>>"I'm not really sure you're supposed to kiss and apologize. You either meant it or you didn't. You're still you whether you're Maya or Gawain... I was just...surprised... I didn't really think you liked me. Or don't you? I mean I guess you could apologize then I'd you don't..."

Maya had spent most of her life explaining to herself and other people that Maya and Gawain were the same person. One mind, one personality, one body, two genders. But recently, as of about five minutes ago, she started to have doubts about that. Was it possible that Maya behaved differently from Gawain simply because she was a girl? And vice versa?...

Evelyn's shy smile lightened the mood a bit, and what she said made Maya breathe lighter. She smiled a little too and pushed herself away from the desk to look down at Eve.

"I like you." she said, feeling like she was devolving into a twelve-year-old with those words alone, but she pushed on, and shook her head with a chuckle "I mean, you drive me absolutely crazy. You are freakishly smart, like, scary smart, and frustrating, and you get in trouble all the time, and, you say a lot of confusing things. I know we have pissed each other off a lot since we met..."

There went the understatement of the year

"... but... I like that. I like you. And you were great, back there. Just so... sharp, and confident, and... I just really wanted to kiss you."

I still want to kiss you.

Evelyn was a know it all. She took pride in situations where her mutation got the upper hand. She liked knowing what people were thinking and was content with the somewhat predictable nature of people. She used to think she could read people like a book but Gawain...Maya... they were different. It wasn't so much what they did, just how it effected her.

Maya looked just about as awkward as Evelyn felt for a moment. Evelyn couldn't really read her but maybe she didn't want to. Maybe that was the problem when she was around Mirror. She could read her, but she didnt want to. She wanted to let Maya talk for herself this time. As the other girl did the pink returned to Evelyn's cheeks but she smiled a little. She looked up at Maya, and kept eye contact with a little half smile. "Well then don't apologize, because I like you too. And if I had to pick anywhere for my first kiss I couldn't think of anywhere for fitting than London. Besides, you should have seen Watson's face." She chuckled and turned, leaning back against the desk and running a hand through her hair.

"You do realize hanging around me trouble is bound to follow?" She wondered if she should mention her exploration in the sewers or not... perhaps another time.

>>"Well then don't apologize, because I like you too. And if I had to pick anywhere for my first kiss I couldn't think of anywhere for fitting than London. Besides, you should have seen Watson's face."

Maya snorted at that, chuckling at the memory. Yeah, Watson's face was priceless. And so was Evelyn's smile. It felt like the conversation had finally moved past awkward. They had survived the storm. Thank you Sherlock Holmes.

>>"You do realize hanging around me trouble is bound to follow?"

"Have you met me?" Maya grinned, offering an official hand to the blonde girl "Nice to meet you, my name is Maya, I walk into fragile surfaces and hunt mutant bad guys for a living."

It was quite the appealing job description. The X-men should have that on their website.

"Someone's gotta teach you how to defend yourself. Since, you know. It's better than other people doing it for you."

I like you too.

Maya laughed; that was a relief. At least now she didn't have to continue staring at the carpet and let the echoes count strands of dog fur. All in all, this day was full of good memories, ones she wouldn't be afraid of seeing again in her sleep. She stood toe to toe with her idol, or rather, wit to wit, and she managed to use her powers to their full extent without trying to hold back and be normal. Maya called her smart, and Evelyn's ego grew three sizes that day...

Not quite, but she did feel a bit more confident.

Evelyn laughed and took Maya's hand and shook it, a grin sneaking across her lips, "Nice to meet you Maya. I would probably tell you what trouble I get into in my free time but I don't think tracking sewer monsters and fighting burglars with cleaning supplies are very ladylike behavior." She quickly continued before Mirror could question the former comment.

"Self defense lessons aren't exactly a bad idea though. The echoes are good for flight but with fighting since I can only use what I know they aren't quite as useful..." The only thing she really hit was the vase in her bedroom and that hadn't gone over well.

>>"Nice to meet you Maya. I would probably tell you what trouble I get into in my free time but I don't think tracking sewer monsters and fighting burglars with cleaning supplies are very ladylike behavior... Self defense lessons aren't exactly a bad idea though. The echoes are good for flight but with fighting since I can only use what I know they aren't quite as useful..."

"We can work on that" Maya smiled back, still holding her hand. She made a fleeting mental note about the 'sewer monster' whatever that was, but decided not to pursue it. She did not feel up to a fight right now. Would have ruined the hard earned mood.

And Evelyn definitely, undoubtedly, severely needed some self-defense lessons.

"So... um." she looked at Eve again. The handshake turned into hand-holding as Maya worked up the courage to pursue the original topic of conversation.

"Would you like to go out with me?"

Somewhere, somehow, and ice-manipulator smiled in his sleep.

"... I mean. If you are really not... bothered by the gender shifting... thing. I mean, that's kind of a thing that I like to clear... up front."

Dammit Maya.

Evelyn was very far out of her element. The handshake somehow transitioned into hand holding, and her face seemed to slowly be getting pinker. Her smile was somewhat nervous now, and it felt like she was staring at a reflection again. Mirrors made her nervous... Mirror made her nervous. It was ironic in a way, but she felt less sure of herself there in front of Maya. She was used to people being skittish around her. Her echoes had a way or making the possibility of a normal relationship smolder and burn, but that hadn't happened here.

She glanced down at their hands. She hadn't pulled away, rather her hand settled into the contact. It felt comforting. The echoes stopped their nervous darting.

"I....I've never really gone out with anyone before. I mean, I'd like to I just... I feel like I'm going to look dumb..." She admitted, ducking her head, looking back up at the ceiling then chuckling nervously. "Any date I ever tried to go on ended in disaster..." She forced herself not to fidget, and looked back up at Maya feeling like she was suddenly echoless with nothing to help her.

Maya's question got a little smile though.

"I don't mind the gender-shifting, honest. Heck I knew about it before I knew I liked you, and I'm not exactly going to split you in half and pick a favorite half. But you sure you can deal with the echoes and I? And the not forgetting thing? Five days down the road, can't promise I'm not going to relive a memory of a bad argument and wake up simmering over it... Or sad... sad happens." She fidgetted again. She wasn't sure who was having more trouble talking at this point.

>>"I....I've never really gone out with anyone before. I mean, I'd like to I just... I feel like I'm going to look dumb... Any date I ever tried to go on ended in disaster..."

That still astonished Maya about Evelyn. Twenty-whatnow, and never dated anyone? Sure, the echoes were weird and she sometimes said more than she ought to, but that did not mean she was undatable. Heck, she was probably more fun to date that most women who did not have voices in their heads as an excuse to being weird...

>>"I don't mind the gender-shifting, honest. Heck I knew about it before I knew I liked you, and I'm not exactly going to split you in half and pick a favorite half. But you sure you can deal with the echoes and I? And the not forgetting thing? Five days down the road, can't promise I'm not going to relive a memory of a bad argument and wake up simmering over it... Or sad... sad happens."

"I don't mind the echoes." Maya shook her head "They are a part of you. And I've already seen you having a nightmare, remember? If you have one again, I'll be there if you need me."

She looked at Evelyn who was blushing again, and resisted the desire to hold her and kiss her.

"As for dating... It's usually difficult for everyone, so, welcome to the club" she smirked "All I can say is... well." she tilted her head to look her in the eyes "You are the boss, okay? We can take it as slow as you want. You can tell me what you want to do, what you don't want to do, and... we'll go from there. Sounds good?"

>>”I’ll be there when you need me.”

For some reason, such a simple phrase hit Evelyn hard. For years, the Echoes and the Playbacks were something she dealt with on her own. Jensen gave advice, but he wasn’t really comforting. If she woke up terrified, she dealt with it. Normally she just didn’t avoid sleeping because she didn’t want to face those things. She didn't realize how lonely she felt. The expression that crossed her face was touched, and somewhat sad at the same time.

"I....It means a lot, hearing that. Honestly." She willed herself to avoiding thinking more about it, because doing something dumb like bursting into tears would really make this sappy and awkward again.

She focused on the next statement instead, and felt her chin move up, ice blue eyes meeting Maya's hazel pair. She gave a little nod, and her hand tightened around Maya's for a moment as she smiled. "I can do that. I think.... It'd be easier if I knew what I wanted better though." She chuckled slightly and gave a sheepish grin. "It's easier to give instructions to other people. It's harder to decide things for myself I guess. It's fun when you take charge sometimes too though. I mean, you already found out where my nervousness with dating has left me..." 24, never dated. Not really brag worthy.

She could tell from Eve's expression that she was saying the right thing. That was good. The girl was nervous enough about dating as she was, without Mirror messing up any more.

>>"I can do that. I think.... It'd be easier if I knew what I wanted better though. It's easier to give instructions to other people. It's harder to decide things for myself I guess. It's fun when you take charge sometimes too though."

Maya smiled back and finally let go of her hand.

"We'll figure it out." she promised with a nod. She felt like such an adult, and as a teenager at the same time. She was younger, but Evelyn was more shy... this was definitely going to be interesting.

Not to mention the echoes, the gender-shifting, the mutant riots... and Jensen.

Life was never boring around here.