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.
It was sad just how much Juliette had affected him. He had only met the woman a couple of times and yet now, here he was, grumbling about matters while laying his head on the couch. He didn’t like to think of himself as melodramatic, but, let’s face it, the man was. He embraced drama whenever it came to him, probably because he knew what it did to people when they denied expressing their feelings. What better way to combat those negative effects over than to over-act them? But, he wasn’t purely making up his misery, he actually was genuinely confused and hurt by recent events. He would never willingly end someone else’s relationship just to pursue an interest, but that was what he felt like now.
He regaled his understanding sister with his tale, leaving out no details except for the very minute ones. She didn’t need to know about how when they kissed, the nurse had ran her fingers along the back of his neck, immediately making him want to kiss her harder. Nor did she need to know about how running his hands down the small of the woman’s back caused the nurse to give a shuddering exhale of breath vaguely containing the scent of mint. Nessa would know that he parred down his story for her benefit but he was grateful, nonetheless, that she was willing to sit and listen considering the subject matter.
When he was done, Booker slightly winced, closing one of his eyes for the inevitable beating that was eventually owed to him. She held her hand back before, he could only wonder how long before reprisal would come. So, in the meantime, Booker wallowed in his self-loathing, referring to himself as the household term for the succubus Nessa rightfully broke away from, and sighed into his pillow. He really was screwing things up left and right at this point.
>> ”So… that is kind of Rebeccaish, Booker. But… I guess I understand where you were both at with this.”
He lifted his head partially up. Really? She was actually not totally throwing him out the window and then kicking his lifeless body in the shins? He had to admit, he was a bit surprised at his sister’s maturity with this matter but he was also glad that she could see where he was coming from with it. Booker didn’t go out to break up relationships on the down-low, he really was pretty straight forward with his flirtations. And while the man had pulled back once he knew that Juliette already had someone in her life, it was damn near irresistible when she showed up for his library tour without said beau in tow.
Still, he didn’t want to put blame on Juliette either. Without knowing what she was really thinking, maybe she did really just want a tour of a library she had never gone to. She was the one who brought up her boyfriend so clearly she drew that line in the sand herself. As it was, maybe the both of them were partially to blame for this. Also one cannot forget to blame that damned Rotunda…
>> ”So I can’t pretend you’re smelling like roses, young man. The Rotunda? Really?”
He winced, feeling her palm smash into his shin. There it was! Sweet justice! It was a light hit and, of course, he over exaggerated just how much it had hurt him, but it still hurt. Then again, he guessed he deserved it so he didn’t bellyache too much about his punishment. Still, there was some need to defend himself. Sheepishly he tilted his chin down, adverting her gaze. ”The Rotunda’s part of the tour…” he said in a meek and almost unheard voice. Yeah, that was really his only defense for that so punishment was clearly warranted.
>> ”But… you really like this girl, don’t you?”
Booker grumbled incoherently as he nodded his head. It was hard to make that call, especially since he had only seen the woman a grand total of two times. But it was hard to explain. It was like all those things he had read about in books and seen in cheesy movies; when he was with her, he just felt right. Why he was ashamed to admit that, he didn’t know. Maybe it was because he knew what happened when he rushed into relationships too quick, maybe because even after a year-and-a-half, he counted himself as just over Chris and he didn’t want to mess this up. Either way…Booker was clearly a mess.
Thankfully, knowing that her brother would probably beat himself up far more than she ever could, it seemed she was going to be lenient with him. Booker turned his gaze towards her, the dislike of his own actions and of the whole ordeal evident upon his face. And yet, even though he was annoyed by it, Juliette was still on his mind. Deep down, he still liked her, despite the fact that she was already taken; he liked her a lot. Sigh. Why did romance had to be so difficult? At least Nessa could commiserate with that.
>> ”It sucks. I’m sorry. Maybe she needs time to figure this out. Maybe she is worried she’s just panicking about some rough patch with her guy. Maybe she’s not, but meeting you has suddenly changed things."
”Makes sense,” he mumbled softly. Truth was that his mind went crazy just trying to see things from Juliette’s perspective but it was a matter that he couldn’t quite encompass. He didn’t know much about Juliette, aside from the small snippets that she told him. How was she handling all of this? He lamented, looking across to his sister as she did what she could to comfort him.
>> ”I love you, Book. You’re a good guy. Try to remember that, because whoever this hot-to-trot nurse is, she has a lot of questions to answer. She made choices, and you’re not to blame here…But don’t make this about you. Give her time to figure things out. If you do that, then I don’t have to call you a f***boy for the rest of eternity.”
He could feel the tears welling up in the corners of his eyes. It was amazing how their relationship continued to work. How the two of them would assist one another in these times of emotional crisis, to know that they actually could make the mental space for one another, not matter what they were going through. They had tough times, but through it all, they both knew that one thing above all else, they had one another’s back.
A snort and a flash of a smile broke through the sadness that wanted to settle upon his face. He gave her an eye roll in response as he sat up, tilting his he to her. ”I’ve been called worse.” He then faux kicked his leg at her, hitting nothing as it was little more than gesture as a he grinned. ”Buttface,” he called her, a meager defense but there it was.
>> ”Also, only you could hit your head and charm someone with your klutzy ineptitude.”
That broadened his smile. A chuckle fell from his lips as he stretched back against the couch, shrugging his shoulders and appeared both smug and humble (smumble? shmug?). ”What can I say? I have a natural and alluring gift of movement – even at the worst of times.” A big grin. Finally he just gave her a genuine look of appreciation. ”Thank you.” Little else needed to be said, she would know what it was for. Finally shaken from his humdrum, at least momentarily, Booker realized just how hungry was he getting. He playfully nudged her with his foot. ”What did you make for dinner? And, if you say some tofu, vegan B.S., I will literally throw myself out that window…”
The I.D. card seemed to clinch it, yes, that was in fact his real name. Booker knew that that fact surprised people, but the brunette in front of him seemed particular perplexed by it. She took his card, casually running her fingers along the edges of it, maybe trying to test if it was real or fake. He didn’t know why she seemed so interested in it, but the librarian didn’t want to interrupt her, instead just keeping quiet until she was done giving it a once over. When it was returned, he slipped it back into his wallet, his wallet finding its way back into his pocket, and that matter was done.
In honor of her good health, she wanted to see something spectacular. Tilting his head in thought, Booker tried to think of what wonders he could show this woman. She was in possession of her health again, she wanted to see something special, and with all that in mind, there was really only one thing that Booker could think of that she could see; something that not everyone had a chance to see yet. So, with a grin on his lips, the librarian nodded his head as he stepped aside for her to play her giant cook book of pasta onto the cart.
He knew preciously what to show her…
>> "I knew it! The people with passion are the best to ask about the things they love and you love it here, don't you?"
He beamed proudly and nodded his head. ”You’d be hard pressed to find someone who loved it more.” A bright, sunshiny expression on his face, Booker took hold of his cart and began to push it down the aisle. He has something amazing in mind.
As they made their way out of the bookstacks, Booker took a small detour to stop by a nearby reference desk. From there he took a few steps away from his new friend and pushed the cart behind the desk. With Maya’s books now protected behind the impenetrable desk of a librarian, Booker returned to her with a grin.
”Don’t worry. Your books will be safely protected while I show you the amazingness.” A firm nod of his head and Booker took the lead, marching away from desk with Maya following behind him.
Marching through the halls and rooms, it quickly was becoming apparent that there were less and less people the deeper that they delved into the expansive library. Booker whistled to himself, a small hop in his step as he could feel a tingling under his skin at what he was about to bring his new friend to. Truth was that this display had not been open to the public yet and only staff had seen it. Booker was excited for someone to actually see this display, so much so that it didn’t bother him this wasn’t entirely right. The displays were rarely, if ever, shown to the general public before unveiling, but giving what he has seen some of his co-workers do just for the heck of it, the librarian figured he was safe.
As he turned down a well-lit hall that was decidedly emptier than all the others. It was only a few more steps before the librarian came to a large pair of wooden doors with glass panels. Dark inside, it was impossible to see anything from their position, but Booker was all excited grins as he pulled out his keys and fished for the right one.
”Okay, so I have to admit, this is pretty amazing. The public hasn’t seen it yet,” he warned. ”But I’ll make a special exception in honor of your health. Just, you know, don’t touch anything.”
Taking a breath, Booker unlocked the doors and pushed them in. He took a few steps inside, enveloped in the darkness and disappeared. After a second, there was a click and lights came on, revealing a fairly small room but with some absolutely amazing décor. In the center of the room there was a pedestal where on top was situated a large, glass case. Inside there look to be two very old and very large books. The text with which they were written looked old, completely hand written but with utter perfection. Around this display were several tall panels of black, each one etched with white lettering with history about the object being displayed – and its name.
Booker smirked as he stepped aside to allow Maya to view it. ”This is the Gutenberg Bible. Completed in 1455 and still in perfect condition. Talk about enlightenment.” Arms folded behind his back, he smirked and waited for her to advance upon it.
Alright, it was safe to say that the woman was absolutely adorable. Her enthusiasm and sunny demeanor were infectious and Booker just found his own sunny attitude magnifying ten-fold in the woman’s presence. It was sad to hear that she had been so ill that she had been deprived of books, but the man was happy to know that she was doing much, much better. No one should be denied literature in any manner and he was happier to know that she could enjoy the medium again. However, the problem came in that she was so excited to get back onto that horse that she was willing to literally bring half the library home with her. It made him chuckle, but the realist in him also had to wonder just how on earth she was going to get any of these home.
Still, despite laws about limits per customer and so on, the man was still willing to help her check out her books. He had override codes for the system and it wasn’t as if the library didn’t make exceptions before. If he could help someone regain their love of the written word, then who was he to stand in their way quoting rules? It was madness. The main tenant of a librarian’s job is supposed to be a gatekeeper of information, to aid those who willingly sought it out. He wanted to help her and help her he would.
>> "No…I can't let you bend the rules for me. I don't want to get you in trouble. I can…I, uh, I'll just... read some really fast while I'm here? Yeah. I'll have to weed through things. Maybe just the vampire bodice ripper and I'll put back the barbarian one."
Ah Dusk. He remembered when that book first came out. The bevvy or teenager girls, soccer moms, and some boys, had haunted the library for weeks in order to check-out a free copy of the book. Not really knowing the sensation that it would become, the library only ordered two copies and those copies were always returned soaked in teenage tears and the occasional smear of lipstick on the chapter titled “Nedward”.
”Really, it’s no problem,” he said with a chuckle as he saw her picking up the barbarian romance novel Sheath Mine Broadsword. ”I would honestly hate to deprive you of that one,” he said pointing to the book. ”If you think the cover is hilarious, wait until you read it.”
Before she could protest, Booker placed the high-fantasy romance novel on his cart behind him and smiled sweetly. It was clear that she wouldn’t be leaving the library without it.
Once the book choice was made for her, Booker gave the woman a cheeky grin and extended his hand for her to shake. He greeted himself, full name and all, and his title, and an offer of his assistance for the rest of her stay in the library. The giggle on her lips and the disbelief in her eyes already signaled to him what was going to come next. Booker hardly went a day without hearing it at least once so he would not be offended when she questioned his name; which was coming three…two…one…
>> "Maya Swift! C'mon. You can't really be a Booker B. Bookman. That's absolutely too perfect."
At least he had her name now, even if she didn’t believe his. Chuckling and placing his large hands upon his hips after shaking hers, he shrugged his shoulders innocently. ”One-hundred percent true,” he announced. Reaching into his backpocket, he pulled out his wallet and produced his worker I.D. here at the public library. There, printed, was his name Bookman, Booker B. He waited until she read it before he put his card away, and returned his wallet to his pocket. ”And I’m pleased to meet you, Ms. Swift.”
There. His services were offered. Given the amount of books she had, amybe that was dangerous but the man still wanted to be assistance. She eyed him curiously, clearly torn between what she wanted to do. She wanted to read everything, that was clear, but that may not have been logistically possible, still he was a librarian, in a library, and he was here to help.
>>"I'm no Sherpa, but Dewy Decimal runs in my veins…Okay. No more books. But Mr. Sherpa-man, you should show me the sights. Find me something... I don't even know. Surprise me!"
For the briefest of moments he was sad that she didn’t want to check out any more books; he never meant to dissuade her from her endeavor. But, she didn’t seem all that broken up about the matter and instead proposed something different – she wanted him to show her something special, something that she didn’t know about. Booker paused, his lips twisted in thought as a soundless hum escaped his throat. There were always the tours but those were so standard that if she really were a book lover, she would’ve seen them before. No, in honor of her regained health, and eyesight, she needed to see something special, some amazing, something…rare…
He smiled; a broad, sunshiny and illuminating smile. Oh he had the perfect thing in mind. Turning around, he took hold of her cart of books (she could decide if she wanted to remove more along the way) and started to push it down the aisle. ”Come on,” he said mysteriously, in a low voice. ”In honor of your health, I think I have the perfect thing for you to gawk at.”
And with that, he pushed his cart, beckoning her to follow.
There. He had said it. Lying there on the couch, across his sister, Booker tried to prepare himself for the worst. He loved his sister and appreciated all the help that she had ever given him, but he knew that he was treading in dangerous waters now. He was bringing up an extremely sore subject for the young woman, one that could decidedly turn the tides against him. But the man couldn’t keep something like this in much longer. He needed to get this off his chest and, really, the only person whom Booker actually trusted to steer him on the right path was his sister. Whatever her reaction would be, he would deal with it.
So it was said and in the air. He immediately felt the head patting stop and he could sense the tension already beginning to form in her body. He firmly had her pinned so there was little she could actually do to him except maybe a slap or two. However, while he had been preparing for it, he could see the internal conflict on the woman’s face. His own arms loosened, feeling as if maybe a slapfest wasn’t coming after all, but he could see that she was clearly unhappy with his actions.
>> ”So, clarify this for me…You kissed a girl with a boyfriend, making you the catalyst for cheating. You then retreat home to your sister, who was just recently cheated on, mind you, looking for support?”
Ugh, here came the lecture. Booker winced, turning his head away from her, closing his eyes as he prepared for it. This was probably a far worse outcome than physical abuse. Vanessa could be downright poetic when she spoke passionately about a subject. He knew he would be in for it and half prepared to climb off the sofa, throw some lint in his pocket into her eyes, and flee to his bedroom, locking the door behind him. But…it wouldn’t appear necessary.
>> ”Okay. I’m here for you. This support is being provided under protest, but I’m here for you.”
He turned back to face her, just a little surprised at her willingness to help him. A small crack of a smile formed and the man sighed, the tension melting from his body. He was glad that she was willing to help him, or at least listen to his problems, instead of reading him the riot act. Oh, he was sure it was going to come eventually, but his wounds were clearly still raw and now wouldn’t have been the best time. But that was fine, when she pounced Booker had three precise and effective words that he could use to deflect her: Shelby, Chloe, Spencer.
People in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones, and all that.
>> ”So who was it? She better be gorgeous for you to make a stupid move like that,”
She wanted to know. Though her snark was just a little more biting than usual to the untrained ear, Booker knew that she was actually offering her assistance. So, with a sigh, the lumbering librarian sat up and adjusted so that he was sitting on the opposite end of the couch, turned and facing her: a mirror image of his sister who was doing the same. His legs resting over hers, Booker rubbed the palms of his hands over his face before rolling them through his hand and to the back of his head. His shoulders slumped a little as he turned his jade-like eyes onto her.
”I…I don’t even know where to begin…” Booker said with a sigh. ”And yes, she is…” a small roll of his eyes, a whistle, and a sh*t-eating grin. ”She’s a nurse. I met her when I was delivering books to the children’s wing at one of the hospitals a few weeks back.” He started with the obvious beginning. ”I…hit my head and she was super nice and, well, I flirted a bit and gave her my card to come by the library for a tour.” He eyed her getting ready to interject and held up his hand. ”Shut up. My tours are amazing and no, it wasn’t a euphemism.” A second and he continued. ”But, she let slip she had a boyfriend and I figured that was it.” He rested his head back staring up at the ceiling. ”She came by for the tour today – just her. It…started good. We walked around, I showed her the place, did my spiel, and…well…” he closed his eyes. ”…we got to the Rotunda…” Nessa would have known the name, hearing him talk about the romantic décor and the often times he’s found people making out there. ”…I don’t even know what happened after that. We were there, we were looking at the art and the woodwork and…we just locked eyes and…it happened.”
It was clear that Booker wasn’t not feeling like he had displayed the best part of himself in that occurrence. He had always prided himself in being a gentleman, a good guy, not one of those lunks and run around, hitting on other people’s women. He shrugged his shoulders a bit, shaking his head and sighing deeply. He couldn’t meet his sister’s gaze just yet but he was thankful that she was letting him talk before interrupting or judging too harshly.
”I kissed her first but…she kissed me back and it was amazing and I saw fireworks and the whole nine-yards.” He hung his head and turned his gaze to her. ”But then, I dunno, she I guess realized what she was doing and ran off apologizing.” His head flopped into the cushion. ”I just, I dunno, worked the rest of the day in a bit of a haze. God, I’m totally a Rebecca, aren’t I?”
The Bookman household had their own terminology, a language which evolved all the time. The latest entry: “Rebecca (noun) – a temptress and cheating succubus.”. It seemed appropriate.
Booker had every intention of stepping forward and rescuing that last book for the woman, but before he could fully turn back around from placing her books upon his cart, he watched as she reached up and managed to snag her fingers under the spine of her treasure. Crossing his arms over his chest, the man chuckled as she managed to pull it down without dropping it on her head and sighed, cradling it to her. Victorious in her endeavor, she held out the book for him to see and show that she had indeed been successful. He offered her a small clap of approval.
>> “I think I'm going to be sore tomorrow, if we're being honest…I want this one because of the pictures!”
Honestly, he had seen people reach for lesser things for far stranger reasons. But seeing the look of mirth upon her face, the happiness that exuded from her for having gained the book that she was after, the man couldn’t help but feel happiness in return. The two emitted warm and happy fuzziness that joined and bounced off one another. Just as she was giddy, bouncing her feet, Booker found himself doing the same thing in return.
He couldn’t judge her for her want of such a large and pretty book so he dipped his head with a grin. ”Well that’s as good a reason as any to get a book!” he beamed happily. ”Just make sure the next time it doesn’t fall on your head.”
Looking back at the cart of books that she had already pulled from the shelves, he started to do a mental count of just how many she had. There was a limit to how many books a person could check out and it looked like she was already pushing past that limit.
>> “Thank you for the assist. I hope I'm not over my limit.”
”Well…” he started to say.
>> “I used to help run a bookstore here in town. I had to give it up for a few reasons, but I had a medical thing where my vision went bad. I couldn't see well enough to read. Or, see at all really? You see, I have to make up for lost time, now that I'm better.”
Booker listened attentively. He was always a good listener, at least that is what the majority of people told him. He didn’t really see anything special in it. He was respectful and the man loved to listen to tales; any that people were willing to share with him. He read about lives in books and stories, but hearing it from the horse’s mouth was an entirely different feeling. It was a akin to listening to a storyteller around a fire, holding a person’s attention as they weaved their experiences about them like a fine blanket. Booker loved to feel wrapped up in the tales of others and the more they were willing to share, the better.
Though the story that the young woman told him was not one that he was fully expecting. She had apparently been ill, ill enough that her eyesight had been diminishing. It was tragic for him to hear, to know that this person was denied the gift of literature and words. It made his heart swell a little in sadness for the young creature but she admitted that she was all better now. This brought an earnest and relieved smile to his lips. He liked a good happy ending.
”Clearly you do have to make up,” he said with a small scoff. Tilting his head as he observed her closely, then looked back at the stacks of books she was getting ready to check out that occupied his cart, the man just smirked. ”Don’t worry about the limit. I can override it for you.” He said with ease. ”What you should be more worried about is how you’re getting all this home.” But, those were problems for later. Standing up straight and give a small bow of his head, he introduced himself by sticking his hand out for her to shake. ”Name’s Booker B. Bookman, librarian. And I would be happy to be your personal Book Sherpa.” He grinned wide. ”Anything else catch your eye, Miss….?”
It was honestly quite the sight to bear witness to. As he stood and observed the woman for a second before he actually spoke to her, he found himself thinking on why this looked so familiar. He had clearly seen people check out books before, but rarely in this quantity. The vast majority of people who did tended to be either college students who were trying to student anything and everything at the last minute, or they were poor vagrants who were trying to steal books in order to have more pages to stuff into their clothing come winter time to keep warm. Either way, there were certain individuals who checked out their own bodyweight in books and this woman didn’t really seem to fit either mold.
After a few moments of watching the woman try to play a life-sized game of Book-Jenga with herself, the librarian couldn’t stand back any further. With a kindly smile upon his lips, the jade-eyed man stepped forward and greeting her with a cheery smile. Of course he couldn’t help but point out that she had quite a reading list gathered.
>> "Good afternoon! Is it that obvious?"
He beamed. ”A little bit.”
A cursory showed that the books were of all sorts, an assorted hodge-podge of cookbooks, non-fiction, trashy romance, and history of modern warfare, just to name a few. Booker was impressed with the selection but watching as she struggled to reach on final book, a real whooper about noodles, the man had to intervened. He reached out instinctively, watching as she struggled with the tower books she held, hands at the ready to assist.
She needed help. He didn’t know if she would be one of those types that were too stubborn to accept it, but he asked anyways.
>>"Uuuhm. Yes. If you could maybe help take something? But don't put them away, okay? I'm going to read every single one."
The towering was leaning. He didn’t even let her finish her sentence. The second that he heard yes, the man stepped his towering 6’3 frame over and placed his arm out, catching a few books that seemed ready to spill over her shoulder. Holding them in place, the man chuckled as he split her selection in half, picking it up with his large hands before tucking the halved tower against his body, then reaching out to take the other half. Though he had a far better grip and could easily lift them, the books weren’t the most stable and even in his expert arms they started to waver.
A small squeak fell from his lips as he struggled to balance them, but seeing his little half-cart off to the side, Booker reached out with his foot, catching the bottom with the tip of his shoe and managed to pull it over slowly, ever so slowly. When it came within reach, Booker popped first one stack onto the half-cart, and then the other. The cart was already looking full but there was enough for more. Smirking he pulled it over, shaking his arms out, as he returned to the interesting patron, watching to see if she still needed help to get that last book.
”You must really like noodles…” he said with a laugh and then looked back to her selection. ”I…have to say…I’ve seen some people check out books before, but I feel like you’re going for a library record.”
So Booker was throwing himself into his work. After the disaster with Juliette a few days ago, Booker was still trying to get his bearings straight. He still couldn’t believe that he had kissed her! It had been exhilarating, sure, but the woman had already admitted she was with another man. Still, it wasn’t as if he had forced his kiss upon her. She kissed him back, he felt with, with just as much fervor as he kissed her. But really didn’t mean anything, did it? She could have been too shocked to react properly. Maybe she only did it because she was scared he would say or do something? Did that make him a sexual predator? Booker’s mind whirled in a confusing tempest, unable to pick out up from down. The only thing that made sense to him right now was work; the library always made sense.
Booker was taking more shifts than he really needed to. Booker had always been a workaholic for his library, taking a couple extra shifts now and then. Not because he needed the money but because he really just liked the environment. He loved the library. He was one of those few individuals who truly liked his job and had no problem being surrounded by it. It helped to center him, to keep his head clear, to ensure that the man could have a few Zen moments throughout his day. Today was one of those days where he really wanted to be Zen.
So, coming in early, Booker busied himself with the book drop, with schedule, with talking to vendors. Before the day was half over, he had already finished most of his work. He needed to slow things down. Sitting at his desk, staring at his computer screen, the librarian quietly rapt his fingers upon the hard wood in a rhythmic tune. Over and over, ba-ba-ba-dumba-ba-ba-dumba-ba-ba-dum, until finally he knocked his knuckles upon the wood. This wouldn’t work, he needed to do something.
His eyes flipped over the schedules. One of his workers called out sick today and she had shelving duty. He sighed in relief, finally, something to keep him busy and mindless. Removing himself from his chair, Booker picked up his dusty, grabbed his lemon-yellow half-cart named ‘Lil Thor, and rolled it out of the room.
Making his way to the bookstacks, Booker was all smiles as he passed people, giving them a nod of his head, and ignoring the catcalls he would get every now and again. He would ask them to keep it down but he knew that the second that he passed, that they would clam up.
”Want fries with that shake! Yum!”
Do not engage, do not engage, do not engage… the man repeated to himself as he wound his way towards the lifestyle section. Breathing a sigh of relief at the tranquility, Booker straightened up, removed his clipboard from his cart, and pulled a pen from behind his ear. Today attire was similar to what Booker wore all the time: a very light color of blue, button up shirt, dark slacks, and a very nerdy bow tie that featured characters from the 8-bit arcade game Puck-Sir. Booker always had the appearance of quite the character but he didn’t care what people thought of him, he liked what he liked.
Of course, now what people thought of him was precisely on his mind. What did people think of him? Mainly, what did Juliette think of him? The way that she ran off after they kissed, ugh, it made his heart feel as heavy as a stone. But, again, he was thinking about something that he shouldn’t. Focusing on the task at hand, Booker once again looked at his list of shelves, armed himself with his duster, and pushed off to get lost in the stacks.
It was only a little bit after the man started, weaving through the shelves, a slight whistle on his lips as he dusted and picked up stray books, that he came upon a rather odd sight. Down the way he saw a slip of a woman with brown hair and a smile on her lips. She was rocking back and forth on her heels, looking over books on the shelf. While that wasn’t in and of itself an odd occurrence, what was that how many books she was laden with. Booker was actually a little worried she would topple over given how many she had. Still, it was amusing to watch.
Unable to not be a gentleman, Booker tilted his head, moved down the aisle, pretending to dust a little more as his eyes narrowed upon her. It wasn’t until he was next to her that the man finally couldn’t hold his tongue any long and he cleared his throat to get her attention. Whenever she would greet him, he would give her a beaming smile.
”Afternoon,” he said cheerily. ”Um, picking up some light reading, I see? Do you need any help?”
Oh Booker B. Bookman was a man with a hurting and confused heart. While he wasn’t as melodramatic as his sister made him out to be (at least according to him) he was someone who knew how to express his emotions. He and his sister both felt copious levels of sadness, but they both expressed it rather different. Nessa shut down, not wanting to talk about things, but Booker was one who preferred to express his emotions. Yeah, maybe he was a bit of a ham when he did it, but unlike his sister he wanted others to know that he actually wanted to express his sadness. He accepted that the only way through it was by talking it out.
Unfortunately this particularly problem was going to be a veritable minefield. Not only was it a subject that Nessa knew plenty about, but it was one that she had very strong feelings for. If Booker had been the opposite side of this drama, then he certainly would have earned all the sympathy in the world from her. But considering his current stance, there was a chance he would earn nothing but her ire. It was a risk but considering that there was no one else to talk to about this, he needed to try.
The first step to this was by incapacitating her. While it seemed adorable and cutesy for Booker to unceremoniously flop onto his sister, with his massive built and weight it was actually to ensure his safety. Successfully draping over both her legs, at least one arm, and her lower half, meant that she couldn’t easily twist to strike, poke, or kick him. Of course her other arm was free, but given he had two arms, he outnumbered her.
The second step was by giving the absolute and most best acting performance he could have ever given. Booker was fairly certain that his acting was on par with any of the great actors of old. While the man was indeed melodramatic to a certain degree, he upped it up to eleven with this performance. Flopped over his sister, hand dramatically upon his forehead, the statement that he would stay here the rest of his days, that would surely up her levels of sympathy and compassion towards his predicament.
>> There, there, champ… wanna talk about it?”
Phase two of operation, successful! Okay, she was patting his head. That was always a good sign. Of course if she didn’t like what he said, he was putting himself at risk of one hell of a slapping, but it was too late to change position now. He would just have to be at the ready to run if things started to turn sour.
So, razzberrying the air with his lips and sighing, the librarian turned to eye his sister. It was funny, he honestly didn’t think he would be in this position with her again so soon. He had just finished rescuing her from her slum and she had already done the same for him when his relationship with Chris imploded. Now they were back at square one? The universe really was a cruel wheel of torture, wasn’t it? Still, despite that, he knew his sister always had his back – he only hoped that she could remember that before hitting him.
”Yeah…” he grumbled like a disgruntled twelve year old. He took a second, collecting his thoughts, trying to figure out to best way to phrase what he wanted to say. Finding no real easy way to go about it, the man just started talking with hopes that some plan would formulate in his head. ”I…think I…f**ked up…” he said, looking away a bit shamefully. ”I…kissed someone…” Pause. ”Someone…who already has a boyfriend…”
Brace for opening offensive salvos in three….two….one….
Booker rolled his eyes SO hard at his sister. The last thing he really needed right now was her copious amounts of sass. He loved his sister but sometimes she really was just too much, ESPECIALLY when he was had a pretty girl over that kinda fell onto Nessa’s extensive list of women to hit on. Svetlana definitely fit onto that list, and considering that this was just a casual fling, the last thing that Booker needed was to watch Nessa fawn and hit on Svetlana. He didn’t need to see that at all.
Then again, considering his state of dress when he first walked out of the room, Booker realized that he was probably owed some payback. God he hoped that Nessa wasn’t going to cash in early.
He didn’t know why but part of him was embarrassed by this. He liked Svetlana, sure, and she wasn’t his first one-night stand, but the majority of them he tried to ensure happened when Nessa wasn’t around. They were sanctioned to stories and tidbits that he would possibly tell her about later one, maybe when they were drunk or feeling morose. There was something a bit awkward about meeting family so soon, especially if the evening had all the earmarks of being a fling. He was embarrassed, he was worried about scary Svetlana off, he was irritated with his sister a tiny bit, and, yeah, somewhere in the back of his mind he wondered just how long it was going to take to recognize his comic books that had been toppled over.
In the end, part of him tried to find a way to blame his sister. Usually that worked to help alleviate a situation, but try as he might, it definitely sounded forced. She didn’t need to really message him anything about her changes in plans, she was an adult. They both were. And really he shouldn’t be embarrassed because he had sex with someone. He just needed to breathe and relax.
>> ” ”Book, you can shut up. You’re an adult. It’s cool. I just wouldn’t be your brat sister if I didn’t mess with you.”
He sighed, nodding his head. Slipping over to the counter, Booker picked up the cup of coffee that Nessa had just finished making for herself and took a sip from it. She hadn’t drunk it yet so he, using his older brother veto powers, he claimed it as his own and returned to the table, grabbing a packet of sugar along the way. Settling again on the chair, he poured the sugar into the coffee, swirled it, and took another sip, satisfied with the taste now.
Just as Booker took a sip, though, he turned back hearing the sound of the bathroom door open. Svetlana was done, fixed up a little, and was wearing a bathrobe – his sister’s bathrobe. Ugh, this day couldn’t get any more awkward but he just smiled and went along with it.
>> "I hope it's okay if I borrowed dis…I'll get dressed in a minute..."
Booker nodded his head, giving her a soft smile. ”By all mea—“ But Nessa, thanks to both her inappropriateness and her ability to still try to hit on any girl that caught her attention, jumped at the answer. Of course…it wasn’t the most thought out…
>> ”It’s totally fine. Be comfortable. Do you drink coffee? You two must be tired, right? Because it’s still early. Not because of… other… nighttime activity things.”
Slowly, oh so slowly, Booker turned his head towards Nessa, but he didn’t just turn to face her. His head tilted, tilted like an owl’s getting ready to turn completely upside-down. His eyes narrowed in an unbelieving stare as he watched the woman whom he called his sister shove inch after inch of foot into her mouth with every passing second and his disbelief in her was clearly apparent on his face. She could easily charm a crowd on her gaming videos, but this right now was certainly not her shiniest of moments.
Shaking his head at his sister and mouthing some kind of unintelligible threat that Svetlana couldn’t see, Booker turned back to the Russian beauty, smiled and stood up, pulling out a chair for her. ”Um, have a seat? You know, before my sister shoves it into her mouth along with the rest of her foot?” He said with a small smile. He gave the woman a grin, sipping his coffee but feeling a little color on his cheeks after thoughts of last night started to bombard his mind. Those were pictures and feelings he would never forget – a fact he was glad for. But, highly inappropriate thoughts aside, he turned to Svetlana, smiling a bit shyly. ”So…um…s-sleep well? Are you hungry? We have…food…stuff…”
Booker was really over the interns lately. He had a system for keeping track of their work, just to ensure that they were actually working while they were out in the stacks. Every day, Booker assigned the interns under his watch to specific sections throughout the day to organize, shelve, and to dust the book stacks. It was a pretty simple system but the thing that the interns never realized is that the librarian checked their areas the next day, to ensure that they were actually doing their work. Secretly he would mark his findings down, using a spreadsheet to ensure that he could keep accurate track and figure out who was actually doing their work.
It was elegant, simple, and effective. He weeded out most of the slackers fairly quickly and was able to praise his good workers. However, he was noticing more and more that his people seemed to be slacking off a bit – especially in the dusting department. A few stern lectures towards their confused faces seemed to be enough to get them on the straight and narrow, but he wouldn’t know for sure until the next time he checked.
Arriving early for work, the librarian wandered through the halls of his beloved library, smiling a bit to himself as he made his way to his office. Pulling his bookbag off of his shoulder, he sighed as he set it down on his table, plopped in front of his computer, and logged in.
First tasks would be checking his emails, deleting spam, and then sneaking onto his favorite roleplay forum where he typed out a few plotting messages to friends. Once that was done, it was time to get to work. So, grabbing his clipboard from his desk, he attached a fresh sheet of paper that was printed with the names of his interns and their assigned locations. Okay, it was time to see if they were actually getting off their lazy butts and doing their work.
Before the library opened was one of his favorite parts of the job. Strolling through all this architecture, history, and design, Booker found himself in an extremely Zen-like state. With a song whistling on his lips, causing it to echo throughout the halls, the man sighed as he made his way into the stacks, his clip board in hand and a destination in mind.
It didn’t take the librarian long to find the first of his assigned shelves. A quick check gave the man a smile and a nod of his head; the same with the next one and the one after that; however, inevitably it came time to check on his last worker…Alexis. Ugh. She was a sweet girl but a bit too absent-minded to be working in a library, especially since she never cleared up her shelves! But he hoped that today would be the day.
”Come on, Lexi,” he grumbled through the pen he had balanced between his lips. ”Don’t make me have to fire you…”
As he made his way to her assigned area, Booker was cautiously optimistic. The shelves looked clean, orderly, and a quick swipe of his finger provided absolutely no dust! Bravo! With a little happy turn, Booker pulled his pen out from between his lips and started to jot down a Happy Face next to her name when his pen stopped writing. Sighing, he tapped it a few times on the paper and prepared to write again, but when he glanced up to double check he had the right shelf…he paused.
Blinking, he peered closer to the shelves and noticed that the books were slightly askew and they were caked, literally caked, in dust. Pulling one of the books from the shelve, Booker suddenly had a coughing fit as the movement caused a layer of dust to break free, forming a cloud around his head. Sputtering a little Booker sighed and shook his head. Giving the book a shake or two to knock off most of the dust, he sighed as he held it back up. Ironically, it was The Time Machine by H.G. Wells. It looked like it hadn’t been dusted since time began. Though he could have sworn a second ago it looked freshly cleaned, now it looked as if it had been neglected for weeks.
With a grumble he replaced the book on the shelf and jotted down the name of another intern to tackle the area. ”Sorry Lexi,” he sighed with a shake of his head. ”Strike three.”
>> ”Oh, Professor. Don’t ever change. Well, except for the outdated psychological beliefs based mostly on your weird desire to bang your mom. Besides that, don’t change.”
Doctor Sockmund Freud opened his mouth in shock a that woman’s cursed words, even Booker had to open his mouth in surprise! Ugh! The audacity of her to say such cruel things. After a second of staring at her dumbfounded, both sock and man shook their heads in creepy unison towards her. After a moment, they turned to one another (again, sock and man) and seemed to silently carry on a conversation with themselves before both turned back to Nessa.
”Klearly…dis is an obviUS case of madness…” the good doctor turned to Nessa and shook his head. ”I’m afraid dis only cure is…electroshock therapy. Agreed, Doctor Bookman.”
Booker nodded his head, clearly agreeing with the sock. However, he couldn’t help the smile on his lips as he watched Nessa laughing with pure mirth at his antics. It wouldn’t last long because the pain of Rebecca’s betrayal would radiate again in her mind, but, still, it was at least a glimpse of what he knew was in there. That was all he needed to push on and that was all he needed to ensure that his sister was going to be fine.
So…Booker had had better days. And by better, I mean, a LOT better. The day had started out so well but come the afternoon, it seemed as if fate was just trying to have fun with him now. First he meets this really awesome, pretty, and sassy DJ nurse that he never thought he would see again, and low and behold, she is thrown into is midst again. And, to make matters worse, she is already taken. Booker didn’t know why it was that he was so attracted to her but damned it was difficult to control himself – at least it would have been difficult if he had actually succeeded.
Jeez. He kissed a woman who already was in a relationship. As the man stopped in front of the door to his apartment, he realized that he couldn’t have felt lower. He had never been this person, always rallied against it, even watched his sister struggle through the pains of having a cheating partner, so what was he doing? The librarian could only shake his head at himself as he inserted his key into lock, turned and stepped inside.
Even as he made his way inside, he was having second thoughts about what he was already planning to do. He was always on Nessa about opening up when things were going bad, it was cathartic to let these things out. But even as he strolled in, the man knew that he couldn’t keep something like this a secret. He messed up and he needed to let someone know – even if they weren’t going to initially like what he had said.
Besides, Booker could recount a few instance where he had walked in on Nessa and one of his ex-girlfriends – he deserved a judgement-free pass from time to time. Ahem.
Once inside, his shoes clipped and clopped upon the floor. His dark jeans, gray vest, and lilac shirt were just the same as when he first entered, though his bowtie was slightly askew. Pulling the Velcro strap open, freeing his body from the weight of his pack, the man sighed as he shuffled in and, surprise surprise, found his sister sitting on the couch. He was glad that she was beginning to come out of her shell more and more after the whole Becca-gate thing. It actually made him crack a smile to see her sketching again.
Too bad he was about to ruin it with his dramatic flare.
A deep sigh and he set his bag back down in its usual spot, shuffled over to the couch and, stood where, waiting for her to acknowledge him. When she actually did, she had to move fast because the man immediately flopped down onto the couch next to her before keeling off to the side, draping his much larger body over her with the most dramatic breath possible.
”Evening…” he grumbled through and closed his eyes. ”I’m just…gunna lay here…forever…” God, he could still smell Juliette’s perfume on him…
There was something about the perfection of this moment that was both breath-taking and reinvigorating.. Admittedly, there was a moment of fear; Booker was scared that maybe he had misinterpreted; that when he would lean down, when he would attempt to press his lips to hers that all he would be met with was a screech and maybe a firm slap from an elegant hand. However, by the time that the thought crossed his mind, Booker couldn’t even attempt to bring himself to stop. It was too late. He was close, the gap was gone, and he was already processing the sensation of his lips against hers. But while the man had been prepared for whatever retaliation he had dreamed up, he wasn’t really prepared for what actually would happen.
The first was the fact that there was not resistance. Leaning down, his lips pressed against Juliette’s, he found nothing there to indicate that she was upset or shocked by his move. Even when he had brushed his hand gently against her cheek, she just closed her eyes and leaned into it.
Next came the pressure, the force of her own lips pressing hungrily against his own. Booker sighed, relief cascading down his body in waves. A hand found his jaw, stroking the stubble on his cheek as another snaked around to the back of his neck. Every tiny hair ignited extremely short fuses that rolled deep into his body, attached to nerve clusters that sent explosions coursing throughout his body. As her kiss tightened against him, Booker responded in kind.
His arm wrapped around her shoulders, pulling her closer as she tightened her kiss against him. His other hand settled on the woman’s lower back, holding her against him with just enough firmness to express exactly how much he wanted the woman who was standing before him. It was perfection, a moment that felt so utterly right that the man couldn’t even comprehend how or why this could be interpreted as wrong. How could something that felt this good be anything but?
That was the inherent flaw with perfection, however, it was never perfect. The two had gotten swept up in their sweetest of embraces, but it would be Juliette would come to her senses first. Just as suddenly as the kiss began, the man found himself that quickly devoid of lips to press against. A squeak of surprise, disgust, anger, whatever, and Juliette had pulled herself back. Feeling her body’s sudden movement, Booker’s eyes opened, wide as he straightened up, his fight or flight instincts kicking into overdrive.
He looked down, shocked and surprised, wondering for a brief moment what was wrong. But as the man looked at the expression that marred her face, Booker instantly could feel the heaviest pang of guilt settle into his heart. The good feelings, the sweetness, it was all suddenly gone and, in its place, there was only the deepest sadness and disgust with himself.
Dammit. He knew better than this…
>> ”I-I’m sorry,”
He blinked away his confusion, locking eyes with her again. How did she get so far away? It didn’t settle onto him right away that Juliette was beginning to move away from him so he took a single step towards her, his hand raised slightly in her direction. ”W-Wait…” he started to say. ”Juliette. I…I…”
>> ” I have to go.”
She didn’t give him the chance. Before he could even form the words of an apology, she had turned and found the will to move. Her legs carried her fast and far from him. He wanted to follow her, to explain to her that it was a mistake, to apologize for his behavior, and to steer her in the right direction of the exit (seriously, she was running around like a bird trapped in a building…which has happened and it’s a pain in the butt.) but he was only half—heartedly chasing her. He couldn’t chase too hard. He didn’t have that right and it would only scare her more.
Instead, Booker watched as she ran off, down the stairs and heading towards the entrance. Watching her go, the man let off the deepest and heaviest sighs as she dragged his feet to one of the nearest benches. He plopped down, sighed, and hung his head in his hands.
”Stupid, Booker,’ he chastised himself. ”So very stupid…”
The Paradise Ball. Booker remembered it was coming up. He remembered everything, after all. And yet, still, somehow it had managed to escape his attention. Truth was that Juliette provided far too much of a distraction for him. Her presence was all-together inspiring to him, giving him thoughts that the man knew that he shouldn’t be having. Add to that the fact that there would be a ball soon held in the very spot where they were standing that would exemplify love, romance, and passion, and the man found himself utterly beguiled once.
God this was a long day.
As the man answered his question, stumbling a little over his usually articulate words, he found himself a little at a loss now. He could feel his cheeks shading in color and his eyes struggling to stay low and away from her own gaze. He didn’t mean to, but thoughts of a slow dance, under low lights in this very room, with the woman in front of him began to overtake his mind. It was a fool’s errand, but while he logically knew that, it still shouted pretty loudly in his ear.
>> ”Oh,”
It seemed that she too was going through a struggle. Deep down he knew what the probable issue was, but still he was refusing to believe it. Booker wasn’t the type of man to interfere with another person’s relationship. He liked to think he at least had that much of a high ground, but damned if this woman wasn’t making it difficult. The shy look on her fact, the clear internal struggle, Booker only wanted to make her stop feeling so bad, but it seemed that whatever he did, whatever distractions he utilized, it was only serving to make things worse.
He sighed. He apologized. He tried to step back. He could stop this, at any time. He could just walk away, head back down the stairs and back to the reference desk and bury himself in his work. Sure it would seem rude, but wouldn’t that be the right thing to do? To completely deter the woman who pulled at him like a siren? It was the right thing to do. He would do it…
>> ”Don’t be.”
Dammit. He could feel his resolve was already failing him. He tried to stammer out a final line, asking if she had any further questions, hoping to segue that into either continuing the tour to some public place or doing as he said he would do and just leave. And yet, still, he found himself unable to separate himself from neither her, nor this moment. There was a clear fork in the road, two definitive paths that he could take, but either way, his legs wouldn’t move. All he could hope for was time, time in the form of questions she may have that he could utilize to distract himself.
>> ”No, no questions,”
Double dammit. To make matters worse, she was so quiet and distracted when she said it, that Booker was unsure of how to follow that. Why was this so difficult? What was it about her?
There was just something so…electric about being around Juliette. It was always as if there was a heavy charge in the air, like a calm right before a lightning strike. At any moment Booker expected, that when he stared into her eyes that he would be hit with a bolt from the heavens, that the finger of God would crash through the graying clouds with a righteous thunder and knock him square off of his feet…or smote him. Of course, the bolt of lightning metaphor that rebounded in his head also could be interpreted as him preparing to be smitten for his behavior. Seemed appropriate. Flirting with a girl that was already taken, and all.
Still, it wasn’t exactly as if the situation could be helped. For whatever reason, it felt like a fog had settled on his mind whenever he was around her. Ridiculous, of course. Booker had just met this woman once, after he had received a head injury. Really it was a situation better suited for trashy romance novel or one of those RomComs that his sister totally forces him to watch, yeah…
Despite the overwhelming evidence that all this made absolutely no sense, the librarian still found himself being utterly swept up in thoughts and emotions that entirely weren’t his own. The worst part of it was that while the man was doing his damnedest to separate himself from the woman, inevitably, he kept finding his way over to her (or was she finding her way to him?) This had now become one of those times.
They were close. So very, very, close. The world stopped around them. No one was passing through these halls to interrupt them. The close sound was the A/C unit kicking in somewhere in another hall. They were completely and utterly alone, just the two of them, sharing this extremely large and elegant room, a room that would be used to celebrate love and romance throughout literature. His head swam with this facts, flashing through romantic scenes of silent meetings between two would be lovers, and it had caused such a fervor in his mind that he didn’t even realize that with another step, the space between them was, at most, razor thin.
Before his brain could catch up with his body, it was far too late now. A haze of sticky sweet romance and the cheesiest love songs on the radio played through his mind. All those scenes in movies that made you cry, that made your heart race with romance, all of them played in a whirlwind of sound and fury in his mind; those and only those were what dictated his actions next.
A hand raised, slowly, gingerly, as the fingers carefully touched her soft cheek. Skin-to-skin, that was all that was needed to send that spark racing from the tips of his fingers, up his arm, and throughout the rest of the nerve-endings in his body. Deep down, beneath the sweet music that played in his head, he knew he would regret this. She was taken. She wasn’t his to do this with. But, frankly, my dear, he couldn’t give a damn – he needed to breathe again.
Leaning his massive height down, the last conscious thought Booker hand was the acknowledge that his lips had brushed hers. From there a cacophony of thunder filled his ears. It was wrong…but oh so very right as well…
The Rotunda proved to be a great distraction for the librarian. Throwing himself into his work did wonders for him, allowing him to focus on anything but the young woman who had managed to entice him. It should have made things just a little harder, considering that the man had spouted off the same information, over and over again, it should have been too repetitive for him to use well. However the man was still able to use it as a means of not focusing on the truly alluring woman in the room. Plus, seeing her reaction to the majesty the Rotunda had to offer was quite infectious.
He grinned a little, smiling and standing quietly as he watched her lift her eyes up higher, doing a little turn as she peered around the elegantly decorated room. It was truly a testament to the beauty that the New York Public Library had to offer, though didn’t it grow a little in beauty with the addition of the lovely nurse? Goddammit, Booker! The man cursed in his head, shaking the intrusive thought out and turning his head away from the woman.
Ah! The bench! He had used that bench before! With a sigh Booker went into a tale about the bench and how it used to be his favorite when he would come here to study. He gestured over to it. The story he weaved concerned a young Booker B. Bookman, studying under the paintings of an ancient scholar, hoping to glean just a little bit of that knowledge for his own use. To him, it had worked as it helped him to get through school, to pass his classes and become the person he was today. Though Juliette was curious about it, nonetheless.
>> "How so?"
He turned to face her. She was moving away but she seemed somewhat distant from him now, as if something heavy was weighing on her. He wasn’t quite sure what was wrong, but he didn’t want to pry. Maybe he was just misreading her, or maybe it was too private to share, but Booker didn’t want to pursue. No, he needed to focus on something more tangible, something that wouldn’t keep his thoughts on her.
”Oh, you know, being around the images of such classic scholars, in this setting, a gateway to knowledge,” He breathed a small, awed sigh. ”I think it just lit a fire under me to really focus on my studies and work. I mean, I’m one of the youngest librarians this place has seen.” He beamed proudly. ”Gotta have gotten some luck, right?”
Another charming smile as he slowly crossed the room to rejoin her. It was amazing that he really couldn’t keep his distance from the woman. In a way it made sense, he was her tour guide and the last thing he wanted was to lose her in this very large and confusing building. At least that was the reason he chose to believe and not the one that was steadily making things more and more difficult with every passing second. Really, it didn’t make sense. Booker had been attracted to people before but not like this. There was just something about her. Never before had Booker had this feeling of a moth drawn to a flame.
He gulped as he stepped closer to her, catching the scent of whatever soap or perfume that she had adorned herself with today. The silence sat heavy on the both of them and it didn’t help that they were currently the only two people in the room. There was a person or two who passed by before, but now it seemed as if they were alone again. One shaky breath and Booker refrained from leaning in further, instead, lifting his gaze to look anywhere but the enchanting woman nearby – that is until she asked him a question.
>>"What's, uh, being held here next?"
”Hrm?” he muttered wordlessly. It took a second for his brain to reconnect that the woman was asking about the functions that were usually held here. Good, a question about his job! A question that he could answer. Without really thinking of what his response could bring up, Booker spoke of it earnestly. ”Oh! Um, we are hosting the Paradise Ball: An…” his voice lowered a little, awkwardly, as he immediately recited the subtitle for the function. He had it memorized and had to announce it on more than one occasion so it was just too easy to not say. ”…’A-An Evening for Lovers…’”
Booker had worked with that function before. They host it every couple of years when it gets closer to the summer months. It is supposed to be an event to promote literature and romance. A night that usually saw this room filled with married couples, lonely hearts, and…lovers. It celebrated some of the greatest literary lovers in history…including such characters as Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennett, Don Juan, and…Romeo and Juliet…
A slight blush colored his cheeks. Was he always standing this close to her? Awkwardly he forced himself to take a step back, feeling his strength in the situation waning more and more. Quietly he muttered a ”Sorry.” As he stepped back and quickly tried to bring up his tour guide voice. ”Um…q-questions?”
