The X-men run missions and work together with the NYPD, striving to maintain a peaceful balance between humans and mutants. When it comes to a fight, they won't back down from protecting those who need their help.
Haven presents itself as a humanitarian organization for activists, leaders, and high society, yet mutants are the secret leaders working to protect and serve their kind. Behind the scenes they bring their goals into reality.
From the time when mutants became known to the world, SUPER was founded as a black-ops division of the CIA in an attempt to classify, observe, and learn more about this new and rising threat.
The Syndicate works to help bring mutantkind to the forefront of the world. They work from the shadows, a beacon of hope for mutants, but a bane to mankind. With their guiding hand, humanity will finally find extinction.
Since the existence of mutants was first revealed in the nineties, the world has become a changed place. Whether they're genetic misfits or the next stage in humanity's evolution, there's no denying their growing numbers, especially in hubs like New York City. The NYPD has a division devoted to mutant related crimes. Super-powered vigilantes help to maintain the peace. Those who style themselves as Homo Superior work to tear society apart for rebuilding in their own image.
MRO is an intermediate to advanced writing level original character, original plot X-Men RPG. We've been open and active since October of 2005. You can play as a mutant, human, or Adapted— one of the rare humans who nullify mutant powers by their very existence. Goodies, baddies, and neutrals are all welcome.
Short Term Plots:Are They Coming for You?
There have been whispers on the streets lately of a boogeyman... mutant and humans, young and old, all have been targets of trafficking.
The Fountain of Youth
A chemical serum has been released that's shaving a few years off of the population. In some cases, found to be temporary, and in others...?
MRO MOVES WITH CURRENT TIME: What month and year it is now in real life, it's the same for MRO, too.
Fuegogrande: "Fuegogrande" player of The Ranger, Ion, Rhia, and Null
Neopolitan: "Aly" player of Rebecca Grey, Stephanie Graves, Marisol Cervantes, Vanessa Bookman, Chrysanthemum Van Hart, Sabine Sang, Eupraxia
Ongoing Plots
Magic and Mystics
After the events of the 2020 Harvest Moon and the following Winter Solstice, magic has started manifesting in the MROvere! With the efforts of the Welldrinker Cult, people are being converted into Mystics, a species of people genetically disposed to be great conduits for magical energy.
The Pharoah Dynasty
An ancient sorceress is on a quest to bring her long-lost warrior-king to the modern era in a bid for global domination. Can the heroes of the modern world stop her before all is lost?
Are They Coming for You?
There have been whispers on the streets lately of a boogeyman... mutant and humans, young and old, all have been targets of trafficking.
Adapteds
What if the human race began to adapt to the mutant threat? What if the human race changed ever so subtly... without the x-gene.
Atlanteans
The lost city of Atlantis has been found! Refugees from this undersea mutant dystopia have started to filter in to New York as citizens and businessfolk. You may make one as a player character of run into one on the street.
Got a plot in mind?
MRO plots are player-created the Mods facilitate and organize the big ones, but we get the ideas from you. Do you have a plot in mind, and want to know whether it needs Mod approval? Check out our plot guidelines.
Posted by James Ellen on Jan 14, 2014 12:49:24 GMT -6
Delta Mutant
112
6
Nov 11, 2021 19:20:02 GMT -6
Serena chuckled and James blushed, as usual. Ugh, why did he do that? It was like a reflex reaction, just more embarrassing and awkward.
Serena apologized for being a bit of an anatomy geek, well, that did make sense. Her mutation was all about blood, which was linked to anatomy. It seemed peoples mutations changed them a little. James would never had imagined ever being how he was now, physically, he'd never needed it. Now it seemed like a necessity. Especially with the X's playing at the back of his mind, that and how pathetic the Aiden incident had made him feel.
"It is kind of to do with your power...I guess."
An idea was flailing at the back of James' mind, trying to get his attention. It did and it was brilliant. Without thinking he said; "Vladimir!" He pointed absentmindedly at his guest, but his eyes were distant. Basking in the idea's awesomeness. Then sanity pulled him back and b**** slapped him.
Wait...what? Oh, a nickname. Ah, had he just said that out loud? Yes, yes he had. Would it annoy Serena? James didn't know, he was half expecting another blood lance to pierce his other shoulder.
Regardless the amount of blood flowing to James' face had definitely increased.
Posted by James Ellen on Jan 12, 2014 16:10:43 GMT -6
Delta Mutant
112
6
Nov 11, 2021 19:20:02 GMT -6
As the dragon turned James could feel the vibrations, the dragon must way an awful lot, then again it was a dragon. He had half a mind to bolt, run for it before the mass of scales could eat him in one single bite. But that wouldn't do, he had walked up to the dragon after all and it would be rude.
It seemed the dragon was Japanese, the word Ohayou rung a bell, where had he heard it? Anime, probably. What did it mean? Good morning? Yeah, that was it. The dragon could talk and it was well mannered, if not a little frightening.
Come to meet a God? Did I hear that right? Maybe a little big headed too, but then again, if you had grown up as a dragon, who wouldn't be? "Yes, I suppose you could say I came to greet the sun. Then I noticed you and was surprised I hadn't seen you around before." The 'because you are so hard to miss' part was left unsaid. James was usually quite socially awkward, but he didn't feel at all stiff or nervous while talking to the reptile, maybe because it was a dragon? He didn't know.
James was about to reply to the dragons question about being a mutant but apparently there was someone behind him...turning he saw a figure, slightly shorter than himself. Somewhat familiar, but he couldn't place the colour. The lack of facial hair was what gave it away, it was the mutant he had escaped the brawl with...the one with stony skin.
He turned back to the dragon, who's booming laugh resonated through his body.
"Very well! Know that I am Lord Orochi, an Earth bound deity born of Japan! Now honor me little humans, and tell me who you are?"
Hmm, James knew a little about Japanese etiquette but had never used it in real life, deciding to play it safe he just went with a respectful bow and stated his name. "My name is James, I also live here at the mansion." He turned his head towards Masque slightly, watching from the corner of his eye to see how he would introduce himself.
Posted by James Ellen on Jan 12, 2014 13:57:28 GMT -6
Delta Mutant
112
6
Nov 11, 2021 19:20:02 GMT -6
James had spent all day pacing his room at the mansion considering if he should go see his mother and apologize for his behavior. The idea was scary, but it needed to be done. By the time he had plucked up the courage it was getting dark.
The walk was torturous and James was losing his nerve, by the time he got to the other side of the park it was dark and he had pretty much bottled it. Looks like I'll have to ask Serena to come with me, I guess. He pivoted on his heel and began to walk back. The darkness made him feel slightly paranoid and he pulled his jacket closer around him, looking about for strangers.
As he circled the lake he saw a stranger alright, way more of a stranger than he had ever thought possible. The girl was stripping. Literally stripping in the middle of nowhere. Time was short, James had to hide.
The blush which quickly took over his face was as red as red can be as he dived behind the nearest tree. God knows what she would have thought if she knew he had been looking. The last thing he wanted was some woman thinking he was a pervert...which he wasn't, just a teenager.
"Why me?" he asked the sky. Why, of all people, would the guy who suffers from social anxiety from just being in the same room as a woman? There was a splash. Okay, on one...two...three.
James peeked from around his tree, just in time to see the girl dive downwards. Now was his chance, he could get out of there as quickly as possible while she was under the water. James jumped out from behind his tree, eyes firmly planted on the ground he quickly power walked as fast as possible around the rim of the lake. Almost there...almost at the path and then he would be behind some bushes where he would be out of view.
James's leg caught on something...what? He only just had time to think; S*** before his leg twisted and he splashed into the lake. The water was so cold it felt as if the air had been sucked from his lungs. James splashed around a bit, unsure what was going on, until he sunk to the bottom. It seemed the splashing around had pushed him deeper into the water. That was fine, he could just swim back up...
Nope, apparently not, for some reason he was just too heavy. Why the hell couldn't he swim? Looking around to see if he had snagged anything on the bottom he noticed a glinting. Oh dear, ohdearohdearohdear.
It seemed the shock of getting thrown into the water had caused James's mutation to activate, the hand made of steel was weighing him down like an anchor. James tried to think...nothing came...what exactly was he supposed to do?
Right..take a deep breath...NO! don't do that, bad idea. Panic started to set it, he had been underwater for what? fifteen seconds? James knew he still had at least another minute worth of air in his lungs, the advantages of regular exercise! Yay!
Now, how to get out? How. To. Get. Out.
Before the naked girl saw him, that was.
Positive, positive thinking was his defining aspect. That made him feel a little calmer.
Posted by James Ellen on Jan 12, 2014 10:19:05 GMT -6
Delta Mutant
112
6
Nov 11, 2021 19:20:02 GMT -6
James rolled out of bed, rubbing his eyes. It was early, good. He had time. James walked to the mansion entrance after pulling on his tracksuit and trainers. As always James would start his day with a run, made of steel. Operation Steel had been working well.
He cracked his knuckles as he made his way to the metal fence which went all the way around the mansion grounds. The cool morning air was clean and the the temperature woke him up properly. At the fence he lay his hands upon the bars, willing the steel to take its effect.
James tried not to shiver as the cold feeling ran up his skin, starting at the palms of his hands. Just as it reached his collar bones he pulled away, a few quick taps against various parts of his body confirmed it had worked. James bounced up and down a couple of times, testing the new weight and set off.
Okay, fifteen minutes this time. Faster..faster faste-
There was a roar, louder than any he had heard before. It vibrated through his body. James looked to his right slowly. There, nestled in the middle of the mansion grounds was something that looked like a cross between Godzilla and Alduin.
James had seen lots of mutants in his time since coming to the mansion, but none of them compared to the majestic lump of scales ten meters to his right. At first it inspired a paralyzing fear, James found for a good fifteen seconds he could do nothing but stare, looking like a fool. Then his senses returned to him and fear was replaced by something close to a scared-yet-giddy awe.
There was a dragon. In real life. In front of him. If someone said to him, right now. 'Guess what? We found a way to pull things out of computer screens and make them real!' They might have even got him to believe them. Apart from the fact that they were at the mansion...a place for mainly mutants, so what else could the dragon be?
It could only be a mutant.
The thought saddened him a little, maybe he would have preferred the 'pulling things out of screens' explanation. All thoughts of going for a run forgotten, James walked towards the dragon slowly and cautiously until he was only a couple of meters to its left. The dragon wasn't looking at him, but he assumed it would notice him before long. Maybe introducing himself was the best idea? Could the dragon even talk?
"Erm...Hello?" James asked cautiously. Normally, walking towards possibly dangerous reptiles wasn't one of the teenagers favorite pastimes, but he wouldn't be able to forgive himself if he passed up the chance to meet a real life dragon. It was practically every gaming nerds dream. James was no exception to this rule.
Posted by James Ellen on Jan 11, 2014 17:50:35 GMT -6
Delta Mutant
112
6
Nov 11, 2021 19:20:02 GMT -6
What had James been doing? Well, besides the LoL binge and amount of books he had mentally consumed since the incident with Leon? Hmmm, still not much admittedly. He had started his, what he had decided to call, operation steel.
The new fitness program he had set for himself. Running while made of steel did wonders for his level of fitness and now it was getting to the point where walking around while not made of steel made him feel as light as a feather. His body had also started to shape itself in a way which he hadn't originally intended.
When he looked in the mirror James was a lot more muscular than when Serena had last met him. His arms were quite thick and his leg muscles were like tree trunks. James was pretty sure he had gotten to the 'Don't mess with this guy if he is in an alleyway with you' sort of point. Quite the opposite to his usual shy/timid nature.
The incident in the alleyway with Aiden had made him even more determined to get stronger. He was confident in his physical capabilities but he couldn't say the same for his ability to defend himself without his mutation. The ugly bruise that had ached on his stomach for a long time was enough to tell him that.
But now? Well, now James's abdomen was considerably more muscular and he could tense his muscles as a small level of defense, unlike before.
"You mean besides LoL and all the books I've read? I started practicing with my mutation a lot. I don't know if you noticed but exercise with steel skin produces considerably better results."
Crap. James thought after saying it, he didn't want to sound like a prat flaunting his body. Plus, he realized, the comment would get Serena to look at him. That would just make him embarrassed, even if he could see it coming.
Posted by James Ellen on Jan 11, 2014 17:05:41 GMT -6
Delta Mutant
112
6
Nov 11, 2021 19:20:02 GMT -6
"No? Too bad. Would have shown confidence. How's a guy going to be a stud if he can't be brave enough to wear a shirt that says as much?"
Well, that was the point. He wasn't and didn't want to be a stud. Although she was joking and the comment was in good humor. He smiled, feeling less shell-shocked, he even chuckled a little.
"Yeah, I'm brave. Just...y'know, not very good at the whole romance thing." James joked back, it was a major understatement but it didn't really matter. Amelia turned away and moved towards the more plain looking clothes, good. She couldn't tease him as much over there.
"Maybe a yellow polo, instead. I bet something like that would look good on you"
James shrugged. He guessed so, it was a bright colour and James was more drawn towards happy, positive colours than ones which were dark and depressing. However James was more focused on the slacks. He only ever wore jeans, maybe a change was in order.
"Yeah, I guess, but I really need some new trousers...I mean pants. The ones I have are all ripped at the knees and stuff."
James tried to not let the surprise register on his face, It probably did, at least a little. The last think he wanted Serena to think was that her being nice was a surprise. It shouldn't have been but James was still getting used to the concept of having a friend, let alone one willing to help you with something sensitive like this.
He lay down on his bead, legs crossed. Admittedly he didn't feel quite as awkward around Serena as his did around others, mainly because he had talked to her a lot, but it wasn't entirely gone. He laughed a little internally at 'displaying that mutants are no more necessarily dangerous than humans.' She herself had proved the destructive power of mutants. Not that she would ever intentionally use it to hurt someone, with obvious exceptions, say for example; Leon.
It shamed James to admit that, he himself had been a fingers width away from loosing it to the point of no return with the other teenager. Funnily, in some ways, Leon had been exactly like James's mother. With the narrow-mindedness and inability to see reason.
He started tracing spirals on the bedsheets with one of his fingers as he thought of a response. James had believed that his behavior towards his mother the last time Serena came with him would have put her off, he had obviously underestimated the other girl. That made him feel a little bad. After all, Serena had never done anything to prove otherwise.
Then again, Serena was the only one who had come off with a good impression that time. James had just managed to make himself and Leon look like jerks...only one was right on that account. Leon was definitely a jerk.
There was no doubt that the young hemokinetic was a social adept, master extrovert and as worthy of a speech level of 100 as anyone else he knew.
"Yeah, If it comes to it I'll let you know." He smiled, this one was unusually normal and not awkward. "I appreciate it, and if worse comes to worse, you are probably the best person for calming a raging mother. Not really my...forte"
Posted by James Ellen on Jan 9, 2014 16:03:19 GMT -6
Delta Mutant
112
6
Nov 11, 2021 19:20:02 GMT -6
The shock and adrenaline that came with getting thrown into the crazy brawl was wearing off as the three of them made their way to the alley. The tunnel vision which had blanked out everything but his main points of focus had gone. James got his first view of what was really going on. People mauled each other in ways which he could only describe as beastly. Some of the sights made him feel sick.
His arms were shaking and fear, something that hadn't been present to begin with, gripped his spine. Even through the strong feeling of invincibility which came with being made from steel, James was undeniably scared. This wasn't something the average seventeen year old student should ever have to deal with.
The mutant he helped up hadn't said anything, which was strange, but they had managed to start moving back to the purple guy. With the other mutant at his side, James used the baseball bat and his body to block every incoming attack he could. Without the steel he would have been a dead man.
James was running backwards, eyes open, looking out for attacks to jump in front of. He almost looked like he knew what he was doing, which in truth he didn't. The past deed had all been adrenaline and impulsive reaction to what was going on around him.
At the moment, he was hurting. The amount of blows which had hit his body were building up, causing little more than loud noises. James may be made of steel, but it still hurt to get thwacked by all sorts of stuff. Punches were fine, he felt literally nothing from those, but all the wooden implements were taking their toll.
Luckily for James he was blocking a swing from a teenager his own age when the purple man split someones neck open.
"Lets go!" James heard from behind. He turned and saw the purple guy. Okay, good. The strange black things were holding the escape route open well and it looked like they could make their way to the alley without being apprehended.
Not looking was bad. James felt something wooden crack against his shoulder. The pain would have been minor, only he had been hit there a countless amount of times in the past couple of minutes. Blowing air through his teeth, James ignored it.
"Okay!" He patted the other mutant on the shoulder, who looked just as frightened as he felt. "You go ahead a couple of paces, I'll top as many from getting to you two as possible."
James sounded confident, he didn't feel confident. But he did feel positive at least, invincible even. Now I really need to learn how to fight properly. As if in response to his previous thought something else hard cracked against the same shoulder. "For god sakes! Get. Off!" He shouted, pushing the attacker over, trying not to hurt him.
Posted by James Ellen on Jan 9, 2014 15:27:55 GMT -6
Delta Mutant
112
6
Nov 11, 2021 19:20:02 GMT -6
James turned to Amelia and blushed immediately. There she was waggling the Ditto shirt at him. So she can't read minds, if she could she would have been able to tell that's is not my kinda thing. He knew she was just teasing him, but he couldn't help feeling embarrassed. Even though the joke was pointed at the ditto on the shirt.
"Aha, I...erm...don't think that me wearing anything with the...uh...word...erm...stud on would really..." He trailed off into a nervous chuckle.
Stud really wasn't a word James could even imagine associating himself with. What if wearing it made people think he was sociable? Then he would have people talk to him. That would be terrifying, but maybe a good thing...no a bad thing. Girlfriends hadn't ever been very high on James's list of priorities, not that he thought he was incapable...well, maybe a little. He had managed to keep a positive attitude towards the issue, although it wasn't something he really thought about.
James looked around, at anything but Ami and her bouncing eyebrows. He had to admit it was funny, even if it was at his expense. He smiled at it, even if it felt like it was born of nervous energy.
"As I'm sure you gathered during our.... Encounter with Leon, my family are all gone, so I don't really have anyone to plan anything with."
Ah, so I was right. James would have said something like 'I'm sorry for your loss/losses' but that seemed lame and untrue. Mainly because he didn't really feel sorry, that wasn't the right word for it. He felt sympathy and maybe a bit of pity, but he doubted she wanted to know that. Besides. Serena had probably heard it enough, the topic of her family probably wasn't one she wanted to talk about. So he just looked at her and nodded in a way which he hoped said something like 'Yeah, I gathered. That sucks, worse than I could probably imagine."
"How about you? Have you spoken with your mother recently?"
Guilt, there was some of that. No, he hadn't spoken to her since losing his cool and...flipping the table. His first thought was to make a cutting comment, something bitter. But remembered he had nothing to complain about. At least his mother was alive, that he should be happy about. It was hard not to take her for granted.
"No, I haven't. I plan to though, apologize and all that. I'm hoping she might contact me on Christmas day, if not I will go to her." He shrugged. That's if he could pluck up the courage. Not much scared James, but his mother slamming the door in his face was one of them. Rejection was a hard thing to get over, especially if it was from someone close. "She seemed to like you, though. She's good at noticing nice people I guess, even if she is a bit..." He grasped for the words. "obstinate."
Posted by James Ellen on Jan 7, 2014 8:38:46 GMT -6
Delta Mutant
112
6
Nov 11, 2021 19:20:02 GMT -6
James saw the flailing mutant go down. Then the purple guy suggested they get on with his plan. Half of James wanted to run, get out of there while he could, but having seen the oddly coloured guy get punched in the gut was a wake up call. They couldn't just run, they had to get as many people out with them as they could.
"Right," James nodded. "You make your way there, try to clear a path. I'll catch up." Without waiting for a response he took a deep breath and ran over to the guy who just got sucker punched, knocking people who tried to attack him away as only he could, trying his best not to hurt them too badly.
"Hey lady!" He yelled at the woman armed with brass knuckles, ready to lay into the other mutant. She ignored him. Goddammit. Without thinking he struck the metal bat down his arm, making sparks and a loud noise. It got her attention, sure. Unfortunately it got some of the other crazies attention too.
The lady took a swing at him which raked across the right side of his face. Even with skin made from steel, the force still made its way to the flesh underneath. I hurt, a lot. Grunting and ignoring the pain, James brought the bat up, reading his swing as if he was waiting for the bowler to throw the ball and slammed it into the left of the assailants head with a meek "Sorry."
Offering a hand to the person under him he noticed that their skin wasn't normal and that they were an obvious mutant. "C'mon, get up. Lets get out of here."
Then James gasped. What. The. F***. Was this a zombie apocalypse or something? It wasn't what he had expected it to be like.
The woman who he had knocked down and assumed to be unconscious was obviously not. She reared up and attempted to bite his wrist. The after effect was, to say the least, horrifying. The sight almost made him sick.
He looked at the mutant again and said more firmly. "Now!"
His stunt with the bat had got a group of the crazy citizens to turn their way and if they didn't move quick, they would be surrounded. If none of them had firearms James would be fine with any amount of citizens in this state, but he didn't want to cause unnecessary harm.
Posted by James Ellen on Jan 3, 2014 11:05:01 GMT -6
Delta Mutant
112
6
Nov 11, 2021 19:20:02 GMT -6
He looked at the three shirts. A League of Draven one, which was ever so appropriate. A Horde Vs Alliance one, he'd played WoW for a while, so he liked that one too. The Portal shirt was also equally appreciated, the lyrics made him smile. It reminded him of his last shopping trip which had been...interesting to say the least, let alone embarrassing.
"I've been a bit low on the clothing front." He said studying the presents, "I've kind of been avoiding the whole shopping thing since Amelia took me..." The memory made him blush even more, shaking his head a little he tried to push it off the cliff of recall and back into his sea of memories.
James wondered if his mother would try contacting him on Christmas day, he could only hope. Usually his aunt would come to stay for Christmas up to new years, but he didn't know how she would feel about him being a mutant. James wanted to believe she wouldn't mind, but then again, he would never have suspected that his mother would have reacted the way she did.
"I don't suppose you have any plans for Christmas, Serena?"
Posted by James Ellen on Jan 2, 2014 12:09:18 GMT -6
Delta Mutant
112
6
Nov 11, 2021 19:20:02 GMT -6
James had been on his way home from the mansion, he had gotten bored sitting around all day and going for a walk had seemed like a good idea. Now It didn't. He had no idea how it happened but James was now in the middle of a huge melee.
He was just walking through when a group of people started yelling and beating on others with various weapons. At first he had been confused, why the hell would everyone be fighting? But then he saw the guy go purple. Ah, its like that. Not sure weather to turn and leave, or to stay and help, James stood still and watched the purple guy and a group of black guys with glowing eyes lay into the mob.
Unfortunately the decision was made for him. Without warning a man tackled him at waist, slamming them both into the side of a parked car. Gasping James sat up. "What the he-" before he could finish the guy started scrambling towards him, arms flailing.
With a grunt of surprise James leaned against the side of the car, palms cold on the surface. Just as he kicked the guy in the head to keep him at bay, the familiar cold feeling spread up his arms. The steel sliding slowly across his body. For once James really wanted it to go faster. Faster...faster...fasterfasterfasterfaster-
The guy got up again, shaking his head and stepped towards James. "I don't want to hurt you..." No visible reaction. The man just lurched towards him, arms outstretched he landed what would have been a good punch on James's shoulder...if it hadn't been made of steel that was.
With a sickening crunch the man fell back. That's just unfortunate. The steel climbed up his face and across his scalp just in time for a wooden 2x4 to crack him across the back of the head. Luckily, he felt nothing. The piece of wood snapped in half and he turned to face his aggressor.
Without thinking James stepped forwards and headbutted the man. His eyes rolled back as he slumped to the floor, unconscious. James felt bad about it for about five seconds, before he saw properly what the fight had turned into. People were lying all over the place. Some looked fine, while others looked...really not okay.
Stepping forwards into the fray, James ran towards the center, looking for people who needed help. Countless weapons made contact with his body, but he ignored them, moving on. That was, until he came to a stop.
A bolt of white hot pain flared up his arm, looking to his right just in time to see a crazy looking woman wielding a metal baseball bat. Breathing heavily, trying to ignore the pain, James brought his left hand up and caught the bat during its second swing and twisted it out of her grip, taking it for himself. It might be useful.
James didn't want to hurt the woman, luckily she got knocked over by two people fighting behind her, out of sight, out of mind.
"Now what?" He heard behind him, turning he was surprised to see the purple man.
"Get the hell out of here?" James asked unhelpfully.
Well, It wasn't so much that she shouldn't know it, but more along the lines that (James didn't like to use stereotypes, but in his experience this was largely true.) girls didn't seem to play games as much as guys. He knew some did...but then again, he could just have that impression because he never went near the opposite gender by choice.
Then, as James was coming to believe was something she did purely to tease him, Serena winked. For some reason he could never fathom, this made him feel self conscious and embarrassed. Probably because winking had cheeky connotations, either way it had its usual effect. James's already pink cheeks edged even closer to a deep red. He quickly looked somewhere else. Where to look? Where...to...look. Ah! Present!
Eyes snapping the the present he decided on weather he should open it now or later. It was usually awkward opening presents with the person who gave it to you. Trying to gauge how happy you should be to have it was always difficult. You didn't want to look too enthusiastic about it, but you also didn't want to look unenthusiastic. Deciding that he already felt pretty awkward as it was , he might as well open it.
Shrugging he pinched the corner with one hand, ready to tear. "Might as well now, Its probably going to be the only one I get. Either way." James spoke in an upbeat tone, seemingly unfazed by the fact that his Christmas was going to most likely end up as a gaming marathon.
He tore the top off, the childish excitement which always came with presents nestled comfortably in his gut booting out the social awkwardness.
The result was what looked like two or three shirts, folded on top of each other. That was pretty freaking brilliant, actually. He needed more of those. Not only were they shirts, but they were clearly James's kind of shirt.
"Bloody hell, Serena..." James said, looking at her with a slightly shy grin. "I don't suppose you can read minds?"
