Apart from occasionally pulling a face or chiming in, Booker busied himself with setting the table, letting his sister and Javier speak. She was taking things in stride, which was good, and Javier really hoped he would not say anything that made him fall out of her good graces. As a rule, he tended to make mistakes when he was nervous, and having a mind-reader around did not exactly help either. He asked about her own job, because he was curious (and a little baffled it never came up before in conversation with Booker.

Asked a question that made sense. Points.

>> ”Well, I am a member of an online production company. I do a few things, honestly. Some small animation and editing work. But mostly, I am an online personality for our content... It mostly amounts to being snarky when I host one of our podcasts and yelling at people as we play video games online for peoples amusement. It’s a very awesome, very weird job.”

Javier blinked, clearly impressed with the job description. It was the polar opposite of what he would be comfortable doing, but it did seem fitting for her.

"So you are... an online celebrity?" he ventured with a small smile, following Booker to the table. "That does sound interesting."

In a way, it did. Someone like Javier would have been hard pressed to handle all the unsolicited feedback, so he felt a pang of admiration for Nessa.

"Do the commenters ever get out of hand?..."

Booker wasn’t going to interrupt this. Both Javier and Nessa were important in his life and he wanted to be sure that there were going to be no harsh sparks flying between the two of them. While on the surface they seemed like polar opposites, they did have some equal footing. While Nessa’s career was more attention focus and Javier was shy among people he didn’t know, they both were actually more introverted than one would thing. For years Nessa was the shy and quiet one. Though that wasn’t the same now, it was a state of being that Nessa could appreciate.

Listening to the two of them go on made the librarian smile. Despite a few cheapshots thrown his way, they really seemed to be hitting it off. And, best part, there was no way that Nessa was going to steal this one. There was a slight chance that Jules could have been stolen away by his sister but the fact that she was besties with her ex saved him from that fate. With Javier there wasn’t even a chance and that was a comforting thought.

So Booker continued to move, setting up the table, vaguely aware that Javier had moved towards him but still fully engaged with Nessa. She loved to talk about her job and it was a quick way to get into her good graces. On top of that, she had promised that she wouldn’t be reading his date’s minds without permission. So no more spying on his intended lovers. Excellent.

The table was soon laden with food. Meats, shrimp, soy taco filling, toppings, and both hardened and soft shells. He tried to make a little of everything and provide enough to fill all their bellies with whatever their chosen meal was; and yes, that included Nessa’s fluctuating food beliefs. He ragged on her from time to time, but he still loved and respected her.

His ears perked up as the duo started to make their way to the table, Javier seemingly in awe of Nessa’s profession.

>>"Do the commenters ever get out of hand?..."

He chuckled as he set down a bowl of sour cream. ”Only when I get the flame wars really flared up.” Grinning, he mischievously added, ”What was it everyone was arguing about so fervently recently in your comments section dear sister?” He knew exactly what it was. ”Something about you trying to take the title of BEST Bookman sibling?”

Nessa came from such humble beginnings, and she was well known in such a new and ever-evolving medium, it still felt weird when people hit her with the “internet celebrity” moniker. It was true; she was recognizable by a weird but not insignificant portion of the population. Her face and quotes were on merchandise. There were compilation videos of her “best moments,” which was a trip in and of itself since she would argue she had no best moments.

The best way to handle it was to be humble, but not falsely modest. ”Somehow, yeah. Booker can attest, I get animated when I play video games. Thankfully, there are people that love that kind of personality and will spend hours a week watching me yell at pixels and co-workers.” The world she lived in was a bizarre one, to say the least.

Nessa had promised she would not intentionally read Javier’s mind, but she was pretty sure Booker underestimated the burden that was an “always on” power. It was natural to look a person in the eyes, particularly when you made a habit of it your entire life. She did not catch much; when Booker got a hair too far, which he did rarely, she caught snippets. Javi seemed pleased to be doing “well” in their conversation, which was honestly sweet. Not as sweet as stray thoughts of what seemed like respect for what she did or what she dealt with.

Oh, the comments sections. Booker had to chime in about a recent comment blitz, and Vanessa glared at him. ”Yeah, a debate started by our personal channel, for some reason. The only people on your side are the fans who want to see me rage,” she reminded him indignantly.

She sighed and took her seat, quick to grab a tortilla to start compiling ingredients for a delicious shrimp taco. ”They can get nasty, honestly. Sometimes it’s just trolls. Other times it’s people who want to throw homophobic or sexist comments about the gay gamer girl ‘diversity hire.’” There was some extra disgust on that last phrase she caught in a recent video, literal years after her hire date. ”It’s a vocal minority. Most of the fans are chill and supportive.”

With some lemon, pico de gallo, salsa verde, and guac, she took her first delicious bite of the taco and had to commend Booker for making one almost as good as her own. ”At least, I hope there are more of the latter than the former. If not, it’s gonna be a real b***h when I come out as a trans mutant in my upcoming video,” she admitted nonchalantly.

Nessa really was an internet celebrity. Javier was not very deeply versed in that world, but he could appreciate someone building a whole job around being good at doing something on the internet. It was probably far not as easy, or pointless, and many people made it out to be. And Nessa seemed to know what she was doing.

Booker, on the other hand, still liked messing with his sister. Javier had no doubt that he would stand up for her in a heartbeat if the trolls got out of hand... but that did not mean he didn't occasionally also prank her, just to keep the sibling rivalry alive.

>>”They can get nasty, honestly. Sometimes it’s just trolls. Other times it’s people who want to throw homophobic or sexist comments about the gay gamer girl ‘diversity hire. It’s a vocal minority. Most of the fans are chill and supportive.... At least, I hope there are more of the latter than the former. If not, it’s gonna be a real b***h when I come out as a trans mutant in my upcoming video,”

Javier was about to make himself a taco, but he dropped the shelf halfway and spilled the insides onto his plate. It was a clumsy and awkward moment, and it made it painfully obvious that Nessa's statement had taken him by surprise. He glanced up at Booker; he was within his aura, but his reaction was clearly written in his face, no mind-reading needed. Was he okay with his sister putting herself into troll danger territory?...

"Ummm... that is... very brave of you?"

Booker smirked as he thought back to that ViewTube video and the flame war that he had incurred. It had all been in good fun, of course, nothing serious. He loved his sister and would certainly do anything to protect her. But when it came to being an annoying sibling, that certainly did take a priority. Some may consider it mean, but usually those who said so were those who didn’t have siblings. Really it was just one of those things inherent in one’s DNA. And it was all in good fun.

Still chuckling as his sister went out, Booker started to prepare a plate for himself, smiling over to Javier as the tailor started to get his own food. Everything was too delectable to let sit in silence for too long so Booker wasn’t going to wait politely for conversation to end. No, food needed to be shared over a loud table, filled with laughter and conversation. At least that was what the librarian believed.

Nessa related the tale, but also delved into her own past and her experiences working as an internet personality. Booker had some small semblance of that, but not nearly as much as his sister. Sure there were those moments where super fans would say hi to him on the street or ask for a picture, but they were rare. His sister, though, the community loved her and recognized her wherever she went. She put herself in the spotlight far more often than he ever thought she would be. She truly she had changed for the better.

And it seemed that that bravado would carry one. Booker grinned, folding one of his tacos filled with steak, sauteed bell peppers, onions, cheese, and sour cream, as she casually mentioned the next subject of her video -- herself.

>>”...”At least, I hope there are more of the latter than the former. If not, it’s gonna be a real b***h when I come out as a trans mutant in my upcoming video,”

A meat flopped and Booker turned his attention back to Javier. His date had apparently dropped his taco, spilling the contents into his plate. He seemed a bit awestruck by Nessa revelation. He only smiled encouragingly to Nessa, but kept his gaze on Javier. Was the other man okay? He doubted Javier was the judgemental type but his reaction left a rather odd silence in the air. Maybe it was more just shock at Nessa admission than anything else. Yeah, Booker was sure that was it.

>>"Ummm... that is... very brave of you?"

He shared with Javier a small smile and turned back to his sister. ”All kidding aside, I’m sure it’ll be fine,” he nodded sweetly. ”Besides, if anything makes your viewers non-chill it’s your sh*tty aim in TwoWeeks.”

Booker chuckled and picked up his taco. Turning his head he took a bite from the front and sighed at the flavor. It really was good. He was glad he spent so much time working on this dinner.

Javier’s reaction was understandable; he knew the risks of coming out to anyone as a mutant. It was not a decision Nessa made lightly, but it was one she felt was necessary if she really wanted to live an honest, open life. Booker took the news more in stride, responding with the teasing she could always expect from her brother. She had his support; it just came with a healthy side of playful antagonism.

”It’s not my fault games like that get so popular because the masses have terrible taste.” She scowled, but it faded into a smile. ”Really though, it’s time, I think. Everyone who matters to me knows, and I can hardly say I’m an out and proud mutant if I’m trying to hide it.”

Nessa bit into her taco, letting bits of shell fall to her plate as she chewed on her perfectly cooked meal. One day someone, (hopefully Javier,) would whisk Booker away to another apartment and Nessa would be deprived of having an excellent cook around when she was feeling lazy. Until that day, she would take advantage of his kindness when it was an option. ”I’ve always spoken up about how more queer women being prevalent in the gaming space was good for girls and gays interested in gaming. I guess I just feel like I can be doing more for more people.” Representation mattered, and Nessa had an obligation to do her part.

”Plus, I’m lucky enough to have some real support in my life for however this goes. I have a beautiful supportive girlfriend, some great friends, and a brother who pretends to hate me while secretly tolerating me.” She smirked at the men at the table. ”I’m a lucky gal. As is Booker, or, you know, guy. You’re too good for him, Javier,” she joked. ”Glad you came around tonight.”