Usually when Gawain planned on spending some grown-up time with his wife, this was not exactly what he pictured. Grown-up time of any kind was hard to come by with a toddler and a mystic teen at hand (not to mention the rest of the Mansion kids). But for once, Mrs. Taylor-Cervantes was watching Iris, and the DR was free, and the stars aligned.

Mostly, Gawain decided he finally had to suck it up, and be a grown-up about being married to a witch.

Once he'd gotten over (most) of the guilt, and the grief over the change in their life, it was time to face the music, and help Becca figure out how her powers worked. That was, at least, familiar territory. That was what the DR was invented for. Sure, not exactly equipped for magic, but they'd had to remedy that based on getting some readings. Gawain hoped that once they got started, his fantasy dork side would eventually emerge, and curiosity will help combat... all the other feelings.

Iris' powers of the day had worn off by the time Becca joined him in the Danger Room. It was just the two of them now.

Rebecca was not returning to the X-Men team, nor did she have plans to; the team was a beacon of mutant excellence and she did not want to muddle that message. She was not certain her spouse fully accepted that fact, but they were still respectful and supportive as always.

It was actually Rebecca who suggested a Danger Room date. Even if she was not going to be an X-Man, she was still a Mystic with a family of powered individuals, half of whom were mutants. Learning to use her magic in a dangerous situation meant she could protect herself and the people in her life, especially from Mystics in a dangerous cult. She was not going to become a secret vigilante—she was pretty sure, at least— but trouble was always going to find her, so why not be prepared?

Becca joined the room with a costume she modified from her last X-Uniform. She kept the bodysuit and skirt but replaced her half-cape with a hooded cloak, not long enough to trip over, but good enough to shroud herself. Knowing she couldn't push bullets with magnetism anymore, she did also add a piece of body armor protecting her chest. Tied together with her new sword and shield, freshly etched with runes, she was willing to throw herself back into the ring.

"Ah, feels good bein' back in th' Danger Room. Feels like old times." She stretched her arms, thinking back before her depowering. Her powers had gotten so strong, she was sidelined from the Danger Room and the Team while she worked on getting control over her new limits. Now she was dealing with the opposite, learning and improving powers new to her. "Got anythin' special whipped up for us, babe?"

Gawain was wearing his usual X-men training uniform. Becca on the other hand, had a new outfit designed, complete with a cloak, and a new set of sword and shield, with runes. She looked good in it, he had to admit that.

"Yeah, I have a couple of generic scenarios lined up... depends on what you want to work on." He nodded. "Why don't we... start by telling me what all that is supposed to do" he gestured at her weapons "or what... um, spells you want to practice?" Yup, it still sounded weird.

The most entertaining aspect of Rebecca's new fashion sense was the response from her partner. Gawain was, to put it lightly, a nerd. Specifically, the kind of nerd with a love for Renaissance Fairs, reenactments, and knights. As Rebecca dipped into an almost witch knight style, she was sure he approved of the redesign.

Their Danger Room session for the day was nothing Rebecca hadn't seen before when she was still on the team, which was probably a good way to adjust to a new power set.

It came down to what she wanted to test. "That's a good question. What am Ah lookin' tae test... well, Ah guess the protection charms on mah gear, though hopefully it's not just a session of me getting my arse kicked. Ah've been working on a low level spell that shoots a small blast ay force from mah sword, so getting some practice in with that would be good," she admitted.

With programmable enemies to deal with, maybe she could get more experimental. "Ah'm nae sure if it'll work on a simulation, but Ah hae been working on a hex. Sort ay the opposite of my Calm Mind Charm; a Mind Fog Hex. The name's a work in progress."

Talking to Becca about hexes and charms was still extremely surreal. It should not have been, but it was. Gawain did his level best to take it in stride, and rely on his dorky side when it came to discussing magic. He gave his wife a small smile.

"Alright then. We should probably test your defenses first. So the, um... protection charms? Are they against physical contact? Projectiles?... I'm sorry" he shook his head, a little sheepish. "I should have been paying more attention." He had not really been a part of the process of Becca learning these things, and that was mostly on him.

Rebecca was prone to getting deep into her studies. She would not call herself obsessive, but rather... an excitable student. It carried her through her Masters in Literature, and now it was turning her into a bit of a magic geek. There was such a long history of practices and cultures and the theory behind magical casting was so varied and—

And this was exactly why it was so easy to get enthusiastic when talking about magic. But Rebecca had a training session to take part in.

Gawain, for his part, was doing his best to keep up with the rambling info-dumping of his wife. Becca giggled, giving a quick refresher by banging on the glyph drawn into the reflective surface of her shield in an equally reflective green. "Aye. When mah protection charm is applied tae a protective item—clothes, armor, and obviously, shields— it multiplies its protective qualities. A hoodie might nae tear tae a pocket knife right away, and mah armor might absorb more impact and nae crack when something hits it hard."

Rebecca looked forward at the simulation as it started to build their surroundings. "All that tae say, Ah'm nae as vulnerable as Ah look." Not that she looked very vulnerable at all with a shield, a sword, and half-plate.

"You don't really look that vulnerable. You've got a shield" Gawain grinned. He knew better than to underestimate his wife. "Alright, let's try some direct hits first and see how it goes."

She could strengthen materials to protect herself. It was different from a mutation, but it was not exactly unheard of. The question was how much it improved her defensive abilities, and how it was going to hold up under pressure.

"Danger Room, cue up Simulation Mystic Testing One" Gawain stepped up next to Becca. "I really wasn't gonna start throwing things at you, so I... got someone else to do it. But you're gonna have to protect me too."

The DR simulation shimmered, building a scenario around them. It was a forest clearing with the ruins of an abandoned castle, crumbling walls and fallen blocks of stone all around. Between the trees, small creatures moved and flickered, jumping into the air, zooming around. They were barely larger than a small child, but they all crackled with different kinds of energy: some with crimson flames, some with blue electricity, some blending in with the rocks. "How do you like my elementals?" Gawain grinned over his shoulder.

It was nice having a partner who didn't underestimate her; it helped Rebecca keep confidence that she was still capable of taking care of herself. Her powers were new to her in the grand scheme of things, so the support of someone she could trust to have her back helped her get back on the horse.

Gawain called for the simulation to start up. Rebecca grinned, poking fun a the name. "Aw, nae catchy name? Mansions & Mystics, maybe?" She would have to workshop that.

Despite the plain name, the setting Gawain put them in fit the energy of what she was implying to the letter. A fantasy setting, a ruined castle, and a swarm of approaching elementals. "Aww, ye shouldnae have. Maybe when we're done here, ye should look intae Dungeon Master stuff. The nae sexy kind," she clarified, holding up her shield and preparing her sword.

The army was closing in, but a rock elemental was the first to act, catapulting a small boulder in her direction from its camouflaged place. Rebecca's instincts were still sharp enough to raise her shield and intercept the boulder. It smashed against the mirrored surface, bursting into pebbles and dust. It was something her shield could do before, so it was not much of a test, but she did notice less recoil. Her shield absorbed more impact, letting Rebecca hold her stance firm. "If Ah'm protecting ye, does that make ye mah damsel?"

>>"Aww, ye shouldnae have. Maybe when we're done here, ye should look intae Dungeon Master stuff. The nae sexy kind,"

"Wait, there's a sexy kind?" Gawain took up a defensive position behind her. The scenario was programmed to evolve; he had no idea what was going to come out of where. Becca, on her part, was using the shield to block an attack.

>>"If Ah'm protecting ye, does that make ye mah damsel?"

"I prefer trophy husband" Gawain smirked, watching her react to the attacks. After the stone elemental, a pair of fire elementals sprung into action. "Eight o'clock!"