The Sterling & Bartolomei Arts Foundation didn't correspond to the image Chris had of a museum. He wouldn't say that it looked disappointing from the outside, just... severely underwhelming. The front wall, wedged in between two residential apartment buildings, was a four floor concrete wall. That's it. No giant stone pillars, no windows, no nothing. Shouldn't galleries have big windows to let a lot of light in? The only opening in the grey concrete was the open glass door on the bottom floor, which showed a minimalistic interior. All you could see from the street outside was a white wall with the museum's name painted in black, and a wooden counter next to the door. A female receptionist was standing behind it.

So from the outside it seemed like a drab place. That didn't dissuade Chris, though: he had made his decision. He wanted in. He wasn't terribly interested in modern art to begin with; on the contrary, he had no idea what it was. When he had heard about modern art in conversations it always seemed to be mentioned in a negative way. My three-year-old can paint like that, it's not real art. Chris wanted to try to understand what it was that could evoke so much emotions in so many people, and since his notion of modern art was just a blank space he clearly needed to go and educate himself.

The only barrier between himself and understanding was a measly 10 dollars in entrance fee... 10 dollars he didn't have. But with a little luck that wouldn't matter. There was a security guard standing in front of the open glass door, a heavy-set man in his fifties. Right now, he was standing gesticulating wildly to a German family, getting redder in the face by the minute because of the frustrating language barrier. Chris stood a bit to the side, shoulders a bit slouched and his head covered by his grey hoodie's cowl. He didn't care much about his appearance, and that certainly showed: his clothes were dirty and looked like they had been lived in for some time, and he didn't have any shoes since none suited his toad-like, three-toed feet anyway.
"Nein! This is nicht Moma, this... You have to go here. Nein! This is the wrong part of New York! Wrongen... parten!"

When the guard seemed to be completely engrossed in the tourists and their map Chris took his chance. He passed by behind the guard as quickly and quietly as he could and dropped down to his hands and feet. He quickly crept in through the open door and passed by the wooden counter on all four - the receptionist didn't even look up from her desk. He crawled around the white wall with the gallery's name on and then stood up again, squinting in an attempt to take it all in. The room he'd entered was long and thin, and four floors high. The ceiling was entirely made of glass, showering the long hall with light. The walls to the left and right of the room were in grey concrete, just as the front facade, with a couple of doors that probably lead into other, smaller exhibition rooms. The only decoration in the room was an enormous mural covering the four-floor farthest wall - Chris's eyesight was too bad to make out any details, but it was absolutely shining with color: red, purple, orange, blue. The mutant took a few steps forward, trying to get a better view of the mural.

Patrolling the streets was really just an excuse to walk around all day without people bothering you. That's why Maya liked it so much.
She didn't have the archery gear; daytime patrols in downtown NYC were way too out in the open for stuff like that. But she did wear the X-men gear, and looked down at the streets from various reflections, and sometimes from the rooftops, admiring the scenery of a city that never stops buzzing.
Which is how she noticed the ragged little figure sneaking into a modern art museum.

Who the hell sneaks INTO a modern art museum?!

Maya shifted through a few windows and a bathroom mirror before she entered the building, and found the strangle little fellow standing in one of the exhibition rooms. Good thing no one else noticed them; it was dead time in the museum, apart from the German tourists outside. Maya walked up behind the sneaky person.

"That was the worst break-in I have ever seen." she noted, folding her arms "You got a plan for sneaking out too?"

And who steals modern art anyway?...

The sudden voice behind him made Chris jump, and he immediately turned around while taking a few steps back to both get a better look at the person who'd snuck up on him and to create some distance between them. It was a woman. His yellow eyes travelled down to her familiar outfit - she was with the X-men, apparently. That could be both good and bad. Chris hadn't had much contact with the X-men per se when he'd stayed at the Mansion two years back, but he knew that they were peace-keepers and working to promote human-mutants relationships. He might not share the same aspirations, but in his opinion, a group like the X-men were needed.

This particular X-woman was vaguely recognizable; he had probably seen her around the Mansion, but he didn't think they'd spoken before.

Seeing as they were upholders of the law meant that she'd probably have to force him out of the museum since he was, technically, intruding. He didn't consider it a break-in, though - as she finished her sentence, Chris started to fervently shake his head.
"Oh, no no no. I'm not breaking in. The museum is open, not closed. I just wanted to take a quick look, I'm not here to steal."
He held up his hands before him in a gesture to show that he hadn't stolen anything and that he wasn't armed - not like there was anything to steal in the big empty room. Chris gave her a pleading look.
"I just... I need to see what it is. I want to understand. Just... ten minutes, then I'll be gone. Five minutes. Please."
He held up the four fingers on his right hand and one finger of his left, indicating the number of minutes until he'd leave.

And, in case she'd approach him - one of the door openings that lead to another exhibition room was close to his right. He was pretty sure he could make a quick dive into the room before she caught him. The thought of fighting a member of the X-team didn't even occur to him, but maybe he could get a quick look inside.

Oh great, the kid was a mutant. Now he was officially her responsibility...

>>"Oh, no no no. I'm not breaking in. The museum is open, not closed. I just wanted to take a quick look, I'm not here to steal."

"Funny, I didn't see you payin' for a ticket..."

Technically, she didn't either, but she was the good guy here. Girl. Whatever.

"C'mon, I'll let you go if you leave now."

>>"I just... I need to see what it is. I want to understand. Just... ten minutes, then I'll be gone. Five minutes. Please."

Maya blinked and looked around, realizing where they were standing.

"Understand what?... Modern art? Kid, ya're gonna need more than five minutes for that..."

And he did not even have that many. Apparently the German tourists had made their way through the entrance and judging from the voices they were about to merrily march into a very delicate mutant situation.

Maya did the only thing she could think of: She grabbed the kid and pulled him into the glass door behind him (he seemed like he was heading that way any minute anyway) and through another half a dozen reflections before they tumbled into a bathroom. Maya locked the door before she turned to look at him again.

"You can't just sneak into places like this! What if someone called security?!"

More time than five minutes? He was pretty sure he could look at some paintings in that amount of time. He wasn't writing a thesis about them.
But before he could make that argument, a couple of loud voices could be heard from the entrance. German. Chris froze, and that's when the X-woman grabbed his arm and... reality started to shift around them. It felt like they were moving, or that the world was moving around them, at a breakneck speed. The disorienting experience was cut short when they both fell to the ground. Chris scrambled to his feet with his back pressed against the white tiles of the wall, looking around wildly as he got his bearings. Bathroom stalls. A row with four sinks. Big mirror covered the wall above the sink.

His heart still beating quickly from whatever-had-just-happened, he stared back at the other mutant.
"You can't just sneak into places like this! What if someone called security?!"
Chris's eyes narrowed as he tried to bring her face into focus, but now he was pretty sure he recognized her. He'd heard about the shape-shifting, mirror-traveling mutant when he'd stayed at the mansion. He'd never seen her... or his... powers in action, but the description matched what he'd just experienced.
"...Mirror?"

He clamped his hand around the edge of the nearby sink, forcing himself to calm down. It had just been a freaky trip through some sort of mirror-dimension. Nothing to get freaked out about. He didn't let go of the sink just yet, though. It felt good. Solid.
"Technically, I just did," he corrected her previous statement that you can't sneak into places like this. Then he shrugged.
"And if they called security I'd get thrown out. Or arrested. But... I see your point," he admitted, before looking back at her with a still serious expression.
"Can I borrow ten dollars?"

>>"...Mirror?"

Maya's eyes narrowed as she watched the kid scramble to his feet. Did she know him?... Better, did he know her?... Maybe he had seen her on TV or something. There was always a chance for that. Although now, looking at him, he did look familiar.

>>"Technically, I just did... And if they called security I'd get thrown out. Or arrested. But... I see your point... Can I borrow ten dollars?"

He was clearly not as bothered about breaking into a museum as he should have been. Maya sighed and let her arms down.

"You're one of the Mansion kids, aren't you" she noted, finally putting a place to the face "Haven't seen you for a while, though... So, what exactly do you need ten dollars for?... And what's it with the interest in modern art?"

Maya was not a very artistic person.

She sighed, apparently not pleased by his explanation. And now it seemed like she recognized him; when Mirror asked if he was one of the mansion kids he nodded to confirm the statement.
"I stayed at the mansion for a while, yes. That was three years ago, though. And I'm twenty-one, I don't count as a kid anymore."
While he spoke he started to pull at his fingers, one after one. He looked down at his hands while doing so.
"I appreciate you letting me stay there, and I think it is a very important place. But it wasn't for me."

And as for her two last questions...
"The entrance fee is ten dollars. And... the reason why I'm here is a bit complicated," he said and then hesitated. He looked up from his fidgeting hands straight at Mirror. He had trouble putting his reasonings into words. It made sense to him, but he wasn't sure it would make sense to another person. But she had asked...

"I had an isolated upbringing. I was twelve the first time I spoke to another person, except my grandfather. Four years ago I came to New York to learn more about people, and... left because it was so overwhelming."
He told it in a matter-of-fact way, and then shrugged.
"But there's still much I don't know about all of you. It's like... I have these gaps in my understanding of the world. It's frustrating. I don't know why you people put value in certain things, why things that have no impact on your life makes you sad or happy, or why you do all the millions upon millions of pointless things you do."
He was talking faster and faster, and now he started to pace back and forth, hands fidgeting in front of him.
"And that brings me here. Art. It has no purpose, no function. You can't use it for anything. Some pay millions for it, others despise it. Why? How can something with no function and such a high value anger so many? I just... need to see it so I could..."
He stopped in his track and looked back over his shoulder at Mirror.
"I'm rambling. Sorry."

>>"I stayed at the mansion for a while, yes. That was three years ago, though. And I'm twenty-one, I don't count as a kid anymore. I appreciate you letting me stay there, and I think it is a very important place. But it wasn't for me."

So, the kid was the same age as Mirror. Oh well. Not like she didn't call kid anyone that seemed like a kid, age gap or not. Plus, she was the one in the uniform here. Wasn't that how movies worked?

>>"The entrance fee is ten dollars. And... the reason why I'm here is a bit complicated..."

Whoa. Talk about being raised in a bubble. Maya leaned against a sink, folding her arms again as she listened to the guy's reasoning behind sneaking into a modern art museum.

Why can't Evelyn catch things like this? She would be way more competent.

>>"I'm rambling. Sorry."

"It's fine" she sighed "Look, I get what you're sayin', but that's no excuse for breaking in, if you get caught. Now, I'd be more than happy to front the ten bucks for your education... but that's kinda exactly what the Mansion's for." she held up her hands "I'm not gonna try to talk you into coming back there. I'm just sayin' you don't have to live there full time or even take classes to show up and ask for help with stuff like this."

She ran her fingers through her hair, trying to come up with a reasonable solution.

"Hell, we have people on the X team who are kind of art experts. Me, personally... I don't know much about any of this crap after the 17th century... But if you want my honest opinion, you should kinda go back to where it starts, instead of starting with modern art. I bet it'd make more sense."

Or maybe it wouldn't. Who was she to judge.

As she spoke, Chris was beginning to realize that he was defeated. There just was no way he'd sway the other mutant. He was on the verge of protesting against the term breaking in again - technically, he hadn't broken anything. But he suspected voicing his thoughts out loud about semantics wouldn't go over particularly well with the mirror-travelling mutant.

What she said made sense. Yes. He could probably go back to the mansion and ask for help. Not just with this latest obsession, but with any questions he'd have. And they'd talk and explain and give him books to read about the subject. But that was just... facts. He didn't want names and dates and experts' opinions, he wanted to know what people thought. He wanted opinions.

Besides, he hadn't been back to the mansion once since his return to New York. There wasn't any particular reason for him not to go, on the contrary, the only friends he'd made during his stay in New York lived there. If they hadn't moved away, or died. Maybe that was why the thought of going back there filled him with unease. Two years was a long time, and much could have changed since he left.
"Yes. Maybe. I'll think about-"
He froze, reflecting upon a very particular word she'd used when explaining her personal opinion about the matter.
"Crap." He turned around and focused his pale yellow eyes back on Mirror.
"So you don't like it."
Without taking his eyes from her, he put his hands on the edge of the washbasin behind him and then sat up on the edge with his legs dangling in front of him.
"What is it you don't like about it?"

>>"Crap. So you don't like it. What is it you don't like about it?"

Sooo, the guy was genuinely interested in art, and everyone's opinion on it. Maya blinked. The museum bathroom was not exactly the best place to discuss this, but he did not look like he was going to let it go.

The mirrorwalker sighed.

"I am... not really interested in modern art. A lot of it has meaning, or at least the artists want it to have meaning... but I like things, that are beautiful. Or, y'know. Good to look at."

Said the gender-bending time-displaced knight.

"Ah hell. Y'know what? Let's go take a look."

Holding a hand out, if it was accepted, Maya pulled the kid back into the mirror, and around to the alley next to the museum.

Chris listened politely to Mirror's explanation, even though it was pretty obvious that she hadn't just been modest earlier when she'd said that she didn't know much about that 'crap'. He was therefor pleasantly surprised when she suddenly decided to go and take a look.
"Oh. Really?"
But he wasn't about to let an opportunity like this go to waste. She'd extended a hand towards him. Chris hesitated slightly and then took hold of it with his own webbed, clammy hand.

Mirror-traveling wasn't as intimidating when you were prepared for it, as much as you could prepare for traveling from one space to another just by going through the reflections on the way there. It was still highly disorienting, though.
They ended up in an alley Chris had passed by on his way to the museum, even if it took him a moment to recognize it. He gave the window they'd probably exited through a suspicious look - it was only a meter or so high, and seemed way to small for the two of them to travel through. Very disturbing.

He turned back towards Mirror, pulling down the hoodie's cowl. There was no need for subterfuge now.
"Thank you. I owe you for this. Besides, it sounds to me like..."
He paused and quirked an eyebrow at her; or at least, the area where his eyebrow would have been if he'd had any hair.
"...you could need some education on the subject."
Chris' humor had always been a bit subdued, but he himself believed that he was pretty funny.

After exiting the alley they were right outside that flat concrete facade again. The grey mutant glanced over at the guard, who'd gotten back to his post next to the gallery's entrance after showing the German family inside. Somehow it was more intimidating to walk up to the security check instead of just trying to sneak in. Chris hoped he wouldn't get frisked - he hated that.
"Ladies first," he said while gesticulating with one arm for Mirror to take the lead. Then he realized what he'd said, and to whom, and looked as if he might swallow his own tongue. Mutations could be a touchy subject, and so could gender. When you mixed the two of them, the possibility of saying something offensive increased tenfold.
Chris cleared his throat nervously. He had no idea if he'd somehow offended the X-men member, but he hoped he hadn't.
"I, uh, that is... I mean... if you... hmm."

>>"Thank you. I owe you for this. Besides, it sounds to me like...you could need some education on the subject."

Maya arched an eyebrow. For being the one who just got busted for trespassing, the guy sure did have a mouth on him.
Maya liked the attitude.

"Hey, I'm a vigilante, not a teacher." she chuckled as they walked around to the front entrance of the museum.

>>"Ladies first. I, uh, that is... I mean... if you... hmm."

Maya chuckled again and walked forward.

"Relax. I'm a girl today, just think of it that way. There are really no social rules how genderqueer mutants walk through doors... anyhow. Let's go."

Maya bought two tickets (student rate) and once again they found themselves inside the sanctum of modern art, this time in a legal fashion.

"So... um. We should probably bring a brochure or something."

Chris nodded when Mirror explained that today she was a girl. It seemed less complicated if you just thought about it like that.
"Right."
He followed her into the art museum, standing back while she payed. It still didn't entirely make sense to him that you had to pay for just watching something. It was not like they intended buying anything. But he wasn't going to start arguing about it now.
At Mirror's suggestion, he reached out for a brochure from a low table.

Once again they entered the large empty room, the one with doors leading into the different exhibitions. Chris squinted towards the mural at the front end of the hall, but it was still just a blur. He held out the brochure towards Mirror and folded down his hoodie from his head.
"You payed, so you decide which exhibition we go to," he said as he pulled a pair of see-through swim goggles out of the pocket in front of his hoodie. With his other hand he took out a small bottle of water from his jeans pocket, screwed off the lid and filled the goggles with water up to the brim. Careful not to spill he leaned his head down and pulled on the goggles..

He blinked a couple of times, surveying his surroundings once more. The water-filled goggles made everything clearer, including Mirror and the big mural on the opposite wall. It was some kind of abstract shapes, and it still didn't make a lot of sense to him.
"I'm ready," he said in a serious tone that contrasted with the goofy-looking goggles. "Where do we go?"

>>"You payed, so you decide which exhibition we go to. I'm ready. Where do we go?"

Maya watched with mild amazement as the guy put on goggles filled with water. It was obvious that his mutation was aquatic of some form, but the goggles threw her for a minute. His eyes looked larger now.

"Eh, um..." she glanced down at the brochure and the information in it, including a small map.

"How about... Light and Texture? It's a modern sculpture exhibit... I think." she looked up towards the door on the left "That way."

Walking through the door they entered a space lit with various forms of light; bright spots, electric candle flames, disco balls, and many other kinds, lighting abstract shapes sculpted from various materials.

"I wish Eve was here" Maya murmured, looking around.

Chris followed her into the exhibition and blinked at the sudden flashing lights inside.
"Huh," he said with a small frown. This wasn't really what he had expected. It didn't seem to be any actual paintings inside of the room, just different light installations. Lamps. Some spotlights.

He walked in front of a screen that had been attached to the wall; a camera and projector were set up behind him, simultaneously filming him and the screen were the images were projected. The result was an infinity effect similar to standing between two mirrors, except it just showed your shadow over and over instead of your mirror image. What was disconcerting was that the shadow images didn't move exactly when Chris did - he raised his hand, and it took half a second before his shadow followed him, and so on.
"Disturbing," he concluded and then turned around towards Mirror, picking up on her latest comment. "Who's Eve?"

However, something caught his attention behind her. Through the shifting light installations he could see a man standing outside of a restroom door in the back of the exhibition room. The man was knocking on the door, quite impatiently, and shouted something in German. Chris tilted his head slightly to the side.
"...did you unlock the restroom doors before we left?"