It's always all fun and games until someone crashes through a mirror.

Maya hurried through the mirror dimension, slipping from one reflecting surface to the next. She was on her way back to the Mansion from some patrolling (in civilian clothes) and she wanted to make it before midnight got dangerously close. She had plenty of time, but since she had been to a part of the city she didn't usually frequent, she decided to take a shortcut instead of her more careful mirror-route. She slipped through bars and back alleys. Whoever was out this late on a Friday night would just assume they were seeing things anyway.

And then there was that bar.

Maya slipped through some mirrors and was just about to leave the bar behind... when she could feel the unmistakable pull of her powers being cancelled.

"Sonofa..."

There was probably an adapted sitting at the bar; the next second Maya came crashing out of one of the mirrors above the back of the bar, accompanied by the sound of breaking glass, and tumbled to the ground.

"... ouch."

The midnight crowd was Randy's favorite. The not just because of sales, he liked the atmosphere that came in. Something about hitting midnight changed the feel of the night. It made things better somehow. And the stupid paperwork had him sitting in his office upstairs listening to "Lipstick and Chrome" through the floor boards.

Work had to be done though, that's why he owned the place after all. So far he had paying his employees, and the bills dealt with. The inventory had been done that morning and would need to be ordered. A dozen other tasks sat on his desk untouched. A few screams, shattering glass and an abrupt stop to all other noise from the bar brought an end to all of them.

"I don't have time for this..." Standing up and stretching Randy pictured the back of the bar from his position and ported. He didn't land exactly where he was planning, five feet higher off the ground as a matter of fact. "Oh s****!" He landed hard but was still standing at least. "Ok, someone tell me what just happened?"

His bartender tapped Randy on the shoulder then pointed to the girl lying in a pile of broken bottles.

It seemed like she landed in a pile of booze.
That was a lot less awesome in practice than it sounded.

Maya moaned and rolled over, feeling cuts from broken glass all over her arms and shoulders. She didn't break anything (other than the bottles) but everything still hurt like a b*tch.

>>"Oh s****! Ok, someone tell me what just happened?"

Did that guy just jump down from the ceiling?...

Maya sat up, leaning back against the inside of the bar as she checked herself over. She looked like a mess, and smelled like booze. That was going to be hell to explain to Evelyn's echoes.

"You have an adapted in here's what happened" she muttered "Not like it's a problem or anythin'. I just kinda... um. Fell out of a mirror."

>> "Not like it's a problem or anythin'. I just kinda... um. Fell out of a mirror."

"What the heck is an adapted? Actually I don't care right now. You fell out of a mirror?" Randy extended his hand to help the girl up. A quick glance over showed a number of minor cuts. Nothing looked like it needed immediate attention but he wasn't a doctor either.

The back of his bar was much worse for ware. A look of shock spread onto his face. A few hundred dollars worth of alcohol was shattered across his new visitor and the floor. The shelves where in bad shape as well but probably could be put back together. "Well that's just wonderful..."

>>"What the heck is an adapted? Actually I don't care right now. You fell out of a mirror?"

"Yeah." Maya accepted the hand and stood, dusting glass off herself as she went. Some had to be embedded in skin; she'd get to that later.

>>"Well that's just wonderful..."

"I'm sorry" Maya said, looking down at the pool of liquid and glass "Honest, I don't like wasting booze like that."

It was such a sad thing.

"I was just passing through. I, uh... I travel in mirrors, see? I'm a mutant."

It would have been hard to explain any other way. Especially in front of witnesses.

>>"I'm sorry. Honest, I don't like wasting booze like that."

Randy shrugged, mistakes and accident happened. He just wished they cost less than this one. Numbers and legal issues started flooding his brain. Could she sue him? Should he sue her? Was this adapted she mentioned to blame? He shoved them all to the back of his mind. Take it all one step at a time.

>> "I was just passing through. I, uh... I travel in mirrors, see? I'm a mutant."

A mirror traveler, that was a new one. Still that wasn't much of an explanation or excuse. "So are half the people here, myself included. I'm just glad you aren't the result of a bar fight." Grabbing a towel from under the bar Randy handed it to her. The alcohol would would make those cuts start hurting really soon. "So, you have any ideas about what I should do about all this?"

>>"So are half the people here, myself included. I'm just glad you aren't the result of a bar fight. So, you have any ideas about what I should do about all this?"

"Uh... I'll clean it up?" Maya offered, taking the towel and dabbing the blood and alcohol off as much as she could "I mean, it's partly my fault for not watching where I was going, and believe me, I've got plenty experience cleaning up this kinda mess..."

She glanced around; the bar mood was returning to normal fairly fast.

"It's surprising though that you're a mutant and you wouldn't sense an adapt. What's your power?..."

>> "I mean, it's partly my fault for not watching where I was going, and believe me, I've got plenty experience cleaning up this kinda mess..."

That was a start at least. Cleaning the mess was important, but it did leave Randy out a lot of money. She was part of the mess as well and could probably use a dry shirt. There were spare uniforms in the back so he could make it a joint effort.

>> "It's surprising though that you're a mutant and you wouldn't sense an adapt. What's your power?"

Again with the adapted reference. With the bar's mood returning to normal he could trade questions for a bit. "I'm a teleporter. Name's Randy by the way, and I guess you're lucky you crashed into my bar. Some are a lot less friendly to us. Now You mentioned the adapted, what exactly is that?"

>>"I'm a teleporter. Name's Randy by the way, and I guess you're lucky you crashed into my bar. Some are a lot less friendly to us. Now You mentioned the adapted, what exactly is that?"

"Porter, huh?" Maya grinned. It was rare to meet someone with powers similar to hers "Nice to meet you, Randy. Name's Maya. Uh..." what was the other thing again? "... an adapted is a person who has an aura that... cancels out mutant powers. I teleport through mirrors, see? And when I walked into the aura of someone in here, I fell out. Not the first time either... It is hard to spot people like that until you are actually within their range."

Unless they were the school counselor, that is.

>> "... an adapted is a person who has an aura that... cancels out mutant powers. I teleport through mirrors, see? And when I walked into the aura of someone in here, I fell out. Not the first time either... It is hard to spot people like that until you are actually within their range."

These adapteds sounded like just another mutation to Randy. Although he had never seen multiple mutants with the exact same mutation before. "I may have met a few before. I don't do a lot of porting when the bar is busy though, makes me land in the wrong place so i wouldn't have realized it." He motioned for her to follow him and headed towards the back room. They had stood around talking long enough, she needed a clean and undamaged shirt, possibly a few band-aids or even stitches. "Since you seem to know a bit about them are you sure they aren't mutants?"

>>"I may have met a few before. I don't do a lot of porting when the bar is busy though, makes me land in the wrong place so i wouldn't have realized it. Since you seem to know a bit about them are you sure they aren't mutants?"

Maya followed the man into the back room of the bar, away from the curious eyes of the patrons. Most of them were already returning their attention to their drinks, so she doubted she would cause a commotion; but she preferred tending to her wound in private anyway.

"I got no clue if they are mutants or not" she admitted "Not my table. All I know is how they work. One of them lives... where I live, so I have learned about it. I got no clue about genetics, though. I just know there is more of them, with different ranges."

Maya looked around for a mirror, not to exit, but to take a better look at her wounds. The blood was already sticking her shirt to her skin. It was going to be a bitch to shift like that.

"So, teleporter, huh" she grinned at the man "I guess we're similar then."

>> "I got no clue if they are mutants or not. Not my table. All I know is how they work. One of them lives... where I live, so I have learned about it. I got no clue about genetics, though. I just know there is more of them, with different ranges."

Still sounded like an unusually common mutation. Best to keep it that way until he learned otherwise. He made a mental note to look at removing the mirrors from behind the liquor shelves at some point. Might save some trouble if Maya decided to visit Looking Glass again.

>> "So, teleporter, huh. I guess we're similar then."

Randy nodded. "I guess so. I don't need a mirror though. I just think and it happens." The spare uniforms were all large. It would be baggy but it was also clean. He held it out to her with a smile. "Speaking of mirrors, there's a small bathroom on the corner. I'm trusting you to not run off on me here since I cant find you again and my business relies on repeat customers." Hopefully the joke went over well. It would have when he was her age. Times didn't change that much right?

>>"I guess so. I don't need a mirror though. I just think and it happens."

True teleporter, then. Interesting. Maya smirked at the information. Sometimes she wondered if her father had that power.
She paused at that thought, glancing at the guy again. Would he be old enough...?

Maya shook her head as he spoke again.

>>"Speaking of mirrors, there's a small bathroom on the corner. I'm trusting you to not run off on me here since I cant find you again and my business relies on repeat customers."

"Thanks" she nodded, taking the clean shirt and disappearing though the bathroom door.

She only noticed the shivering once she was alone. She glanced at a clock. Midnight already?...
Darnit.

Maya looked at her rippling features in the mirror. She could get out and get away. She was still not utterly comfortable with sharing the other part of her mutation with everyone.

...

About ten minutes after midnight Gawain walked out of the bathroom, looking a little sheepish and wearing the clean shirt. The scars and injuries were still visible on him, although the bleeding had stopped.

"So, uh..." he muttered, scratching his neck "... I guess there's another part to my mutation." he offered a hand "Name's Gawain, by the way."

Randy stepped back out to the bar as Maya took the offered shirt. While she had offered to clean up the mess, broken glass was a serious work hazard so Randy simply swept it up himself. It took a few minutes to get everything out of his bartenders way. Maya could help with the rest. Porting back to the store room Randy saw the boy step out of the bathroom.

>> "So, uh... I guess there's another part to my mutation. Name's Gawain, by the way."

Randy raised an eyebrow questioningly. He looked similar to Maya, sibling, maybe even a twin. However Randy quickly noticed all the cuts and such from Maya crashing through the bar. 'Another part to my mutation' so, she changed genders, or was it he? "Gawain... Well I can say this was unexpected."

This was definitely one of the stranger mutations he had seen in a while, and Randy had seen some really strange ones. Randy tried shoving his curiosity down but even thinking about how to have Gawain clean up Maya's mess brought a million questions to mind. "Alright, I know this is rude but I gotta ask a few things. I see you have the same cuts as Maya, so obviously you two are the same mutant. But are you the same person?" Could the communicate with each other? Did he have to explain the whole situation to Gawain now?

>>"Gawain... Well I can say this was unexpected. Alright, I know this is rude but I gotta ask a few things. I see you have the same cuts as Maya, so obviously you two are the same mutant. But are you the same person?"

Gawain chuckled. Some people got more surprised by the gender shift than others.

"Yup" he nodded "Same person. I just change genders every midnight... well, sex, technically, but 'sex-shifter' sounds kinky."

It had been suggested before. Someone even called him/her out on being inaccurate, since 'sex' and 'gender' were not the same thing. Mirror did some research and found out the person was right. And yet, 'gender-shifting' sounded a lot less X-rated. No pun intended.

"My mother was a shape-shifter. I guess I inherited some of that from her. It's not voluntary though, it just happens." he shrugged "Dad was a teleporter. That side's more obvious I guess."