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.
The convention really had been fun, and as much as she’d initially protested, the costume hadn’t been that bad. Sure, her skin was now green, and she’d had to walk around in awful heels all day, but it had been fun. Plus, she’d gotten enough compliments on it and people wanting to take pictures that she knew just how worth it it had been. She had to take her hat off to Booker; the man knew how to plan a costume. Halloween would be fun.
It had been fun, but she wanted the costume off. She leaned over and unzipped the boots, sliding them off of her feet. That did something, but the paint on her skin was getting very annoying, and the rest of the costume was starting to feel warm and unnecessarily heavy. Normal clothes were sounding better and better by the second.
The only issue was that she and Booker still had plans for the rest of the day, and the green paint would surely stain any shower that she washed off in. She didn’t want to just disappear and use all the Bookman amenities without at least asking first.
Thankfully, he was understanding enough to let her use the shower. Juliette’s shoulders slumped a little in relief as she thought about how good it would feel to wash all of the green from her skin. Her eyes followed him over to where he was getting a squeeze bottle from the makeup kit. She took it gratefully, realizing how much she needed it. It would be horrible to have to walk into a classroom full of teenagers and explain to them why she was dyed green. So much for a productive class.
”Thanks for this,” she nodded to him as she stood from the couch, letting her feet readjust to a normal alignment for a second. Already, she could see where her fingers were smearing green paint all over the squeeze bottle. The sooner she could shower, but the better for everyone. Hopefully, this would stop her from making Booker’s entire apartment green. Even if it would technically be his fault.
>>”And, of course, if you need any assistance...I’m sure I can help…”
A slow smile spread across Juliette lips as she stopped to take another good look at Booker in his costume. Showers were always more fun when there was company…
”I mean, there’s all this paint on the back of my neck that I’m sure I won’t be able to reach,” she pointed out, stepping slowly toward the bathroom. ”Maybe you should just come in to get it for me…”
He had said that he would drop her unceremoniously, so it was only natural that Juliette would brace herself for impact after her joke. She closed her eyes, tensed her muscles, and held on extra tight to Booker’s neck. She felt his arms shift underneath her and she squealed a bit, thinking that he was actually going to go through with the threat. She wouldn’t put it past him, either. He had already proven that he was a man of his word.
Instead of actually dropping her, Booker merely loosened his grip a little, causing her to roll a bit in his grasp. She shrieked and tried to roll into him to counteract the motion, expecting a sharp decline to follow. Rather than that, he hefted her back up into his arms and carried her all the way over to the couch.
She lay back into the cushions, letting the feeling overtake her after a long day of walking around. It felt good to be somewhere calm and comfortable again. She turned to kiss Booker, propping herself up on an elbow to get a better angle with the kneeling man. Gently, her hand travelled to his face, smearing the tiniest bit of the green paint that was beginning to wear off.
>>”Again, thank you for going. You really were a good sport.”
”Thanks for taking me,” she replied with a grin. It had been a big step, but it was one that she was glad she’d taken, and she wouldn’t have wanted to go with anyone else. Overall, it had just been a great day. ”And for carrying me back.”
>>”And you have all this junk now! Where else could you get quality junk like this?”
Juliette shrugged and chuckled as she dug quickly through a bag that was pressing into her stomach, searching for one item in particular. ”I honestly have no idea. I mean-” she pulled out a small box ”-where else would I have gotten this Spoch phone case? Nowhere!”
Still laughing at the idea of having a pointed ear each time she went to talk on her phone, Juliette sat up and carefully set the bags of swag down on the ground. ”Seriously, though. Thanks for taking me,” she smiled at him, ”I had a lot of fun, and I like seeing you in your element. The non-book element, anyway.”
Officially settled in after the long day, Juliette was beginning to get a bit sick of the green paint on her body, and she could already see where it had started to come off onto Booker. The last thing that she wanted to do was stain their couch green. She couldn’t imagine that would be all that fun to explain to Nessa. ”So, do you think that I could use your shower to get some of this green off of me, or are the Large Father plans so time sensitive that I should wait?”
In all honesty, Juliette really hadn’t know what to expect of her first con experience. Booker had been rather vague leading up to the event, and she had no prior knowledge to pull from. So, she’d been rather nervous before it started. It didn’t exactly help that she was walking in in a full body costume, either. It was a hell of a grand entrance into nerd culture.
Still, after everything, it had been an awesome day. There was no other way to describe it. She’d gotten to experience a tonne of new things, had a wonderful lunch, and they’d even won the costume contest. Her absolute favourite part of it all was that she felt a little closer to Booker after it all; she’d seen a part of his life that she’d previously known nothing about and now they had a little more to connect on.
Well… that and the little Groop in a pot that moved. That was going on her desk at the mansion.
The day was nearly done, though, and she could barely feel her feet. Well, she really could barely feel her feet because she didn’t need to feel her feet. ”You’re doing great, babe,” she chuckled as he struggled with the door, the currently green woman in his arms. He had promised to carry her back, and he had kept his word. No apartment stairs for her.
She felt a little bad for him, watching as he attempted to shove his key into the door and get it open, but he had been the one to pick the costumes, so the guilt faded pretty quickly. If he hadn’t wanted to carry her, then he could have just picked a costume without awkward heels or body paint.
They made it into the apartment and Booker shut the door behind them. Once inside, Juliette briefly strained her neck to see if Nessa was in the apartment, but she couldn’t see the taller woman, so she assumed that the coast would be clear. It was always good to check around the Bookman siblings, who she learned had a shared bad habit of walking in on one another at the worst moments.
>>”And...we’re finally back. How was that for your first Con experience? Be honest and don’t fear giving me a wrong answer because I will unceremonious drop you. I mean, it would be totally warranted, but that’s the risk you take.”
”Oh, it was the worst,” Juliette announced as a joke, having decided to test whether or not he would actually drop her. She braced herself for impact as soon as the word left her mouth, and she did her best to hang on tight around his neck. Hopefully he would have some mercy and be able to take a joke. ”That was a joke, I actually loved it,” she added quickly.
The life of a mutant was hardly an easy one. With SUPER running around, the X-Men ruining their public image so frequently, and the stories that were constantly in the news, people were rarely excited to see a mutant out in public. It really made Juliette’s stomach churn when she thought of the ways that people with physical mutations were treated. It kept her up at night when she thought of how Mallory might be discovered by her peers one day.
”The nerve of some people,” Juliette muttered in agreement. It was sick. She had a hard enough time with her own mutation, and that wasn’t even visible in most cases. She couldn’t even think of what it must be like for Tulla with her eyes.
As they walked out of the door, Juliette took her hair from its ponytail and let it hang loose around her shoulders. She nodded at Tulla as she watched her do the same. Then, she chuckled when the other woman stated what she wanted from the bar. It seemed like a good combo. ”The wings go best with one of the tap beers, I have to say,” she explained.
After a second or so, she cleared her throat. What Tulla had said earlier about her mutation had actually made her curious. It maybe wasn’t the politest thing to bring up, but between two mutants, it was generally an okay topic. ”So what actually is your mutation, then?” she asked as they walked. The bar wasn’t far at all.
Juliette had had a rough year. She’d gotten out of a relationship that had more issues than was healthy, and she hadn’t even realized it until it had ended. What was worse was that it ended poorly, and she’d made mistakes near the end. It would always be a low point in her life and she would always remember the feelings of guilt that had nagged at her for weeks.
Still, there had been good things that had come out of the situation. After moving out of the mansion, she’d moved in with Rebecca, and that had been a great situation. But, best of all, she’d been able to save the weird situation with Booker. Yes, things had started off strange and rocky, but they were there now, sitting and holding hands across a table at a Chinese restuarant, in matching leather jackets. If it had taken that bad situation to get there, then she was glad she experienced it.
She had tried to mumble her way through explaining exactly how she felt about him, but she’d only gotten a sentence or two in by the time that their waitress returned to the table. It was probably a good thing, though, judging from the way that she was struggling to put everything that she felt into words. She would get another chance to try again later, hopefully.
She’d ordered first and then let Booker order what he wanted. He didn’t waste time telling her what he’d already picked out well before Juliette had even scanned the whole menu.
>>”Yes and I’ll have the Orange Chicken with a side of brown rice. OH! And can we have a plate of the fried wonton appetizers? Their fried wantons are the best.”
His order sounded excellent, and the appetizer that he ordered sounded awesome, too. ”Can’t wait,” she grinned, already looking forward to the fried wantons. It seemed like they were going to be in for a good meal. To punctate that, she took a sip of her drink as the waitress walked away, savouring the unique flavour of her pick.
”Um, so,” she said after putting her drink back down, trying to figure out where exactly to pick things back up. She took a deep breath before saying anything else, trying to make sure that she didn’t trail off like before. ”I just want to say that I’m so glad that I met you. You’re kind of amazing, Booker I-still-don’t-know-what-the-B-stands-for Bookman.”
If Vanessa had come into the room a good ten minutes later than she had, then she likely would have had a different view of the already awkward situation. Sure, things had been weird enough when she’d walked in on her and Booker, but if they had progressed any further, then Juliette could imagine the type of therapy she’d need in order to deal with it.
”No, thankfully, she was a few minutes too early for that,” Juliette shook her head and looked away, slightly awkwardly, as she tried to imagine how the situation could have been so much worse. She shuddered to think of the conversation that would have followed that.
And yet, despite the moments when Juliette thought that it wouldn’t, the night had ended well. Very well, actually. Vanessa had gotten the idea that Juliette was there for the right reasons, and she’d backed off from her interrogation. Sure, it had made things weird for a few minutes or so, but they’d found their stride again. The night had continued as if there hadn’t even been a mishap in the first place. ”Yeah, I think she got that idea…” Juliette nodded.
After a few months of living with Rebecca and generally being her friend, Juliette was starting to pick up on the Scottish colloquialisms that she often used without thought. There were, however, still a few sayings that she hadn’t caught onto. So when Rebecca called her feelings for Booker ‘pure’ and then laughed, Juliette simply rolled her eyes. ”Very funny,” she said dryly.
The two roommates moved on with the evening, and Juliette turned her attention to the chocolate pot. The piece of honeydew that she’d chosen just so happened to be far too large for her mouth, though, and she turned to her friend awkwardly. Again, she gave Rebecca a look as she teased her and then awkwardly swallowed. Finally, she muttered something under her breath about having experience with things like that before snuggling into the couch cushions.
When Booker told her what he was planning on getting, Juliette looked down the menu to see where his pick was. It sounded good too, but not quite good enough to make her change her decision. She had taken far too long to choose it in the first place, and they couldn’t order the same dish. That would make sharing no fun. Who would want to steal a bite of the same thing that they were already eating?
She watched him with a growing smile as he took in the rest of the menu. It was clear that he was enjoying himself, which made her happy. It definitely hadn’t been a bad day for her, and she’d had quite a bit of fun, but her first idea of a day out would likely never include walking around a convention center covered in green paint. Watching him sit like that at one of his favourite restaurants in a matching costume, though… that was definitely worth it.
Her eyes travelled back down to the menu and over to the waitress, trying to catch her eye now that they had decided. They did have a costume competition to make it back for, after all. They couldn’t spend all day eating Chinese food, as tempting as the thought was after looking over the menu.
When she turned back, she was surprised to see that Booker was trying to catch her eyes. ”What’s up?” she inquired casually.
>>”You really are beautiful, you know that? I don’t just mean the costume, which is hot, but...you are just genuinely a beautiful person...inside and out.”
Juliette’s heart stopped for a moment and her cheeks flushed bright red behind the green paint. How on earth did she manage to get so lucky? She smiled gratefully for a second, unsure of what to really say to such a genuine compliment. There was absolutely nothing cookie cutter or disingenuous about what he was saying; he really meant it. ”Booker… I…” she shook her head and reached over to put her hand in his. ”I don’t know how I managed to meet a person like you, but I’m so glad that I did. You’re a wonderful guy-”
She had been about to mumble through a tangent about how much she admired him as a person, but thankfully, the waitress stopped by their table before she got too far along her mess of thoughts. “All set?” she asked as she set two drinks down in front of them.
”Um… yes, I think so,” Juliette nodded and looked toward her, her hand still in Booker’s. ”I’ll have the crispy ginger beef, please. With a side of steamed veggies.” She then fell quiet again to allow Booker to put his order in and took her drink with her free hand.
Thankfully, her willingness to step out of her box a bit had not gone unrewarded. Tulla had certainly seemed rather surprised by her offer, but she’d accepted it easily. They were on their way to getting drinks together, strange as that may have been, considering their last interaction. It was always tricky navigating stressful situations and knowing who exactly would understand what Juliette was going through.
She felt like she’d made a safe bet with Tulla, though. She was a fellow medical professional that was bossed around by doctors and patients, and she was also a mutant, judging from her eyes. It was just a shame that she’d initially been so guarded with her. It seemed like they would have a fair amount in common.
”Thanks,” she began as they stepped out of the room and moved toward the nurse’s station. ”For understanding, I mean. It’s been… a stressful day. Year, really.” It felt good to be able to punch out for the night after the other woman and know that they would be done for the night. She wouldn’t have to worry about it for another day and a half, when her next shift was scheduled.
She cocked her head and thought for a moment when Tulla asked what she usually got at her favourite bar. That was a good question. Usually, Impact would just give her something on the house, so she never really spent much time reading over the menu. She didn’t argue with her (hard earned) free food and drinks.
”The beers on tap are good,” she shrugged, ”and the wings are pretty good. I’m… friends with the owner, so I tend to go there a lot.” Her and Impact’s relationship was strained. They likely would have been fairly good friends if the circumstances had been different. Maybe in another life.
Juliette turned back to Ignacio to give him a raised eyebrow. Sure, Andy definitely seemed to be into him in that way, but there was no reason why he needed to turn the flirting up that much. It could certainly be cooled for a little while, at least. Maybe until they got inside and got everyone sorted. And into real clothes. The two boys needed real clothes before they lost what little they were already wearing.
The air seemed to be cleared between the three of them. Andy understood that they hadn’t meant any harm by pulling him out of the pool. She had already made a mental note to always just turn the other way when she saw teenage boys sitting at the bottom of the pool from then on. Disconcerting as it may have been.
It didn’t come as much of a shock that Andy was relatively new. Juliette didn’t expect to know every single kid that walked the halls of the Xavier Institute, but she did try to make a habit of knowing all the kids that she’d been able to meet during her time there. It wasn’t impossible for a student to go a month without running into her.
”I’ve been here for about a year,” Juliette explained. It seemed crazy that her trial had been nearly a year ago at that point. It seemed like just yesterday that she’d been nervous about the simulation, but it also seemed like she’d come miles since that point. There was a strange way about time. She fell silent as she allowed Ignacio to answer.
Rebecca quickly confirmed the fact that she knew Vanessa’s brother, Booker. It made sense; with the level of comfort they seemed to have with one another, Juliette would be much more surprised if she hadn’t come across him more than a few times. It also made her wonder a little if she’d ever had a talk with him like she’d faced with Vanessa.
With another click of a few gears, Rebecca pieced together the next detail of Juliette’s night. The brunette nodded, admitting that she had, in fact, had a very awkward run-in with her roommate’s ex. It had been an unfortunate road bump in their evening, but in some respects, Juliette was sort of glad that the talk was out of the way. She was glad that it had happened early on rather than having Vanessa’s thoughts and impressions of her get worse over time. It was likely better that they (somewhat) cleared the air.
”I mean,” Juliette shrugged as she leaned forward to dip a piece of honeydew in the chocolate fondue pot. ”It wasn’t awesome. It definitely could have gone better. She walked in on us… um… in an intense situation, and it was a little strange. On top of that, she assumed that I was a cheating whore because I kissed Booker while still dating Sam-” that still made her frown whenever she said it aloud ”-but I think we made some progress. She got the impression that I was there for the right reasons.”
She’d left off the part about Vanessa assuming that quality of her because of her roommate choices. She didn’t think that Rebecca needed that on her shoulders right that moment. She stuck the piece of melon in her mouth and chewed it awkwardly, having overestimated the size of her mouth. Her brow had furrowed as she chewed and thought. ”She did leave us alone afterward, so I suppose it didn’t end too poorly.”
”Did you just call me swag? Talk about objectification!” Juliette protested with a smile. With Booker, there never seemed to be too far when carrying on a joke, and she didn’t mind pushing his buttons a bit. That was not, however, to say that she didn’t take great pleasure in the thought of being carried by him, or the thought of his arms flexing…
Ahem.
She blushed a little and sat back in her chair, distracting herself with the menu once more. It wasn’t as if there was a lack of items to be distracted by, either. There seemed to be absolutely no shortage of things to order at the restaurant, and there was a never ending row just of drinks! So many customizations and different types! She’d at least settled on a drink that sounded good: taro bubble tea with tapioca bubbles. It was hard to wrong with a classic like that.
The waitress came by and the two ordered their respective drinks before Booker asked if they could have another minute to look over the menu. Juliette watched her go for a second before giving him a grateful glance. She honestly had no idea what to get yet. She’d narrowed it down to about… the whole menu. Part of her was hoping that someone would just come along and choose for her so that she wouldn’t have to do it.
>>”There. More time to decide. And if you want my opinion, really, their crispy beef is amazing.”
”Yeah?” she confirmed as she scanned the menu down until her eyes fell on the dish in question. It did sound good, and at this point, she definitely trusted Booker’s judgement with food. It seemed like a safe bet to go with the recommended item for her first time there. ”Maybe I’ll get that, then. Do you know what you’re getting yet?” she glanced over at him to see if he had settled on any particular items.
The menu was all good. That was great to hear about a restaurant, but it didn’t exactly narrow down her selection choices any. Both of the items that Booker listed off sounded awesome, too. She made a face that suggested that she was deep in thought as she continued to scan the menu, making sure to avoid the Beef with Hot Garlic Sauce. There were far too many options to choose from. Couldn’t there just be a sampler option?
>>”How’re you holding up? I have to say, you are a trooper to wear the paint as long as you have.”
Juliette looked up when Booker addressed her and her body paint. For the guy who had painted her, he was awfully considerate of how she felt in it. A grin spread across her lips and she leaned forward a little bit. ”I’m doing well. I barely even feel my feet anymore,” she joked with a wink. That was a lie, actually. She could feel most of her feet. For the most part.
”Seriously, though. If I’m not doing alright, I’ll let you know. Maybe I’ll even make you carry me,” she winked a second time. It was fun to tease him a bit. He deserved it after the stunt he pulled that morning. It was cute that he cared so much, though. ”How’s the curse of the squeaky jacket?” Such a burden for him to bear, really.
Just as they were finishing up their conversation about costumes, a waitress appeared beside their table, a notepad in hand. She looked a bit more friendly toward the cosplayers than the hostess had, at least. “Can I start you guys off with some drinks?” she inquired lightly, looking between the pair.
”Uh… yes, I’ll try the taro bubble tea with tapioca,” Juliette said after a second. The drink menu was rather extensive, and that looked like an interesting thing to try. She looked back at Booker once she had placed her order to give him a chance to go. The waitress turned herself over to him to give him her full attention.
The suggestion to take a training class had come from a place of person experience with such matters. In a world like theirs, misogynistic and bigoted, Juliette was glad that she’d bothered to enrol herself in some self-defense classes early on, and more since being at the mansion. In a metropolis like New York, it was dangerous to leave one’s self out in the open and ready to be attacked. It was good to know that at Xavier’s, they were leaving their students with important skills like that.
The brunette nodded as she gave a final look over Celestina’s schedule. It looked sufficiently busy to keep her out of trouble. As if she looked like a trouble maker. ”Looks good,” she told her, handing the paper to a slightly frazzled Ruddy. He thanked her under his breath and stuck the paper his bag before going back to his previous position of chasing after his assistant headmaster.
”English is…” Juliette started and then trailed off as she watched a grown man chase after a robotic vacuum. ”English is… um… a good skill to have, but if you don’t think you’ll need it, then you’ll likely be fine. It’s not really like you don’t have enough classes for a semester anyway.” The last thing she wanted the young girl to do was overload herself for one final semester of high school. That didn’t sound like a good way to go out.
”Let’s go sit in on a class, then,” Juliette nodded with a smile. If she was remembering correctly, then there was an art class going on nearby. The teacher likely wouldn’t mind if they snuck in the back of the class for a little while. The nurse gestured for the new student to follow her through the halls and then began to lead her in the direction of the art classroom. It took them a few minutes, but soon enough, they arrived at a little studio room full of students hard at work on various projects.
Juliette opened the door to let Celeste through before waving at the teacher at the front of the room to let him know that they were just going to stand in the back. After receiving a nod of approval, Juliette stood against a cabinet, letting the student near her be able to take in the surroundings and listen to a bit of what the teacher had to say.
”I like that idea. Deal,” Juliette nodded. A nice, sit-down lunch followed by a competition that Booker would no doubt win, and then, of course, a grand finale of a Large Father foot rub. Who didn’t want to end their evening with a Chemrattle robot touching them sensually? It was every woman’s dream. ”To the Chinese restaurant, then!”
With a chuckle, Juliette linked her arm through Booker’s and took a step forward, waiting for the crowd in front of them to disperse so that they could get through the door. It took a few minutes, but eventually, they were able to make their way through the crowded corridors and get to the front doors.
”For two, please.” For a second, Juliette wasn’t sure why the hostess was staring at her. Didn’t they get people from the convention every now and then? After a second or two, she realized that they likely didn’t get all that many people with green skin. She blushed red as the woman gave her one final glance over before turning around to gather menus. It was very strange to be standing out in the open like that where she didn’t really fit, but then again, she realized that that was likely how people with physical mutations felt all the time. She could embrace their burden for a day.
The hostess led them through the lobby and through an area of table lit in distinctly red lighting. Gold accents and red lanterns decorated the rest of the restaurant, giving it a nice ambiance. It really was a gem, considering it was hidden in a little plaza and there were very few people there from the convention. Considering the crowd just a block from the huge crowd. Plus, the food would, without a doubt, be better than any hotdog that they could have picked up from the overpriced vendors at the convention.
The hostess set the menus down on a little table close to a wall and gestured for them to take a seat. She gave Juliette one last look before leaving them be. Juliette watched her go, doing her best to ignore her before sitting down at the table. She scanned the menu quickly and then looked up at Booker. ”Anything that you would suggest ordering here?” Much like the Italian restaurant they had first gone to, he had more experience with the menu than she did.
For a second, Juliette was worried that Rebecca wouldn’t understand why they’d moved as fast as they did. She and Booker’s relationship did not start in a way that was typically considered okay by most people, and she still regretted that they would now have to carry that fact with them, but things felt right with him. Nothing felt forced or uncomfortable, and it only made her wish that she’d been able to see the cracks in her relationship with Sam earlier than she had.
Luckily, Rebecca’s true blue friend title stayed golden. Juliette let out a squeak as the redhead launched at her, giggling happily as her friend pulled her into a hug. It was nice to have support like that. Not a single inch of her regretted moving in with her friend.
As Rebecca complimented her grin, it only grew wider. Juliette was happy. As stupid as it sounded, she really did feel like she was glowing. She hadn’t felt like that in months; her previous relationship had so many fault lines that she was surprised it hadn’t erupted sooner (she could see that with distance), and everything before that point with Booker had come with skeevy feelings. It was nice to be over that hump.
Still, there was always some kind of drawback, since life couldn’t possibly let them off easy. No matter how amazing the night afterward had been, there was nothing that could make her forget her conversation with Booker’s overprotective sister. Booker’s overprotective sister who also happened to be Rebecca’s ex-girlfriend.
”But,” Juliette said slowly, taking a pause as she backed up slightly from the hug. There was always a but, wasn’t there? ”I swear that I didn’t know this when we met, but… he’s Vanessa’s brother…”
She stopped there, trying to look at Rebecca’s face to see how she would react. Things with Vanessa had been messy, and they really hadn’t ended well between the two of them, and she would understand if Rebecca was uncomfortable with the connection. She wasn’t sure how she would react if the redhead wanted her to end things with Booker, but she would cross that bridge if it appeared.
