Wow. It was a pretty warm, summer day. Celeste had decided to wear a light, button up, blue dress today. She had on heels, but had her snickers in her purse just in case she needed them. It helped make her blue eyes pop. Celeste created a visor with her hands, taking in the landscape of the mansion. She saw the pool, the hedge maze, and the outlying forest. Whoever decided to build this place did an amazing job. Her mind drifted to the history of the place - how long ago had it been built? Why did it get built? Was it re-purposed? So many questions - none of which came to her mind when she was asked "Do you have any additional questions?" She still hadn't received her class schedule, but should be receiving it in the next week or so. 

She had decided to stay with Norma instead of moving into one of the bedrooms in the mansion, at least for a little while. The little old lady had been diagnosed with breast cancer & when Celeste mentioned moving into the mansion, she nearly had a mental breakdown. Something about how her children never visit, how would she eat without her cooking, and how Celeste has become like her daughter. Celeste understood she was lonely - who wouldn't be in this big ole' city when you don't have any friends or family willing to visit. 

Her eyes drifted over to the hedge maze. Celeste bet it would be a pretty amazing site for Halloween. She wondered if they did any type of Halloween parties. Realizing that it was only a couple months away, Celeste wondered what she might decide to be this year. Maybe a cat human, like from Final Fantasy. Or maybe the grim reaper. That'd be a fun choice. 

Celeste thought she noticed something moving into the Maze - it looked like a dog, but moving way too fast for her to be able to tell if it was one or not. Was it just the light? Was it a shadow? She wasn't sure, so she decided to check it out. That's always the best option, right? Check out the unknown creature or thing moving into a maze. What could go wrong?

Celeste walked to the entrance of the maze, peeking into the entrance, and whispered, "Hello...?" When nothing said anything back, she against defied basic instinct and decided to go into the maze. Walking through a few of the turns and twists, she called out one more time, "Hello...?" When nothing but birds chirping greeted her far in the distance, she shrugged, and turned to move back out of the Maze. 

Oh no, Celeste realized quickly that she had paid no attention to which turns she had made - she was lost, in the maze. She shook off her initial panic and began trying to find her way back out of the maze. She grumbled, kicking herself mentally. How in the world did she manage to get lost in this thing? Well, she knew how, but why did she not think more intelligently about the situation? She decided to make a right, a left, skip a few turns, and make another right. Right into a dead end.

With a groan, she leaned against one of the bushes. She pulled her phone out to a big ole "SEARCHING FOR SERVICE." Absolutely wonderful. She was stuck in a Maze, with no service, with a potential animal/creature thing running around. She could feel the panic starting to come up. 

"Angua?..." Gawain whistled as he walked across the Mansion grounds. He had seen the large Irish wolfhound jog by just a couple of minutes ago. She was overdue for a good wash, and the weather today was nice enough to do it outside, saving a whole lot of trouble, and possibly money on bathroom repairs. The hound, however, must have sensed what she was in for, because she was suspiciously absent. Following her trail, Gawain rounded the corner of the building, and sighed as he saw the hedge maze. "Oh, come on..."

Angua was a smart dog, and very much at home on the Mansion grounds. When it came to the maze, however... For some inexplicable reason, she tended to get lost. Maybe it was the layout of the place, or the strange scents of many mutant children playing hide-and-seek in there all the time, but Angua tended to get turned around, and at times like that, Mirror had to go to the rescue.

"Come on, Angua" he whistled as he walked in; he knew the layout of the maze pretty well. He only took a few turns before he heard rustling ahead "Okay, come on, girl, don't play coy, you know you're filth... oh."

That... was definitely not an Irish wolfhound.

Celeste took a deep breath. "Okay, don't panic. Isn't that the first thing the survival guides tell you not to do. Maybe I can create like... a little fire for S.O.S. signals," Celeste talked quietly to herself, glancing around. She tried to jump so she could see over the top of the hedge, but it was at least twice her height. It would be very uncomfortable, if not impossible, to climb too. She thought about moving but decided to try to map her route in her mind when she first entered the maze. She had a terrible sense of direction. How cliche of her, going in after some unknown animal creature human thing and then getting lost in a maze. Good thing life isn't a horror movie... Right?

>> "Okay, come on, girl, don't play coy, you know you're filth... oh."

Celeste let out a small scream at hearing another human, presuming her life had become a horror movie and she was about to cut up into little pieces. Maybe they'll at least sell her organs so they'll be for some use for someone? ... Wait, playing coy? Filthy? Her eyebrows furrowed, "Um... Excuse me?" Was this the person/creature/thing she thought she saw? Didn't look anything like what she saw, but she wasn't even sure what she saw.

She sniffed herself quickly and pulled up the primitive camera on her flip phone. How long had she been in the maze? It'd only been about 15 minutes according to the phone, but maybe it wasn't working right? She thought she actually looked pretty darn cute this morning. She even got her make up to cover her little bags under her eyes perfectly. Not to mention the super good winged eyeliner she managed to pull off, for once. "I don't think I look filthy," she muttered to the stranger. She darted her eyes over the stranger, debating if she should start running for her life or not. 

>>"Um... Excuse me?"

Okay, so this was definitely not Angua... unless Angua had been some kind of a shifter stuck in animal form all along. Which was not impossible, technically, but Gawain thought it at least highly unlikely. Not to mention embarrassing, since she had been calling for a naughty dog, and not a human girl... From the way she sniffed herself, it was clear there had been a misunderstanding on that front.

>>"I don't think I look filthy,"

"Uhhhh..." Gawain scratched his neck awkwardly "I'm sorry, that was not meant for you. Have you... seen my dog, by any chance? She's fleeing from a bath and she ran in here..."

The random person didn't seem like a killer ready to attack. Celeste relaxed, clearly looking a bit more relieved and less offensive than she had a few moments before.

>> "I'm sorry, that was not meant for you. Have you... seen my dog, by any chance? She's fleeing from a bath and she ran in here..."

I'd hope not, she thought to herself. Although, her lack of being filthy was at least somewhat vindicated. A dog? Could that be what she saw run into the Maze? She honestly wasn't sure, but maybe it was a good thing he had come along before the dog did. The dog might not be too much of a fan of a random person in the Maze. She shook her head, "Um, no, I haven't seen one... I did see something come in here, but I couldn't really tell what it was... Which is how I'm in here..." She paused, debating on telling him if she was lost, she took a sigh and muttered, "and how I'm kinda lost in here." 

She knew she wouldn't get out of the Maze by herself, so she decided to offer her assistance to the guy. "I can help you look for her? Or is it him? By the way, I'm Celestina." She reached her hand out to shake his, "I promise I'm not too filthy," she grinned, clearly making a joke out of the situation. 

>> "Um, no, I haven't seen one... I did see something come in here, but I couldn't really tell what it was... Which is how I'm in here... and how I'm kinda lost in here."

So, Angua might have been in the maze, after all. That was good to know. She was large enough to be noticed, even if she was hiding, so now it was only a matter of time before he caught up to her. The search was suspended for a moment, however, as the girl admitted that she, too, was lost inside the hedge maze. Gawain arched an eyebrow at her. What was she doing in here in the first place?...

>>"I can help you look for her? Or is it him? By the way, I'm Celestina. I promise I'm not too filthy,"

She offered a hand and Gawain shook it. He also wanted to give his name, but he was sidetracked by her joke. He looked at her, amused, and a little intrigued.

"I'll remember that." he grinned "Name's Gawain. And it's a she... the dog, I mean. Her name is Angua. She's big, but very friendly."

Celeste scanned the guy standing near her, still not quite sure to make of him. He was attractive - granted, attractiveness seemed to be a pretty common trait around here. He seemed friendly too, although a little confused as to why a random girl was lost in the Maze. Understandable. It was weird that they had met in a Maze, where she was lost, due to some movement which may or may not have been his dog. Oh well.

Celeste could tell from his facial expression that he wondered why she was lost int he maze. "Well, I thought I saw something so I decided to check it out..." She realized how stupid it sounded when she started speaking, so her cheeks started turning a little red. "I thought I'd see what it was because why not... And here I am." That probably wasn't the most convincing statement she ever said, but it was the truth.

She checked her flip phone again, "With no signal, lost in a maze. It's almost like a kinda horror movie. Stupid girl goes into stupid Maze because of seeing something stupid..." She quickly realized she was digging the hole for herself even deeper, so decided to quieten her rambling. 

>> "I'll remember that. Name's Gawain. And it's a she... the dog, I mean. Her name is Angua. She's big, but very friendly."

She nodded with a warm smile, "It's nice to meet you Gawain." Gawain. That's a pretty name, one she had never heard of before either. "Angua, sounds like she's a big ole' cutie. Umm... Do you have any idea how to start looking for her in here...?" 

>> "Well, I thought I saw something so I decided to check it out... I thought I'd see what it was because why not... And here I am. With no signal, lost in a maze. It's almost like a kinda horror movie. Stupid girl goes into stupid Maze because of seeing something stupid..."

Lots of people tended to get lost in the Mansion hedge maze. Most did it for fun, some did it to hide from the world, and some were looking for exotic scenery for making out. Whatever the case, this was not the first time, nor would it be the last, that someone got lost in there. Sure, it was not too large or too difficult, but people usually were not prepared for how easily one could get turned around in there.

>>"It's nice to meet you Gawain. Angua, sounds like she's a big ole' cutie. Umm... Do you have any idea how to start looking for her in here...?"

"Well, if this is a horror movie, we'd split up first, and then one of us would go take a shower." Gawain pointed out with a smirk "Probably me, since there's gotta be a final girl, and you're the only girl here right now. Unless we get stuck here overnight..." he muttered, half to himself, then laughed "C'mon, I know this place pretty well. We just gotta find Angua first, and then I'll lead you out..." he nodded, leading the way, taking turns here and there, occasionally whistling for the dog.

>> "Well, if this is a horror movie, we'd split up first, and then one of us would go take a shower. Probably me, since there's gotta be a final girl, and you're the only girl here right now. Unless we get stuck here overnight.. C'mon, I know this place pretty well. We just gotta find Angua first, and then I'll lead you out..."

Celeste couldn't help but laugh a little at his comment, "Well, that is a very good point. I can't argue with that." She perked her brow at his comment about getting stuck overnight. Did girls flock to this place at night? Was it a girls club that meets at night? Oh well, guess she would find out eventually. 

She followed Gawain pretty closely, careful not to lose him. She was not about to lose her chance to get out of this maze, that was for sure. She already had worked herself up in a fizzy trying to figure out how to get out. Figuring she mine as well make conversation, she quietly asked Gawain, "So... Are you a student here?" She didn't really know why she talked to lowly. She coughed, "I mean, are you a student here?" 

Celeste agreed to look for Angua before they left the maze. Gawain led the way, taking turns, occasionally whistling for the dog; once there was a bark from ahead, but Angua probably could not follow the whistle as easily as she wanted to. Even for her considerable size, the hedges were still too tall to jump. The bark at least gave Gawain a sense of direction, as long as the dog stayed put.

>>"So... Are you a student here?... I mean, are you a student here?"

"Used to be" Gawain chuckled at the hesitant question "Ended up at the Mansion when I was sixteen. Now I work here. I do power training, mostly, some administration... and I'm on the X-team. How about you?"

Celeste was whispering Angua's name a couple times as they crossed through the maze. Celeste also made sure she stayed as close as possible to Gawain. She wasn't about to get lost again in this Maze, by herself. God, she was really starting to hate this whole Maze thing.  Who's great idea was it to put this thing out back? When Celeste heard Angua bark back to Gawain's whistle, she was so happy. But then nothing. The dog nor the man could find a way to be reunited. She let out a deep sigh. 

>> "Used to be. Ended up at the Mansion when I was sixteen. Now I work here. I do power training, mostly, some administration... and I'm on the X-team. How about you?"

She nodded, "Nice, that's awesome. So you're an... X-Men?" She asked the question slowly, her curiosity clearly rising. That was pretty awesome, if she was actually being led around lost in a Maze by an X-Men. Seemed kinda funny, really. Power training? She wondered if Gawain would help train her at some point. It would be pretty awesome if she could figure out new ways to use her powers, besides whipping them with rads. 

She shrugged at his question, "I got to New York a few months ago from Canada. I just got enrolled a few days ago to finish up high school diploma. In the meantime, I've just been a waitress and volunteer for the library. Not nearly as exciting as you!" She grinned, the last part of course being slightly silly. 

>>"Nice, that's awesome. So you're an... X-Men?"

"Yup." Gawain nodded, noting the appreciation in her voice. She had to be new to the Mansion, and yet she knew about the X-men, and apparently liked them as well. Or at least thought that they were cool. In a way. Most people did not consider being a vigilante a legitimate career option, but Mirror had ended up with it somehow anyway, and that was easier done than explained.

They took another turn, and Gawain listened for rustling in the hedges. Angua was trying to work her way through somewhere.

>>"I got to New York a few months ago from Canada. I just got enrolled a few days ago to finish up high school diploma. In the meantime, I've just been a waitress and volunteer for the library. Not nearly as exciting as you!"

"Administration is not as exciting as it sounds." Gawain smirked. She really was new, then, and also a legitimate high school student. Not everyone at the Mansion was... "Welcome to Xavier's, then." Gawain was a Mansion greeter, even when off duty.

They turned another corner, and the Irish wolfhound bounded up, wagging her tail with loud swooshes, licking Gawain's hands, and sniffing at Celeste curiously.

"There you are!" Gawain grinned, petting the dog "Celeste, this is Angua."

So he really was an X-Men. Wow. That was pretty awesome. Celeste nodded her head, impressed. He looked pretty young to be an X-Men too. She wondered how he managed to end up here, and ended up being an X-Men.

Celeste stopped when Gawain did, listening for the rustling from Angua. She was close! Yes! Maybe they were going to make it out of the maze before someone with a chainsaw started chasing them through it, ready to cut their limbs up. 

>> "Administration is not as exciting as it sounds. Welcome to Xavier's, then."

She laughed, appreciating the comment, "True, true. Administration can be pretty tedious and boring - you probably even handled some of my files then, actually," she stated, semi-confident but also semi-curious. She wondered if he knew anything about her already. Granted, administration could mean a variety of different things - budgets, admissions, legal stuff, all sorts of different things.

Celeste gasped with relief at finding the dog. Whew, one objective down. She watched as the dog licked all over Gawain. She had a big smile and bent over when Angua started sniffing at her. She reached her hand out to let the dog get a good sniff of her hand. Unfortunately, her voice immediately went into baby/pet talk voice, "Hi there, Angua! How are you? I'm so glad we found each other! You're such a cute little puppy dog, I'm so happy to meet you! Soooo cute!" If Angua let her, she would start petting Angua's head, scratching the dog behind her ears and rubbing her sides. 

>>"True, true. Administration can be pretty tedious and boring - you probably even handled some of my files then, actually,"

Gawain was fairly sure that he had not, but there was really no way to react to that comment. If he had, then he was in the awkward position of knowing very private details about the girl, without her knowing anything of the sort about him, and Gawain knew that if things were the other way around, he would feel ambiguous about that too. And if he he admitted that he had not seen her file, then his claim as an administration sounded wobbly too. Instead he kept looking for Angua, who eventually made an appearance. Celeste seemed thrilled.

>>"Hi there, Angua! How are you? I'm so glad we found each other! You're such a cute little puppy dog, I'm so happy to meet you! Soooo cute!"

Gawain chuckled as he watched the large hound woo the blonde girl, apparently cheerful about being called a 'little puppy' (a rare occurrence for a dog that was tall enough to put her front paws on Gawain's shoulders). Angua wagged her tail and wiggled like a puppy as she got her ear scratched.

"We'll see how cheerful she is when we get to the bathing part..." he smirked "You... wouldn't have time to give me a hand with that, would you?..."

Celeste had pretty much forgotten most of their previous conversation. She was too busy loving on Angua, "Awe, does that feel good?" She mumbled to Angua as she scratched behind her ear. Celeste was happy that Angua was so friendly - she was worried she might be a bit more aggressive, maybe territorial around Gawain. But she seemed content to receive the loving that Celeste was giving out to her. 

>> "We'll see how cheerful she is when we get to the bathing part... You... wouldn't have time to give me a hand with that, would you?..."

She nodded, "Sure, I wouldn't mind helping out." She rubbed Angua's side, "I'm going to help give you a little bath, okay? It wont be too bad!" Her voice attempted to sound promising. At least, she really hoped not... This was probably why she ran into the maze anyways.  She smirked, "Um, I might need a change of clothes afterwards though. Is there a place to get some around here...?" She looked over the size of the dog. Her chance of getting wet was probably extremely high.