encouraged her to go, even though she wanted to stay by her side. She didn’t know why she was like that, maybe it was one of those things that her parents had actually managed to drill into her, to be a martyr. Either way, it was a feeling that she didn’t like because, in the moment, she came to decisions and thoughts that, frankly, she would kick herself about later.
But, in the moment, they sounded right.
Slowly her eyes drifted back to Rebecca, the sadness on her face absolutely breaking her heart. She didn’t have a right to do this to her. No one did. Maybe…they really did need to cool things off. At least until Agnes could successful break things off with River. Their time together has been absolutely amazing but maybe they needed to take some pressure off.
The look on her face said it all; a little scared, a little timid, it was the face of the sacrificial lamb that the violinist absolutely hated to put on but she did so unknowingly.
”…Becca…” she started to say. She was struggling to put a voice to the very logical conclusion she was about to make. Anyone would have seen it coming. However, just as the next note began to lift in her throat, from her clutch the dream-like sounds of a harp began to play; it was River’s ringtone.
Fear momentarily gripped Agnes as she looked up, almost expecting the music the signal the arrival of her fiancée. When she realized it was her phone, Agnes picked up her clutch and pulled the device from it. A glance to Rebecca, she gave her a long look before she tilted her head down, tapped the screen of her phone and held it to her ear. She gulped and then answered.
”H-Hey…hun…” she said. She couldn’t look at her lover sitting across from her. ”Oh…you know…it goes. These functions. So boring,” Agnes said, trying to sound bored. She started to scoot out of the booth. ”OH yeah…what did you buy?” she just made it out of the stall when her cheeks started to blush. ”I mean…yeah, that does sound…sexy…” she said in a lowered voice. ”No no…you don’t need to send a pic. I surrounded by colleagues, love…”
She gulped and, after sharing a brief look with Rebecca, turned her back to her. She needed to take this call when she wasn’t around her. With that she headed away, on the phone with her fiancée, leaving her lover in the romantic booth that was organized just for them. Agnes was totally winning right now. Sigh.
The Metation Guild The Spellsword Guild Mansion English Teacher
Witchblade
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Apr 1, 2024 13:50:36 GMT -6
Aly
Rebecca suddenly felt like she was grasping at straws trying to piece together a way out of the hole she was digging herself. It made no sense; how did they get there? It was supposed to be another date night where things felt right. They were doing well! And now one pitfall hit and the was falling on her face again. It was crushing to realize how thin a line she might actually be walking.
What was the right answer? Communication? Space and time? Both options felt so starkly different from one another. What if they picked the wrong one? What if Rebecca backed away and gave Agnes time, and she found herself losing Agnes all over again? It was the only thing she did not think she could survive.
Agnes was getting ready to say something, but her phone interrupted with a melodious harp melody. It was a shame how much Rebecca was growing to dislike such a lovely instrument.
Rebecca nodded as Agnes moved to answer the call, knowing the worst she could do was encourage her to let it go to voicemail. She did not want to share her girlfriend, but that was the agreement they settled on. Rebecca was not going to be the woman who subtly sabotaged her lover’s relationship from the outside.
The call was hard to listen to, but it was less jealousy and more a stinging guilt. River was trying to salvage her own relationship, seemingly with lingerie or something equally alluring. Agnes’s response proved how uncomfortable she felt listening to the news, which was a boon for Rebecca, but did little to help her conscience. River was a bitch, but she did not deserve what Rebecca was doing to her by proxy.
The food came out while Agnes was away, talking on the phone. Rebecca thanked the waitress, but her smile was half-hearted. She considered waiting for Agnes to return before eating, but her stomach felt uneasy. She wanted to silence the tension with cubes of food. She speared a fried potato and a chuck of pork, both drenched in a savory brown sauce. Popping the food into her mouth, her brain told her it was delicious, but it was hard to believe. Nothing felt as it should while her and Agnes were in a state of flux. Lights felt dimmer, sounds were muffled, and delicious food was less flavorful.
Rebecca glanced at the door out of the room in the corner of her eye, wondering what Agnes was thinking on the other side.
The conversation was awkward to say the least. As Agnes turned her back on her lover and exited the establishment to speak with her fiancée, Agnes was having a rather difficult time keeping herself in check. She would feel herself blushing under the weight of the words that River was laying on her door step, mainly because of how sexual they were in nature. She knew that this was probably the most difficult apart about carrying on an affair with Rebecca, it was dodging the advanced of the woman she was engaged to.
It was a good thing that Agnes had separated herself from Rebecca when she had. The dialogue going on in her ear was heated and definitely not meant for present company. Both Agnes and River had agreed that when River moved back in that they would take things extremely slow. River was still battling her addiction and intimacy needed to be rebuilt. However, things were clearly moving at a less than ideal pace for River, a woman with an explosive libido. The only thing that helped was that the people at the detox clinic had stated that she would abstain from such an activity as it could run the risk of replacing one vice with another. Sex was good, yes, but it wasn’t supposed to be use as an alternative.
Agnes had been able to ride that for a bit, keeping River at bay and having to come up with excuses as to why she didn’t want to share the same bed with her these days. But time was passing, River was doing well (as far as she knew) and the little hints and innuendo were starting to come up. Her times with River were always amazing but with Rebecca back in her life, it didn’t hold a candle. Still, the temptation was hard to ignore, especially when Agnes asked River explicitly to not send her the picture that she had.
She sighed as he sat on a small bench just outside the venue, her legs crossed. River had gone out shopping, stating that she needed to get some new underthings; what she came back with would have but a playboy bunny to shame. Worst of all was that it was attire that River herself was modeling and it served momentarily reminder of the good times she actually used to have with the Sioux before they moved to New York.
Feeling guilty for having the picture on her phone as long as she did, Agnes shook her head and lifted the phone back to ear without clicking the photo off. With the phone up, she continued to talk with River, complimenting her, of course, on the purchase but remaindering her what her doctors had said. River feigned innocence, merely stating that she merely bought something that was comfortable (should be since it barely covered anything) and just wanted to share with her. But Agnes new her fiancée far too well, she was trying to plant seeds, trying to get the thoughts flowing so that Agnes resistance would wear down. She did the exact same thing when they were on the road, once, after one of their first fights.
In the end, Agnes caved. Of course she didn’t think that would really be an option now considering that she had Rebecca on the side.
Wait…what? Did she really just think that? Shaking her head, Agnes patting her own forehead rather forcefully and tried to end this call. It took some work and a few more assurances that she was fine and that the function she was at was just boring as all hell but that she probably wouldn’t be back until early in the morning. With a vague “I miss you” muttered from her lips, Agnes sighed and tapped locked the screen, not realizing River’s photo was still very much upfront.
Holding her phone loosely in her hand, Agnes glanced back to the restaurant. A cool breeze wafted by, rustling her crop of soft hair across her eyes. She honestly didn’t know what to do right that. She could go back in, see how Rebecca was doing, but considering the conversation they were just having she wasn’t sure it was something that she actually wanted to do. She could cancel the date and just say that she needed to head back home because River needed help but she didn’t want to go home either. There was always the option of just walking away and starting a life elsewhere. Canada. Canada sounds like it would be nice.
But she knew that the later wasn’t the best option either. No, she was still on a date and deep down she did love Rebecca, she was just irritated with her right now. She would sit, they could still talk and eat, but honestly beyond that, the mood was lost to her. She hated it when her emotions were run through the wringer like this – especially when she wore her fanciest of undergarments. Ugh! Such a waste.
A grumble on her lips and Agnes stood, returning to the restaurant and making a slow walk back to the table where Rebecca was still sitting. When she caught her eye, Agnes only locked on briefly, sharing a small, sad smile as she hugged her arms to herself. She slide back into her seat, setting her phone on the table top; the food looked good.
”Sorry,” he muttered as she picked up a fry to munch on. ”She was just checking up.”
The Metation Guild The Spellsword Guild Mansion English Teacher
Witchblade
palegreen
Bisexual
Married to Mirror
1,797
299
Apr 1, 2024 13:50:36 GMT -6
Aly
Rebecca tried to be patient as she waited for Agnes’s call to end. Each passing moment was only adding more anxiety to her already impressive collection, but what could she do but bury those feelings? She wanted to be with Agnes more than anything. This was not the ideal world where everything worked out in a tidy conclusion, and they agreed that being together meant suffering the duplicity a while longer.
Except now Rebecca was worried the situation they put themselves in was wearing them down. They could have waited until River was out of the picture to begin their relationship anew, but the desire to end their time apart was so strong. If they had been patient, it would have hurt to pretend they were not in love, but they could have put the mess of cheating on Nessa and River in their rearview mirror.
Dinner was off on a rough foot, and maybe Rebecca was just in her own head. She was with Agnes, and that should be enough. River was in the background, but Rebecca had the violinist’s heart. If that was true, why had she let them get forced into an affair by emotions and hormones.
She did not want to admit it to herself, but a small voice in the back of Rebecca’s mind worried that, with enough distance, Agnes might second guess who she should be with. The thought terrified her; it was an admission that they might not be the rock-solid foundation she hoped them to be, and it was a reminder that Rebecca was still a petty coward.
Agnes returned to the table and popped a fry in her mouth, trying to make things feel normal. It did little to fix the mood that befell the table during their argument. Their dates were meant to be reprieves where they could enjoy each other’s company while they waited for the day they could openly be together again. If they had this much tension to work through, who were they helping?
”Is everything okay, Ah hope?” Her voice was hesitant, because she was not finished. Her next words were softer, partially because she was looking down at and basically talking to her plate. ”If… if ye hae tae gae back haem, Eh’d understand…”
She gave Agnes her out for the night. Just for the night, she hoped…
It was odd coming back to the table. Agnes tried to make things appear just a little more casually, stopping long enough to pick up a fry and pop it into her mouth. Sadly, as he munched on the crispy goodness, it was clear that something was wrong. It didn’t taste as good as it should have and trying to turn to Rebecca was proving to be near impossible. She couldn’t bring herself to look at her right now, and that was a problem. The argument they had been having still hung heavy in the air and her stray thoughts when speaking to her fiancée were proving to be rather distracting now. Suddenly she didn’t feel like being on this date and that was a harsh realization to come to.
However, it should be noted that while Agnes wasn’t feeling this date anymore, it wasn’t because she didn’t love Rebecca, far from it. In the end, Agnes realized just how much she actually cared about the redhead. The injustice here, though, was that she was not paying her the attention she deserved. What she was doing to River was wrong, to both her fiancée and to her lover. She knew she wanted to be with Rebecca, she knew that more than anything, but right now she couldn’t help that feeling like space was necessary now.
Sitting in her seat, Agnes made a passing comment that River had only called to check up on her before she seemed to try and drop the subject. She looked down at her food, her mind reeling as she looked for anything to say, really. Anything that would cut through the awkwardness and allow them to at least make it passed dinner. However, it was clear that the whole incident had shaken the violinist down to her core. She was upset, irritated, and sad – she didn’t want to feel like this anymore.
As she took up her glass of wine again, Agnes sighed, putting it up to her lips and taking a well-deserved sip. The alcohol did little to quell her nerves but she wasn’t going to risk another drink. She knew what happens when she drinks too much so she gently set the glass down and pushed it away from her with a sigh. It seemed that aspects of this date had been tainted and Agnes was scrambling to find a way to fix it.
The worst of all was that she still couldn’t really bring herself to look at Rebecca. Whenever she lifted her head, caught a glance of that crop of freckles upon her cheeks, Agnes would blush and look away. She wasn’t being fair to her, she knew that, and every day that this behavior persisted, it wasn’t fair. She sighed, knowing what needed to be done, but fearing what the reaction would be. She didn’t want to lose Rebecca again but she needed to treat her better – they both needed that.
>> ”Is everything okay, Ah hope? If… if ye hae tae gae back haem, Eh’d understand…”
Agnes was shaken from her thoughts. It was only at the beckoning of Rebecca’s voice did Agnes lift her head and finally lock eyes with her. She could feel a swelling in both her heart and her guilt. She loved this woman, deeply, despite the fact that she upset her with telling her mother about them. In the end she didn’t want to separate from her again…but…it seemed like it was a necessary evil.
”Um….y-yeah…” she finally choked. ”Maybe…maybe after we have dinner?” she was trying to compromise now. ”Honestly…I’m…a bit tired anyways. Orchestra really wiped me today.”
She sighed, pulling up her plate and picking up the fork. She idly stabbed at her food, trying to think of something to say or to at least find the will to pick up her fork and eat from her meal. But it was difficult. Her thoughts kept swimming with images of River, of Rebecca, of how much she wanted to end things and start her life anew. She kept telling herself soon…but when? When would she know that River was well enough to handle news like this?
Bzzzzzzzt…
Her phone rang. She didn’t look at it closely. At a glance she knew that it was just her alarm, a reminder to take a break from dinner to call River and comment about the party. However, the fact that River had already called her meant that she could ignore the alarm. But, she really should have paid attention.
What Agnes didn’t realize was that she still had the picture that River sent her mere moments before, the scandalous picture of the Sioux in the extremely revealing lingerie as she posedd “innocently” for her fiancée. The screen was illuminated far longer than it should been before Agnes turned and finally zeroed in on the image. She squeaked, she reached out, and she desperately tried to swipe the screen to send the image away. However, as her finger swiped over the image of River’s full chest, over and over again, Agnes got progressively more panicky until, finally, she managed to get enough of a grip to swipe the picture into the trash.
Her phone silenced, she gulped and lifted her head to Rebecca, watching her face. She wanted to explain, something, that it wasn’t what it seemed. She wasn’t trying to end this date early just so that she could go home to ravage River. But she couldn’t find the words. All that managed to tumble out was, ’Becca….”
The Metation Guild The Spellsword Guild Mansion English Teacher
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palegreen
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Married to Mirror
1,797
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Apr 1, 2024 13:50:36 GMT -6
Aly
Rebecca hated the turn dinner took. She misread things, and a romantic night became an argument. It was disheartening, but it was one fight. They could survive that. She knew that, but she still felt worried.
Why was she letting River make her nervous? Because Rebecca had ruined things before, and they both knew it. They broke up twice, and if Agnes saw the cracks showing again, maybe she would pull the ripcord before things went sour a third time. She certainly had a willing replacement in the wings.
Agnes agreed that they could call the date early when they finished dinner. Rebecca felt defeated, and the defeat stole her appetite. The argument was weighing on her, and she would have taken a to-go container if it meant she could cut her losses for the night and hope things cooled down over the evening. Even hearing the excuse that Agnes was tired hurt. They were supposed to take away the wear and tear and exhaustion from one another, but they both knew that was not going to happen now.
They would have dinner, because the last thing Rebecca wanted to do was shove Agnes away. They started taking quiet bites of their food, bearing the heavy awkward air around them. What were they supposed to talk about? Rebecca’s mother was an ace in the hole (she thought,) and it backfired so cataclysmically, she did not trust herself with words. Her words were dangerous.
The silence was broken by a buzzing phone, and Rebecca could not help but let her eyes drift at the illuminated screen.
Her heart sank as she saw River prominently in the frame of the phone wearing next to nothing. She heard River was attempting to send a sexy selfie, but there was something unsettling about seeing another woman on her girlfriend’s phone.
Except Rebecca was the other woman. She was the dirty little secret who had no right to send photos like that. She suddenly felt dirty sitting there, feeling unwarranted jealousy as she wondered why Agnes had not deleted the photo. She was being irrational, because she was finally worrying about her place as a mistress rather than a girlfriend.
Rebecca pushed her plate forward. She could not stomach food now, making the whole night a wash. The affair never felt more like a mistake, because the consequences were starting to erode both women, and the delicate relationship they were trying to hang onto.
She was emotional and exhausted, with tears forming in the corners of her eyes. ”Hoo lang?” she asked weakly, voicing the question when she was scared of the answer. ”Hoo much longer can we dae thes tae ourselves, Aggie?” It was vague. She wanted to know how long they could survive their affair, and how long she would have to go on knowing River was the one Agnes actually went home to at the end of the night.
All of it just felt like it was falling apart. When she had started this evening, she had been looking forward to a nice, calm night with her lover: dinner, a walk, and quite possibly a trip back to their favorite hotel where they could sit, draped in one another’s arms, watching as the sun rose from the high rise window. The view was perfect and one that Agnes always appreciated: both outside the room and in. But now it was quickly becoming apparent that it was a pipe dream. No such events would be happening this night and instead she was already resigning herself to having to plot ways to circumvent River’s advances.
For the briefest of moments the thought had crossed her mind of maybe having just one night with her fiancée, just to keep the suspicion at bay. But the thought was a fleeting one as she knew that there were several things wrong with that statement. The first being that she would essentially be cheating again? Could it be counted as cheating to sleep with your fiancée behind your mistress’ back? The next was that Agnes knew she wouldn’t be into it. River was a passionate lover, one that, to be quite honest, rivaled Rebecca in her prime. But Agnes knew that she wouldn’t be into it and that would only continue to compound River’s suspicion.
No, it was a stupid idea, of course. She would have never gone through it with, even if she had Rebecca’s permission. Instead she was going to have to resign herself to dodging the beautiful Sioux in hopes that she would dissuade her for another night. And another, and another…
Seriously, how long was she going to do this to herself? Agnes stared down at her plate of food, only mildly eating a piece or two but really having no stomach for it in the least. The more she realized just how much she didn’t like it, the more she realized that this date was absolutely doomed. Her attitude, Rebecca’s admission, and River’s phone call had all served to positively ruin the festivities of the night. Now she was staring at uneaten food, sitting across from a clearly wounded Scot, and cursing her own name for being in this situation.
It was ridiculous.
Another fry was popped into her mouth but she ate it with absolutely no flavor to tantalize her tongue. Instead she just chewed automatically and swallowed, reaching for another. It was then that the intrusive buzzing caught her ear. She turned, idly staring at the phone, not realizing the picture that was on it. Sh*t. She forgot to erase River’s photo! She reached for it, immediately plucking it up and clicking off the screen.
A sweep of her gaze and she locked onto Rebecca’s mismatched eyes. It was clear that she saw the photo. The both sat there in stunned silence, Rebecca looking quite hurt and Agnes struggling to figure out what to say. She mumbled something that sounded like her lover’s name, but was cut off when Rebecca breathed the one question that Agnes had been struggling with this whole time…
>> ”Hoo lang? ”Hoo much longer can we dae thes tae ourselves, Aggie?”
It hurt. It was like an icy cold dagger being shoved directly into her heart. She could feel the ice spreading, growing, reaching outward with icy tendrils that began to coat her body front and back. It was the last thing she really wanted to think about tonight, but it just kept rearing its ugly head. So long as she didn’t ask those questions, there wasn’t a finite time that Agnes had to worry about. She could just go on until she felt like it was right. But now, Rebecca wanted to know. She deserved to know, Agnes wouldn’t argue that, but in all honesty she didn’t know what to say.
”Becca…I…” she found her voice low and a struggle to get out. She shook her head, staring down at the table. ”When the time is right.”
She had been saying that since the beginning and even she as now unsure of what it meant or if it were even possible. She wanted to believe that the right time would come, that there would be a day when a switch could click over and suddenly she would know that now was the time to end things. But with every passing day, it was proving less and less likely. She bite her lip, only now finally catching Rebecca’s eyes with a solid gaze.
”She’s sick and t’s my fault…” the guilt rang heavily in her voice. ”I…I just need to make sure she’s better before I end things. I…I don’t want her to do that to herself again.”
What was notably absent from her dialogue was the fact that she was not stating how much she wanted to be with Rebecca. She did, deep down she did, but for Agnes guilt was always the highest priority in her mind. She wanted to help River, to make sure that she didn’t harm herself any further. If that meant she would sacrifice her own happiness for it, then so be it. It was at times like this that the teachings of her parents still managed to seep through.
Her eyes then fell on Rebecca. She was getting upset? Now? That irritated Agnes just a tiny bit as she reached up, rubbing her temples. "Becca...you knew what this was going to be." she said with a strange gentle firmness. "You agreed you were fine with this."
The Metation Guild The Spellsword Guild Mansion English Teacher
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Apr 1, 2024 13:50:36 GMT -6
Aly
They were not supposed to talk about the hard things, but now that Rebecca broke the taboo, she was starting to realize how much that bothered her. She hated feeling like her relationship with Agnes was surface level, and they could not go deeper when they were only half-in with one another. It was not what they were trying to do, but it was unavoidable as long as they were trying to have a part-time romance.
She received the same answer Agnes had given her in the past, which she know recognized as lackluster. She needed something more. Something solid she could hang onto, because vague deadlines left her feeling like she was adrift with no shoreline in sight.
It was hard to be mad with Agnes, because she had so much guilt tying her to River and her recovery. Feeling responsible for someone’s fall from grace was hard to handle; initially, Rebecca even felt River’s addiction might have been a consequence of her selfishness. It was a burden, but one she forgave herself for eventually. River was starting to spiral before Rebecca arrived in New York, and was not responsible for the harpist’s happiness or sadness.
She was starting to realize Agnes was not responsible either. The decision to move to New York was hard on River, but that was not Agnes’s fault. Rebecca knew Agnes: she was supportive and accommodating. She was not the reason for River’s problems. How was she supposed to convince Agnes of that?
”Ah…” Agnes had a point; Rebecca agreed to the situation they found themselves in. She knew what it was they were committing to, but now she knew what that meant. ”Ah did. Ah agreed coz Ah thocht jist being wi’ ye woods be fine. Bit… Ah dinnae hae all ay ye, an’ Ah… start worrying. Wondering when Ah will.”
She was in for a penny, in for a pound now. The illusion that she was handling things well was breaking, and they would have to decide what that meant for them. It was scary, but she could only stay in relationship purgatory for so long. ”When will th’ time be richt, Aggie? If she starts getting better, bit then can ye leave? Coz she’s better coz she has ye, and when she disnae, whit if it jists gets worse again?”
Rebecca was looking at her food because she did not want to meet Agnes’s eyes. She knew there would be hurt there, and she could not stomach it. ”She has tae learn tae git better oan her own. She has tae be responsible fur makin’ herself happy. She willnae hae ye arood one day… richt?” She was upset for the doubt that slipped into her voice with her last word. Rebecca knew Agnes would leave River and be with her one day, or that she wanted to, but what if the time was never right? What if Agnes’s guilt never allowed her to leave? Every day that passed without Agnes moving closer to ending things felt like a step toward that realization.
There was a 100% probability that her position in this impending argument was wrong. After all, she was the one that was actively engaged in an affair. How many times in television shows or books did one root for the cheater who seemed to be dragging their feet, claiming that they would break up when the time was right, only to string on the more smitten lover for months or even years? Agnes had never wanted to be in this situation but she was pulled in by Rebecca and now that she was focused on trying to make sure that River was okay, what else could she do? In her mind, it made sense, she needed time to gently break the news, but twenty-twenty vision usually only happened in hindsight, not foresight.
Agnes was beginning to get a little upset. She could see the hurt on Rebecca’s face, a look that she couldn’t stand being there. She loved the redhead for every freckle upon her features but she was quickly finding herself unable to sit across from her. Every second that she sat there, was another reminder that, possibly, all this was a mistake. They had lost so much time together and it was clear they were eager to make it up, but at the expense of River? For all the Sioux’s faults, she didn’t deserve this in any way.
However, now that Rebecca’s dislike was out in the open, Agnes felt an awkward need to defend herself and point out one very simple fact – Rebecca agreed to this. After Agnes had told Rebecca about River’s problem and that she would have to stay with her a bit longer, the redhead agreed that she was fine with this, that she wasn’t going to let her go again, that she could be patient – suddenly it was beginning to feel like maybe that wasn’t the case.
>>”Ah… Ah did. Ah agreed coz Ah thocht jist being wi’ ye woods be fine. Bit… Ah dinnae hae all ay ye, an’ Ah… start worrying. Wondering when Ah will.”
Agnes dipped her head down. She couldn’t look at Rebecca right now. Again, she knew, deep down, Rebecca was right. This wasn’t them being in love, what they were doing now, this was just them dating on the side and having passionate nights behind a woman’s back who most certainly didn’t deserve it. River may have been a bitch from time-to-time, but she had never cheated on Agnes. To do that to her, especially in this hard time of her life, was not fair. But even then, the violinist found it difficult to be logical right now. She was on the defense and with every accented word she was backing further and further into a corner.
People backed into corners never fair well…
>> ”When will th’ time be richt, Aggie? If she starts getting better, bit then can ye leave? Coz she’s better coz she has ye, and when she disnae, whit if it jists gets worse again?”
Agnes closed her eyes, shaking her head at all this. She knew she should say something, explain anything, but all she had were small comments, none of which had any substance to them. They all just bided time, nothing more, and considering the mood that Rebecca was swiftly descending into, it she doubted it would have been enough to dissuade her anyways.
Besides, Rebecca was poking more and more holes in Agnes’ thoughts. She was right, whenever Agnes did decide to leave her, what was to keep her from descending back into her addiction? Was Agnes really sticking around just to save River, or was she doing it more to try and ease her own guilt. It was a selfish thought, one that Agnes couldn’t bear to give any weight too – probably because of how true it was. So with a sigh found herself slowly lifting her gaze to Rebecca’s.
The tears were evident in her eyes.
>> ”She has tae learn tae git better oan her own. She has tae be responsible fur makin’ herself happy. She willnae hae ye arood one day… richt?”
Right? The word rebounded in her head, a bit louder than she wanted it to. The uncertainty, the doubt, it rang so loud that it shook other memories loose, memories that she didn’t even want to consider. Unfortunately the turn in conversation, the sadness that she felt, all of it brought only one thing to mind that she desperately knew that she shouldn’t say – but, when drilled down the bedrock, it probably was the source of her reasoning as to why she wouldn’t just end things with River yet.
”I won’t abandon her, Becca…” Her eyes locked with those mismatched colors and before she could stop herself, the words fell. ”…I know what that’s like.”
The Metation Guild The Spellsword Guild Mansion English Teacher
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palegreen
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Married to Mirror
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Apr 1, 2024 13:50:36 GMT -6
Aly
The conversation was reaching the scary territory of truthfulness when things became hard to say and equally hard to hear. Rebecca took no joy in telling Agnes that she might be letting her guilt drive her to make choices that were not good for anyone, including River. She might have been trying to protect River from the truth, but Rebecca could not see how it would help her in the long run.
What was hard to hear for Rebecca was Agnes’s answer. The words were so unassuming, they almost passed right through her unnoticed. They hit her in waves, as her heart processed the true meaning behind Agnes’s comment.
Rebecca was not disillusioned toward what she did to Agnes when they were together in the past. It was one of her greatest shames that she walked away twice when things got rough. Nothing hurt more than being reminded of the failings she was already upset with herself over, particularly when she always worried those things would be in the back of Agnes’s mind forever.
Her voice caught in her throat as she tried to form a response. ”Ah… Ah wish…” Her words cracked and she needed another moment. ”Ah wish Ah coods undo mah mistakes wi' ye, but Ah cannae. Ah was yoong an' dumb an' scared.” Rebecca had a lot of growing to do, and Agnes was her first relationship, so she suffered those growing pains.
It was in the past, but it was never going away, and it added to her worries. ”Ah want things tae be better. Ah ne'er want tae rin again. Ah loove ye. Ah want thes tae be forever” She found the strength to raise her eyes from a sauce-soaked potato to survey Agnes. She was scared to even ask what was on her mind now, because she worried the answer was going to reveal how much damage her choices caused that she was still dealing with. ”Ye... Ah hope ye know 'at, Aggie?”
Agnes just didn’t know what to think anymore. She loved Rebecca, she really did, but the fact that all this had been stirred up, only seemed to make matters worse. She could feel her sadness swelling up in her, the need to cry, to run away, to just sacrifice it all for the sake of a peace of mind rather than suffering any longer. It was a selfish thing to want to do, she knew that, but that was something she was seriously willing to consider right now. Could they be happy after this? Could they ever be happy?
A sniffle as her eyes began to well up. Dinner was suddenly not appealing in the least. The food actually looked quite disgusting the more she looked at it, but she figured that was due to her flip-flopping stomach and not the culinary style in any way. Another sniffle and Agnes found herself feeling the anger and the frustration and the sadness swelling higher. Rebecca had a lot of good points, but when you’re upset and you think you’re right, such logic rarely peeks through.
She didn’t know why she said it. That was a lie, she knew why she said it, but she didn’t know what possessed her to say it. It was clear that Agnes still carried some resentment towards Rebecca, namely from the fact that she had abandoned her when she left for Oxford. It was a hard feeling to get over, especially considering her own part in just letting her go. They had brought up the incident before but it swiftly shifted to tears and more kissing.
This time, the kissing was clearly the most absent and missed from discussing this topic. But this wasn’t really a discussion anymore, was it? No, this firmly in the territory of an argument now.
>> ”Ah… Ah wish…Ah wish Ah coods undo mah mistakes wi' ye, but Ah cannae. Ah was yoong an' dumb an' scared.”
Agnes watched Rebecca as she tried to speak, tried to explain. But she reminded her so much of a wounded animal that the violinist immediately felt a pang of pain in her heart. She was doing this do her, wasn’t she? This was all her fault. Rebecca tried to blame what happened on a youth’s inability to think straight and, while she was sure that was indeed part of it, Agnes knew it wasn’t entirely Rebecca.
>> ”Ah want things tae be better. Ah ne'er want tae rin again. Ah loove ye. Ah want thes tae be forever.”
She closed her eyes as a tear fell from the corners of her eyes. She could feel that salty droplet of emotion as it rolled down the curve of her pale cheek. She loved her, she did, but right now she could scarcely allow herself to latch onto that thought. Rather, at the mention of forever, all Agnes could think about, again, was River and the ring that suddenly weighed down the clutch that sat next to her. She sighed, her jaw set as she tried to keep a tremble out of the voice she wanted to speak with.
>>”Ye... Ah hope ye know 'at, Aggie?”
”…I…” she started to open her mouth to speak, but just as he got one syllable out, another sound accompanied it.
BbbbZZZzzzZzzzz...It was the swarm. Rebecca had heard the sound before, many times when the two of them had been in danger, but never had they been directed at her. Right now, all her children knew that their queen was upset and they were prepared to defend her – even from Rebecca.
Agnes clamped her mouth shut, turning away from the sight of the redhead. She could feel the swarm on the move, the buzzing in her chest getting more erratic, the crawling under the skin of her arms and legs inching as they made for those invisible seams. She needed to breathe, to calm down, to quell the beasts that only wanted to keep her safe from harm. With closed eyes, she turned back to Rebecca, unable to meet her eye as she whispered the words she didn’t want to.
”I…I think…we need to…take a step back…” she said. The buzzing slowed, just a little. ”I do love you…” she finally raised her eyes to the be-freckled Scot. ”…but…w-we can’t…do this to each other. Not anymore.” Another choke in her throat as she slowly slid out from the booth, collecting her clutch and phone. Awkwardly she turned back to Becca, a shaky breath (followed by a random fly) released. ”Just…Just for a little while.” She hung her head. ”I promise.”