>>"Yeah, Ah ended mine, too. After... the dream. Things got kinda different af'r Ah realized she joined a doomsday cult an' made herself immortal."

"Yeeeeah..." Maya refilled the drinks. That seemed to be the only appropriate reaction to the part of the dream she was not present for. Doomsday cult? Agnes? Ouch,

>>"Mind if Ah ask what happened tae you and Ami?"

"When the Mansion burned..." Maya sipped some whiskey "... well, we both died. Except, I died catchin' a bullet for Maxine."

Two bullets, actually. Details.

"Yeah. The Amazon Queen Maxine. She's... a friend of mine."

>> "When the Mansion burned... well, we both died. Except, I died catchin' a bullet for Maxine. Yeah. The Amazon Queen Maxine. She's... a friend of mine."

Rebecca met Maxine during an interview to remember before the dream, but she remembered hearing about Maxine in the future as well. As days passed by, the details of the Age were blurring together, but "Queen Maxine" was a pretty big name. It was a name that bore no real significance to Rebecca other than a reminder to avoid the Amazons. She was busy doing her own thing in the future. Lots of things...

It was something she did not like to think about, but she did some terrible things in the Age of Sebastian. There was violence and theft, but there was also... well, she ended up becoming too comfortable with selling what she had for what she needed. She was single again now, so the thought sent a shudder down her spine.

Returning to Maya's problem, things became clear: a relationship where the boy(girl) dies protecting the wrong woman and lets his girlfriend die alone, it probably causes a rift in the relationship. Rebecca held her glass to her lip and muttered, "Damn future dream." How many couples was Sebastian responsible for tearing apart?

>>"Damn future dream."

"I'll drink to that" Maya smirked, raising her glass. It looked like she was not the only one who thought the dream was just a tad bit too real for everyone's good.

"Y'kno what's funny?" she asked after another sip "It's obviously never gonna happen. It was one possible future, and it's already messed up. Ya're not with Agnes anymore, I'm not with Ami... nor with Maxine for that matter, so whatever happens' gonna happen different... we are stressin' out about a future that's never gonna happen."

She looked down at her glass and shook her head.

"Do I still make sense?"

>> "Y'kno what's funny? It's obviously never gonna happen. It was one possible future, and it's already messed up. Ya're not with Agnes anymore, I'm not with Ami... nor with Maxine for that matter, so whatever happens' gonna happen different... we are stressin' out about a future that's never gonna happen. Do I still make sense?"

It did. Two relationships were over because of a future that would never happen. Everyone knew what was going to happen now, and the police and X-Men were already working on intervening. The Age of Sebastian would never happen, but it was still real to those who took part in the dream.

It was an issue that was putting doubts in Rebecca's head though, and that was nothing she needed. "If it makes sense, Ah still need tae drink a lot more."

Rebecca sipped her glass past the halfway point. "It'll never happen, bit Agnes still stood up for Sebastian." Apparently immortality bought loyalty.

Trying to move on from her ex's name, Rebecca raised her glass. "At least th' X-Men are gonna keep things from going tae s*** now, right?"

>> "If it makes sense, Ah still need tae drink a lot more."

"I'll race ya" Maya smirked, and she did. It was good whiskey. Sam could afford it.

>> "It'll never happen, bit Agnes still stood up for Sebastian. At least th' X-Men are gonna keep things from going tae s*** now, right?"

"We try." Maya nodded, and chuckled at the thought. X-men against the world, right? Sure. "Although some people say we are not much help when push come to shove. I mean, who's gonna stop a nuke from goin' off?..."

Too dark. Waaaay to dar. Steering clear.

"Meh, nevermind. We try our best and go down fightin. That should make us heroes, right?"

>> "We try. Although some people say we are not much help when push come to shove. I mean, who's gonna stop a nuke from goin' off?... Meh, nevermind. We try our best and go down fightin. That should make us heroes, right?"

The topic was depressing, because it was an unnerving reminder that no one on the X-Men had "nuclear containment" as a mutation. They would do all they could, but there was the everpresent worry that it would do nothing.

But that was too heavy for a night in Budapest. Rebecca simply nodded and chuckled. "That's what it's about, right? Being heroes? Saving lives? S'why Ah joined." To make a world the better place for mutants who needed a hero. She was just not hero enough for Agnes, maybe.

"She threw a right fit, y'know." Rebecca finished her second glass and moved right onto a third. "When Ah joined the X-Men. Thought Ah was risking mah life an' being careless." It was a memorable moment--their first fight. Looking back at how quickly they patched things up, the memories of the breakup night were all the more frustrating.

>>"That's what it's about, right? Being heroes? Saving lives? S'why Ah joined... She threw a right fit, y'know. When Ah joined the X-Men. Thought Ah was risking mah life an' being careless."

"Yeeeeah" Maya chuckled, burning through her drink almost as fast as it was burning through her "Ami threw a fit too. About being an X. Can ya imagine being on one team with your girlfriend?... Seriously. She can hold her own, don't get me wrong... but, y'know, they are right somewhere. Ya can't not worry about a significant other... while they are saving the world from bad guys."

Or watch them catch a bullet and not get mad. For that matter.

>> "Yeeeeah. Ami threw a fit too. About being an X. Can ya imagine being on one team with your girlfriend?... Seriously. She can hold her own, don't get me wrong... but, y'know, they are right somewhere. Ya can't not worry about a significant other... while they are saving the world from bad guys."

Apparently Maya did not understand the point of their outing to the pub. The more her drinking partner spoke, the more Rebecca was feeling like the one in the wrong in her breakup. "Maybe it's best for capes an' masks tae be worn by single faces. Then no'ain has tae worry 'bout if things go wrong."

Rebecca looked past Maya and at the bar, where a young male bartender was looking at the table, and for once it was not a look of "what the hell is that girl wearing." Rebecca grinned and subtly gestured to the set of curious eyes. "Ah think that guy's checking you out."

>>"Maybe it's best for capes an' masks tae be worn by single faces. Then no'ain has tae worry 'bout if things go wrong."

"I always wanted a mask. Seriously, you can only be a frickin' superhero around here if you got a mask. No kidding." Maya chuckled, sipping her drink. Her uniform was a lot less... uniform-y than Becca's, but she was still obviously not dressed for bar hopping.

>>"Ah think that guy's checking you out."

"Whu.... where?"

Maya was oblivious to guys' attention. Completely oblivious.

"Oh great." she smirked, turning away from the looks "Too bad for him I don' swing that way. Do you?"

>> "I always wanted a mask. Seriously, you can only be a frickin' superhero around here if you got a mask. No kidding."

Rebecca giggled and placed her glass on the table. She formed a makeshift domino mask frame with her index fingers and thumbs and held it up in front of Maya's face. "Oh, Ah'll make ye one. Well, one for each of you." Even if the differences were subtle, Maya and Gawain's faces had to be a bit different structurally.

>> "Whu.... where? Oh great. Too bad for him I don' swing that way. Do you?"

"Um, good question." It was not an area she had traversed much. There was one date and a little kiss with Drew, and then there was a more informative kiss with Vicente as two pals helping each other out. "Ah probably am? Ah mean Ah've kissed one or two boys. Guess Ah still have some things tae figure out," she confessed, blushing at her inexperience.

She had a few kisses, and in a distopean future, she had... other experience, but when it came to the nitty gritty, she only had her time with Agnes. "Ah'm still trying tae wrap my head around 'being' with someain new."

>>"Um, good question. Ah probably am? Ah mean Ah've kissed one or two boys. Guess Ah still have some things tae figure out. Ah'm still trying tae wrap my head around 'being' with someain new."

"Ya don't know?..." Maya arched an eyebrow "Well, ya might as well experiment then. One of the perks of bein' single I guess."

As if she had ever gotten that far, serial monogamist as she was.

"I mean, I've pretty much always been sure I liked girls. But nothin' is ever simple when ya're half straight half lesbian. Takes the whole bi thing to a whole new level..."

>> "Ya don't know?... Well, ya might as well experiment then. One of the perks of bein' single I guess."

The logic was there, but did Rebecca have that in her? (...No pun intended.) She arrived in America barely able to talk to a boy correctly. How was she supposed to go about finding a boy to "experiment" with? Vic came to mind, but that was a huge step above a kiss between friends, and she heard rumors of him moving on to other fine lady friends. "Well, if Ah'm gorna experiment, it's nae gorna be with a random bartender," she joked quietly, having no desire to offend the bartender she might want another drink from. "Ah'm nae th' 'pick up a guy' lass." Maybe if she had someone she knew and could trust being that open with.

>> "I mean, I've pretty much always been sure I liked girls. But nothin' is ever simple when ya're half straight half lesbian. Takes the whole bi thing to a whole new level..."

Rebecca made a combination of a laugh and a snort. "Ah guess my sexuality problems could be worse."

She raised her glace once more. "Tae being single and nae being sae mopey 'bout it!"

>>"Well, if Ah'm gorna experiment, it's nae gorna be with a random bartender. Ah'm nae th' 'pick up a guy' lass."

"Me neither" Maya grinned a whiskey-warm grin. Poor bartender was clearly barking up the wrong tree. He was not gonna get laid tonight. Not with an X-girl anyway.

>>"Ah guess my sexuality problems could be worse. Tae being single and nae being sae mopey 'bout it!"

"Cheers" Maya raised her glass, then downed it.

The bottom of the bottle was closer than it seemed. Once they were done with it, Maya put down the glass and stood.

"C'mon Merida, ya're startin' to slur, and I need to make it back to the jet before I shift in female underwear. Let's go."

>> "C'mon Merida, ya're startin' to slur, and I need to make it back to the jet before I shift in female underwear. Let's go."

It was a good night of drinking, and the tab was taken care of by the patron saint of liquor, Sam. Maya was calling it a night, which was fine. Rebecca was feeling much better, and the tail end of their conversation was full of joking and silly girl talk. Rebecca was... somewhere between tipsy and drunk, but she was definitely giggly.

She stood up with a toothy grin. "Hehe, ye called me a princess!" She approached Maya from behind and located where the bra strap was located before proceeding to snap it. "Yeah, Gawain mi'nae pull this off as well." With teasing out of the way, Rebecca allowed the inebriated team leader to do her thing and lead.

Rebecca entered the X-Jet giggling, arm wrapped around Maya's waist (because her shoulders were too high for comfort. "Ah hope this thing can autopilot, coz you," she pressed a finger against Maya's nose, "are in nae shape tae drive!" Said the pot to the kettle.

>>"Hehe, ye called me a princess! Yeah, Gawain mi'nae pull this off as well."

"I will let you know" Maya said with a very serious straight facem trying to cover up the wincing "That Gawain is very accomplished in taking off bras."

He has practice. First hand. Among other things.

They made it back to the jet with moderate embarrassment, no more than what two teenage girls can get into for being tipsy in public. Nothing to attract media, thank goodness.

>>"Ah hope this thing can autopilot, coz you are in nae shape tae drive!"

"Who said anythin' 'bout driving?" Maya chuckled as the door slid shut behind them "This baby fliiies!"

Not as of now, anyhow.

"I think we're stayin' the night, if that's okay with ya. Rather not crash the jet, Sam doesn't like me that much."

With that decided, Maya proceeded to shrug off her jacket. Almost midnight.