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.
Posted by Tarin Brooks on Apr 29, 2009 20:15:09 GMT -6
Mutant God
DodgerBlue
Straight
3,379
10
Nov 25, 2024 8:35:35 GMT -6
Jules
Lee was pissed. Tarin looked over at her as they stood at the baggage claim in Miami’s airport. Lee shouldn’t be pissed off…even if he’d done something that she apparently considered to be a cardinal sin in their marriage. Tarin caught his reflection in a window and grinned though, his hair looked good. It was short…it was really short compared to the way it had been since he’d met Lee, but they were going to the freaking jungle. It was hot in the jungle, and he had to wear a hat, and all that hair just really didn’t fit very well in a hat.
Lee had actually gotten angry with him over this, though, and she was still barely speaking to him. Tarin had a feeling that there was a little more to it than that, especially since they were doing what they were doing. The phone call from Slate had been impromptu, as had been the request, but the idea of going to Colombia to help put spirits to rest made Tarin more excited than anything other than Lee had in years. This was a chance, a chance to do something great…something good with his powers.
Lee had been all kind of supportive through the whole thing, using her organizational mastery to get everything together for the trip in no time…right down to the shots. Tarin shuddered as he remembered the needle, then looked at his reflection in the window again. He hadn’t put on his jungle gear yet and the plain black button up shirt he’d worn with his army green cargo shorts set off nicely against the vivid red of his hair. He’d hoped Lee would at least like that bit…but apparently it wasn’t to be. Now they were in Miama…for a 10 hour overnight layover. Apparently there just weren’t too many flights to the militant regions of South America this time of year. It was going to be a long 10 hours if Lee stayed mad much longer.
With a series of metallic bumps and thuds, luggage began to pour out of the claim and Tarin watched for his and Lee’s bags as suitcase after suitcase made its way around the turnstyle. Finally, after what seemed like forever, two familiar duffel bags plopped their way out and onto the conveyor. Tarin moved forward as they came around and pulled both bags out and onto the floor, then looked over at Lee, “Got the directions to the hotel?” he said, hefting his own bag and pulling Lee’s towards her by the strap. “I think we can catch a cab outside.”
Tarin was all gun ho and excited about the idea, eager for the chance to not only help Slate out with something, but also to be able to use his powers for something that would actually help.
Lee was happy about Tarin having the chance to feel like his powers were actually useful for something good, but at the same time, Columbia? Really? Did Tarin not realize what kind of military and terrorist activities happened there on a regular basis? That was the reason they were going, because a school had been destroyed in the first place.
But Tarin needed to do this. Well, maybe not this, but something like it, and Lee didn't have any other safer options to put in front of him instead, so she made all the arrangements she possibly could in the very short time they had before they were leaving.
Lee hit a breaking point right before leaving, though. Realizing they had forgotten to grab something, Tarin had run out just before the shuttle for the airport arrived , only to return with all of his hair chopped off. What was left was a bright red, but it was gone.
They were heading into a freaking war zone. Lee knew that there were much more important things to be worrying about than Tarin's hair, but it had just been the last straw. He knew how much she loved his hair, yet he had gone out and chopped it all off without even so much as warning her that he was thinking of doing it.
Lee was angry, worried, tired, and she barely spoke to Tarin the entire way to the airport, or during the flight down to Miami. Tarin had tried to strike up a conversation a few times, but Lee hadn't been game.
Miami. It was a city that Lee had never been to, she hadn't exactly had the money for travelling most of her life, though her parents had brought her down to Orlando a couple times as a child. But before they could do anything in Miami on their ten hour layover, they had to wait for their bags. Oh fun.
As they waited, Lee still wasn't really talking to Tarin, but she glanced over at him. Just in time to see him grinning as he caught his reflection in a window. Shaking her head, Lee crossed her arms in front of her as she turned back to watch the baggage start to pass by on the conveyor belt.
At least it didn't take too long once the baggage started coming out to find their things, though Lee could feel Tarin almost bouncing with excitement and impatience beside her. A result of which meant that he had jumped forward to grab their bags before she had had a chance to. That was fine. Let Tarin work after everything she had done to get them ready for this trip, only to be repaid by him cutting off his hair.
As he returned with the bags, Tarin asked if she had the directions to the hotel they were planning on spending the night in. Lee simply raised her eyebrows at him in question. After all the planning and everything that she had done, did he really honestly think she would have left the directions at home?
"Of course I have them," Lee said, rolling her eyes as she bent down to pick up her bag that Tarin had pulled over to her. "Let's get going, I want to get something to eat before long." With that, Lee turned to find her way out to the street so they could get a cab. Or maybe there would be a shuttle going to their hotel. That would be better. But she knew Tarin would be following her, he was the one who initially suggested they head out to grab a cab.
Posted by Tarin Brooks on Apr 30, 2009 15:45:49 GMT -6
Mutant God
DodgerBlue
Straight
3,379
10
Nov 25, 2024 8:35:35 GMT -6
Jules
So, she was still mad, Tarin realized as Lee snapped at him over the directions to the hotel. Of course she had them, Lee had everything under control. That was the whole problem, he’d gone and cut his hair without talking to her about it first. Well dammit it was his hair! Wasn’t this something that the men in a relationship usually fipped over? Their woman going and getting her hair cut or styled in some new and unfamiliar way without saying anything. At Lee’s eye roll, Tarin rolled his own eyes, “Well sorry..” he muttered, “I thought maybe they’d burned up in the fiery hell of your rage over my hair.” Hopefully Lee hadn’t heard that, but if she had…it would just bring everything to the surface more quickly.
And ohhhh Lee wanted to eat before long so they just needed to hurry on their way. Maybe she had done a lot of the organizational things for the trip, but she’d never even considered letting Tarin do anything, or even delegating to him. Now she was going to get pissy over his hair? Tarin had feeling this had to do with more than his hair, but he really wasn’t in the mood to bring it up at the moment. As he followed Lee out to the street, Tarin had a small conversation with himself and came to the conclusion of the two possible choices he was going to be contrite. It was that or spend the next ten hours sniping at Lee when they could be going to the beach or seeing the sights and having a fun night in a hotel. Something they didn’t do very often.
Lee was at the curb with her bag, having arrived there moments before Tarin. As he tried to puzzle out what to say to make things better, Tarin noticed that the airport shuttle went to their hotel. That was a spot of good luck. “Hey look! We don’t even have to deal with a cab. At least to the hotel. Maybe if we want to go downtown or to the beach later or something…but it looks like it gets here in…” Tarin looked around for a clock, “Fifteen minutes.”
He looked at Lee and gave her the best puppy eyes he had ever managed, his earlier irritation melting as he realized just how stressed out she looked, “I’m sorry I didn’t talk to you first.” He said, moving closer so their conversation wouldn’t be overheard by the whole world. “I was trying to be practical. There’s no way I’m going to have enough time or mirrors to make it look right and it’s going to be hot. All that hair wouldn’t have fit under a hat…”
Tarin felt ridiculous, explaining the reasoning behind his haircut, but if that was what Lee was really angry about, this should hopefully solve the problem. “I promise I won’t touch it again until it’s grown back out. Now…I’ve never been to Miami…can we do a little sight seeing or maybe go to the beach? I don’t want you to be mad at me anymore…”
Lee glanced over at Tarin. At least they could use the shuttle to the hotel. That would make things easier, would save them at least a bit of money. They were already spending enough money on the hotel as it was, never mind having to spend money on a cab to get there in the first place.
As she was looking at Tarin, though, Lee saw him start giving her puppy dog eyes. And started apologizing for chopping his hair off, explaining why he had done it in the first place, saying that he wouldn't even touch it again until it had grown back.
Lee sighed, frowning slightly, as she looked at Tarin. She really wasn't being fair to him, staying mad like this. All he had really done was cut his hair. And the red he had dyed it did look good, it was just so short.
"The beach?" Lee asked instead of saying anything about Tarin's apology; she was the one who should really be apologizing for how she was acting, and she did know that, but with how she was feeling about Columbia, she just couldn't, not yet.
"I don't want to be mad any more, either," Lee said softly as she sat down on her bag to wait for the shuttle. Though as she moved, she was looking out at the road in front of her instead of over at Tarin. "I'm just tired and stressed. Do you think we'd be able to find somewhere to eat along the beach?"
Posted by Tarin Brooks on May 5, 2009 16:49:31 GMT -6
Mutant God
DodgerBlue
Straight
3,379
10
Nov 25, 2024 8:35:35 GMT -6
Jules
At least Lee was speaking to him again, Tarin couldn’t help but think with a relieved sigh as she spoke. It had taken her a long time to respond, but that was okay, she had responded. They were well on their way to reconciliation about this whole hair thing. Tarin was more than relieved, in fact, having Lee mad at home over something so trite was really unsettling. Especially in the face of what it was they were going to do. There were always risks involved when Tarin used his powers, and they were going into a situation with volatile spirits.
Lee had sat on the suitcases and Tarin moved nearer to her, not touching his wife but staying close enough that she could lean on him if she wanted. Tarin nodded his head, realized Lee was in a poor position to see it then spoke, “Yeah, the beach. Since we’ve never been here I thought that maybe it would be nice to watch the sun set. We’ve got a long flight tomorrow even though it leaves early…I figured after the sun goes down we could go back to the hotel and get some sleep. Being on that plane tomorrow is going to have you wired…so I thought you might want to sleep tonight. “
Lee commented, but she still wasn’t looking at him and Tarin listened intently. It made sense that Lee was tired, she’d planned the whole trip. Tarin wondered for the hundredth time why she hadn’t let him help more with the big, exhausting things. Tarin didn’t bring that up though, just stood there, still hesitating to reach out and hug Lee, but thinking she really needed a hug.
“Well, I’ve heard that the beach is a great place to deal with stress and exhaustion. ..and I’m sure that there’s some beach front bistros we can hit up. Anything you want in particular? Maybe the shuttle driver will know.”
As if on cue, with a mechanical roar, a large bus-looking shuttle rounded the curve in the terminal and came up to the place where Tarin and Lee were waiting. “Speak of the devil…” Tarin said, and then he did drop his hand on Lee’s back, rubbing reassuringly for a moment, “You ready darlin?” So maybe he was laying on a little thick…Lee seemed like she needed it laid on thick.
Lee could feel Tarin coming closer to her as she sat on her bag. Even with the other people around them out by the curb, Lee could tell that Tarin was very close to her, probably just a couple inches away, behind her. Probably even close enough that she could lean back against against his legs before it would even start to feel like she was leaning back too far.
Sitting at the beach to watch the sun set together. Even with what they were about to heading into, watching the sun set would definitely be a relaxing way to spend the evening.
"If I can sleep tonight," Lee said softly. Yes, she would be wired after the flight they were about to be taking, but they still had been on a crowded plane, had been in crowded airports, it wasn't as if she was wiped in terms of energy yet. Unfortunately.
But then Tarin asked what she wanted, if she was wanting anything in particular. "Somewhere small and quiet," Lee said with a slight shrug. The kind of food she wasn't so picky about, but if she was going to sleep that night, especially with how early their flight was leaving in the morning, she needed to wind down very quickly. A busy, crowded restaurant would not help with that.
"I'm sure we'll be able to find somewhere good to eat, but I'd like it to be somewhere quiet," Lee told Tarin as she saw a bus-like shuttle starting to pull up near them. And felt Tarin's hand rubbing her back. For a moment as she felt Tarin's hand there on her back, Lee just sat there with her eyes squeezed closed. Why couldn't they just be at home? Yes, they had a lot that they needed to worry about, but Lee was able to deal with all that. This was just too much.
As Tarin asked if she was ready, Lee couldn't help but smile. She just couldn't not smile when she heard Tarin talking to her like he was. "Yeah, I think I'm ready," Lee said, pushing herself up off her bag and then slinging it over her shoulder.
It really didn't take long once the shuttle came to a stop for their stuff to be loaded in and them to find a seat. And then it was another waiting game while they waited for the other passengers to get settled. But finally, they were moving, slowly heading into traffic to get to the hotel.
If they hadn't been going to Columbia, she and Tarin would probably just be getting home from the shop about now, might have even have had dinner already, and would most likely be curled up on the couch together. Instead, they were in this shuttle, heading to a hotel to wait for their plane to a war zone.
How could she have a normal life when things like this happened?
Taking a deep breath, Lee glanced around the shuttle. At least they could look normal as they sat there, Lee decided as she leaned her head against Tarin's shoulder, though she was chewing on her bottom lip slightly as she sat there.
Posted by Tarin Brooks on May 5, 2009 19:08:31 GMT -6
Mutant God
DodgerBlue
Straight
3,379
10
Nov 25, 2024 8:35:35 GMT -6
Jules
Somewhere small and quiet. Tarin didn’t know how easy that would be to find on the beachfront, but he figured they’d be able to find something to suit their needs. They usually managed to make things work, no matter the situation, this probably wouldn’t be an exception. Lee commented that she’d sleep that night if she could and Tarin answered with a simple, “Yeah.” He said, Lee getting a decent night’s sleep meant ‘hands-off’ but Tarin had been prepared for that. It was going to be an exhausting couple of weeks in general, Lee needed her sleep before they left. Definitely. Especially if this was any indication of the way she’d feel on even less sleep.
Lee didn’t move away when he rubbed her back, and that made Tarin feel even better about the whole situation. The anger that had been an invisible wall between them was slowly evaporating, Lee wasn’t relaxing though, not at all really. That in and of itself was really worrisome. Something bigger was wrong here, and before they got on that plane in the morning, Tarin was going to find out exactly what it was.
Ah, a smile. Tarin grinned brightly at that and made a mental note to keep on dropping pet names, maybe a little bit of the accent later. Lee was ready, at least as ready as it seemed like she was going to be any time in the near future. On to the bus they went and it didn’t take long for Tarin to remember exactly why it was that he tended to avoid airports like the plague. Other people. A train would leave people without a second thought, everything about airports pandered to the worst kind of traveler. That’s what they were waiting for now. People to get their stupid asses on the shuttle. Tarin couldn’t help but wonder as he sat next to Lee, why it was that they were able to get their things on the bus and into their seats in a manner of moments, while it appeared to take everyone else hours to manage. As it turned out, though, that was okay because as the shuttle finally started to pull away, Lee laid her head on Tarin’s shoulder.
The shuttle ride wasn’t a long one and soon enough they were checking into the hotel and dropping off their bags. Their hotel wasn’t right on the water, but it was close enough that the walk wasn’t a long one. Lee’s mood seemed to have improved a little too, at the expense of several more ‘darlin’s and a couple of slips of the accent. A small price to pay for the smiles they brought.
They were walking along the esplanade now, scoping out restaurants and Tarin saw what appeared to be just what they’d been looking for. The place was slightly off the boardwalk and down a street, and it had several pretty little tables sitting outside. The cutest little street-side bistro, and it was almost deserted. As they approached, Tarin grinned at the hostess, “Table for two, please.”
Once the shuttle was actually moving, it didn't take long. Almost before she knew it, they were already checked into their hotel room, Lee had taken a couple of moments to clean up, and then they were back outside.
They were walking in silence, but unlike the time on the plane, it wasn't an uncomfortable, angry silence. It may not have been quite a comfortable silence, Lee was still a tad too stressed and worried to really be comfortable, but the atmosphere was much better than it had been back at the airport.
And then Tarin pointed out a small restaurant off on a little side street. It had a small patio out on the sidewalk, but was empty enough and out of the way enough that she wouldn't have to siphon from many people.
After they had been sat, outside at one of the little tables there so they could at least partially see the sunset, Lee started flipping through the menu, glancing up at Tarin every so often.
Finally, Lee took a deep breath and turned her eyes fully to the menu she was holding, though she really wasn't seeing what was on it. "Did you really have to cut it that short?" She asked softly.
Posted by Tarin Brooks on May 6, 2009 7:28:23 GMT -6
Mutant God
DodgerBlue
Straight
3,379
10
Nov 25, 2024 8:35:35 GMT -6
Jules
They were seated, Tarin with a water and Lee with whatever it was she’d ordered while Tarin ran to the bathroom. He was curious, but it would have been bad small talk for an outdoor restaurant on the beach. Tarin had thought it was a bistro, but when they’d gotten the menus he’d realized that they offered a much more diverse selection of food than the everyday bistro. This definitely qualified as a restaurant.
Lee’s mood was going back and forth between snappy and quiet but normal and Tarin continued to feel the constant need to check himself before he said or did anything that might send her back into the quiet fury that had held her earlier in the day. Tarin scanned the menu, trying to decide if he wanted something as complex as seafood or if he wanted to go with an old favorite and order a chicken sandwich.
Then Lee asked about his hair, Tarin sighed and reached a hand up to run it through the back of his hair. It really was very short. He shrugged, “I was just going to get it trimmed really, then I thought about all the things you said about a hat.” He paused to sort his words out, then spoke again, “I know you’ve got long hair so this is going to sound like a lame excuse…but for me, cramming all that hair into a hat makes me about a hundred times hotter because of all the heat it holds in. Besides, the hair gets all sweaty and drippy…and I don’t know what shower facilities are going to be like... ”
Tarin smiled at Lee, then reached his hand across the table palm up, waiting for her to hold if she so chose, “I was trying to be practical.” He said, his face sobering up slightly, “You have to know that if I’d have known how upset you’d get, I’d have never done it. I just thought I’d be making things easier.”
Lee was too focused on the hair, that had to mean that she was deflecting from what was really bothering her about this. Tarin looked at her closely from across the table then spoke again, “Are you really just stressed out from all the planning? Or is something else wrong. It’d be better to get it all off your chest tonight. You know I’ll listen.”
He was just going to get it trimmed and had ended up getting his hair completely chopped off because he hadn't wanted it to get all sweaty and drippy crammed up under his hat. Lee resisted the urge to snap at Tarin; didn't he realize that she had much more hair that she was going to have to deal with on this trip than he had had even before it got cut off? So how was that an excuse?
Lee didn't even look up at Tarin, she just kept her eyes on the menu; she knew that it wasn't actually the hair she was mad about, at least not nearly as mad as she had been, but she had to keep focus to keep that anger from emerging again.
But then Lee saw Tarin's hand reaching across the table, palm up, and she glanced up briefly to see him smiling at her.
Well, yeah, she knew that he wouldn't have really done anything to really upset her, they'd been through enough fights already, knew how those tended to go for them to purposely aggravate each other.
"It's just that it's so short," Lee said as her eyes dropped back to the table to watch her hand slipping into Tarin's. "It shocked me."
And then Tarin was asking her what was really going on. Apparently, he figured that there had to be something bigger bothering her other than the hair, though at least he did allow for the possibility that it might simply be stress from planning this trip.
Before she was able to respond at all, Lee felt someone approaching, felt the energy getting closer from behind her which was where the door into the bistro was. "Could you give us just another couple minutes?" Lee asked, not even looking up, when she figured that the person approaching would be about two feet away from the table.
While she waited for the person to leave again, Lee just kept her eyes on her hand in Tarin's on the table top. What should she tell him, though? Would it really be better to get it all off her chest, to tel him her real problems with going to Columbia? To be honest, Lee really wasn't sure whether it would be a good thing to tell Tarin her real reasons for not wanting to go to Columbia.
"I'm just worried," Lee said with a slight shake of her head, though she had a small frown on her face. "I don't want to ruin what you're going down there to do."
Posted by Tarin Brooks on May 6, 2009 20:43:44 GMT -6
Mutant God
DodgerBlue
Straight
3,379
10
Nov 25, 2024 8:35:35 GMT -6
Jules
Lee looked up and her irritation made Tarin almost want to cry at the irritation that was still there. Real men didn’t cry like that though, especially at bistros at the beach when they were with their wives. So he didn’t. Lee took his hand and Tarin let out a small sigh of relief, but her unsmiling face just made him worry more. Lee was never like this, not even after they fought. The thought of heading into what could potentially be a dangerous situation with her acting this way made part of Tarin want to get back on a plane to New York. This was not the condition that a person wanted to get on when walking into danger.
“I know it’s short Lee…” Tarin said, face pained, “I just thought it would be easier…” he finished softly, eyes dropping back down to the menu as he tried to figure out exactly what it was going to take for him to make this up to Lee. This whole thing was turning into a mess, and Tarin had been so excited. This was a chance to not only get to see the world, but to do something good. Tarin had missed out on the whole Peace Corps/volunteering stage of his life; this was going to make up for all of that and more.
Lee sent the waitress away before she even made it to the table and Tarin gathered from the action that Lee hadn’t even been looking at the menu the whole time she’d been staring at it. He also took that as an affirmative answer to his question as to whether or not there was something wrong besides the stress.
Finally, Lee spoke and Tarin almost cried out in relief. There was something else wrong with Lee. It wasn’t just the hair. She was worried about going to South America, worried about ruining it for him. Tarin tilted his head and looked at her, eyes narrowing slightly as he studied her tired face, the tension in her whole body.
“Oh Lee…” Tarin said, shaking his head, “Why didn’t you say something sooner? “ he squeezed her hand, “Say the word and we can turn around and go home. Yeah, I want this…but if you’d have told me you were this worried about it, I’d have never agreed. I want us to go down there and do something special Lee. Just think about how much you can help…with your powers, rebuilding would be a cinch.” He paused and maneuvered until he found her eyes and looked at her seriously.
“Say the word Lee…we’ll make this a quick romantic trip to the beach and then go home.”
Tarin didn't sound upset, and when he said her name, Lee looked up at him. He was just shaking his head as he looked across the table at her, and Lee felt him squeezing her hand.
But then Tarin said that all she had to do was say the word, and they would go home. Lee had to literally bite her tongue to keep from asking him, then and there, if they could actually just go home. Despite the fact that Lee really wanted to do just that, she knew that she couldn't. Tarin was saying that they could just go home, but that's not what he really wanted; he might not actually be upset about not going like Lee had worried he would have been, but he wouldn't be happy about it. She hadn't exactly seen him this excited about doing anything before that phone call from Slate, after all.
"I can't," Lee said softly, her eyes dropping to the table top once more as she shook her head. "You need to go do this, that's why I didn't tell you this before now. But that doesn't stop me from worrying."
Posted by Tarin Brooks on May 7, 2009 17:00:20 GMT -6
Mutant God
DodgerBlue
Straight
3,379
10
Nov 25, 2024 8:35:35 GMT -6
Jules
She thought about it, Lee really thought about it as they were sitting in the little bistro. Tarin had been serious, if she said she wanted to turn around and go home, he would do it in a second. The way Lee was acting, Tarin had never seen her like this and it scared him, almost to death. Tarin just waited, though, he didn’t say anything. This needed to be Lee’s decision, no matter how long it took and no matter what the answer ended up being. If they were going to go to Colombia, he needed Lee one hundred percent behind him because Tarin knew that what they were walking into was going to be more physically and mentally taxing than anything else they’d ever done. They were walking into it voluntarily too, and Tarin needed that. So if Lee wasn’t in it, there was no point.
Tarin could feel the seconds stretching as Lee thought, of course he wanted to go. They wouldn’t be there if he didn’t. This was going to be proof positive that there really were good things that he could do with his powers. It wouldn’t atone for all of the bad things he’d done in his life, with his powers, but it would help. Maybe he could live this life with Lee, and be happy, without feeling so guilty sometimes.
Lee spoke and it wasn’t exactly the affirmative answer that Tarin was hoping for. Lee was doing this for him there were no provisions in there for herself. Tarin scowled as he looked at the menu again. What did a person say to that. “Of course you’re going to worry Lee, one of us has to.” He said gently, lifting his eyes from the print to look at Lee.
“I want you there with me though Lee…not for me. Think about it! We’re going to help a whole village of children who can’t go to school…we’re going to give people some peace. Worrying is fine, but letting it stand in your way of living is not. Besides…we’re going to the jungle Lee…how many people get to do that in their lives? Think on it though…the flight doesn’t leave until tomorrow morning, so you can still change your mind.” Tarin paused and took a drink, then smiled and squeezed Lee’s hand, “Until then, let’s enjoy the night?”
Lee couldn't help but smile slightly, though she didn't raise her eyes, as Tarin pointed out that one of them had to worry. She'd been telling Tarin that for almost their entire relationship; it seemed that he was finally coming to accept that that was a fact he was going to have to live with.
As Tarin continued to speak, Lee simply sat there nodding slightly. She could understand what he wanted from her, it made sense. As did everything he said about the good that both of them could do down in Columbia.
The problem she had was what else they might find down in the jungle. Sure, not many people actually got to go to the jungle, but in the area they were going to, there were reasons, the same reasons that were worrying her.
Despite the fact that Tarin was giving her an out, saying that if she really wanted to, they could just go home rather than getting on the plane to Columbia in the morning, Lee knew that she wasn't going to actually take him up on it. This meant far too much to Tarin for her to take it away from him, plus, as he had said, there were a lot of good things that even she could do down there.
"Sounds like a plan," Lee said, glancing up at Tarin after a moment before looking around at the street out front of the bistro, and down toward the ocean. "It is rather nice here, isn't it? I guess we shouldn't waist the night."
Taking a breath, Lee turned her eyes back to the menu and really starting to look at it now. "So what were you thinking of getting? Anything catch your eye yet?"
Posted by Tarin Brooks on May 7, 2009 19:27:33 GMT -6
Mutant God
DodgerBlue
Straight
3,379
10
Nov 25, 2024 8:35:35 GMT -6
Jules
Tarin could tell that Lee wasn’t going to decide that they should go home. It worried him almost as much as her anger had earlier in the afternoon. Once Lee had her mind set on something, though, she didn’t easily budge. Tarin had a feeling that this was one of those times, and when Lee spoke, his thoughts were confirmed. Now Tarin was worried. He sighed, this was shaping up to be a really long trip. Lee seemed to be coming around a little bit, though, at least to the idea that they should enjoy the night on the beach. It was still very cool at night in New York and the breeze coming off the sea and cooling the balmy air was beautiful.
“It’s super nice out here.” Tarin said, following Lee’s gaze, “I think we should head down to the beach when we’re done eating and frolic in the surf while we watch the sunset.” Tarin couldn’t keep the smile off his face as he imagined it. “Or maybe we could just sit in the sand and watch the sun go down. Your choice.“ That would probably be more romantic.
Mmm food. The waitress was still approaching as Lee asked what Tarin had seen that caught his eye, “Hmmm…” He said, “I’d almost decided on the chicken sandwich…but my eyes keep wandering back to this crab bucket thing that has shrimp and stuff in it. Lots of good Florida stuff. It’s going to be a spur of the moment decision when the waitress gets back.”
And speak of the devil, the woman seemed to materialize at their table just as Tarin realized that he was going to have trouble deciding. “Well…” he said, when she asked what he wanted, then closed his eyes and said a little rhyme. Fate decided.