Rebecca loved to travel, and she had never been to Hungary in her life. She loved being an X-Man and even loved her costume. She even typically enjoyed the company of the fellow X-Man taking slightly longer strides to her right. Rebecca loved everything about this trip on paper.

None of that changed the fact that Rebecca was in a terrible mood. She was cranky on the jet-ride to Europe. She was groaning about slipping into her spandex and her mask felt too loose. She was sure she could see red streaks in her hair through the black wash-out dye.

Everything about what could have been an amazing trip was wrong, and it was wrong because Rebecca and Agnes were no longer together. And if that was true, the only possible explanation was that the world was wrong.

The world's wrongness created a Rebecca that was a right terror to spend time with, and the role of unfortunate mission partner of the day went to Maya. If Maya was making any attempts to be friendly, Rebecca was too irritated to register them.

They were at their seats for the Peace Conference as a woman at the podium spoke. The large amphitheater was filled with representatives from various nations, and the X-Women were there as representatives for what many in the room would consider a threat to World Peace.

Maya was probably chosen because of her extensive history with the X-Men and mutants in general. Rebecca was more than likely a good public face. If Maya wanted to take the lead, Rebecca had no problem sitting quietly and faking a smile, ignoring sideways glances that were likely instigated by her genetic makeup rather than her attire.

With a sheet of paper in front of her, Rebecca was half-listening as her hand absentmindedly enabled her pen to wander.

why did i agree to this?

Genius idea. Take the two teenage X-men who had just recently broken up with their significant others, and send them overseas to represent the rest of the mutant race.
Yup, Sam has really been out of it lately.

Maya was in a bad mood, and that was an understatement. Breaking up with Ami and being turned down by Maxine at the same time was bad enough, and on top of everything, she hated doing things like this on Maya days. As someone who went back and forth between male and female, she was very sensitive to the difference in how people treated him/her on different days.

Becca was not better off either. Maya looked over at the scribbling, and smirked.

"Almost done" she whispered, keeping her eyes on the speaker "I will freakin' mirrorhop us back to the jet if that gets us out any faster..."

Oh? The scribble must have been noticed by Rebecca's partner, because the hushed voice of Maya replied to the written lament.

Rebecca glanced very quickly over to Maya, who was smirking but maintaining her focus. The Scot always assumed Maya/Gawain was a responsible, serious X-Man due to his/her leadership role at such an early age, but she never really had much one-on-one time with either form, so it may have been unfair for Rebecca to jump to conclusions.

Rebecca kept her eyes front, but she was starting to grin herself. Instead of replying, (because with her luck, she would speak during a momentary silence,) she jotted another addition to the paper.

oh, so this will be my ONE memory of Budapest?

Admittedly, she had been in such an awful mood, the idea of leaving instantly would have been fantastic if Maya mentioned it in a less silly manner. She was not giving Maya a chance, and there were rumors around the mansion that something happened between her and Ami, so maybe they were both in need of a traveler's distraction.

So maybe she would push her luck.

does that sound fair to you?

>>Oh, so this will be my ONE memory of Budapest? Does that sound fair to you?

Maya smirked as she glanced at the scribbling, then looked back up at the speaker. The meaningful stuff was already over; now they were just delivering speeches and thank you-s before everyone could go on their merry way.

"Well, good news is" she whispered "Legal drinking age around here is 18. Wonder why Sam did not put that in the briefing..."

Probably because he knew all too well.

"I guess if we lose a few hours here or there, we can just blame in on the time difference. What do you think?"

>> "Well, good news is legal drinking age around here is 18. Wonder why Sam did not put that in the briefing... I guess if we lose a few hours here or there, we can just blame in on the time difference. What do you think?"

Maya was right about the drinking age; Rebecca had not been legal to partake since her last trip back to Scotland to visit her family along with Agn...

Yes. She could use a drink. Maybe just to take the edge off and fog up her vivid memories a bit.

Instead of scribbling another reply, Rebecca quietly responded. "I think we're a couple of lovely ladies who could use a reward."

"...would like to thank the representatives from the American X-Men team for joining us."

Of ****ing course. Everyone seemed to have their eyes on Rebecca and Maya more so than the average for the evening. Out of an embarrassed instinct, Rebecca piped up with a, "Thank you," where she probably should have just nodded or smiled. She assumed those were the right responses, because the room seemed instantly annoyed with the black-dyed heroine.

"...Right. And we would like to thank..."

As eyes started moving on, Rebecca leaned slightly in to Maya and muttered, "Please either get me out of here or hit me with an arrow and put me out of my misery." As if her week was not going poorly enough, she was now stuck in a permanent state of fail-blush.

Maya smiled and waved. Becca said thank you, which was obviously off protocol, although the mirrorwalker had no idea why. They should have sent someone grown up and responsible. Like Sam.

>>"Please either get me out of here or hit me with an arrow and put me out of my misery."

"No weapons allowed, remember?" she smirked at the red-faced girl next to her. Black hair obviously did not work for her.

Finally the meeting ended.

"Now let's get outta here." Maya murmured, standing up "Smile, wave, keep moving."

It was harder that she thought. Although not many people were actually eager to talk to uniformed superheroes, everyone was politely greeting and commenting and introducing, so it took almost half an hour to get out the door.

"Unbelievable" Maya sighed once they were a few corners down and away from the crowd "I need a drink."

>> "No weapons allowed, remember?"

Rebecca knew the rule well, remembering her shield sitting harmlessly on her seat in the X-Jet. She would not have minded a layer of cold metal to hide behind and deflect stares. She could at least take solace in knowing the event was finally over.

Unfortunately, the girls were still caught in a maze of pleasantries and good will, neither of which were in Rebecca's current comfort zone.

When Rebecca could finally taste the fresh air of freedom and the desire to run and hide in the jet, Maya reminded her of what was really important.

>> "Unbelievable. I need a drink."

Rebecca nodded with a heavy sigh. "Seriously. Ah jist need... well, a drink should clear my mind, anyway." No need to bog down an already mediocre day with her moping. "Lead th' way, fearless leader," she teased.

Still uniform-clad, the pair of young women strolled the streets with the assumption that a bar would appear given time. Maya was acting more casual around Rebecca than she was used to from team leaders, so she chose to admit her surprise. "You know, Ah didnae expect you tae be so ready tae hit th' bar. Ah always assumed you were the X-Men's token boy... er, girl scout." Appearances were certainly deceiving.

>>"Seriously. Ah jist need... well, a drink should clear my mind, anyway. Lead th' way, fearless leader,"

"This way" Maya pointed in a completely random direction, not even pretending to know where they were going. The good thing about bars? You could find one pretty easy in any major city in the world.

>>"You know, Ah didnae expect you tae be so ready tae hit th' bar. Ah always assumed you were the X-Men's token boy... er, girl scout."

"Oh god" Maya actually stopped and blinked at Becca in amazement "Never let Sam hear that. I would never live it down." she grinned, shaking her head and walking on "Girl scout indeed. Where did ya get that idea?... I have never even been a scout. Can't really commit to school stuff if ya switch genders every day... I mean, which one would have I been? Boy scout or girl scout?..."

It just felt amusing.

>> "Oh god, never let Sam hear that. I would never live it down."

The request had such conviction, it made Rebecca curious. Maya and Sam seemed to have a pretty good relationship similar to the one Rebecca had with Emerald, (or so she assumed,) and the idea of the X-Leader teasing Gawain for her assumption already sounded entertaining in her head. In a voice dipped in sarcasm, she replied, "Oh, Ah wouldnae dream of it. Scout's honor." She added a wink, as if her tone was not enough to prove she was clearly never a scout.

>> "Girl scout indeed. Where did ya get that idea?... I have never even been a scout. Can't really commit to school stuff if ya switch genders every day... I mean, which one would have I been? Boy scout or girl scout?..."

It was a good point that Rebecca never put much consideration into: how would a gender-shifter take part in any daily activities like school? It sounded like a mutation with a real hindrance on everyday life, but Maya was making jokes about it, so (s)he must have handled it as fine as anyone could. "Maybe you were jist the most o'er-achieving scout half the time?" She gave Maya a playful nudge. "Forgive me fer thinking team leaders woulds be a wee bit more than sexy slackers!" Was she just naive about them? Maybe when Sam was not at team meetings or missions, he was lounging around playing X-Box.

Chilling out.

Oh Lord, she was already mentally punning and she was still sober. That did not bode well for how her night was going to go.

"Ah jist hope you're nae too much of a lightweight!" It was a bold challenge for a girl who had nothing but a quarter of Irish heritage and barely any drinking experience to boast of.

>>"Oh, Ah wouldnae dream of it. Scout's honor."

Oh dear. That did not sound good at all.

>>"Maybe you were jist the most o'er-achieving scout half the time? Forgive me fer thinking team leaders woulds be a wee bit more than sexy slackers!"

"Don't tell that to Sam either" Maya chuckled "The last thing he needs is an ego boost. Any more of those and he's gonna develop a second mutation."

She did love Sam like a big brother. That is why she felt entitled to tease him. Behind his back. Especially on Maya days.

>>"Ah jist hope you're nae too much of a lightweight!"

"I have not been accused of that either." the mirrorwalker smirked "Have I ever told ya about my stepfather? Best drinking mentor one can ever have. Also an ex-cop. Go figure."

Finally, a bar. It looked relatively clean and decent, not the kinda place where people would try to knife two American girls. Maya walked in first.

"Name your poison, m'lady."

>> "Don't tell that to Sam either. The last thing he needs is an ego boost. Any more of those and he's gonna develop a second mutation."

Having some one-on-one time with Maya was really casting not only her in a new light, but the chief X-Man on campus, Sam. She would have been lying if she said the well-built blonde was not fetching, especially with the mystery and the eye patch to his credit, but according to Maya, he might have been far too aware of those facts.

So instead, Rebecca thought it might be fun to continue sharing the joke at Cold Steel's expense. "Think he's figured out how tae ice a mirror tae look at himself in?" Apparently, Sam was a pretty easy target for the sake of humor, which did somehow pick up her spirits.

>> "I have not been accused of that either. Have I ever told ya about my stepfather? Best drinking mentor one can ever have. Also an ex-cop. Go figure."

"You have not." In fact, it was probably the first moment of honest sharing between the two. "My pa was... basically the stereotype of a stern, hard-drinking Englishman." She was still waiting for her mother to give in and tell her daughter one of the inevitable football hooligan stories her father must have been part of. "Sae Ah guess we both had quality upbringings," she joked. Her father did not let her drink often, but his genes had to count for something besides an x-mutation, right?

Rebecca followed Maya into a nice little bar and proceeded to pick out a booth in the corner for them. It was not a busy place; it was more of a quiet pub than a rowdy bar, and that was probably more Rebecca's pace anyway.

Asked to pick her drink, Rebecca's father once again came to mind. There were nights when she could not find juice or pop in the fridge, but there was never a shortage of whiskey and scotch to be found. A barmaid came to the table and Rebecca had a realization. "Um Maya? Is this on th' team's tab?"

Rebecca was not one to take advantage of what was offered to her, but after her week, maybe she needed to unwind and enjoy bending a rule or two. "Coz if sae, you coulds certainly impress a girl by ordering a fine bottle o' whiskey..."

>>"Think he's figured out how tae ice a mirror tae look at himself in?"

Maya couldn't help but grin at that. It was just too easy.

"Oh, he has. I can personally vouch for that."

Mirrorwalker for the win.

>>"My pa was... basically the stereotype of a stern, hard-drinking Englishman. Sae Ah guess we both had quality upbringings,"

"Hell no, he did not bring me up." Maya chuckled as they picked a seat "He just mopped me up after I got to New York. He's a fairly recent addition to my family."

The only one.

>>"Um Maya? Is this on th' team's tab? Coz if sae, you coulds certainly impress a girl by ordering a fine bottle o' whiskey..."

"Well, if it ain't on the team's, it's definitely on Sam's now" Maya chuckled, and ordered a bottle of whiskey.

And the rest was history...

>> "Hell no, he did not bring me up. He just mopped me up after I got to New York. He's a fairly recent addition to my family."

Rebecca was from such a typical nuclear family, she often took for granted how unconventional the families of other young mutants could be. She was not sure of Maya's parental background, and for all she knew, it could have been a picture similar to Agnes's awful upbringing. Not wanting to spoil their night by digging into an unnecessarily dark topic, she just replied with a quiet, "Oh."

>> "Well, if it ain't on the team's, it's definitely on Sam's now."

Rebecca wanted to feel bad about siphoning Sam's funds, but she was giving her good girl persona the night off. Regardless, the way Maya had the option waiting in her back pocket gave Rebecca the impression that this was not the first time Maya was so "resourceful" on a mission.

The bottle came and glasses were filled. The conversation was quiet initially, but Rebecca warmed up more around the time she started a second glass. "Hey, sorry Ah've been sae moody."

She took a sip of the smooth liquor, feeling the warmth run down her throat. "You'd think after nineteen years o' being single, Ah'd be doing better with it now." Being single was not as easy after being happy with someone, apparently. "Definitely nae like riding a bike." That was an American phrase, right?

Rebecca was not the only one to have a rough week, so she did not want to hog all the "woe is me" for the night. Unfortunately, there were still varying stories around the mansion ranging from "they fought" to "they broke up," so Rebecca only had confirmation that things were not good for the gender-shifter. That was enough to work with, at least. "How have you been handling... um, things?"

>>"Hey, sorry Ah've been sae moody. You'd think after nineteen years o' being single, Ah'd be doing better with it now. Definitely nae like riding a bike."

Maya chuckled and sipped her own drink. It felt good, and she could already feel tension leaving her muscles. There was a lot of tension.

>>"How have you been handling... um, things?"

"Keepin' my head up." she sighed, looking at the redhead. They were both sinking in the same boat. How appropriate. Thank you, Sammy. "I mean, it's never easy, not even when ya're the one that ended it. Definitely not when ya're breakin up with a girl... but you prolly know that."

The gender issues between the two of them were.... colorful to say the least.

>> "Keepin' my head up. I mean, it's never easy, not even when ya're the one that ended it. Definitely not when ya're breakin up with a girl... but you prolly know that."

So it was confirmed: there was a breakup and Maya was on the giving end of it. The girls had more in common than Rebecca first thought. (Well, up to the point where Rebecca was not a boy half the time.)

Rebecca nodded after another sip. "Yeah, Ah ended mine, too. After... the dream." The Age of Sebastian dreams were public knowledge now, even to those who did not have them. "Things got kinda different af'r Ah realized she joined a doomsday cult an' made herself immortal." Was that enough to justify the excuse, "She was not the same girl I fell in love with?"

Rebecca leaned back and sank into the cushioned seat. "Mind if Ah ask what happened tae you and Ami?" Ami was... a handful, but Rebecca did not know the couple well enough to know their strengths and problems.