Vanessa returned to her seat on the plane, keeping her eyes away from the passengers. Walking away from the closet-like airplane bathroom, she was still paranoid someone might stare or question. She took hasty steps back to the comfort of her seat and the young woman in the window-seat beside her.

Settling back in and reclaiming her half of the blanket, Vanessa untangled her headphones and looked at her friend, then to the screen built into the headrest of the seat in front of them. "I didn't miss anything good, did I?" The young woman yawned, adding, "Also, we should get some sleep in-- it's a long flight."

A long, damn near impromptu flight, yet here they were; far above the Atlantic.

---

It was always great to get good news. It was disappointing when that good news did not come with the sense of clarity you hoped it would. As a silver lining, at least it could offer some freedom and a chance to seek out that clarity. Before she could do that, however, she had to offer a proposal to a certain someone. Thankfully, after asking around, she heard she might find Agnes at the fitness center.

Finding her way around the Mansion to the clean room full of workout equipment and yoga mats, Nessa knocked on the door frame as she entered. "I'm looking for an insect girl or a forest nymph. Haven't figured out which yet. But if she's glistening in sweat, that's even better."

Agnes wasn’t used to this kind of flying but she was more than willing to try. Ever since her wings came in she had easily been able to take to the skies whenever she wanted. it was an amazing feeling. But looking out through the window, she had to admit that she had never been this high before. Rather than terrifying, she found the view rather exhilarating. Well, it wasn’t only the view, it was the fact that she was going to Europe with a close friend.

A close friend she certainly wasn’t having any thoughts about. Nope. Just in case, she kept her sunglasses on as she peered outside the window until a sharp sound pulled her attention back to the screen in front of her. The movie was...okay. Thankfully she didn’t have to dwell on it for much longer as the space next to her was immediately filled with the return of said friend that earned no thoughts.

Yes. Her sunglasses were still on. But it was probably best to pull them off. She set them on top of her head and gave the returning woman a warm smile while she pulled one of the earbuds out.

”Oh sure,” she said with a faux-serious tone. ”The spunky navy captain managed to hit one of the alien spaceships hiding under the water with a well-placed torpedo. Totally action-packed.” She shook her head. ”I still can’t believe they made a movie out of ‘Warship’ board game.” She hazarded a peek around before continuing. ”Think someone here can deage me again so I can forget watching it?”

A joke. That was all. In reality she really hoped that things weren’t going to change any further. It seemed that the deaging phenomena was hitting a strange point. Some people were returning to their normal ages, others were staying permanent. Agnes had a little anxiety as to what would happen to her. Did she want to know her older self? A look at Nessa, and the new life she was crafting, told her that no, she didn’t. She just hoped she wasn’t in for any more surprises.

Her eyebrows lifted as she turned back to the telepath. ”Yeah, you’re probably right. But I can’t help it! I’m too wired. We’re going to Europe! I never thought I’d see the day.” she snickered.

---

She didn’t know why she found this so enjoyable. Never would she have considered doing this kind of workout but there was something so nice about it. Yoga was quickly becoming a new obsession for her. It was to the point that she didn’t even mind the tight, curve-hugging clothes! Her old self would have been petrified and beet red even slipping these pants on. But now? Heck with it! It felt good!

In the fitness center, Agnes had greeted a few other students, even chatted with a passing friend as she made her way to her spot and unfurled her yoga mat. Dressed in black and yellow leggings and a top, she she put in her earbuds and slowly breathed as she moved into her stretches. Gosh it was a good feeling, to tighten those muscles and feels the blood flow course through after it was done. It was such a zen moment, she would have missed Nessa’s peering about if it weren’t for the full mirror she was standing in front of.

She popped her earbuds out, her wings giving an involuntary flutter as she moved into the next stretch. A grin appeared at Nessa’s comment. Bending down, her curvy behind in the air as she held her stretch, she counted in the mind as she replied.

”I’ll have you know that us insect girls and/or forest nymphs don’t sweat...” she straightened up with a long sigh and turned around to face her. ”...we glow.” With a grin she picked up her towel and started to dab her forehead. ”What’s up, sweetie? You here just for the show?”

It was important not to get too gay too quickly for a girl who became your best friend during a low period. They were both in a confusing place, shared a similar experience, and connected. It was easy to develop a friendship in conditions like those, and when a girl had silky black hair and stunning eyes, it was just as easy to develop a crush. They confirmed as much to each other at the hot tub party, (though that whole night still felt like a blur,) but they agreed later with cooler heads not to rush anything.

So naturally Nessa was going to invite her to Europe. Like a typical lesbian.

Yoga looked good on Agnes. So did yoga pants. Everything about that bottom in the air was top notch. Still, Agnes smiled and kept her cool as the insect-girl teased her back. "I'm not, though I'd have to turn in my Queer Card if I didn't admit it was a nice side-benefit. I had to tell you: my old bank account was finally released back to me. Your girl's got money!" She raised a fist into the air, before undercutting it by shrugging her shoulders. "Well. Internet-fame money. Not exactly an heiress now, but absolutely enough money to be comfortable and make bad decisions."

Agnes couldn’t help the smile that spread across her lips at the brief once-over that Nessa gave her. There was something there, that much Agnes was willing to admit, but nothing that she wanted to think about too hard just yet. They were still fairly fresh in one another’s life and it was better to take a beat, cool down, and just see where things went. After all, right now Agnes was more interested in a friend than a bedmate.

For now. Who knows what tomorrow will bring.

But back to the matter at hand. Using a towel to dab the sweat from her neck, she tilted her head, listening as Nessa announced her victory against the evil bank! Well, not so much “victory” as “patiently waited for them to do their jobs”. It was a success nonetheless! She had money! Money was good!

”That’s awesome, hun!” Agnes nodded enthusiastically. She then snickered and shook her head. ”Well don’t make too many bad decisions,” she laughed. ”Unless you are planning on deaging again to access another secret stash of money you have hidden?”

Agnes dried off and Nessa limited her eyes to looking respectfully. All gayness aside, it was nice to have someone to celebrate her success with. Booker was there with her at the bank, but he was always going to be a reliable pillar of support. Agnes was a new supportive part of her life, and in this new world, that was really nice.

”I think being nineteen twice is enough,” she affirmed, absolutely not looking to return to the pre-hormone days. ”And no bad decisions. Unless a vacation bouncing around Europe is a bad decision?”

That, she figured, warranted some justification. ”I’ve had plenty on my mind since coming back, and this barely feels like my money. There’s plenty to save for a parachute if I really need it, but… well, soul-searching in Europe is a thing, right?”

Nessa grew noticeably more nervous, shifting her weight from one foot to the other, folding her arms. ”And, I mean, I don’t know if you’re still in that same boat. But, hypothetically, if you were, I was wondering, maybe, if that’d sound like something you’d want to do?” She looked off to the side, mumbling, ”It’s on future me anyway, and Europe would be more fun with a friend, I think.”

Agnes really was happy for Nessa. Admitted her own story didn’t result in that happy of an ending. As much as she wanted to believe that there was some hidden cache of money just waiting for her to pluck out of the ether so she could decide the rest of her life -- it seemed doubtful. The sad truth was that searching her own “adult life” hadn’t proven to be fruitful at all. As a matter of fact, quite the opposite. Did she even exist?

To be fair, she knew that she existed. It was simple enough to find certain records of her attending school here at Xavier’s, even going off to Juilliard. But after a certain point, it was almost as if she had dropped off the face of the earth. Why? Who was she? It was a question that both plagued and exhausted her.

But, like her new good friend, part of her was wondering if it was just better to let that side of her go. That was her future now passed and a return to it seemed most unlikely.

Upon hearing part of Nessa’s plans for her money, Agnes nodded her head respectfully. ”I mean, doesn’t get more cliched than that, right? Backpacking across Europe? Go for it!”

Of course Nessa’s justifications were not necessary but they were warranted, nonetheless. After everything she went through, and now having some form of disposable income, why not partake?

Agnes was about to continue her support of her friend’s decision when the nervous ticks caught her eye. Nessa looked a little off-kilter, to the point that Agnes was almost concerned. But before she could voice that, Nessa managed to squeak out her proposal.

Wait, was Nessa really offering to take her along? She brunette paused, her crystalline eyes momentarily widened at the prospect. Honestly it sounded like a dream. She had always wanted to see Europe but admittedly there was some hesitation. Nessa was a great friend and all but there was something almost guilt inducing about accepting such a generous gift. But...why? Nessa offered. Wouldn’t it be far weird, not to mention rude, of her to decline?

She shook the shock from her face before answering. ”Oh...Oh my god. Nessa, are you serious?” she asked while she closed the gap between them with a step or two. ”That’s...so generous...I…” She gave her a look of uncertainty. ”I mean...a-are you...sure?”

Agnes was supportive of the plan, which reaffirmed Nessa’s resolve. Some people questioned if she should be doing something so impulsive and expensive the moment she got her money back. Most of those people had not gone through what Nessa experienced. Agnes did.

That kinship gave her the final push to extend her offer. She was nervous about her offer being rejected or misconstrued, and Agnes’s own hesitance made her question her life choices up to that point.

But Agnes was not saying no and she did not seem offended. She just seemed unsure, and that was common ground. ”I mean, I don’t want you to feel like you have to; if you have things on your plate this Summer or just don’t feel comfortable taking a trip with a girl you’ve been friends with less than a year.” Either would be justifiable. ”This doesn’t feel like my money. If I can use it to take you with me, that’s just older me giving me one last favor.”

Nessa took a deep breath. ”I just know you’ve been a good friend since I got here. And we’re kinda going through similar things. So yeah. Totally no pressure. If you’d be interested, though, why not take a soul-searching adventure?”

Agnes had never really experienced this level of generosity very often. The majority of her experience with people is them treating her badly or ignoring her completely. But there were those few incidents that she could recall where she truly felt that she had met someone who cared. Whether a nice pastor she met living on the streets, or the kind guidance counselor here at Xavier’s, or, in her latest example, this sweet friend who wanted to take her to Europe.

She was obviously unsure. You don’t just say “Yes!” to an offer like that out of the blue. As a matter of fact, etiquette screamed in her ear for her to try and stall and say no until she fully thought it through. So, to buy time, she inquired -- was Nessa sure?

Everything that Nessa said sounded absolutely justified. They were good friends, going through similar things, and while she was going to be careful with some of the money, she wanted to spend a little as it didn’t truly feel like hers on something that was fun. So why not? Why not go on a soul-searching adventure across Europe?

Biting her bottom lip, Agnes wavered back and forth. Finally a broad smile swept over her lips as she nodded her head.

”Alright, Bookman,” she grinned. ”You got a deal. I have some money saved I collected doing oddjobs in the Mansion gardens. I can definitely take some and splurge on a well-deserved trip.” Wiping the last of the sweat from her brow she stuck out her hand to her bestie. ”Let’s do it. Let’s tackle Europe together.

Vanessa beamed. Agnes left her lingering uncertainly, holding her breath, but in the end, she was on board. Agnes would handle some of her vacation expenses, and Nessa would do her best to respect that. She did not want to flex her inherited money, though she would subtly try to pay for more dinners than not. ”Great! After you’ve showered off, head to my room and we can plan our trip! See you soon!” Happy to end on a high note, she left, trying not to think about Agnes showering.

---

Just because Nessa had money to spend did not mean she was going to spend it recklessly. They ultimately decided to fly into Lagos, Portugal. It was one of the recommended destinations, and flights were slightly more affordable than flights further into Europe.

When they arrived, they claimed the rental VNW car that would be getting them across Europe over the next month. There was an option of busses and trains, but that sounded a little too… people-y. If they were looping around Europe, why not make a road trip out of it?

They settled into their SkyLodge, a cute little house in Old Town rented out by the old Portuguese lady that lived next door. Nessa checked in with the woman while Agnes waited at the door for her to return with the key.

After a, ”Obrigada, Senhora,” that Nessa had prepared ahead of time with the language dictionary app on her phone, Nessa returned not only with key in hand, but with a jug of wine under her arm.

”Evidently the woman renting the place to us has a grandson, I think? She was slipping some Portuguese into her English, and all her thoughts were in Portuguese.” An issue she imagined she would run into a lot on this trip, making her telepathy functionally useless half the time. ”Anyway, I guess he owns a vineyard and hey, would you look at that? We’re legal drinking age here. Thanks to the kindness of Avó Margarida, I think our vacation is officially underway!”

Agnes still couldn’t believe that she was here. Here! In Europe! It was honestly something that she never thought would happen to her. She spent so much of her life just trying to stay afloat, trying to strive for something better for herself as well as put as much distance between her and her parents. She wanted more from life and hard work was the only way to get it. But it seemed that you can only do so much hard work before you begin to burn out.

And boy was she burned out.

Agnes was perfectly okay with taking a break from the responsibilities of life, but a trip to Europe? That was not something she had ever anticipated for herself. And yet here she was, with a good friend, about to have the time of life. It was hard not to smile at the prospects.

Lagos was beautiful. Not exactly where she thought they would being but she was certainly glad that she and Nessa had worked so hard on the itinerary. This was going to be an amazing trip and, already, it started off on an amazing start.

Agnes loomed near the entrance to the home they would be staying in, a cute little house they both found on SkyLodge for a great deal. Agnes lingered on the steps, dressed in her jeans, leather jacket, and pink crop top. Wings fluttered a little at the sensation of the breeze moving through the nearby trees and caressing her face. She sighed in satisfaction and smirked softly until the sounds of footsteps on gravel pulled her attention back to the side.

There came Nessa, keys in hand, laden like a pack mule with jugs of something tucked under each arm. Agnes giggled as she rushed over and grabbed one of the jugs to offer an assist.

”Well isn’t that lucky for us?” she laughed, taking the jug into her own arms and hugging it against her chest. ”Let’s just make sure that we don’t drink ourselves into a stupor and miss the whole vacation.”

Nessa gladly handed over the surprisingly heavy jug to Agnes, making sure the weight of the Portuguese wine did not catch her off guard and shatter on the steps. That said, it would be nice if she wobbled a little. Standing there looking so cool in her leather jacket, wings shimmering in the sun, rocking that croptop, Nessa wondered how she conned her way into bringing a friend like this along with her to Europe. "Nah, I definitely want to remember this trip with you," she promised, unlocking the front door. "For now, at least. We'll see what my take is on that when we get to Amsterdam." She was nineteen in Europe; of course she advocated for a trip to Amsterdam, so sue her.

The living room was cozy, with two plush couches and quaint decorations. It was what she imagined visiting a grandmother's house should feel like, with the addition of a sea breeze entering through the open window.

After setting down a suitcase and a purse, Nessa was ready to unwind. "I really want to go into Old Town to visit the markets and check out the town, but that sounds like a tomorrow thing to me. I didn't realize two hours of navigating airports and six and a half hours of sitting on a flight could be so draining." She tossed herself onto the couch, noticing a seran-wrapped plate on the coffee table. Curious, she peeled it of.

"Okay, new plan: I move here and let Avó adopt me." Hungrily eyeing the plate of pastries, she grabbed one of the egg custard tarts to take a sweet bite. "Mmm, but for tonight, how does drinking a bunch of wine and eating all these homemade treats sound?"

Agnes waddled, carrying the heavy jar of wine under her arm, smirking as she held the door open for Nessa. It was good to be inside. While she was revved up and ready to experience everything that Europe had to offer, she was admittedly tired. The long flight but traversing this town in order to find the right house, it was far more exhausting than she thought it would be.

With a grin she set the wine on a nearby table, hefted up her bag and flopped onto a nearby couch with a sigh. It was beautiful and quaint and very country-y, but none of it was as beautiful as the sweet cushion of the sofa beneath her butt. She wiggled into it and reached out her arms, stretching long and firmly until she felt her vertebrae crack. Ahh, that was relief.

”Oh, definitely,” she said with a sigh. ”You’d think with all the mutants around the airports would start hiring those that can just open portals to wherever you want to go. Make travel so much easier.”

She puffed a few strands of hair out of her face and turned, giving Nessa an appreciative smile. She was still tickled pink that she was here with her bestie. She didn’t think that this would be a possibility but here they were, leaving their troubles behind in a whole other country. That’s a gorgeous thing, really.

It was then that her eyes laid in on the plate of wrapped pastries. Oh. Yes. As if in response to the sight alone, her stomach rumbled, having last eaten on the airplane quite some hours ago. That, plus Nessa’s new plan, immediately spurred her on to action.

Her hand reached out, grabbing on of the tarts as she laid back on the couch and took a bite. ”Mmm…”

The sound she made was almost obscene. The pastry was absolutely everything. A free hand resting on her bare stomach, she licked the crumbs from her lips before turning to Nessa and offering a broad smile.

”That honestly sounds like the best idea. The town will still be there tomorrow. We have wine and pastries to consume! We gotta think of priorities, you know.” She said as she tore off another piece of pastry between her fingers and popped it into her mouth. So, so good.

Portal-based travel sounded like a perfect future, but that made Nessa think it was impossible. ”It’d be great, but I bet cross-planet teleporters are rare. Besides, I bet the airline industry would stop it. It’d be just another industry that doesn’t need to exist but—okay. Sorry, no activism this trip. I am firmly in vacation mode.” It was the promise she made herself. ”Saving Haven stuff and fighting against health insurance and capitalism for home soil.”

The pastries were the only thing she had to worry about today, and they were everything she hoped an old Portuguese woman would ever bake for her. Agnes clearly agreed, based on the moan that gave Nessa a tingling sensation.

Nessa took the jug and sipped from it. They definitely needed to find glasses. But first, grinning, she held a cookie in one hand and raised it as a toast. ”To finding ourselves in Europe.”


Portuguese wine was very good. Very, very good. So were all the sweets on the plate they nearly picked clean. They had even found a record player and some old records. Something about being in this house felt like they were back in time for the night.

”You know, this feels like the kind of place to retire to, you know?” Nessa wobbled as she got to her feet and washed the glasses in the sink. ”Cute little house in a quaint village with a beautiful wife. Might be nice after living in New York to end up somewhere… not New York, you know?”

Agnes couldn’t suppress her smile. This was the last place she expected to be with the last person she expected to experience it with. Everything just felt so beautiful and perfect. To cap it all, Nessa raised her toast with a cookie in hand. It was hard to not want to salute that.

”To finding ourselves!” Agnes saluted the toast and bit into it with utter satisfaction. Here was to an amazing first night in Europe, in a cozy cabin, with nothing but youth, pastries, and wine on their side. Did you need anything else?

***

The night had been the best party that Agnes had ever attended. It was a party of two and it was an absolute blast. Though her parents had discouraged drinking, Agnes had never really been one to experiment with it, even after she had left home and found refuge in Xavier’s. Sure she would see a couple students sneak by with beer they had managed to get from town, but she hadn’t really been one to partake.

Now that the wine flowed freely, she was already beginning to understand just how good it could be. Throughout the night, she continued to sip at her glass and eat cookies until they finally deemed it necessary to bring actually food into the equation. Luckily bread and cheese had been included in their baskets, just enough to get them through the night until they could get to town and find real food.

But this? Wine? Cheese? Bread? And some of the best Porteuguese records she had ever heard? That was all they needed. Well, that and a pretty girl to share the experience with.

Or, maybe that was the wine talking.

Agnes shook haze from her head, and leaned back in her chair. She watched as Nessa got up and began to wash out her glass from any remnants of the wine that lingered on. That was a good idea. They should probably call it quits before they got drunk.

Standing, Agnes had to stop herself by holding onto the couch and let out a small snort. Yeah, it was a good thing she knew her limit. She wobbled on her feet, following Nessa so that she could wash her own glass.

”Mmm,” Agnes said as she turned and sat up on the counter next to the sink. Casually she rolled the glass between the soft palms of her hands before she nestled it between her legs. ”I can just imagine it. A nice little cabin, out in the countryside. Wake up to the sun shining in your eyes and not some towering building or the sounds of traffic outside.” She sighed dreamily. ”And the smooth thigh of some gorgeous, portugeuese goddess wrapped around your hip.” Agnes posed, throwing some of her hair forward to cover half her face in a sultry manner. But the seductiveness was shattered when she finally broke into laughter and shook her head. ”Or something like that. Not that I’ve given it much thought.”

Was Vanessa a bad influence? Agnes was a fairly inexperienced drinker, while Nessa had a few house parties under her belt. They were both legal to drink here, and Agnes showed no resistance to partaking, so Nessa chose to chalk it up as another experience to share.

This was far from a house party, but it was so simple and cozy and perfect. She was surprised by how good bread and cheese could taste. Simple, uncomplicated pleasures.

Looking back at Agnes getting off the couch, Nessa giggled at the way she wobbled. Her suggestion of a quieter life were soft and idyllic. Well, at least until they became hot and sensual. ”I’m not sure Portugal is ready for you, Agnes. But tonight, you’ll have to make do. Now how about I help your tipsy butt to bed.”

Offering an arm to interlink with Agnes’s own, Nessa led the way to the bedroom and the big, comfy looking bed. Right; they knew there was only one bed. The imagery of a thigh wrapped around a hip came back. ”Why don’t you take the bed tonight and I’ll claim the couch? D-does that work for you?’ Nessa was trying to be cautious, avoiding assumptions or suggestions that may toe the line, even if her ideal was pretty transparent.