Kendra said nothing as Becca gathered her things and she simply pushed the button on her speed dial.  She didn't know why but she absentmindedly held the phone to hear ear while she waited, as if she were expecting herself to answer.  It had been a long harrowing night.  The sun would be up before to long.  The first rays of the new day cracking over the horizon to inform them that they had made it.  Kind of poetic really, in a weird sort of way.  She had spent mostly the entire night in the company of another woman and she barely knew a thing about her.  The only thing she really had a handle on was the fact that she had an accent, she was tough and she seemed to care about people.  It was nothing you couldn't gather from only a few moments with the radiant woman, but there wasn't a lot of time for talking.  

Kendra realized it was taking longer than usual.  She was for the most part a pretty light sleeper.  Normally she would wake up after the first couple rings.  She watched as Becca left the room with her gear and begrudgingly followed.  She was still holding her phone to her ear as she mounted the steps up behind Becca.  A soft ringing could be heard inside the room.  Muted to the hall by solid wood of the door, but still audible.  Why am I not waking up?  She wondered.  She was getting a little nervous.  Had she suffered some head injury that she just couldn't feel in the moment?  She always felt pain less when in astral form.  It was something she had to keep a conscious reminder of.  She reached up and felt her head.  There was in fact a small knot on the back of her head.  It stung slightly to the touch and that worried her more.  Another ring rang out in the room.  The phone to her ear stubbornly kept ringing.  Just as she was about to say something behind Becca.  She disappeared.  

She awoke in her bed.  She was half way on and half way off of it.  Her leg dangled precariously over the edge.  Her sheets a haphazard tangled mess from tossing and turning.  Her physical body reacting to the challenges of the danger room from within the safety of her dorm.  Kendra's eyes cracked open to stare at the ceiling.  She was still holding her phone in her hand.  Looking at it she ended the call and the phone beside her bed stopped ringing.  She didn't keep an answering machine.  Any call to her room would simply ring until the caller gave up.  

Kendra leaned up in her bed and felt the impact of the night almost instantly.  She sat up to fast and the wave of nausea hit her first.  She had to swallow several times to keep it down despite her mouth feeling dry as a desert.  There was a light pulsing in her temples that swooshed in her skull.  It persistant irratating droning noise that just might drive her crazy.  Her muscles screamed in protest as she forced herself to sit up.  "Coming." She called out lightly.  She was startled by the frailty of her own voice and tried to clear her throat as she hoisted herself out of bed.  Kendra was still dressed in the yoga outfit she had adorned in the danger room.  Her shirt covered in the stains of a light layer of sweat.  Her skin was hot and clammy and the silk sheets behind her hands were still warm.  She took a moment to look around and realized that Emily was not in bed with her.  She must have slipped out through the night.  She felt a slight flutter in her chest.  Emily would have certainly wanted to know why some strange woman was knocking on the door this early, maybe it was for the best that she had slipped away.  

Kendra forced herself to her feet and started towards the door with a tired yawn.  She had slept all night, but she still felt as if she had never rested.  Her mind was in a constant state of conscious awareness so she simply always felt like a spark of electricity dancing across a live wire.  Coffee would help.  She really needed some coffee.  She could almost smell the warm rich aroma drifting to her wishing nostrils as she crossed the room and seized the handle.  Kendra felt as if she were hit by a truck.  Her muscles burned and ached.  She was stiff in places and other places, her legs mostly; felt as if they were made of rubber.  Her hair was a victim of bed head.  It looked like a hair dryer had committed felony assault on her while she slumbered.  Wild strands of red hung in awkward places as her hair hung around her face and shoulders.  She looked like a plate of dog shit that had been left in the microwave to defrost, but she was happy none the less.

A light smile touched her lips as she opened the door and saw Becca standing there.  She knew it was her.  She was standing in the hall behind her only moments before, invisible to the world.  Kendra couldn't help but feel nervous though.  What was she going to say?  This was a awkward meet for sure.  It hadn't even occurred to her how she might look just waking up.  All her attention was only keeping herself upright.  Kendra leaned against the door in a way that made her look casual, it was mostly just because the heavy wooden door offered her a merciful support in which to lean against.  She didn't want Becca to see how much of a physical pounding she had taken through the night.  Light bruises were already formed on the pale skin of her neat and shoulders.   A few scrapes from the scuffles, and she was having trouble putting much weight on one ankle that was for all intents and purposes sprained.  

Still she stood there proudly.  They had accomplished something tonight.  Something that even Kendra herself wasn't sure that she could pull off.  They had slayed a freaking dragon and conquered the danger room.  That in it self was enough to make you smile, but it was the lightly freckled face of a beautiful stranger standing at her door that put the smile there.  Kendra tried her best to keep her calm.  She felt like she wanted to cry.  Not because of the pain; well, not ONLY because of the pain; but because she felt like she was meeting an old friend.  They were strangers to one another sure, but she couldn't help but feel a strong feeling of commradery and companionship from the night they had shared beating down metal beasties.  "Come on in."  Kendra sat softly. 

Kendra left the door way and turned to her table.  She had a coffee maker sitting on the desk.  It was the only real thing in her room besides her laptop and camera that she really cared about.  Kendra started the coffee maker and already her tastebuds were tingling in anticipation.  The liquid cure to what ailed her tired and tattered overtaxed mind.  Kendra watched Becca as she prepped the coffee maker and grabbed a mug.  Her hand fell on a second mug and she paused. "Coffee?"  She asked.  Her smile grew a little wider, It was a little odd standing in the same room with her in person.  Kendra couldn't help but wonder what was going through Becca's mind in that moment.

For Rebecca, meeting someone she had already spent time getting to now was an anxious feeling. Seeing Kendra face-to-face was like meeting a friend from the internet in person. Sure, they had built their rapport, but would that translate well when they were not dealing with skeletons and dragons?

The door to the room finally opened, revealing Kendra, and Rebecca’s first reaction was to chuckle. Kendra was definitely a beautiful woman, and a fellow redhead to boot, but she has also just woken up from an unrestful sleep, and her red hair was very telling of that. Somehow, Kendra’s bedhead removed a lot of the stress from their meeting. ”Hi,” Rebecca greeted with a smile.

Kendra invited her new guest into the room and offered to make some coffee. Rebecca still had plans to hopefully catch some sleep later in the day, but in the state she was in, coffee would do little to keep her up anyway. ”Sure. Bit first,” there was something that had to be done and was long overdue.

Approaching her host, Rebecca very carefully, very delicately wrapped her arms around Kendra. She had promised the girl a hug, after all, and it felt like something they both earned. ”Ah’d hug ye better, bit Ah hink neither of us is in th’ condition fur squeezing.” Rebecca was well-aware of the bruises that riddled her body, and it was no stretch to assume Kendra was in a similar state.

Finally releasing the hug, Rebecca looked over her new friend and grinned. ”Oh, one muir thing.” In an effort to help the young woman out, Rebecca ran her fingers through Kendra’s hair, hoping to bring some sanity to the mess left behind by her bed. Some locks of hair were set in their ways and unmoved by Rebecca’s influence, but she returned some order to the red hairdo. ”Better,” she decided with a smile.

Now that they had their hug, Kendra looked almost awake, and coffee was brewing, Rebecca felt pleased with how her morning was turning out. ”It’s nice tae meet ye, Kendra. Officially.”

Kendra didn't have time to protest. Becca stepped forward and wrapped her arms lightly around her.  Kendra was a little apprehensive. It was a strange feeling to know someone and not know them at the same time.  Becca felt familiar and new in the most absurd way.  Kendra's arms found their way around the other woman.  She was soft and warm.  She was and old friend and a perfect stranger.  Kendra felt the warmth burning in her cheeks as her face nestled slightly among Becca's hair.

Stepping back from the embrace Kendra watched as Becca's eyes danced over her.  Becca reached up and began to fix Kendra's hair.  Kendra just sat there and let it happen.  A little smile pushing it's way onto her face as she stared.  It was an oddly intimate moment in her mind.  It was something that she felt was shared among two people who were close and shared a connection.  She certainly didn't think her and Becca had earned that level of closeness, but she didn't mind.  She smiled lightly.  "It’s nice tae meet ye, Kendra. Officially.”  Becca said.

"Nice ta meet'cha."  Kendra said in her sweet southern Georgia drawl.  Her voice was a little shy and timid.  She wasn't sure why but she was suddenly filled with this overwhelming self conscious feeling.  What is she thinking?  She wondered as Becca's eyes moved over her.  She did all she could to avoid eye contact.  Instead Kendra found herself doing little things, like findin a second mug or finding creamer.  Her back was to Becca now.  No doubt Becca would notice her modest surroundings.  Kendra's room was devoid of any family photos or personal effects. 

Kendra finished fixing the coffee for both of them and sighed.  Turning around she handed one to Becca and kept one for herself.  Her fidgety hands held onto the mug as she leaned against the desk.  Kendra brought the mug to her lips and blew on it softly.  Her eyes dared to look up at Becca.  She didn't know why this person to person meeting was so intimidating suddenly.  What if I don't measure up?  She thought.  She never considered herself very special.  She had a mutation that made her special, but if it wasn't for that she felt like she was mostly invisible anyways.  She was always the type of girl who was doted on for her looks, but often faded into the background.  She was the type of girl who was often so quiet and shy that you wouldn't even notice her in an empty room.

Becca had said that she showed promise.  She locked her gaze on Becca.  Kendra studied her face for as long as her fragile nerve would allow.  She saw looking back at her someone kinda and caring, someone she knew, but still had an ocean of curiosities to learn about.  Kendra chewed on her lower lip a bit.  She brought her attention to the heat of the mug in her hands.  She took a sip of her coffee and her nose crinkled a bit.  It twitched like a little rabbit.  There was a question on her mind.  A question that she was a little nervous to ask but it leapt out at her and was dancing on the front of her nosey mind. 

"I...."  She started.  Then at the last moment Kendra backed out.  Instead of asking what was really on her mind she asked something else.  "Do ya want any cream or sugar, sugar?"  She aside quietly.  The smile was gracing the corners of her lips again.  It was a nervous smile.  She didn't know what the rest of the day would hold, but it was already starting out interesting.  Outside her window The sun was starting to peak it's head out over the horizon.  The first rays of light started sparkling over the tops of the trees and caught her eye.  Kendra looked over briefly and marveled at how long they had actually spent together tonight.  One cup of coffee.  That was it and then she would let her get some sleep, Kendra thought to herself.  She took another sip of her coffee and waited for Becca to answer the question.  The question that she really wanted to ask was still lingering on her thoughts.

Meeting Kendra in her waking world was a surprising experience. It had nothing to do with the fact that the fellow redhead was beautiful, (though she would not lie and pretend she was oblivious to that,) as much as it did her change in personality. Maybe there was something about being her “dream self” that pushed Kendra to be bolder, but at the moment, she seemed almost timid? Shyness was a cute look for her, but wholly unexpected.

The room was more or less set to default when it came to decorations, which made it all the clearer how new to the Mansion the girl was. Rebecca still remembered being fresh off an airplane, sitting in a bare room, learning to adjust to her new life. She would not point anything out, but she felt a connection with the girl, like she might have found someone with whom she was of a kind.

Rebecca wanted Kendra to feel comfortable around her, but watching the young woman seem shy and uncertain left her sheepishly smiling. ”Baith, please,” she replied to the offers of cream and sugar. It took a moment for Rebecca’s tired brain to process how Kendra asked her question, but when she did, she finally chuckled and repeated, ”Sugar sugar.” Her self-amused laughter quickly quieted, and she recognized she was still feeling a little silly from exhaustion. ”Bloody heel, Ah’m tired,” she pointed out.

Taking the coffee offered to her, Rebecca did not sip initially. She chose to take deep breaths in, enjoying the scent and warmth of the coffee as it wafted from her mug. It was customary for her to enjoy the aromas of her hot beverages, allowing them to cool slightly before she took a drink and ran the risk of burning up her tongue.

With her brain slowly regearing and processing the conversation, Rebecca noticed that Kendra was being hesitant about bringing something up. Now that they were out of a combat training scenario, the elder ginger was not going to push Kendra into anything. Instead, she would strike up conversation until she stumbled into the topic, or the dreamwalker came out with it on her own. ”Sae daes yer girlfriend know yer an awesome adventurer-slash-dragon slayer?” Obviously the mystery girlfriend had not been filled in on their maze exploits, but Rebecca still wondered if she knew about the thrill-seeking, risk-taking side of her significant other.

Kendra lived on coffee.  Coffee didn't really help with her powers, but it did sort of keep her alert and focused.  It was a crutch that she heavily leaned on.  Kendra moved across the room to the window and stared out it for a moment.  The early morning sunlight raced against the velvet sky.  There were birds already chirping in the trees outside. Everything about the picturesque scene told her that her new friend would be leaving soon.  Kendra wasn't sure why, but the thought of Becca leaving put a lump in her throat. 

She barely knew her and yet.... She didn't want her to go.  It wasn't easy for her to interact.  She spent most of her time trying to fade into the background.  Especially since she was still sort of new here in the mansion.  She didn't want to make waves, or be noticed.  She was still sort of just taking it all in.  Becca had noticed her.  Not that Kendra had ever intended that, but she was glad she did notice.  Kendra turned to face Becca when she asked if her girlfriend knew about her risk taking.  She knew.  Boy did she know about it.  More than once Kendra had gotten lectures from Emily about her general lack of concern for her own safety.  She actually felt silly that she couldn't recognize her own behavior until someone was yelling at her for it.

Kendra's lips pulled back in a timid smile.  She leaned back against the window seal and tucked a few loose strands of red hair behind her ear.  Kendra's hands crossed against her chest.  Mostly because she didn't know what else to do with them.  She looked down for a moment before her eyes raced back up to the gorgeous girl across from her, as she spoke.  "Yeah.  She knows I'm trouble."  She said with a bit of amusement in her soft voice. 

Kendra chewed on her lips as she drank in Becca's charm.  She couldn't help but let the smile spread a bit more as she watched her smelling her coffee.  Oh it's good I assure you.  I don't brew crap.  Kendra thought laughing internally.  If I was single....  She started to think and then began to blush a bit.  Kendra was a flirt.  Harmless, but a flirt.   Kendra quickly changed the topic before her mind ran away with the thought.  "What'a bout'chu? You seein anyone?"  She blurted out. 

Great job! Really! Fantastic ya dope!  Way to avoid being awkward, by making the conversation equally awkward.  Kendra hoped that Becca hadn't noticed the sudden blush rushing to her cheeks.  Kendra sucked her lips in and pressed them together.  As if she were locking up her mouth and throwing away the key.  Her mouth formed a straight line on her pale, curious face.  Still, that question lingered in her mind.  That question tugging at her curiosity like a dog tugging on a rope.  Kendra shifted a little bit as the light began to creep in the window,driving shadows across her bed. 

Kendra felt herself getting antsy.  The shyness was settling down.  She was comfortable around Becca, it was just a little awkward being in person for the first time.  She silently wondered what she was thinking.  That was the question that was tugging at the back of her mind.  Their meeting was unorthodox as they came.  Basically she thought she had been an invisible peeping tom, when it was mostly harmless curiosity.  She was still embarrassed a bit about that.  She didn't know quite how to phrase her insanity.  HEY I KNOW WE JUST TOTALLY KILLED A DRAGON, BUT SERIOUSLY; I NEED TO KNOW WHAT'S ON YOUR MIND. Insecurity was all it was.  That alone was driving her timid shyness in the moment, and that alone was dominating her mind like a juggernaut.  Kendra didn't 'people' very well. 

She got along with them fine for the most part, but social closeness, social situations were always awkward for her.  She was so neurotic in the flesh she was trapped in her own head, always worried about what others thought about her.  Her own self image so tightly wrapped around other's opinions that she usually just avoided it entirely.  Yet, she liked Becca.  As a friend.  She hadn't made many friends since she came to live here. 

 She was everything that Kendra was not.  She was someone that Kendra would like to become one day.  Simply put, Kendra was just in awe of the beautiful stranger.  From everything she did in the danger room to the way she carried herself; it just struck her.  She couldn't imagine Becca being overly impressed with her, but the nagging in her mind continued as she awkwardly waited for an answer to her awkward question.

According to Kendra, her girlfriend knew she was “trouble.” What an apt description for the dreamwalker, with her boldness and wily charm. Rebecca knew how to be trouble too, and maybe she felt a responsibility to look out for Kendra because of their shared trait. Redheaded whirlwinds could be dangerous to themselves and those they loved.

Kendra assured Rebecca the coffee was quality, which she could pick up from the scent. There was a distinct difference between cheap and good coffee, and the aroma was a telltale sign either way. She quickly followed up the comment by asking about Rebecca’s love life. It was a natural question, even if it was asked in a rushed voice. ”Ah trust ye,” she promised with a smile, ”Ah jist loove th’ scent. An yes. Ah’m seein’ someain.” And possibly pining over someone else, she thought, but it felt like less of a mental burden. Rebecca was tired enough that her Agnes problem was something too big to process. For the first time in a while, she could put it aside for the moment.

She had someone in front of her to concern herself with for the time being. ”Can Ah give some advice? One troublemaker tae anaither?” What would Rebecca tell herself just five years earlier if she could have the chance. ”Be careful. Mah first relationship fight wi’ a girlfriend was coz Ah didne teel 'er Ah joined th' x-men. Be careful abit livin' in th' moment sae much, ye dornt hink abit everythin' else.” Or you make hasty choices, like ending a relationship to pursue an opportunity.

Rebecca eyed Kendra as she took a sip from her coffee. In another world, in another timeline, maybe… but Rebecca was already splitting her heart between two women. She would crack and shatter with a third. ”Yoo're brae. ye coods probably make a damn fine X-Man. Jist min' tae hink abit th' trooble ye gie yerself intae.” She would not, Rebecca knew. She was learning her limits, which meant she would find places to push past them and get burned for it. She would figure it out.

Of course, that did not mean Rebecca was leaving her out to the wolves alone. Looking over Kendra’s desk, she eventually found a pen and a notebook. She scribbled her number as legibly as she could. ”An' onytime ye dae want tae train, caa me.” She was not Kendra’s teacher; she was her friend. They would be able to look out for each other, and knowing that made the night feel like a win.

Kendra watched as she scribbled a little number on her notepad. The act seemed so cool and deliberate that Kendra started to blush for a moment. The blood rushed to her pale cheeks and she struggled hard to keep the smile off her face.  Well... Looks like someone's a fan of trouble. Kendra thought with a bit of cockiness to her otherwise shy demeanor. 

Then Becca said that if she ever wanted to train again to give her a call. The smile disappeared instantly. It was replaced with a stunned stupid look. Oh jeez and I thought.... Kendra was blushing again. Still, a tiny smile resurfaced. She liked Becca, she honestly did. She had turned out to be a lot more interesting then Kendra had originally thought. She wasn't sure what had possessed her to follow the woman down the hallway and into the danger room, but she's glad she did.

Becca gave her a bit of advice about being dangerous and reckless. Kendra had to fight the urge to roll her eyes. She had heard this speech a bunch of times already from Emily. Honestly she could recite it back to her word for word at this point. Still it came from a good place, much like this advice did. Becca was worried about her, as a friend. Kendra didn't have a great many friends here yet in the mansion. She knew that her and Becca would become good friends. "Ok." was all she managed to squeak out.

Kendra crossed the room over to the desk. She had to make a conscious effort not to let her legs give out from under hear as she took brisk purposeful strides. She wanted to seem as cool and collected as Becca. Inside she was trying not to crumble. Kendra looked at the note a moment. She then looked back at Becca. "I will, just'a no more dragons? Please?" Kendra smiled a bit, but she was kinda serious about it too.

She knew the girl would be exhausted. She hadn't been sleeping all night like Kendra. Though, Kendra was quite exhausted herself. Kendra hugged the woman lightly again and for the briefest of moments enjoyed the smell of her hair that had brushed up against her nose. Kendra's nose itched a bit and she wiggled her nose while embraced in the hug. The way a rabbit might twitch it's nose. Kendra stepped back and smiled again. "Go get'chu some sleep. You earned some winks." Kendra said. Honestly she was ready to crash herself. Sleeping all night had done nothing to rest her and her body felt like it had been in a car wreck, though she wouldn't let Becca see that.