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.
Booker was indeed suspicious. Something was off about all this. He loved his sister but he also knew his sister. When she was this generous then something was up. However he was both so confused by her sudden behavior, distracted by the scent of delectable food, and irritated after a long day that he didn’t have all of his mental capacities. Therefore, he had to ask, da faq was wrong with her? Normally this would open him up to some extreme firm sass throw in his face but rather than do that, she did the complete opposite – she continued to be pleasant.
>> ”Nothing’s gotten into me. I just thought you could use a good meal after a long day of work. It’s important to treat ourselves after we work our asses off, and we, as siblings, should be encouraging one another to take that time to treat ourselves.”
”Since when?”
He didn’t really notice that she had managed to slip behind him like some shadow. By the time he did, it was too late and he was already being steered towards the savory scented meal that had been laid out for him on the table top. He still had trouble wrapping his mind around the fact that she had actually cooked him a steak. But, dammit, it just kept smelling more and more amazing as he was pushed closer to it.
It was like a captain being steered towards jagged rocks via siren songs, Booker could sense some kind of impending doom but weariness, frustration, and hunger were blinding him to most of the obvious facts. Some peeked through, such as how sweet Nessa was being, almost overtly so.
Booker was unceremoniously plopped down into his seat. Blinking in confusion, he lifted his head to look at his sister again, but every time he tried his gaze was pulled back down to the (almost) perfectly cooked steak in front of him. The baked potato looked amazing as well, all his favorites toppings set aside in little containers just for him, in the exact right amounts. And, lastly. His favorite beer, Wulver, by the Thirsty Dog Brewing Company! He thought he was out and lamented how much he wanted one but lacked the will to go to the store.
”Wooooow…” he smiled almost happily as he looked over the spread that was laid out before him. His suspicion started to dwindle, just a little bit, but the fact that he didn’t have to cook dinner, his favorite meal was prepared, and his favorite drink was at hand, what more could he ask for?!
However it didn’t take long to lower the boom…
>> ”For instance… it would be very cool and noble for a certain brother to perhaps make plans out of the house Saturday night. So his sister can maybe have a few drinks and catch up with an old friend.”
Booker was just about to pick up his fork and sample the hot, steamy innards of the potato when he stopped. His eyes narrowed and rationale thought finally started to win out over hunger pangs. His gaze followed Nessa as she turned and took her seat across from him, sitting before her own elegantly made salad. His head tilted, her kept watching her for several moments as he quietly set down the silverware he had picked up, tented his fingers in front of him and rested his head upon his hands. She had his undivided attention now.
Eyebrow up, expression neutral, Booker stared at Nessa for the longest time before he finally cleared his throat, sat back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. His brilliant mind was already working backwards, pulling up what he knew of his sister and her habits, all of which was aided by his eidetic memory, a veritable lock-box of information.
It was several seconds before he finally did speak, and when he did, well…
”Who is it, Nessa?” He knew her too well. This was a multi-level excursion on his private time. She was trying to come at him by being purposefully over-the-top and hammy which hopes just knocking him off guard. But to send him out of the house…for an old friend. No, there was something waaaaay too fishy about that. Unlike her, he didn’t steal her conquests, so if she wanted him out of the house, it wasn’t just for privacy sake…it was for embarrassment? Fear of what he’d think? Why should she ca….his eyes widened. He stared, hard, at her. ”Nessa,” he demanded. ”Who?”
Booker LOVED the library. He deeply and truly did. However there were just some days where he didn’t love it as much. The problem today concerned with the rolling out of a new LMS (Library Management System) that turned out to be an absolute piece of garbage. Libraries use a lot of computers now as it helps to keep track of materials, to check out items, and to store information about patrons. It makes processes a whole lot easier than it used to back in the ages where libraries were manned solely by monks who had to travel acres of stone steps just to get a single roll of parchment.
However, not all programs were created equal. Booker didn’t advocate for the change in system, that was from upper management. They were trying to cut corners, trying to get rid of the old system that was more expensive for something that was considered top of the line and brand spanking new. Well, it was certainly spanking their butts today.
Beta testing seemed promising. It did everything it said it would. But once the first day of official use came out, absolutely everything went wrong. Patron files were lost, books couldn’t be found, it was a veritable nightmare and it was one that somewhat soured the librarian’s usually sunny disposition. He shuffled to his front door, somewhat defeated, his usually nice shirt was disheveled from running around, his bowtie was askew, and even one of his nice shoes was squeaking obnoxiously.
Booker B. Bookman was not having a good day.
But he was home. He would make it up to himself. The latest patch for Watchover was out and he was excited to play the new character, Adam Archive. He would be on his living room Gamestation, all night, running through the arena and blasting away at people, imagining them as the developers of this hellish program he just finished dealing with. Nessa would be home, but she would either be engrossed in working or setting up plans to go out. Booker was just looking forward to being home.
Turning his key and stepping in through the front door, he sighed and breathed in the sweet scent of his home. It smelled like comic books, like video games, like steak,….wait…what was that last one? He tilted his head, curiously, as he turned to survey the surroundings suspiciously. Shuffling deeper into the apartment, he pulled the Velcro strap of his bag open, releasing the weight from his back. He never came home to the smell of cooking steak. His sister was a vegetarian and rarely, if ever, cooked meat. So why did he smell it?
Oooh, maybe that Turkish meat vendor guy was outside the building again! Odd…considering that he didn’t see hi--
>> "Hello, brother of mine! How was your day? Don't worry about dinner, it's all taken care of. Just take a load off and relax!"
He jumped at the sudden appearance of his sister. She ran on with a stream of words that barely made any sense to him. She cooked dinner? She knew how to cook, of course, but she so rarely had it waiting for him that it took Booker a second to realize that she was serious. On top of that, she was waaaaaay too chipper. Nessa knew how to be happy, of course, but her words were usually coated with snark, not…peppiness. Ugh. What was going on?
”Kay...?” he said suspiciously. ”…the hell got into you?”
The world got that much brighter. Together the unbeatable team of an X-Man and a librarian marched through the halls of the New York Public Library and back towards the circulation desk. A small skip in their step and the song on their lips, the two of them boldly returned to the desk that housed all of Maya Swift’s books. Booker made sure to place a “hold” slip on them as to prevent any careless intern or librarian from returning them back to the stacks or just giving them away. Those books were for Maya Swift and he was going to ensure that she got them.
He may not be a super hero or had amazing super powers, but he was going to do his job. That was a task he was certain that he could accomplish.
As they marched on like the pair of good natured individuals that they were, all smiles and bringing the rays of happy-fun-sunshine-time with them. Once they reached the desk, the dark clouds that had previously threatened Booker’s mind seemed all-together forgotten. Now he was feeling himself again, positively “Booker”.. However his sadness over the fact that he was not superpowered did seem to make an impression upon his new friend.
>> "If it makes you feel any better, powers aren't all fireballs and sunshine. Just a few months ago, I couldn't even lift my kid. I mean, I might not be able to anyway because he's getting huge, you know?"
As Booker collected her books and started to check them out to her, he lifted his eyebrows in surprise. He thought he remembered seeing reports of Maya looking a bit more “transparent”…like…literally. To know that was how her powers were affecting her make him just a little soberer to the idea. He knew that it wasn’t all peaches and ice cream for mutants. He knew a number of mutants struggled with their abilities, he’d even witnessed it firsthand a few times. To know that Maya suffered from such an affliction was indeed tragic.
But at least she was better now; there was that silver lining in all this.
>>"I'm just sayin': mo' money, mo' problems. Except, you know, I'm talking about power not money, but it's kind of the same thing?"
He had to chuckle. Nodding his head in agreement, Booker helped to gather more of her books, checking them out to her library card and desensitizing the tattle tape each book had hidden within. ”I get what you’re saying.” He confirmed. ”And you’re right. Just, you know, grass is always greener, I guess.”
A warm smile and Booker marched off, placing the last of her books in her grip. Stepping back a few paces, Booker couldn’t help but shake his head and chuckle. The sheer sight of it was just far too comical. She looked as if she were carrying a miniature of the lean tower of Pisa in her arms. Most librarians would have been annoyed with how many books she was wanting to check out but it warmed Booker’s heart to see that. He respected anyone who had as deep a love for literature as he did.
>>"You're sure you're not going to get into trouble for letting me take this many?"
He shook his head. ”As the acting librarian on duty, I’m telling you, with my utmost authority, that you are absolutely fine, Ms. Swift.” He said this very firmly, hands on his hips and all, as he gave her a winning smile. ”Besides, just means that there are less of them to dust.” A wide grin and then he pulled out his phone. ”Are you ready for the picture?”
>> ”Oh, you know me. All about…I’ll take whatever the cook deems appropriate.”
Hearing from both ladies, even Nessa as she tried to remain diplomatic so that she could get a free homemade breakfast out of him, the librarian set to work making breakfast. However, even the act of preparing on of his favorite meals of the day couldn’t distract him from just how strange the whole event was. A glance over the counter, he was out of earshot of earshot in here, but he had to vaguely wonder just what the hell he was doing. Last night with Svetlana was fun, a lot of fun (and a little eye opening), but he had a feeling that she wasn’t one to stick around come morning. So…why was she?
Don’t misunderstand, Booker was more than ecstatic to spend more time with the blonde but, honestly, part of him had expected to wake up in the morning with the only thing keeping him company was the wicked case of sex hair he was sporting right now. Was she merely staying due to the awkwardness of meeting his sister? Or was it out of mere curiosity? Bah, he was over thinking it, over analyzing, and over whipping his freakin’ batter.
”Ah!” he squeaked as he looked down to see that he had whipped his ingredients so hard some of it had managed to splash onto his robe. With a roll of his eyes, he grabbed a dishtowel and proceeded to wipe it off. He needed to get out of his head.
Turning back to his duties, Booker tried to let the sounds of the two women chatting incoherently turn to a dull, white noise in the back of his mind. There was something Zen about cooking, something that Booker found peace and comfort in. Maybe it was the exactness of it, maybe it was the fact that soon the kitchen, and the rest of the apartment, would begin to smell amazingly, whatever the case it was a state that Booker enjoyed wrapping himself up in.
Once the batter for his waffles were done, Booker turned a set out bacon and soy bacon (an affront to nature) on separate cookie sheets and placed them in the over. A lot of people preferred pan-fried but Bookers method of oven baking, with a last minute run under the broiler, produced a far superior breakfast meat (and soy). Once those were in, the man proceeded to mix eggs for omelets and just busied himself around the kitchen, trying to time every carefully so that it would all come out at the same time – he was a perfectionist in this regard.
Waffles were going to be his best. As he wasn’t sure totally of Svetlana’s tastes (at least food wise…ahem…), he proceeded to make a rather Frankenstein-esque creation of waffles. Splitting the batter and adding a cocoa to the remaining, he proceeded to pour both batters into separate halves of the waffle iron. There was some minor bleed through in the middle, but it was to be expected. The end result would be half a regular waffle, half a chocolate-swirl waffle.
He was good at this.
It seemed like breakfast didn’t take the man long at all, and with his practiced hands, it was very clear that it didn’t. It had been suggested in the past that if Booker career in the library field tanked that he could instead move on to work as a short order cook; such a sweet thought. As he started to plate things (yes, even Nessa's vegetarian options), however he noticed that Nessa was still conversing with Svetlana and the longer he allowed her to linger, the more likely she would get brave enough to make a pass.
So, he called out…
”NESSA!” he shouted a bit more loudly than he needed to. ”If you’re going to eat at my table…” It was her apartment, but it was his table! He had the receipt! ”…you can at least get off your ass and help serve.”
Booker was an adapted. Years before he found out the proper term, the man had no idea what he was. For the longest time he didn’t even realize that he was special in anyway, and instead counted himself as one of those regular ole humans who could only wish that they were given the gift of super powers. It was a lifelong dream of his to be special like that. To light fires with his mind or shapeshift into anyone he wanted to. He had read too many comics in his life to not want something like that. However, with every passing year it just seemed more and more like that wasn’t going to be his calling – until college.
His ex, a mutant who lost control, and the incident that followed had planted the seeds that Booker was maybe just a little more different than he thought. Initially he had figured that maybe he had really just been lucky, but similar incidents happened, with other mutants, and the puzzle pieces started to fit into place. It wasn’t until the AMA with one Miss Gemma Taylor did Booker finally realize what he was, an adapted; a person who could turn off mutants.
There was something just a little depressing about that. While it was amazing to find out he was special, he respected mutants so much that upon finding out that he was essentially a giant nullifying field for mutant powers. He supposed it was better than nothing but, still, it made him feel bad that he affected people at all in that manner. Case in point, today, upon meeting one of his favorite X-Men.
>> "Oooooooh. Ohhh! You're—"
Smiling a bit sheepishly, Booker nodded his head to confirm. ”Yup…one of…them.” he started to say.
Maya, seemingly wanting to protect his secret, tip-toed across the hall and back into his nullifying field. As she did so, he could see the change in her almost instantly. He saw it when he stepped out of range, how she almost fell over, and watching her willingly walk back in almost made him want to spot her. He didn’t want her to feel bad like that again. But he could respect her want to keep what he was between the two of them.
>> "You're a very special man, indeed."
He smirked and shrugged his shoulders. ”I guess.” he replied. ”Though it really kinda sucks. Like, I respect the hell out of you guys and what you do and the fact that I can just…you know…turn you off is a bit of a bummer.”
The thought changed his mood a little bit. He didn’t care to think like this but the man knew that he would come out of it. Maya was such a nice person and the last thing he wanted was to bring down the delightful conversation that they were having but this really was one of those things that Booker somewhat disliked about himself. He loved who he was, for the most part, but it was at times like this where he wished he could have been a mutant or, hell, even a run of the mill human would have been better. But, he wouldn’t let such thoughts germinate for too long. He was who he was…
>>"Thank you for trusting me. I thought I might have broken something…Be very careful with yourself Mr. Bookman. Maybe I can return the favor and show you some of what I can do. Otherwise, I really don't know how I'll get those books home."
Her caring tone brought a smile to his lips. Again the gray was chased away to be replaced by bright sunny rays of Maya-shine. She really was just as sweet as he had guessed and it definitely poked holes in rumors that she was prone to childish tantrums. Who could believe that about this woman?
”Thank you,” he said a bit more cheerily. ”I do what I can.” At the prospect of seeing her powers in action, Booker couldn’t help but grin even broader at that. He started to bounce on his heels like an excited child ready to open presents on Christmas day. ”I. Would. LOVE that.” he beamed. There was no way he was going to turn down a power exhibition from a living, breathing X-Man! Walking up to her side, he started to lead her back down the hall, the way they came. ”Come on, Ms Swift,” he beamed sweetly. ”I’ll show you back to Circulation and I’ll take your picture with your plethora of books. This’ll be sooo awesooome.” Of course the song “Everything is Awesome” began to hum from his lips; because everything indeed was.
>> "Deal… I solemnly swear I will not tag you or the book until you give me the MyFace thumbs up."
He gave her a wide grin. Awesome! Honestly it wasn’t a deal that he would give most people, but considering that this was Ghost, the X-Man, he had a feeling that he could trust her to keep her word. The last thing he wanted was to get into trouble for having done something so way out of turn. But the woman was gracious and understanding, agreeing to his terms. What did surprise him was that she said that she wouldn’t post anything until he gave her the thumbs up over MyFace. But, that meant they needed to become friends.
He paused. Holy crap he was going to be MyFace buddies with an actual X-Man!? His inner nerd squealed a bit in delight, totally overlooking the fact that he was already friends with Rebecca, but that was a minor point at the moment.
A nod of confirmation and Booker replied. ”Perfect! I will send you that thumbs up…as soon as…I guess you accept my buddy request? I mean, if’ that’s cool with you, of course.”
After he was done taking the photographs, Booker took a second to pause a bit awkwardly. Really he didn’t want this day to end because he was such a fan but the man knew that he couldn’t hold her or her phone hostage forever. So before handing back her phone, he asked if there were any more photos that she wanted to take. After all, the New York Public Library was quite beautiful with many picturesque settings. She could get her photo done anywhere.
>> "Yes! I have a whole stack of books that I need to prove that I can lift. Nobody is going to believe me if I don't get a photo."
He laughed heartily. ”Oh of course! Come on, I’ll help you check them out.” he guided her out of the room, turned off the lights, and closed and lock the doors to the display room. Once that was done, he rejoined Maya at her side, strolling with her back down the hall and towards the circulation desk where her books were on hold.
>>"Uh. Mr. Bookman? Is there a rule against using your powers here or... on the books? I promise I won't fuse any of them together if I can get my power working again."
He was about to answering that using her abilities was fine, so long as the materials weren’t damaged, but just as he was about to, he stopped when mumbled about getting her powers to work correctly. Duh! Booker finally remembered the fact that he was special too. Ugh! How annoying. Here he was standing next to one of the greatest X-Men he had every known and he was inhibiting her! What a sh*tty thing for him to do.
While Booker didn’t tell a lot of people he was an adapted (only mutants who eventually would figure it out) he trusted Maya enough to hold onto that fact about him. She trusted him to reveal she was an X-Man, didn’t she? So, clearing his throat, he garnered her attention and gestured for her to stand still. When she did, Booker began to walk backwards, putting space between them that would take her out of the aura that his body produced. He then motioned sheepishly to her again.
”Umm..a-are the working now?” he inquired,already knowing the answer.
Booker couldn’t help himself. This was GHOST after all. How could the man do anything but fawn over her? She was amazing, was seen numerous times with one of the best X-Men (not including herself) and she was just all around, the most super nicest person that he had ever met. To add to all that that she was a fan of books and had a great respect for them? Well, suffice it to say the man was a little sad that she was already taken but those were the breaks. And no, he wouldn’t repeat the mistake he made with Juliette – Ghost / Maya was totally off limits.
Still, that didn’t mean that the man didn’t want a selfie. How could he not?! So, with as much subtlety as a man nerding out as he did could muster, Booker asked. He was sure that whenever she or Alchemist were recognized that they were probably hounded for pictures all the time. He felt a bit bad about doing so but knew that he may not get another chance at it; especially now that Becca and Nessa were done, it was doubtful the opportunity would present itself again.
>> "You can only have a selfie if I can get your autograph. Oh and a picture with my phone too…Can we take one with the- -you know?"
He blinked. The man wasn’t all that unknown to giving out autographs, but really only those that were super fans of the work he did on his and Nessa’s View Tube channel. For a moment he wondered if maybe Maya was a fan of Pixel Rainbow, but guessed that, actually, she was just trying to be nice. So, he gave her a kind smile and nodded his head.
”Okay. I’ll autograph ya.” a wide smile crossed his lips. She then asked if the Gutenberg exhibit could be added into the photo. While it probably wasn’t the greatest idea in the world, truth was that he couldn’t really deny her that. So he consented. ”Okay. We can include the display! BUT, no tagging the photo or Gutenberg until its unveiling next week? Got it?”
>> "You fan me, I fan you, Mr. Booksherpa. If I see you on the street, you'd better bet you're getting recognized."
He had to chuckle a bit out loud at that. The idea of running into Maya again and having her yell and run up to him in recognition was both humorous and made him blush a little. He had been recognized before but never by someone as important as Maya. But, what was the harm in it, right?
”Deal, Ms. Ghostaya.,” he said just as seriously to her.
He then pulled out his phone which contained a picture of himself dressed up for the latest comic book convention with Rebecca Grey at his side in a matching costume. A quick tap and he was in the camera. Standing next to Maya, Booker leaned down a bit so that the both of them could easily fit in the picture. Holding it up, he moved his phone until he got himself, Maya, and the Gutenberg display in frame and snapped two quick shots. Afterwards, he took Maya’s phone from her and held it up in a similar fashion and snapped the photos again. They looked like old pals, with bright happy smiles, standing in front of a piece of literary history – it was perfection.
Straightening up, Booker smirked as he looked down to Maya again. ”Any more photos, Gh…errr…Maya?” He had to correct himself, this was going to be difficult. ”Apparently the tasks of a Booksherpa also include photography duties.”
It was kind of hard to control himself as he stood there, staring at the shorter woman with the brunette hair, and compared her with the white-haired woman he saw on her phone’s screen, Booker immediately started to slip into his fan mode. He had never really met an X-Man before, well, except for Rebecca but she had de-mystified the mystique of her role pretty quickly. Now Booker was here, with a real X-Man and he found himself really unable to think straight. This was certainly not an event that the man had expected – but it was one that he had always dreamed of.
Booker started to speak gibberish. Mentioned a lot of “you’s” and “yours” and other combinations of the same word as he tried to wrap his head around what he was witnessing. He never expected, in his wildest dreams, to ever see something like this; and that was a fact that showed purely in his reaction.
>> "Whoa. Hey. It's okay. Please breathe."
Booker was actually having a hard time breathing. He was still wrapping his head around the fact that he was meeting an X-Man face-to-face, but the fact that he was actually helping Ghost one of the greatest members of the team?! OH god! The man could have died happy right then and there! However, she did command him to remember to breathe so, doing his best, he took a few short intakes of air, and matched them with longer outs.
He was breathing. He was TOTALLY fine. It was only when he had calmed enough did he give the woman a child-like smile as he immediately took her hand and started to shake it rather firmly. He wasn’t trying to hurt her, obviously, he just wanted to shake her hand and had momentarily forgotten that he was much longer and, physically, probably a bit stronger than her.
>>"Okay. I just meant to say that I'm an air elemental. I didn't expect that you'd know who I am. Please forget it. It's just me. I'm Maya."
She was smiling, laughing, but it was clear that she was also just a tad uncomfortable. Smirking a little in embarrassment, Booker did his best to quell his fangasm as he stopped for another short breath and nodded his head.
”Oh, of course I get it now…” he beamed proudly. But at the embarrassment of him knowing her name, he shook his head. ”Oh, no, no, no, I could never forget. But…I will do my best to, you know,” he whispered. ”Respect your secret identity…MayA.” he said her name with a bit more infliction than it really required so, hearing that it sounded strange to his ear, he tried again. ”MAya…MAyA…mAYAYA…” he sighed. ”Sorry! Sorry…but…ermergerd! Ghost!” he was giddy again. Suddenly an idea struck. ”Oh my god, please, if it’s okay, can I take a selfie with you?”
>> "No because...! Well. Yeah. Thanks for the assist. H-how silly of me."
He was just teasing her, of course, when he mentioned that he had saved her life. It was just Booker’s way to be melodramatic like that, mainly because it afforded him the chance to watch the woman smile. She had an infectious smile, one that made him want to smile as it was filled with such light and sunshininess. If he were being overly obnoxious with his commentary, she really didn’t point it out to him, but rather just continued to smile sweetly in his direction.
He smirked and shook his head. He was joking and, while she didn’t appear to be irritated by him, he did feel like he was pushing a line. ”No, no, I’m sorry,” he admitted. ”Sometimes I carry a joke just a little too far.”
A deep breath. The last thing he wanted was to offend someone so nice; it would plague him for days afterward if he did. However he did note that something had piqued her interest. He watched, curiously, as she fished her phone out of her pocket. She edged closer to him and he peered down at the device that she held up.
>>"Here. I want you to see this."
He watched the screen with interest – and almost immediately recognized what he was looking at. He had to wonder, why did she have a photo of the X-Man, Ghost, on her phone? It was part of a website, the Audubon X, that tracked mutants, especially the X-Men. He had frequented the site before. But had had to admit, he was a bit perplexed as to why she was showing him the image. But as she zoomed in on the picture, the dots began to slowly connect.
It was the snow-white hair that was throwing him off. But the face, that smile, the same light in her eyes…oh my god…he was standing next to an X-Man. Not only that, but she was certainly one of the coolest ones that he had known about. He turned, slowly to face her, his mind whirling and trying to make the connection in his head. It made sense, somehow, why she showed him. Their teasing about keeping her from suffocating was humorous when one knew she was the air elemental, Ghost.
Oh, god, he couldn’t have felt more stupid.
>> "I've never dated a woman before….Or. Erm get hit on?"
He vaguely remembered saying something about his sister being an excellent hugger but that it would probably be unsafe for Maya to want to engage unless she was comfortable with being hit on. Ghost responded but Booker could scarcely understand her words. He was admittedly distracted by other matters and revelations that were now bouncing around inside of his head. He gulped, he straightened his posture and watched the woman with a slightly different light in his eyes.
He couldn’t help it. He was going to fangirl.
”Y-You…You’re…You! Like, YOU you! I mean, you’re you but I didn’t know that you were actually YOU. Oh…my you…” he fumbled over his words, looking at her like an excited child. Finally when he would construct a decent enough sentence, he reached out and began to shake her hand rather firmly. ”God, I’m so, so sorry. I’m just…your my biggest fan!”
He just grinned. She was one of those types that was going to keep apologizing no matter what he said, right? He knew the type well. He had dated the type even more. If there was one thing that Booker B. Bookman knew about talking with such a person, is that it was useless to try and dissuade them. So rather than continue to argue the point that an apology wasn’t necessary, the man simply bowed his head respectfully, accepting her words. It was just a gesture but one that he would hope would go a long way.
Though he was certain that he would be hearing another apology soon enough.
After saving her from suffocation, or so he thought, Booker was greeted with an amused look in the pretty woman’s eyes. She eyed him, almost laughing at some inside joke that only she was aware of. He didn’t inquire, instead just placing his hands at his hips as he watched Maya respond.
>> "I won't die from lack of oxygen, don't worry."
”Well…yeah…” he chuckled. ”Cause I just saved you.” Okay so he added a small wink with that comment. It was just habit whenever he said something that he perceived as witty.
When it came time for him to unload his deep dark secrets, Booker really couldn’t think of anything to say. Nothing that he wanted to say to a stranger, anyways. Of course Booker had secrets of his own but those were mainly saved for people whom he actually knew well. Still, he wasn’t going to let her be the only one to overshare, and instead brought up his parents (a standard and not unlikely complaint), as well as the fact that he once cheated at a video game.
Oddly it would be his video game admission that would tug at her curiosity most.
>>"How do you cheat at video games?...The computer is controlling it. How does that work?"
Booker looked apologetic again as he organized his thoughts. There were two very distinct ways to explain, either the most complicated or the easiest. Seeing as he didn’t want to overwhelm the young woman with too much information, he figured the less complicated explanation was probably best. So, sucking in a breath, Booker went into it.
”Sooo…the game is all multiplayer. And there are some guys that are real jerks. I kept dying and they kept making fun of me, and basically anyone else who wasn’t already good.” he looked down a little guiltily. ”Anyways, my sister works with video games a lot and she has a programmer friend who wrote up this patch that made my character…like…invincible. So I played and I beat them hard…” He chuckled, clearly happy with that memory, but slipped on the mask of guilt again. ”Anyways, I felt good but I still felt bad about it too so I apologized and then I was kicked off the server for cheating.” he shrugged. ”See? No biggie.”
He sighed. It felt good to get that off his chest. Maybe he would talk to her about stuff and junk.
>>"Look, it's really not my place to say anything about your parents... so I won't. But, if you need a hug or something... I know a guy. Okay?"
”…what?” He couldn’t help but pause as he looked at her. She knew a guy that gave out hugs? For a moment he entertained the idea that she was some kind of PG-13 pimp, but he didn’t voice that though. Instead he was actually a little touched at her comment and smiled warmly. ”Thank you, but I’m good. If I need really good hugs, my sister gives great ones.” he smirked. He then tilted his head as he eyed her. ”But I probably wouldn’t suggest that for you…” he chuckled. ”…unless you want to get unceremoniously hit on. You’re just her type.”
Booker didn’t realize that he would be dredging up demons for the poor thing when he had inquired about her bookstore. All he saw was someone who loved literature and who used to work in a place seeped in it. Of course he would inquiry as to what could have possibly happened to pull her away from such a place. He figured that it had to do with her health, but the story that he was told depicted events that were far, far different.
From her telling, she owned a bookstore that he had actually been familiar with. He heard about it, anyways. Also, she had been married to a man who had been convicted of being a terrorist. Everything was in both of their names and thus, when he was captured, she lost most, if not all of it. Immediately that raised the man’s eyebrows, making him cringe a bit in sympathy. He could scarcely imagine what anything like that was like. What would have that done to him? He tried to put himself in her shoes and soon realized that on top of the health problems, the fact that his lover would have been a convicted terrorists, and worst yet BOOKS were taken away? He wanted to fall into a heap on the floor and cry right there.
Seemingly realizing the downer her story was, Maya attempted to salvage the situation, smacking her own face lightly to keep from descending down that rabbit hole much further. Booker stood off to the side, eyeing with a combination of compassion and wonderment. He had never heard of anyone going through such torment so he could only imagine how Maya dealt with it all.
>> "I don't think I'll be owning and operating the Full Circle any more. It's been maybe... 3 years now? Wow. I really did love it, but I have other ways to invest my time now."
He nodded his head, his eyes widening briefly in though as he pushed air out from between his pursed lips. ”Wooooow…” he finally managed to reply.
>>"Sorry! You asked the name and I think I overshared…If you need to overshare back, I do know how to not talk."
He chuckled, watching as she mimed locking away whatever secrets he would tell her. Pulling out an invisible fishing pole, he snapped it into the air, hooking the invisible key she had tossed, reeled it back in and used said key to unlock the Maya’s lips. He grinned.
”Can’t have you dying from lack of oxygen, can we?” A grin. ”Seriously, it’s fine. You clearly needed to unload and what are librarians if not great listeners? That’s why we shush everyone.” He gave her a proud, puffed up smile, before deflating again. ”Uhhhh, no real oversharing, I guess? Parents were d*cks. Just been me and my sister for a bit…OH…I once cheated in an online match of Champions of the Blizzard.” He looked remorseful as he shrugged. ”I didn’t win. I did apologize though!”
Even as he walked up to her, Booker didn’t want to bother the young woman as she peered at one of the most inspirational pieces of literature that he had ever set eyes upon. It was a risk bringing her here because the last thing he wanted to do was to put the item at risk before it was properly ready to be looked at. But even so, the librarian was willing to risk it if only to see the look of awe on Maya’s face. So he stayed back, he trusted her to be respectful, and the man said nothing for the longest time as she fawned over the manuscripts.
He noticed nothing about her tried to affect the books in any manner, instead just watching her movements, thinking she was just another eccentric like himself. She frumped a little, but the man hardly noticed, even as she straightened up and gave him a sigh. Concerned that something was wrong, he opened his mouth to ask but was cut off when she started to speak.
>> "I'm not sure anyone was inspired at my bookstore. But there was coffee. And I really enjoyed welcoming everyone and finding out what people liked and helping them find more of that."
He smirked a little. If he had been a better business man, he might have considered owning his own bookstore but that was a responsibility he didn’t know he wanted. He wanted to help store and hand out information to anyone who would ask, not just those with money who wanted to read. But, still, he had respect for the profession, especially seeing that he had visited many bookstores in his life.
”You’d be surprised how inspiring a good cup of coffee and a good book can be,” he said warmly.
However it seemed that the comment she had made carried a bit more weight than he had initially figured. There was a slight, very slight, change in her demeanor that he could observe. A small twinkle had died away from her eyes, however briefly, as she turned to face him, almost as if she were talking about some lost love.
>>"That was another life, though. You seem to be doing a great job here, Mr. Bookman. It's easy to tell when a job is someone's passion instead of just a way to earn money. You're practically glowing just being here. It's fun to see."
He grinned wide at her compliment. Booker had heard similar words before but the man was thankful every time he heard it. it was refreshing to know that, even though he wasn’t trying, that the librarian could actually give off that air of something who did care about his job. Who cared about the place that he worked. Who wanted to ensure that anyone who came into his library would find exactly what they were looking for because he would help them, no matter how busy he was.
He beamed happily. ”Thank you,’ he said with a dip of his head. ”I do what I can to make sure that people find what they want when they’re here.” He grinned. ”Still, a bookstore sounds amazing. And, if you’ll excuse me, sounds like you really loved it.” He didn’t want to ask her why she wasn’t there, but instead inquired differently. ”Um, what was the name? Was it here in New York? I’m at bookstores all the time. Maybe I was there once. I’m always out looking for a good one.”
It was only now that Booker had realized just how hungry he was. The rest of his work day the man had been lacked any sort of hunger. He only had half-heartedly munched on his lunch, eating an apple at most and nothing else. It was understandable considering the confusion and frustration that the man had suffered during the day. He liked Juliette, he knew that he did, but aside from that he didn’t know how to proceed with the matter. He kissed her and she kissed him back; oh it would have been so much simpler if she hadn’t kissed him back.
But, having finally having a chance to set those feelings loose, Booker was glad to have had the opportunity. He immediately felt better, felt like a tremendous weight had been lifted. He didn’t know what the future held, but he did know that everything Nessa had said was true. Whatever Juliette was going through, it wasn’t something that Booker would actually help with. She needed to find answers to her own questions and, if he ever did see her again, he would hope that it would all work out in a way that would be best for the two of them.
But only time would tell.
A smile on his lips, he joked with Nessa about making dinner, but did secretly hope that she had made something edible for him. He wasn’t in the mood to cook tonight and ordering out seemed a little like a waste at the moment. Of course he respected his sister’s dietary decisions, but that didn’t mean that he wouldn’t poke fun at her from time to time.
As a response, though, her fist found its way into his shoulder. He winced, putting on a melodramatic air on how much she had actually hurt him and held his shoulder with his free arm. It was all in jest, but Booker, of course, had to ham it up a little bit.
>> ”First of all, you know damn well I like eggs and milk too much to go vegan. Besides, my Pad Thai recipe calls for eggs…There is tofu, but if you’re going to be a whiny child, you can pick it out and be left with vegetarian Pad Thai.”
As she removed herself from the couch, Booker immediately hopped up to his feet and followed after her. ”Oooo, pad thai…” he clapped his hands together eagerly.
Stopping at the entrance to the kitchen, he watched as Nessa pulled out the delectable looking food as well as a pair of cold beers (exactly what the doctor ordered). Not wanting her to do the entire thing herself, Booker stepped in and started to pull a couple plates from a high cupboard and some utensils. However, before he could finish, Nessa had stopped to give him a sweet look. He stopped, tilted his head curiously, before he smirked.
”What?”
She stepped closer to him, dwarfed by his much taller and thicker physique. She then leaned up, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulled him down into a tight hug.
>>”I’m glad I’m stuck with you, bro.”
He smiled, genuinely at her comment. With a sigh he wrapped his arms around her too and hugged her tight. Only, he wasn’t going to allow himself to stay stooped over like this so he tightened his arms and proceeded to lift her off the ground. Chuckling he held his sister off her feet and hugged her like a ragdoll to his body.
Really everyone else seemed to be doing fine with this whole thing. The only person who seemed to be firmly in the awkward pool was Booker himself. He didn’t know why but there was just something about this situation that seemed funny to him. Maybe it was because it had been awhile since Nessa had to actually deal with one of his morning-after conquests, or maybe it was just because Booker wasn’t expecting anything from Svetlana and was wholly unprepared for her to meet his sister, but whatever the case, Booker was stumbling over his own words and trying to find his center as he sat with both woman at their tiny kitchen table.
He didn’t want to be a bad host, but it was feeling like that, especially when the cup of coffee he stole from Nessa should have gone directly to Svetlana. Thankfully the next cup that Nessa made went directly to the blonde, while a third was made for herself. Oh he knew he would pay for this later, but he was fine with that so long as it wasn’t in front of his new friend. The last thing he wanted was for things to get extremely weird between them, especially since this was just supposed to be something fun.
But he could still remedy his behavior.
Breakfast. That was something he could do. While Nessa had already poured herself some cereal, Booker had offered Svetlana breakfast. That could surely make up for his extreme ineptitude, couldn’t it? So after making sure she slept good, he inquired as to whether she would like a bite of breakfast.
>> "I did sleep well… Food would be nice..."
He nodded happily. ”Okay. Perfect.” A broad smile and Booker moved to stand. Sadly, even though she was already shoving milk covered pressed oats into her mouth, Nessa had to interject.
>> "Good choice. The man can definitely cook."
Standing, out of sight from Svetlana, he eyed his sister with the most suspicious and slitted eyes he could manage. He knew her game. He knew what she was doing. She was trying to garner a crumb of sympathy breakfast from him. Of the two of them, Booker knew that he was a better cook. Even though she was a vegetarian (most of the time, #inserteyeroll), Booker still had mastered some of her favorite dishes and, upon promises of doing his laundry (something hated), he would cook for her when she was far too lazy to attempt it herself. Now she was trying to gain breakfast after that display? Hmph.
”Ah sis,” he said sweetly behind Svetlana’s back but glaring at his sister. ”Don’t lay it on too thick now.” With a sigh, he placed his hand on Svetlana’s shoulder and smiled. ”I’ll just be in the kitchen. If this one sticks her foot any deeper down her throat, be lamb and give her a Heimlich, will ya?” He the shrugged. ”Or just punch her in the stomach at will. Both work.”
He slipped away from Nessa’s stare and slipped into the kitchen adorned in only his robe. As the man opened the fridge, he stuck his head in, shifting things left and right as he looked for ingredients for breakfast. He didn’t hear half of the conversation that was going on out there on the table, but as he pulled back with his arms laden with milk, bacon, eggs, and cream, the man carefully moved across the kitchen so that he could lay each piece on the counter without dropping any. He was finished just in time to hear Nessa reply to a question of Svetlana’s with…
>> “…My ex-girlfriend was a mutant. Apparently, New York’s just filled to the brim with pretty mutants,”
For half second, he was suspicious. Was Nessa really trying to already ask Svetlana out simply by stating that she had been in a relationship with a mutant before? Ohhh she acted fast, didn’t she? But for as much as the man wanted to believe that was what fueled his sister’s words, he kept his composure and whistled to himself as he started to prepare breakfast, even breaking out the waffle iron. Would Nessa be getting any (breakfast, that is)? Well, he’d decide that by the time he was done.
He started to mix batter but stopped as he looked up and called to Svetlana. ”Hey, Svetlana, are you allergic to anything? Last thing I want is to make you something that will kill you.” He then paused. ”Nessa…your usual rare, bloody steak and deep fried chicken?” A snicker and he continued to mix the waffle batter.
Booker enjoyed music. He enjoyed music of all kinds. But as a normally peppy person, it wasn’t a surprise that Booker tended to prefer the more energetic and happy tunes. Even when he was just walking, with no intention of actually singing out loud, the man would still finding himself humming some rather happy tune that managed to dig deep into the core of his mind. In this particular instant, he was absentmindedly humming the energetic tune of “Can’t Stop the Feeling”. His new friend, Maya, seemed to catch onto his as she just grinned and hopped alongside him in tune with the song until finally she jumped and pointed at him.
>> "I can't stop the feeling! So just dance, dance, dance~"
Nodding along with her singing, Booker started to groove, doing a little step, a little swing of his hips, and he started to sing along with her on that last line. He descended into giggles after that but forced himself to march on lest the two of them get in trouble for causing too much of a ruckus in echo-y, library halls. Still, he couldn’t help but grin excitedly and bounce along with the young woman.
”Oh my god, I love that song,” he fawned. ”My sister not so much but she can’t stop me from humming it.”
Chuckling he continued to lead on until he had reached the super-secret display room that he was about to show her. The room wasn’t exactly ready for the public yet, but it would in a couple days. Really, he didn’t see any harm in showing Maya, so long as she didn’t try to bust the item out of its case and run off with it. But he was sure she wouldn’t make it far – the guards near the entrances would get her.
After he told her not to touch anything, and got confirmation from her that she wouldn’t, Booker unlocked the doors, stepped aside, and smiled tenderly as he flicked on the lights. The room was sparse still, but the main draw was the display describing the conception of the Gutenberg Bible, important dates, and then, finally, the two books side by side on their pedestal, safely behind glass. They were masterpieces, an opinion shared by many, including himself. It was a testament to the time and patience that the early scribes possessed, a symbol of what could be done to merge beauty and knowledge. To be honest he thought he was going to have to explain the manuscript a little, but found, swiftly, that it wasn’t necessary.
>> "I've never seen it… I didn't realize it was partly illuminated. Or partly red and blue. Look at those huge margins!"
He couldn’t help the grin on his lips. She actually knew about the book. So many people didn’t, hence the reason for the display and presenting all the information about. It was nice to watch someone who truly and deeply appreciated it. Booker stayed back, his arms clasped behind his back as he bounced excitedly on the balls of his feet. Watching as Maya marveled over every little detail about the manuscript was both entertaining and extremely satisfying. He was glad he brought her here to look at something that could truly cause her to stare in awe.
>>"Wow. I think you win, Mr. Sherpa. I am surprised and impressed."
He chuckled, choosing now to finally advance. She looked like she wanted to press her face up against the glass like a child staring at sweets in a window. ”I’m glad I could provide you with that,” he said warmly, the straightened up. ”This is why I like working here. I like to see people become…inspired. There is really no place in the world that can do that like a library.”
