By the end of the event Cafas had amassed several phone numbers, and more than one straight up proposition. If he'd thought the MC's announcement of the event's end would mean he could relax however, he'd been wrong. There were drunk women around him in seconds, wanting to continue conversations, wanting autographs, wanting selfies, wanting to take him home. Cafas grinned and bore it.

"Mmmm. Pleese excuse."

Several not very excusing sounds later Maya was in front of him.

He really hadn't expected her to jump at him.

The unsteady leap caught Cafas off guard. Maya's weight suddenly being thrown against him made him stumble. His arms reached out reflexively and caught the drunk elemental in flight, but the push sent him to the floor butt first.

"Oooph!"

There was a short silence, a collective shock, throughout the small crowd of women. Then Cafas began laughing, and they seemed to relax. Amid a chorus of "Are you okay?"s Cafas managed to manuever back to his feet, still holding Maya. "Maya! Warn a guy! Anyway, I thought you didn't like being carried." Cafas teased gently, because who knew what emotions the fall (which she'd been spared the worst of, his butt taking the brunt) had shaken loose.

Several of the clustered women took this all to mean Cafas had made his choice and meandered off, disappointed. The rest quickly took the hint when Cafas started for the door, popping Maya back on her feet once out of the function room. "Come on you big cadbury, let's get you some food. You got anywhere you want to go?"

I think she's had a bit more than a glass and a half dude.

Cafas kept an arm around Maya's shoulders, and squeezed her lightly against his side. Partly it was to stabilise and steer the drunk elemental. Only partly though. "Man, who'd have thought I'd be leaving with the most beautiful woman in the room?"

Just a casual observation...

"I am not being carried." She put a little extra punch in the t's and d's because she was enunciating and not even saying uhm. Not even a little. And she wasn't being carried. She was being really graceful all the way to the ground. So graceful that she didn't even actually feel it.

Did she have to explain why she wasn't being carried? Apparently she did. "We are on the floor!" She gave him a hug as she whispered. It was not really much of a whisper at the volume she maintained. "I'm sorry I knocked you over." She hadn't imagined that was actually possible given the fact that Cafas was a brick wall.

It wasn't even a contest really. Maya wrinkled her nose at a woman over Cafas' shoulder while they got to his feet. The lady turned away in a huff. Hee.

Where did she want to go? "I want to go to Paris!" She threw up her arms in exuberance. Oh wait. Waffles. "I want to go to waffles!" She amended with equal arm flailing. Whoa. She stumbled, but she was not even on her feet all the way yet. "Oh! Or a Monte Cristo. Have you had one of those? They deep fry and sandwich. Welcome to America!"

Maybe she should remove her heels. Would he let her walk without shoes? Probably not. She decided that she had to keep them on.

> "Man, who'd have thought I'd be leaving with the most beautiful woman in the room?"

"Where is she? I will beat 'er up." She was teasing. Teasing was funny. Maya beamed at Cafas. She would go anywhere so long as he was going too.

"I want to go to Paris!"

There was much arm flailing excitement a very short distance from Cafas' face.

"That's not..."

"I want to go to waffles!"

More flailing. Cafas actually had to dodge a hand to the eye.

"Waffles it i..."

"Oh! Or a Monte Cristo. Have you had one of those? They deep fry and sandwich. Welcome to America!"

Cafas had not had one. By how excited Maya seemed, he assumed they were just as terrible and amazing as they sounded.

No prizes for guessing why heart disease is so prevalent.

"That sounds amazingly greasy. Where can we get one? Do they make them at bar restaurants, because they're the only place liable to let us in."

Maya paused in her walking with a serious look on her face. Cafas could almost see the poor drunk hamster running on its wheel. She seemed to make a decision, which kicked her legs back into walk mode.

"You know, if you want to go to Paris that can be arranged..."

Assuming her passport was current and she was allowed out of the country while under investigation by the FBI. Maybe it was too early to be taking a joint trip though. Plus they'd of course be taking Rowan, no sense in him missing valuable cultural learning, and Cafas was very certain they weren't "Taking a trip with her child" serious.

"Where is she? I will beat 'er up."

That smile was blinding. Cafas gave Maya another squeeze and a kiss on the hair. "No beating yourself up. Anyway wasn't that the point? Or should I stop keeping my mind open? Because I can do that." It would be so easy. Telling people you were already seeing someone was generally a much easier sell than actually explaining that there's no chemistry there.

Not dating fans kinda makes it harder too...

The night air was getting cooler and cooler. Cafas was glad he'd grabbed a jacket, because "Dress nice" meant casual jacket. Yet there Maya was being all beautiful and not feeling the cold air... It wouldn't do for her to get cold. It wasn't just her comfort he was worried about, she was a single mother, she couldn't afford to get sick, and with all the alcohol she'd be venting heat at an alarming rate.

That's how his jacket got off of him and wrapped around Maya.

He didn't need it anyway.

> "That sounds amazingly greasy.”

“Yea! Tha’s porbably the only thing open. Deep fried things happen at pubs. Isn't that hangover uh… good for hang offvers?”

F was a funny sound. Ffffffffffff.

> "You know, if you want to go to Paris that can be arranged..."

“Ooooh no. The last time I went over seas I was related twhu-” Her heel got stuck suddenly between cement slabs and her forward momentum was arrested before she was ready. Maya had to grab onto Cafs’ arm and figure out where her legs ended.

She popped the heel free with only a little twisting. Cafas shared his jacket and Maya noted that the hem was just as long as her dress’. That made her chuckle because reasons.

“I still think you'd better keep an open mind, but… maybe no more speed dating. I keep frogetting you're famous.” And that reminded her! “Euan MacJagger is not my favorite!”

They passed a place that smelled like fried so Maya tugged them around to head back to the good smell.

“That guy is not even close to the guy at the top!”

It was warm and the air felt close in the bar. She almost suggested they just go home. But… there were pretty people here too. Maybe Cafas would find one of those better to his liking.

“This one okay?”

“I still think you'd better keep an open mind, but… maybe no more speed dating. I keep frogetting you're famous. Euan MacJagger is not my favorite!”

Cafas didn't recognise the bar Maya was pulling him into. That didn't mean much though. It did lower the chance he'd ever made a fool of himself there. No, this one would be for Maya to make a fool of herself. He wouldn't be getting a chance, given he wasn't allowed to be drinking anyway.

“That guy is not even close to the guy at the top!”

"Yeah? Who is he? Never know, I might be able to arrange for you two to meet." Cafas' ignorance was all feigned. At least he hoped it was. Warm bar air hit him like a wall. Beer and fryer grease were pretty much the dominant smells. So far, so good. As far as bars Cafas had been to, this place was somewhere mid range. More a commentary on the sorts of bars Cafas normally visited.

“This one okay?”

"I smell food, so yeah. Come on, let's get you sitting down." Cafas spied a comfy enough looking booth to settle Maya in while he ordered. Hopefully she wouldn't get herself into any trouble. If she did, he may have to get his X-man on. Cafas sized up the patrons. No one looked like they'd be much threat, though it was hard to tell who had a gun, or a mutation.

Cafas steered Maya into a booth seat. The booths handily came with menus, so he dropped one in front of her and grabbed his own. "Any idea what you want?"

Maya had not considered the fact that Cafas could just, like, call up another celebrity and ask for a favor on her behalf. "Tell me there's a secret famous people phone book and I will so believe you." Her heart was in her eyes. It didn't matter what he said. She already believed.

As for her favorite? Well, that went without saying. "Ehm. I've got a little bit of a bias now, don't I? I have never kissed Euan McJagger. Maybe I would like him better. But, y'know. Doubtful. For starters, you can't just call people and say 'hey, can I kiss you just to be sure we wouldn't work out.' That's why speed smooching isn't a thing." She was so pleased with that observation. Speed smooching.

She scanned the menu until she saw the holy grail. It even had a picture. "Monte Cristo, please." Ham. So more meat. It was fine. Just like the drinking had been fine. She was fine.

But if she was going to find someone who could help Cafas be fine, she was going to have to get to work. Maya shrugged out of Cafas' jacket and excused herself. She did stop by the restroom, but that wasn't her aim. Her aim was the bar and a pair of reasonably dressed and pliable looking women.

"Excuse me." Maya leaned forward over the bar to call the tender over so that she could ask for some seltzer, any excuse for her to scope out her prey. She wasn't about to drink more, except... well, unexpectedly someone offered to buy her a drink. Maya smiled at the woman who'd been sitting alone, dressed as if she'd only just gotten off work.

The elemental accepted her glass from the bar keep and went to take a seat next to the lady who'd paid for her. She didn't recognize her until she reintroduced herself as the paramedic who'd helped them the other day. Ashley.

"Hi." She felt shy now that she was here. It must take a lot of courage for men to do this. Maya sipped the wine politely.

"I don't usually do this, but I recognized you and I thought why not? It didn't sit well to let you guys go, but... well, how was I supposed to stop you? You look okay now, though." Ashley glanced back at Maya and Cafas' table and her cheeks colored. "He looks fine."

"Uhm. Can I ask you something maybe a little bit personal?" Maya tucked her hair behind her ear before continuing. "Do you... are you interested in my friend? I don't want to be weird, but you seem like a nice person. He's a nice person. I don't know." It was a lot harder than she thought it'd be, actually.

"I didn't want to be weird and ask, but, I mean, you guys aren't...?"

Well... there it was.

"Probably not like you're thinking." Maya chewed her bottom lip. Ashley was nice. Cafas was nice.

"Are you sure? You don't mind if I go talk to him or something?"

"We were just grabbing dinner. I tried to get him to do some speed dating thing earlier, but it was kind of a flop."

Ashley seemed encouraged by that.

"Maya, right?" Ashley put her hand on the elemental's arm and squeezed excitedly. "Wish me luck!"

Maya, for her part, stayed where she was at the bar. She could just drink the one glass that Ashley had bought her and go. That would probably be best, right?

"Tell me there's a secret famous people phone book and I will so believe you."

”There isn’t, but it’s like six degrees of Kevin Bacon. You pretty much always know somebody who knows somebody. Go to enough awards shows, you meet a lot of people.”

“Ehm. I've got a little bit of a bias now, don't I? I have never kissed Euan McJagger. Maybe I would like him better. But, y'know. Doubtful. For starters, you can't just call people and say 'hey, can I kiss you just to be sure we wouldn't work out.' That's why speed smooching isn't a thing."

Speed smooching wasn’t a thing for a myriad of reasons, but Maya seemed happy so he wasn’t going t take it away from her. ”Can’t you? Have you seen yourself? Who would say no? Certainly not me.” He’d proven that well and truly. Right in the middle of a dance floor and he couldn’t say no. Alleyway beside a club? Couldn’t say no. Totally not the headquarters of a huge mutant crime syndicate? Couldn’t say no.

"Monte Cristo, please."

”You got it.” But Maya was already up and moving. Cafas very much doubted they had table service, so presumably she was going to order? He watched her go. Nope. Restroom. He’d wait for her to get back then.

Cafas amused himself reading a synopsis his agent had emailed him. Apparently he had an offer to audition for a part in a film. The synopsis stated it was a rom-com. Leaning heavy on the romance by the look of it. Cafas sent back a quick “no thanks”. He wasn’t looking to do much more romance. The fan-mail was super creepy. He’d had to burn a few articles he’d received.

When he looked up, expecting to see Maya sitting back down, Cafas was greeted by a nervously smiling woman. Her slightly dishevelled hair and attire said she’d just got off a shift. Her face was familiar, but in a really unhelpful way.

Well at least she wasn’t from the speed dating event. No way, he’d remember someone so dressed down. ”Hey.” The look on his face must have given away his struggle to place her.

“Hi. Ashley, the paramedic? You might not remember, I think you had a concussion.”

”Oh! From Tiffany’s.” Cafas remembered a quite nice paramedic. He didn’t remember her being quite so pretty. The nervous smile suited her. He nearly caught that thought, but he’d promised to keep an open mind.

”Cafas. How are you?” Was it hot in there? Cafas glanced around for Maya. He spied her at the bar with a glass of wine that seemed quite engrossing. He got a sneaking suspicion she had something to do with this. Still, she could have picked worse.

“I’m good, I just got off a shift. I didn’t expect to see you here or I might have dressed up.” The nervous smile was seriously endearing, especially when not combined with million mile an hour fangirling. Cafas’ relaxed a little, his eyes fading from surprised pink down to a calm blue.

”Nah, you’re making that just got off work look work for you.” The appreciative glance he cast over her wasn’t just for show. She really did make it work for her. It wasn’t Maya in a short skirt hot, but it was pretty close. The fact she was a paramedic helped. Was it the job or what it said about someone that they’d do it that he was attracted to?

Are those the same thing?

“Thanks. You look pretty good yourself. Mind if I join you for dinner? I haven’t eaten yet either.”

Cafas couldn’t see why not. Sure. It’s what Maya would want him to do, right? Impromptu date while sober ticked all the boxes they’d been shooting for. Now if he could stop mixing metaphors, it’d be perfect.

”Please do! Any idea what you want?” Cafas had barely looked at the menu since Maya had gotten up. He’d just figured she’d grab him a Monte Christo too and they’d eat them and Cafas would have to spend an extra hour per day in the gym for the next year to work it off.

“I don’t know, maybe a burger? The Baconattor seems really good right now.”

Cafas hadn’t been expecting that at all. He quickly cast his eyes over the Baconattor. ”Oh my god yes. Don’t know how I feel about barbeque sauce and mayo though.” It sounded alright in theory. But then, so did jello with fruit in, and all that served to do was ruin two perfectly nice foods.

“Individually or the combination?”

”Combination.”

The conversation continued to grow more relaxed and friendly as the night wore on. They ordered and ate, Ashley finished her burger before Cafas much to the amusement of the staff who checked on them periodically. Cafas kept himself to coke, though Ashley did have a couple of glasses of wine. They laughed, they flirted more than a little, and in general it was fun.

Eventually the table was clear and their glasses both empty.

“This was fun. Hey, do you want to come back to my place? Maybe we can watch a movie?”

Cafas had to give that one a moment’s thought. Did he? On a certain level, yes. Ashley was pretty, she was funny, they got along and there was more than a little chemistry present. His brain caught him before he started down the “but” list.

Open mind. A promise is a promise.

”Sure, sounds fun.”

“Great! I’ll go pay and we can go. It’s not too far.”

”No way, we’re going back to yours, I’m intruding at your home, I’ll pay.”

Ashley opened her mouth to argue but Cafas was already up and moving. His excuse for paying sounded reasonable enough, and not half so conceited as “I have too much money, let me pay.” On the way he pulled his cell phone out and began typing to Maya.

Hey, Ashley invited me back to hers to watch a movie, that cool?

Well, she got what she wanted, right?

She was determined not to turn around and make things awkward for Ashley, but that didn't mean that she wasn't using her powers to keep general tabs on their postures. She also pulled a couple snippets from the air... she shouldn't have. That was eavesdropping in the creepiest way possible and they were getting along well each time she checked in. The elemental said thank you but no thank you to the offer of another round, helpfully supplied by a stranger. She'd had more than enough already.

Maya finished her wine and left the bar without so much as pulling her wallet out. So. Slightly inebriated, dressed up, and no where to go.

She could call Sam.

...

She did not want to call Sam.

Maya's heel slipped between the concrete slabs again and when she yanked on it the heel ripped out leaving her with one weirdly shaped flat with small tack nails sticking out the bottom. She wasn't sure why it made her tear up. The shoes weren't special. Still, Maya stopped to wiggle the offending heel free of the sidewalk.

Her phone sounded.

Hey, Ashley invited me back to hers to watch a movie, that cool?

It'd only been like... a week? They didn't really have a relationship. And in the long run, Ashley was a better choice. Even if she wasn't a vanilla human, she was almost guaranteed to have a longer life span, all bacon aside.

She debated the merits of a smiley for too long.

Have fun!

Maya hobbled all the way to a bus shelter bench where she mopped her face with her hand. She was being silly. Cafas was having fun. It was good. She could text her sisterfriend, Isabel. Isabel would know just what to do. And starting out half drunk was no problem for her buddy. There was no judgement there.

The elemental wiped her eyes with a knuckle, backed out of Cafas' message thread and then fat fingered right back into Cafas' message thread instead of clicking the one below it.

Heyb, I don't want to cry. Let's go eat ice cream for dinner.

There. She was feeling better already. Maya took off her shoe and tried to put the pieces back together.

Have fun!

Cafas didn't exactly know how to feel about that. He'd sort of been expecting it, but to see it was a different matter. Still, it was in line with what Maya had been saying. Maybe he should just go for it, misgivings and all. Cafas paid and walked back over to Ashley, who was still pretty and still smiling.

"Alright, we're good to..."

BVVT BVVT

Cafas frowned down at his phone. He hadn't replied, so a follow up was unexpected.

Heyb, I don't want to cry. Let's go eat ice cream for dinner.

F***

He checked just to make sure it was from Ghost. Twice. He really didn't know how to feel about that one either. He knew he felt bad for what he now had to say to Ashley though.

"Everything alright?"

"Uh... No." Cafas looked up, brow furrowed apologetically. "I can't do this. I promised I'd try but... I know it's upset her, even though she's the one trying to set me up..." He was babbling and trying to figure it all out for himself. Cafas sighed. "You're great, you're attractive, you're funny, your appetite is inspirational... But you're not Maya. And now that silly girl's gone and broken her own heart, because she only has limited time left, and doesn't want to hurt me when she dies... But I don't want to be the reason she cries."

He probably should have waited for a response. It would have been mature and polite. He just really wanted to find Maya. Wanted to hold her and tell her it'd be okay and that he was really entirely one hundred percent certain it was very specifically her he wanted.

The night air was refreshing, wonderfully so after the hot bar. He tried to pick a direction, but saw nothing pointing him either way. Maybe he'd do a lap of the block?

He turned the wrong way, typing as he did.

What type of ice-cream?

"You okay, Sweetness?" A woman with possibly more width than height plopped down next to Maya.

"Uhm." She was still crying. She couldn't seem to make it stop even if the rivulets were just running unhindered down her face. Maya groped around for the simple explanation. "My shoe broke."

"All you need is some duct tape. Let me hook you the **** up."

Maya snorted, entirely surprised by the crass language and its contrast to her tone.

What type of ice-cream?

She typed a quick response one-handed to buy time while Maya held the strange things this woman was pulling out of her mammoth carpet bag.

Regret

A sock full of pennies? Was that a sock full of pennies? Eventually Maya was able to tip her armload of curiosities back into the woman's bag. Together they strapped her heel back together. It looked hideous. In fact, she hadn't exactly accounted for the fact that her foot needed to go all the way back down into the shoe.

Maya waved to her bus shelter companion when the bus came and the lady pulled away, off to wherever just a little bit lighter on the duct tape. The elemental mopped her face again and thought really hard for a while.

If Cafas dated Ashley, would she really be happy for them?

Her gut said no even while her brain was screaming yes.

What if they got married? Kids?

Maya watched a paramedic with a slightly disheveled ponytail jump into a cab.

Wait.

Maya wedged her foot back into her shoe. It wasn't a perfect fit, but sometimes you just gotta get from point A to point B.

She found him in her recent call history and hit call.

Why was Ashley walking away? Her brain was running sluggish.

She looked both ways. But... which way? Maya stood and the heel didn't immediately collapse. So far so good.

"Pickuppickup." She dashed back down the street in long strides until she found the pub. She was breathless and dizzy looking over the crowd. When she thought she heard the call connect it was all she could do to say it all and say it fast. "I said I wanted to try for real but it's not really trying if you go home with somebody else."

Where was he? Surely he hadn't left too? What if he had already been in the cab and she'd just missed it and Ashley was joining him and they were in there now listening to this together and having a giggle.

She mashed the end call button.

Crap. What was she doing?

Cafas made it around one corner, not much further. He had to stop watching his phone when he nearly ran into several people, in a very short space of time. He put it in his pocket and figured he'd hear or feel it.

Bvvt Bvvt

Regret

Cafas could go in for some regret ice-cream. He regretted making silly promises to Maya. There'd be no more of that at least for the next minute! Then he'd fall for those eyes and the face and the gah!

Dark chocolate then.

He slid the phone away once more and kept walking. He couldn't see Maya, but he had no idea what sort of head start she had on him. He'd been somewhat preoccupied living up to what she'd asked of him with what seemed like the only chance he had to do so.

A few steps later, his phone again. This time more insistent. He pulled it out to be sure. It was a call, and judging by the photo it was showing him, the call was from Maya. He answered, but was cut off before he could speak.

"I said I wanted to try for real but it's not really trying if you go home with somebody else."

"I couldn't..." Click "... agree more."

Where had she been? Was she looking for him? Where made sense?

The pub.

Cafas spun on the spot and set off at a pace somewhere between exuberance and deep need to comfort Maya. It amounted to him getting back to the pub in record time, past several people he had nearly run into going the other way.

Not out front.

He opened the door and barely had to take two steps to find a teary Maya looking over the room. Cafas grabbed her hand, spun her gently on the spot, and found her eyes.

"I think we should go exclusive..."

Cafas pulled Maya in and kissed her for a long moment.

"What do you think?

She was facing a room full of people with tear stains on her cheeks and a shoe full of duct tape. Embarrassed, Maya was ready to make a mad dash for the privy when someone caught her hand and pulled her around.

Not just someone. It was him.

Her reaction was visceral. She made a sound somewhere between a laugh and a sob as he blurted out words that she didn't think she'd wanted to hear.

And her body fit against his. And he kissed her. And it was toe curling and tender.

In front of a room full of people.

> "What do you think?"

She didn't remember the pub was full until someone took up a woooooo! that spread around the front room. Other couples kissed, inspired. It was stuffy and she was still embarrassed, but now for an entirely new set of reasons. Maya hid in the shoulder seam of his shirt.

"I think I almost made a really bad mistake." Her eyes were still pooling with tears, but it wasn't so bad with a proper hiding spot. "And that you're free to make whatever fool decision you want. Especially if it's me." She bit her lip and hazarded a peek upwards.

Cafas had nowhere to hide, unlike Maya. He was also facing the room. Ge got to watch the Woooo-ers, and the couples kissing, and several thumbs up he was almost certain were more about Maya's looks than anything else. They were, after all, in a pub.

"I think I almost made a really bad mistake. And that you're free to make whatever fool decision you want. Especially if it's me."

"I have been a fool for lesser things." Thank you Billy Joel. Cafas smiled down at the adorable eyes peeking up at him. His arms slipped around her back and held her close. As if they weren't blocking a doorway with their moment. The bar may as well not have existed, looking into her eyes. Except for the awkward "Excuse me" as a rather large man tried to slip by them.

Cafas laughed as he stepped aside, the whole night had been a little overwhelming. He couldn't help the chuckle. It was just the way the man had said it. He wiped a tear that had not at all gathered in the corner of his eye.

"So, ice-cream? I'm sure we can find somewhere open."