Oooh, but wasn't she the cool customer?

In some part of Kyle's mind, the fact that Maya was choosing to opt out of physical warfare irked him. He'd been expecting a fight, already calculating what he'd have to do against an opponent like her. To have it die before it could even really begin, well, that was blasphemy! That part of him wanted to call her out, throw a blow, do something to re-ignite that fire. It was an extremely hard part to quell in its urges.

But another part of him respected her control. Kyle knew from personal experience how hard it was to reign in one's emotions at times, especially during moments like this. The simple fact that Maya had pulled it off, although somewhat reluctantly it appeared, was something to be noted. Not many people could do such an act, which often lead to them making terrible mistakes. Again, something learned from experience, both his own and watching others. Kyle had only recently mastered that himself...but Maya seemed to be well on her way.

Still, the two waging sides could not come to a choice. One wanted to fight, the other wanted to walk away now. But that final jab had united them in cause and if nothing else, they both had something to them now. They were both curious about this Maya.

It came to a two-point idea. First, as she was stalking away, Kyle casually flicked a finger in her direction, a small bolt of his energy lacing out to strike the back of her head. Small, quiet, little more than a stinging flick to the back of the head in terms of damage...but enough to draw her attention again. And then, a little verbal jab when her attention was clearly gotten.

"Well, I never took Evelyn for fancying girls, but if I'm missing something you have, which part is it I wonder? The chest or below the belt? Though I suppose you have those and what I have down there, so hmmmm?

Indeed, Evelyn chose to date you. But only because you asked first. I wonder how it would have played out had I? No wait...I believe I already know the answer."

Maya winced and whipped around as something hit the back of her head, hands up and ready for a fight. The guy was still standing by his bike. Did he throw a rock or something?

Congratulations, *sshole, you just leveled up to junior high.

>>"Well, I never took Evelyn for fancying girls, but if I'm missing something you have, which part is it I wonder? The chest or below the belt? Though I suppose you have those and what I have down there, so hmmmm?"

He was not letting go of the sex issue. Talk about junior high. Geez. Maya wondered if he was so forward when he talked to Evelyn. She didn't know what answer she would prefer to that question, probably neither.

Maya checked herself before she could walk back to him for another punch. In the end, living in a school full of teenagers proved to be valuable training in self-control.

>>"Indeed, Evelyn chose to date you. But only because you asked first. I wonder how it would have played out had I? No wait...I believe I already know the answer."

"Good for you" Maya smiled a bitter little smile, before she started walking to the gate again. "Now run along, don't wanna keep you from all the girls lining up at your door. Come back when you're out of middle school, sugar. I promise I'll give you the Talk."

He could see that he was pushing the right buttons...he just wasn't pushing them hard enough. Or rather, he was pushing them in the wrong way. Kyle had to find something that would push the button right down, something that she couldn't shrug off as easily as childish words. The right taunt to dig deep into her skin and settle there, no easily dislodged as his previous words had been.

It hit him like a lightning bolt to the head, the lights flashing on as if it had been obvious all along. Sure, Evelyn had gotten training, likely from the X-Men. But if Maya was her partner, then surely Maya had taken some personal effort in training Evelyn too, right? Heck, Kyle was doing it on the side and he wasn't doing it for anything other then giving Evelyn a chance. That and he simply enjoyed her company/messing with her.

Which gave him an angle he could use. It all depended on how much Evelyn spoke of their encounters; fairly little, he was guessing from Maya's reaction. Well, nothing ventured...

"Oh, now something makes sense. I wondered where Evelyn learned all her new tricks...you must be training her. Well, you've done a fairly decent job so far. But its no wonder you're trying to slip away from this fight; if Evelyn was so easy to smack on her behind, I can't imagine her teacher is much better."

The die was cast, the bait was in the water. It was time to see what kind of fish hooked the line.

>>"Oh, now something makes sense. I wondered where Evelyn learned all her new tricks...you must be training her. Well, you've done a fairly decent job so far. But its no wonder you're trying to slip away from this fight; if Evelyn was so easy to smack on her behind, I can't imagine her teacher is much better."

Maya stopped just as she reached the gates, as if she had been struck. She froze for a moment; she didn't whip around this time like when the stone hit her. Sticks and stones. But this was something else.

Maya caught motion from the corner of her eye and she looked up at her own reflection in the guard booth's empty window. Her face was a striking close-up picture of dark clouds etched with lightning. The guy could taunt her all he wanted. The guy could pick on her gender-shifting, her relationship, her skills, her values. The guy could brag about his assumed friendship with Evelyn.

The guy. Could not. Hit her.

At a workplace, it would have been sexual assault. On the street, it would be straight up being a douchebag.

In front of the X-mansion?

It was a mistake.

Maya's hand curled into a fist again. Her own burning eyes in the reflection reminded her of Mom's usual words to her stubborn son/daughter.

It's okay, honey. Let it go. It's not worth it. It's not worth it. Put it in the rearview mirror.

Brilliant idea, Mom.

It only took Maya a split second to reach out and merge into the reflection. Another second to show up behind Forte in the reflection on the bike, reach out, and tap him on the shoulder. Worlds merged and spun, and a breath's length after the fact Maya was the only one standing next to the bike.

"That's it, kid, time out for ya." she said, folding her arms at the person in the reflection "Heads up, the mirror breaks, so do you. Don't worry, you'll tumble out in an hour or so. If you're lucky, no one steals the bike in the meantime."

Walking to the gates once again and a leisurely pace, she turned around halfway as a second thought.

"And just because I'm an X-man, don't think I won't snipe your ass if you ever touch Evelyn again."

That had done the trick. Kyle knew it the instant that he said it that his comment about hitting Evelyn on the butt had he'd hit the sweet spot. For starters, it had stopped Maya dead in her tracks inches before she would have passed by the gates. That in itself told him trouble was coming.

Even if that wasn't enough of a sign, what Maya showed next was. Her body language and expression said it all; he'd gone too far at last. Now she was ready to lay into him in an entirely different manner. Considering the distance between them, a charge was likely to come, as fast as she could to cover the ground to strike at him. That was perfectly fine for him. His style was better suited to counters then to actual attacking, so if she came to him it was all the...

It all happened in the blink of an eye. One minute Maya was there, the next...

Years of combat had trained Kyle's instincts and his reaction time to know something bad was coming and to already be moving. He spun suddenly, automatically checking his rear for attack...he almost managed to get out of the way. Almost.

The next thing he knew, he was peering out from the side mirror upon his bike, staring at a much larger Maya on the other side. Kyle had no clue what had happened, but something told him not only was this Maya's doing, that that smug look upon her face thought she'd proven herself the better. Glancing around his current surrounding, he had to admit; she was. This time. Kyle just counted his blessing that she didn't think to call the police; apparently the thought hadn't crossed her mind.

Folding his own arms within the mirror, Kyle cocked an eyebrow as she turned to leave before threatening him one last time. "Clever little trick." He smirked at her final words, bothered by his current situation since she'd pretty much told him he'd be okay in an hour...if no one broke the mirror. "Well, I hope you have that rifle handy. And what a pleasure it had been to make your acquaintance."

As Maya stomped off into the mansion, Kyle took one last look around his surroundings before sitting cross legged and folding his arms across his chest, closing his eyes as his head tilted down slightly. He had an hour to kill; time enough to work out what had just happened. And how to prepare for it the next time around.

Oh, and plan Evelyn's next training session. It would be such a wonderful one to plan.