She was getting more comfortable talking about it, about her, the other Agnes. The one who had lived the life she had always wanted and then threw it all away for reasons that were unknown. It was maddening knowing that. Knowing that she could just toss everything she held so closely away without an important reason. It was enough to turn her stomach if she thought too long upon it.

She smirked a little sadly when Nessa began to fawn over how cool her apparent future had been. There was no foot implantation this time around, however, as Nessa also lamented the sad ending. But her optimism proved to be somewhat infectious. Despite how long she had been grumbling and whining, Agnes actually cracked a smile at her companion’s words. Really, that was the sweetest thing she could say.

”Y-Yeah…” she muttered. ”...I guess that’s true.” She shrugged her shoulders. Often she was accused of being too humble and, thus, didn’t care for compliments. But this was something that she didn’t get the warm fuzzies about. After all, it wasn’t as if Nessa was wrong.

Conceding Nessa her point, she “Huh”’d and proceeded to continue along the path of the reserve with her. Really, how big were the grounds here? Ridiculous. But amazing nonetheless! But she needed more conversation. Her hands slipping into her back pockets, notebook safely tucked under her arm, she turned the question back around onto Nessa. What was her story?

Wow. So, was what was happening just affecting the quasi famous? Nessa apparently was some internet star, to a degree, before the clock was turned back. Now it was Agnes’ turn to be impressed. What was even better was that Nessa had people who knew her and were willing to bring her back into the fold. There was a small pang of jealousy but it was short lived as Nessa voiced the same concerns that she herself was having. Could she be that person again? Could she live in that shadow that her previous (future?) self had created?

Agnes smiled genuinely as they walked, her sapphire eyes focused ahead. ”Seems we’re in similar boats,” she sighed. ”But, for what it’s worth, seems like you have some good people who will help you figure out whatever it is you want to do. And if you’re just not sure…” she waved her notebook. ”...try making a list. It’s working wonders for me.” She placed a finger to her temple, pulled the trigger, and rolled her eyes back into her head before she broke out with a smile.

Vanessa was cautious not to overstep her bounds with the very pretty girl with wings. Agnes was struggling with her lost past experiences, and to a degree, Nessa could understand. At the same time, Nessa could not help but be impressed by someone who clearly had talent of that caliber in her. Meanwhile, she was making dick jokes on the internet.

Okay, maybe she was a little harder on herself than necessary. She was an entertainer and apparently carried a degree of online influence. People looked up to her in groups that, a few weeks ago, Nessa was convinced she was not out as yet.

Contemplating the future was heavy, but Agnes lightened the mood with her ‘just shoot me’ gesture. And of course, when in doubt, make a list. Vanessa chuckled. ”You do seem like quite the advocate. I’ll be sure to list out the pros of being a gay trans gaming icon against the cons of how fucking terrifying that sounds.”

The laughter continued until Nessa awkwardly stopped laughing, realizing how she just outed herself. She felt so comfortable, and she was getting used to being her true self. That said, she was not intending to come out as gay, much less trans, to the cute girl she was on a walk with.

And that was why, as they walked past a small gap in the trees that seemingly led to water, Nessa nervously blurted out, ”Pond. We found a pond.” She winced, because dear fucking word, how was she so bad at everything? And yet, she committed and passed into the small clearing with a tiny, quaint pond.

Though Agnes had been looking for solitude, it was with company that she apparently found the most comfort. She didn’t know if this was something that her older self had developed that still lingered in the now, but it was certainly different from what she remembered. When she lived on the streets, it was necessary to kind comfort in yourself; trusting others was too risky. But this place, these students, even this person that she just met, she actually felt comfortable here.

It was easy to smile in Nessa’s presence. The girl had a quick wit that Agnes truly appreciated, finding distraction and a smile with her. It also helped that they were essentially going through the same thing, teenagers caught in a time warp where everyone knew them by their future selves. It was a good place to find common ground.

Teasingly Agnes suggested that Nessa try to list her plans for the future. It was failing her at the moment but maybe it was something that would actually work for her newfound friend.

With an agreement to attempt her method, Nessa suddenly went stock still. Agnes arched her brow, curious as to why she suddenly seemed to have a 404-Error flashing in her eyes when she awkwardly tried to change the subject and pointed out a pond that was on the other side of some trees. As she wandered off towards her, Agnes paused and once again went over everything that Nessa had just said.

...oh.

Agnes went quiet, watching Nessa for a few moments before she stepped forward, following her through the brush and into the vicinity of the pond. She didn’t say anything, instead just stood nearby, chewing on her bottom lip. She didn’t want to make any assumptions about why Nessa’s behavior changed but she had a vague idea. Should she address it, or should she wait?

Finally, her hate of the awkward silence made her move. She stepped closer to Nessa, casually slipped her fingers into a specific section of her notebook and…

”Oops,” she muttered as she looked down. her notebook had fallen onto the grass in front of Nessa. And there, opened, was what she had been promising the other couldn’t see -- a very, very poorly drawn vampiress with large circles for boobs and tiny triangles for teeth. The stick figure body didn’t help bolster it’s fearsomeness in any way.

Nessa openly admitted to anyone and everyone that one of her major flaws manifested as an apparent disconnect between her brain and her goddamn mouth. Booker teased her for it all the time, because she loved to say things, only to have her brain hear those words for the first time and question who approved them. For a telepath, her brain needed to pick up the pace.

Coming out as gay to a pretty girl? Scary. Coming out as trans to anyone when she was finally feeling like she passed? Terrifying.

Nessa looked out at the pond, trying to think of an appropriate way to resume human interaction when she heard the flapping thud of a notebook hitting the ground. Instinctively, Nessa reached for the book, wanting to be helpful.

It was only when she saw the world’s worst depiction of a busty vampire stickfigure that she doubled over in laughter. It took a moment before she composed herself enough to speak. ”I’m so sorry, I just didn’t realize I was in the presence of a great artist. I was blown away by the sheer sex-appeal of your busty vampire.” Grinning like an idiot, she looked up at Agnes and offered the notebook back.

It was a stupid thing to do. Coming out of a complete stranger as being trans required a bit more care and understanding than just showing them a really bad drawing. But the truth was that Agnes didn’t know Nessa. She didn’t know what would be comforting or what would be too much to say. So she worked with what she had. What was it that they say? Laughter is the best medicine?

Well, if that were true Nessa was probably cured of the plague by this point.

Her wide, blue eyes had locked onto Nessa after the teen had knelt down to pick up the notebook. Upon doing so she was immediately met with an onslaught of laughter as the gamer girl stared at the horrible, stick figure vampiress with a really poor interpretation of a bust. And so infectious was this laughter that Agnes couldn’t help but broaden her own smile and laugh along with her.

”Hey,” she giggled. ”I never said I was that kind of artist?” Still laughing, she shook her head.

She was a musician, not an artist. She was sure of that now and could easily laugh at her mistake. After sidling up next to Nessa, she peered down at the drawing before taking the notebook back and tucking it under her arm. The look on Nessa’s face changed. There wasn’t that panic of coming out any more. Instead, there was just joy reflected in the shine across her eyes. It was a pretty look for her.

With a slight blush she turned to look down and took another step or two away from the girl, and towards the edge of the pond. Kneeling, she carefully dragged her fingers across the surface, watching the water ripple before she spoke.

”It doesn’t bother me, you know? That you’re trans?” she shrugged her shoulders. ”Long as you are happy with you, that’s all that matters.” She turned sat at the edge of the water, looking across it but glancing over to Nessa as well. ”My parents were major religious fanatics. Fire and brimstone. Ignorant. All that shit.” She shrugged. ”I decided a long time ago that I wasn’t okay with what they were preaching. I believe that love is love.” She nodded firmly and offered Nessa a warm smile. ”As cliched as that sounds.”

With how awkward Nessa felt after her admission, she was glad Agnes found a way to break the ice before she froze over. She felt light when things could have been heavy, and because of that, Nessa stayed open to this new girl she was getting to know.

The vulnerability was rewarded as they stood at the edge of the water. Nessa breathed in the scent of trees and slightly stagnant water, and exhaled her anxiety. Validation and support. That was what any girl in her position hoped for.

There was more; Agnes did her own sharing, offering a vulnerable offering of her family history. It sounded awful, but it was relatable as well. ”Cliche can be nice. I get that, actually,” she admitted softly. ”It wasn’t nearly as awful as it must have been for you. But my parents were judgmental. They thought what I was going through was a phase. Me and my brother, in our own different awakenings.” She would not out Booker exactly, but considering he was dating Javier, he was visibly queer i some way, shape, or form.

”When it was clear I was taking hormones and not accepting it was a phase, it led to me being out of the house. Sometimes, blood family doesn’t deserve to be family.” They were both proof of that. ”But there’s other family and there’s friends, and the friends who become family.”

Nessa sat, her feet at the edge of the water meeting the dirt. ”So maybe we can replace our bigots and homophobes in our lives with cool girls we meet in small private woods?”

Agnes couldn’t imagine what her parents would have thought of her right now. She was raised in the most restrictive household by people who believed that anything that was abnormal was a sin. The fact that their daughter was a mutant and queer probably would have put her on the chopping block -- not that she wasn’t already when they attempted to exorcise her. But that was the past, the long past, and not something she needed to really fear anymore. Or so some people have told her.

Nessa had a similar, though different, story. Her parents were judgemental and naive. They thought her want to transition was little more than a phase. That was tragic in and of itself. Parents are supposed to be one of the few people you’re supposed to be able to trust unconditionally. Though things weren’t exactly the same, the fact that Ness went through such trials also struck a particular chord within the young insect queen.

Watching the water of the pond silently lap onto the dirt, near Nessa’s feet, made Agnes sigh softly. The grass squished under her shoes as she walked up next to the young woman. Planting herself onto a nearby stone, Agnes leans back on the palms of her hands, looking out over the water. Sapphire eyes glanced to Nessa as she brought up the alternative to family and she gave her a soft, crooked smile.

Again, all of it was a little cliched but given their upbringings, they were words that meant so much more than being simple platitudes. She nodded her head enthusiastically as she turned back to look at the water.

”Agreed. You don’t get to pick the family you’re born into,” she muttered. ”But you get to pick the one you keep in your life.” She shrugged her shoulders. ”So, I guess, fuck ‘em.” She was a little surprised by her own words as Agnes was never one to speak this way, but in this particular case she was willing to roll with it. ”Besides,” she smirked. ”I hear ’cool-girls-in-private-woods’ are so much better for the soul.”