The last time Svetlana went to a random bar to get drunk, she ended up falling for an adapted.
Obviously, the choice of place had been the one to blame for that mess.
So, the next time Sveta decided to go and drink off the Haven books, she made sure to pick the worst, shadiest, seediest dive bar she could locate short of actually sidling up to the Russian mafia. At least this way, if someone started a fight with her, she would not feel bad about breaking things. Or people.

The place had no name, and definitely no windows. Perfect. Sveta took a seat at a table in a corner, got herself a glass and a bottle of something that was not vodka, and relaxed into a quiet evening alone, with her thoughts, unnoticed. Not that she did not love Haven, or her part in the IE. But sometimes she had demons to wrestle, and Haven was too clean a place for that sh*t.

At least they were not literal demons. This time.

It was a new world, literally, and Sabine was learning how to live a life that was completely alien to her: she was no longer a ghost in the wind at will.

Sure, there were still covert operations she could handle, and disguises were a fun element of sneaking about, but she was tasked with big picture issues now, and those took priority. She had to see where trouble and PR nightmares were brewing and quash them, and with the staff they currently had, that was an exhausting and time-consuming job.

However, there was actually a recent incident that she wanted to address that was not a major public snafu, but it still irked her. Iota-Nine was deemed an acceptable loss (after the clusterf*** that was her escape) because recapturing her was a bigger risk than SUPER wanted to take. Disappearing once was easy, since her people did not know where she went, but the mutation enhancer would give Haven more information now that she had returned. Taking her back was a risk that could invite more trouble than it was worth.

And yet, some agents and soldiers had more macho ego than brains, so an attempt was made. It had been addressed in house, but Sabine was going to use her night off to blend business with personal, not that she had much of a “personal” life. They were not going to capture Iota-Nine again, but that did not mean they were not keeping tabs on her, Sabine in particular.

Wearing a simple black top and jeans, much more casual than normal given the setting, Sabine entered the bar.

The term was generous, because nothing about the drinking hole felt legitimate. Sabine spotted a familiar blonde head of hair at a table and sauntered over. After ordering whiskey, (very cheap whiskey, she noted,) she slid into the chair across the table. ”I’m not sure if I ever pegged you as upscale, but I was not exactly guessing ‘seedy s***hole' as your go-to, I-Nine.”

The woman slid into the chair across from her, and for a moment, Sveta was ready to politely tell her to get lost. But then she looked up, and saw the face, and the idea of being polite went straight out the window.

>> ”I’m not sure if I ever pegged you as upscale, but I was not exactly guessing ‘seedy s***hole' as your go-to, I-Nine.”

Sabine. She was stuck on this side, with the rip closed, and having a whole new world to use as some sick, messed up playground. Sveta tensed up, gloved hands curling to fists under the table.

"Well, I tried to find a place that would be too trashy for your kind, but obviously there is no such thing." she shot back, eyes narrowed. "The upside is, this hellhole does not give a sh*t if I put someone's face through the table."

Bar fights were one way to relieve stress, after all... but Sveta was going to wait for Sabine to start one.

Sabine had plenty of theories on how Svetlana, the supermutant escapee, might react to the sudden reunion with a woman complicit in her abduction. Sabine was not going to go into such a volatile situation blind, so she took time in advance to prepare herself for some of the most likely violent options. Sabine held no misconceptions; Iota-Nine was not a fan of her.

Sabine made her nonchalant entrance. She gave no signs of concern, but she did watch the blonde carefully. Tension hang in the air and in Sveta’s body. The threat of violence loomed, but the mutant chose to spit words at Sabine instead. Words with a more explicit thread of violence, admittedly, but she was not throwing hands yet. It was a start.

”I’m sure this place has seen plenty of that. Still, I’d really rather not make a mess of such perfectly mediocre tables.” If she was going to put Svetlana through furniture, she would prefer the dignity of it not being a table marred with old water rings and caked on gunk.

It was probably a good choice to get right to the point of why she was there, lest the blonde follow through on her threats. ”You may or may not have heard from that prettyboy friend of yours that I’m suffering a more managerial position these days.” Devon Hadden was not an idiot from what she drummed up, and he was not about to miss important updates on an organization he called out by name on television. ”As far as I’m concerned, it’s babysitting and mess handling, but it is my job.” It was clear by her tone that she was not thrilled with her new duties.

”That being said… I understand there was an… incident between you and some low level operatives of SUPER. For the record, I did get your note.” The reports were bad, even with agents likely trying to sugarcoat their colossal f***-up, but she was curious how the target herself would respond to the topic.

Sabine was here for a reason, Sveta had no doubt about that. Jokes aside, it would have been one hell of a coincidence for someone like the SUPER operative to randomly show up at a place like this, just when Sveta decided to stop by. But whatever the reason, Sabine was not gearing up for a fight, or at least not yet. Sveta glanced around, but she could not detect any backup either.

>>”You may or may not have heard from that prettyboy friend of yours that I’m suffering a more managerial position these days. As far as I’m concerned, it’s babysitting and mess handling, but it is my job.”

"Can't have it all can we" Sveta smirked, deciding to sip some of her drink. She really could not feel sorry for Sabine. She was vicious, but also smart; someone that running SUPER was not ideal for the other side.

>>”That being said… I understand there was an… incident between you and some low level operatives of SUPER. For the record, I did get your note.”

"Glad to hear they were not too damaged for the return warranty" Sveta noted, giving Sabine a look. She had assumed at the time that the operatives had gone rogue, based on how sloppy they were. "You really gotta give the boys something better to do with deir free time. For both our sakes."

When Svetlana sent her note of defiance to make its way to Sabine, she could have sent a letter in return. She knew where the mutant was staying, and they were both busy women. They could have acknowledged a mistake was made and moved on with their lives knowing they were aware of one another.

Maybe Sabine wanted to make points that would have translated poorly in a letter. Maybe Svetlana’s connection to Haven made her an interesting variable for SUPER’s new organization. Maybe a letter would have been boring.

Regardless, they were now together, drinking cheap liquor in a cheaper bar. Svetlana made nothing more than a snarky comment at the mention of Sabine’s promotion. Some people just had no respect for societal etiquette.

She did point out the folly of the rogue agents, which was entirely justified. ”Well, whatever they’ll be doing now, it certainly won’t be important or interesting. Turns out a botched abduction is the kind of thing that can put you on indefinite filing duty. Probably marginally worse than a managerial position.” Though from experience, Sabine was still fifty-fifty on who was better off.

Sabine took a sip of her whiskey, feeling the smoky taste on her tongue before it burned down her throat. Perhaps this was best shot rather than sipped, in hindsight. ”I hope they didn’t spoil your date too badly.” The reports cited a male companion caught in the attack, and it was not a stretch to assume that might have been the nature of what was interrupted.

Sveta knew Sabine did to order the abduction; if she had, it would have probably succeeded. Sparring with a person revealed a lot about them, and Sveta had certainly sparred enough with Sabine to know she was effective when she needed to be. Maybe it was a human thing, trying to succeed among powerful mutants, but whatever the reason, Sveta had the feeling Sabine was just as annoyed by the botched ambush as she had been.

>>”Well, whatever they’ll be doing now, it certainly won’t be important or interesting. Turns out a botched abduction is the kind of thing that can put you on indefinite filing duty. Probably marginally worse than a managerial position.”

"How civilized of you" Sveta twisted her lips "I'd have expected a hand chopped off or something, from SUPER. Short on human resources, are you?"

>>”I hope they didn’t spoil your date too badly.”

Shots fired, from both sides. Sveta sucked her teeth, and sipped more of the cheap liquor, which did not help, because getting drunk on bad booze was usually exactly what made her think of him.

"It wasn't a date. And you can take him off your radar, he's certainly off mine. Too damaged to be useful."

He wasn't, really, despite what he himself thought, but if Sveta could do one thing for the guy that got away was to make sure he got away from goddamn SUPER as well.

Sparring with a person revealed a lot about them. Sveta was quick-witted and adaptive. Even outside of her mutation, she was probably a worthwhile addition to Hadden’s cabal. Sabine could tease and taunt, but she was not one to underestimate a woman like Sveta. She never would have sent such a reckless attempt to abduct her again. She had given thought to retaking the power enhancer, but the costs and risks outweighed the benefit in every plan she came up with.

This went doubly true with SUPER’s new direction, which they were more or less forced into. ”Oh I-9, I’m sure you’ve seen my press release by now,” she replied, her smile polite. ”We’re a new SUPER now. A better, cleaner organization, I can assure you. All the bad men and women are on the other side of a closed rift.”

Sveta was experienced with combat, tactics, and likely a host of other talents, but she was not as versed in hiding immediate responses and concealing her emotions. The date comment struck a chord. Sabine would not challenge the denial. She just listened, knocking back a shot of her awful whiskey. It took all her restraint not to wince or gag.

”As I said, he was as unfortunate a consequence of incompetence as the rest of that unsanctioned operation. He’s nowhere near our radar,” she lied. Of course he was on their radar. Who wasn’t? A military man with some discrepancies in his history was always going to be somewhere on her lists, even if he did not warrant being a high priority.

”That is a shame, though,” she admitted. ”Still, things are clearly looking up for you. New friends in high places, new line of work. Nothing wrong with just being married to the job, right?” It had worked for Sabine, though she was a different case than most.

Sveta had learned a long time ago not to put anything past SUPER, reformed version or otherwise. People disappeared all around them, and she doubted that Sabine would hold off on anything useful just because of her ethics. She wrinkled her nose as they seemed to agree that the failed kidnapping had been a bad idea.

>> ”Oh I-9, I’m sure you’ve seen my press release by now. We’re a new SUPER now. A better, cleaner organization, I can assure you. All the bad men and women are on the other side of a closed rift.”

"And yet, you are still here" Sveta clicked her tongue at Sabine over her glass "Tourists. They keep leaving their trash."

Anything either of them said could have set off a fight any minute. Maybe it even would be fun, she thought for a second, but then Matt came up. She was not going to joke around with that one.

>>”As I said, he was as unfortunate a consequence of incompetence as the rest of that unsanctioned operation. He’s nowhere near our radar... That is a shame, though. Still, things are clearly looking up for you. New friends in high places, new line of work. Nothing wrong with just being married to the job, right?”

"Well, at least my job likes me." Sveta grinned. Wherever Sabine dreamed moving up to, she was clearly not there yet. "Gotta give it to you, you are very strong in your prejudice. Here was your chance of a whole new world. You could have started over. Been anything. Gone to design school like you always wanted to, or whatever. Why are you still stalking mutants? Envious much?"

Sabine rolled her eyes, disregarding Sveta’s insult. Of all the things she could be called, trash was barely mean in comparison. Sabine was not going to resort to petty name calling. She was a professional, and would not be baited by some clever, petty taunt. If Sabine wanted to cut deep, she could invoke Sveta’s former friend.

Regardless of Sabine’s annoyance with her new responsibilities, it was not like her job was undesirable. For most other people, a high-level supervisory role would be a dream promotion. For Sabine, it seemed like a hassle. Admittedly, it was a well-paying hassle, but she would trade the raise for more anonymity and field work.

If Sveta was looking to leave a mark, she finally found one of Sabine’s few nerves. Insinuating Sabine envied mutants tied her stomach in a knot. The thought of it made her ill. Even she could not restrain her face from an initial reaction before she settled back into her neutral expression. ”No, thank you. I’m already dangerous enough to the people around me,” few though they were. ”The last thing I would want to be is a ticking timebomb, waiting for the day I lose enough control to put those people in jeopardy.”

Taking another drink and resisting the wince, Sabine set the glass down and smirked. ”Though I’m sure you’re right. A power like yours will never leave someone you love hurt. What are the odds of that, right?” All Sabine knew was the chances were greater than zero, and for her, that was too high.

The blatant insult did not do much to Sabine - Sveta would have been a little surprised if it had - But her question about her career seemed to have struck a nerve. As sarcastic as it sounded, the blonde really wanted to know. What made someone continue the crap job they had, when they had a whole new world to play with? Sure, suggesting that she was secretly envious of mutations was a jab, but it wasn't like that was rare among other kinds of bigots.

>> ”No, thank you. I’m already dangerous enough to the people around me. The last thing I would want to be is a ticking timebomb, waiting for the day I lose enough control to put those people in jeopardy. Though I’m sure you’re right. A power like yours will never leave someone you love hurt. What are the odds of that, right?”

A shot for a shot. It was Sveta's turn to drink, and hold back the wince from the alcohol and from how Sabine's comment had found a nerve. She had hurt enough people, innocent bystanders and people she loved, to leave a mark on her in the form of sarcasm and occasional self-destructing habits. At least with Sabine, she could indulge in both. Irony.

"Nice shot, Kidnapper Barbie. Yeah, I'm a ticking time bomb, but you know what?" she rested her elbows on the table to lean closer with a conspiratory look "At least I know what I am. Do you? Are you sure you don't have that pesky X gene in there somewhere? Without someone like me, you might never know. Or you might find out eventually."

Sabine was not the most scientific mind. She wished she was, honestly. She made a habit of tracking genetic science updates from people in those fields, because as far as she was concerned, she had a vested interest in the progress geneticists made with understanding the X-gene. She was late in her life for it, but there was a not-zero percent chance of her being a mutant. The most frustrating thing about the X-gene was the inability modern science had to determine whether someone would manifest. Not knowing for certain might have been worse than having even a bad answer.

The Russian mutant noticed she struck a nerve, and now she was pressing on it. Sabine was never sure what to make of Svetlana Sergeyeva, but she was almost pleased to see her sharp wit was not a fluke in their first meeting. She was frustrating, but she gave Sabine an excuse to return fire. There were not enough people for her to reflect this kind of personality with and, if she had to pick personality traits that were “her,” these might qualify.

Sabine had filled and emptied her glass one more time. The alcohol was easier to stomach the more she drank. She could also focus on the interesting conversation. Sveta did have the benefit of knowing she was a mutant. More interestingly, she seemed to claim her power could determine if someone else was a mutant. That had not come up in tests and research. Sabine was nervous yet intrigued. She tried to only show the latter. ”Oh? Someone like you? I didn’t realize you were part of the mutant initiation squad.”

News like that might be helpful for SUPER’s files, but a few drinks in, Sabine was not thinking about work. Her curiosity was her own. ”So what’s your deal? Super-secret power unlocking handshake?” They had made physical contact in their sparring session, so it was not just touch. She joked, but she was interested in the how of Sveta’s powers.

Sveta knew she had Sabine's attention. Everyone who joined SUPER had some kind of damage... well, everyone had some kind of damage, as a general rule, but people who joined clandestine anti-mutant government organizations usually had theirs spectacularly unresolved. And mutant-related, one way or another. Sabine believed she was human, and Sveta did not have a reason to doubt her. Then again, she did not have a reason not to poke at her, either.

>> ”Oh? Someone like you? I didn’t realize you were part of the mutant initiation squad.”

"Someone lagged on the paperwok, huh" Sveta smirked. Honestly, SUPER knew a lot about her powers right off the bat, otherwise they would not have abducted her in the first place.

>>"So what’s your deal? Super-secret power unlocking handshake?”

"Sort of, yes." Sveta deadpanned, downing the rest of her drink before she refilled it, glancing over at Sabine. She was enjoying this game. "Except it's a little... more intimate than a handshake."

The paperwork on Sveta was just fine, thank you very much. It was not the fault of SUPER that they could not test for every conceivable application of someone’s power. Mutations were too varied, which was half the reason they were so dangerous. How were they supposed to test an ability to potentially manifest a latent X-Gene?

Well, in theory, Sabine could test it, but if she proved Sveta’s claim right, that would alter her life forever. The thought terrified her.

But she would know.

That being said, the condition Sveta introduced gave Sabine second thoughts. ”Oh my, you don’t mean… wow, that could get very awkward in the bedroom for you, huh?” She was not an expert on sex, but she was willing to wager a power manifestation between the sheets could lead to a disastrous night and no chance of a second date. No wonder the girl had dating woes!

Sveta watched as realization, no doubt the wrong one, dawned on Sabine's face. It was quite the spectacle. The statement had been deliberately vague, in case Sabine actually decided to take her up on the offer at first guess. It was kind of fun, and she was just buzzed enough to want to mess with the SUPER agent's head.

>>”Oh my, you don’t mean… wow, that could get very awkward in the bedroom for you, huh?”

"Depends on how lucky I am at gambling" Sveta grinned "I guess it's my version of Russian roulette."

Ugh. Bad puns. She might have drunk more than she thought.

"Kissing usually does the trick, though." she shrugged, leaning on her elbows "So, if you could pick a power...?"