>> "You kept us safe; you're entitled to be a little awkward, honey. Though you might want to call your girlfriend. Not about meeting me, but to let her know you aren't, you know, dead."

Agnes blanched at the words. After everything that had occurred, her snap decision to chase down her villainous aunt, the sudden loss of her powers, and defending the remains of the mansion (and the world) from a giant tentacled eldritch entity that seemed as if it walked out of those "animes" that she's caught Nessa watching, she had completely forgotten to check in. Really that made a case for her being the world's most awful girlfriend. But she couldn't dwell on that for too long. She needed to try and assuage the other's fears because there was no way that Nessa didn't know where she was.

With that in mind, Agnes nods to Charmz, and turns away as she fishes her cellphone out of her jean pocket. Thank goodness in all the mess that had occurred that she didn't lose her. Surprising too considering how ripped her clothes were. Her jeans had been shredded into jean shorts and her top was barely hanging on by a thread, courtesy of her transformation and suddenly de-transformation to and from her Hive Queen form. For a moment she lamented. She would never feel that side of her again...would she?

Shaking the thoughts off, Agnes offers another shy smile to Charmz (gosh she was even prettier in person) and then turned away holding the phone up. Yay for bars! She quickly tapped through the screen options, settling on her contacts, selected the picture of Nessa wearing cat-ear headphones and sticking her tongue out, and tapped it. At first she tried to call but it seems in the wake of the emergency occurrence, the phone lines were busy. With a grumble she resorts to her only option.

Flipping her phone into the Speedigram app, she holds the selfie camera up, holds up two fingers, a shy smile, and gets as much of herself and the mayhem around her in frame (including what looked like a pretty nice view from Charmz from behind). Once the picture was taken, she uploaded it onto Speedigram and tagged Nessa, along with the text:

U up?

Nothing like a little humor to break the tension, right?

Vanessa had been glued to the TV, frustrated by the total lack of the camera's willingness to point out Agnes specifically in the crowd. The fight was... well, terrifying. But at least it was over now. Nessa was blowing up Agnes's phone all day looking for an update, and when she finally got it, she scrunched her nose at the audacity of her girlfriend.

She quickly hit the "Call" button moments after receiving the tag from Agnes, knowing she would be at her phone. She was getting some leeway because she was, in fact, alive, but being alive did not exclude her from the absolute hell Nessa was ready to reign down for putting herself in that position. "You better pick up," she muttered.

When the phone's ringing finally cut off and Nessa could hear background sound, she took a deep breath. And she couldn't help herself. "There were easier ways to introduce yourself to a hot camgirl, you know. They have conventions."

Agnes was nervous. While yes it was true she was still alive after losing her powers, punching the heck out of her aunt, and running from a giant tentacle demon, the real challenge was coming up -- waiting for Nessa's response. As the phone lines were still giving her trouble, the former insect queen began to mill about the grounds, holding her phone up to get bars. She could never understand how she could still access the internet when the phone lines weren't working! Stupid 5G whatever! She slumped then, looking back to her phone screen and returned to swiping constantly to refresh it. Still no response from Nessa but she was getting more comments than normal. Interesting. Apparently all it took to get the internet's attention was to show someone's absolute dumptr-

She jumped when suddenly her screen shifted and instead of her Speedigram she was looking at Nessa's icon glowering at her as a phone call was coming through. She was both relieved and terrified. But, after a second of calming her heartrate she took the opportunity to take a breath, center herself, and swipe the answer button.

The voice on the other line was crisp and sarcastic. So far everything was still in the green.

Agnes smirked a little nervous and shrugged her shoulders (as if her girlfriend could see her). "I mean, that's true," Agnes replied. "But then I'd risk you getting swept off your feet by said sexy camgirls. We need to come up with safewords and hard limits first before we commit to that kind of scam." She chuckled. It was forced. Wasn't natural. And after a moment she slumped and continued. "Listen I'm...so...so very sorry. It...just got out of hand..."

It felt just... so good to hear her voice. After all the uncertainty and concern, just hearing Agnes was something Nessa needed. It was not enough to let her off the hook, but it was a start.

The fact of the matter was something drew Agnes to the school. "I can tell," she said flatly, before softening her tone. "Was it your aunt? I saw the reports that she was involved, but I didn't think you'd rush headlong into everything to confront her. Or if you would, I was hoping you'd call first so I could talk you out of it." She loved Agnes, but her girlfriend was not a fighter. It didn't have to be her that confronted that hateful woman.

"Talk to me." There was no anger or malice; she just wanted Agnes to open up. "What was on your mind?"

Agnes breathed a deep sigh again. She needed to watch herself or shed pass out from exhaling too much. But she found it hard not to. A lot had happened in a very, very short amount of time. Her world was literally changed, both personally and at large. How was she supposed to just go with that?

Another sarcastic, though softened, reply. The flat tone almost hurt more than something loud or shrill. Agnes wanted to apologize again but found she was beaten to the punch when Nessa continued and the tenderness returned to her voice.

For the first time all night genuine tears began to form in the corners of her eyes and she found herself quietly taking a moment to sob. It was different. It was all just so goddamn different now.

"Y-Yeah...ahem....yeah. It was Agatha. And...I-I know. I wanted to. But...once I had heard..." she stomached the churn or anger again. "Once I had heard she was here something...snapped. It was...the hive queen, I think. Spurred me on....said she deserved it. Nessa I had read the reports given to me about her. And...I couldn't stop myself..."

Not knowing the situation Agnes threw herself into caused most of Vanessa's stress, so the more words she got out of Agnes, the lower her heart rate went. She slowed her breathing, ready to listen.

She was not ready for crying. For all the panic Nessa had to deal with, this was a traumatic experience Agnes went through, regardless of her choices. Nessa wanted to hold her and give her some comfort, hating the restrictions of a phone call.

"Take a deep breath, babe. It's gonna be okay. I was concerned, but not mad. Never mad at you," she assured her, letting Agnes explain the situation.

The mention of The Hive Queen provided more clarity. That secondary personality was, in many ways, not Agnes. The anger and pain were perfect fodder for that persona to take over. "Of course you went; it was terrible." Haven had given Nessa the details regarding Agatha's sect, and it was the kind of religious intolerance and zealotry she loathed. The only person who hated it more was Agnes. "I'm just so glad your safe, babe. But the Hive Queen... do we need to get you support to get that aspect of your powers back in your control...?"

Agnes could feelnthe anger wanting to well up again. She was upset, yes, because in hindsight she did do something rather stupid. What would have happened if she had been hurt? Or worse? Nessa wouldn't have known where she'd gone nor have any last words. It was a terrifying concept that made Agnes' heart beat faster.

And it was all the fault of her parents and aunt. If they had just been....normal...none of this would have happened. But no, they had to be religious zealots who had tried to kill her once and then actually kil-

She jumped at the sound of Nessa's soothing voice and her request to calm down. Agnes took a couple deep breathes and slowly nodded her head. After a couple moments she calmed further.

Agnes explains a bit more, about feeling the draw of the hive queen and how it drove her to seek out Agatha once intel discovered that she was one of the leading supremes. It was all she could do to keep from fully changing right then and there. It was a terrifying persona and one that she didn't know how her formerly older self handled.

That being said, upon hearing Nessa's valid concerns about the Hive Quee, she could only go silent. Her was the biggest thing she had yet to reveal.

A lump caught in Agnes' throat and it took her a couple seconds. "Well...t-that's the other thing..." She started then paused. With a hip she closed her eyes and continued. "They're... gone," She whispered, referring to her insects. "I...I'm not a mutant anymore."

Agnes then, tearfully and confused, began to relate all that happened to her and how the mystics stripped away her powers and made her one of them instead.

Vanessa loved to talk, but she understood when it was important to listen. She wanted Agnes to get the whole experience off her chest. Unpacking trauma had to happen in a safe, supportive space, and that was what this phone call would be.

Not looking to prod, Vanessa still needed to know if she had to talk to her people at Haven to help Agnes deal with the Hive Queen. She was caught off guard by the bigger revelation. "Not... a mutant? Like. They stopped your X-Gene?" It sounded crazy, but Vanessa remembered the story Ms. Grey told them that she vaguely remembered. "They got rid of it entirely," she thought aloud.

"This is going to be okay. You're still my honey, whether or not you're a mutant," she assured her. They bonded at Xavier's after getting de-aged, but she did not love Agnes because she was a mutant. "So does that mean you're human, or..." She didn't want to assume, but there was a second half to Rebecca and Kalos' story.

It definitely felt strange to say it out loud. She wasn't sure if she could get used to it. But unlike other mutants she couldn't look at herself in the mirror anymore and just know she wasn't a mutant her wings, antennae, stingers, they were all gone now. Now whenever she, or anyone, would look at her, they would just see a...person.

Again. It was strange.

It took a moment but Nessa's voice broke through again, repeating her statement. It was a stunning statement, Agnes was sure, but not unheard of. It happened with Ms. Grey already. And eventually Becca caught onto that.

Agnes nodded. "Entirely..." she whispered back. She didn't want to go over the gory details, at least not over the phone, so the statement should have covered it all. Thankfully it seemed that Nessa understood.

At the reassure, tears once again dotted the corners of her eyes. It felt good to hear that. She nodded again, taking a final breath to calm her nerves. It would be okay. She would figure it out. And then Agnes had to reveal the last important part of this discussion. She cleared her throat and shook her head as she looked for the words.

"I...don't think so..." Nervously she poked at the cuticle of one of her nails. "I did...something. Not sure what yet. But...Becca and some others said I'm...now a mystic too. I...can do magic...I think."

It was as Vanessa predicted; Agnes lost her mutation, but in its place, she became attuned to magic. It was a big change, and it had to be complicated. Agnes lived her life as a mutant in persecution, judged and hated by her family. It was a major part of her identity. And it was unfair for her awful aunt to be complicit in stealing that from her. Making Agnes "more like her."

At the same time, Agnes was a mystic now; there was no going back to the way things were before. This had to be something she could learn to love for herself and not just a reminder of what was taken from her. Vanessa was going to have to chat with Rebecca's spouse eventually; with any luck, they had some insight into the delicate balance of supporting people you love as they go through the mixed emotions of this change.

For now, Nessa managed a smile and chose levity in a heavy situation. "Well, you've always been magical to me," she joked. It was lame, but hopefully it could make Agnes laugh.

"Really, though. Stingers or spells, you're the same amazing woman I love. My Honey. I'll be there for you through this," she promised her. "What's your plan now? Like, tonight plans, not big picture plans." She deserved time to figure those out.

Again, it just felt so weird to say. Agnes spent two lifetimes, apparently, as a mutant and suddenly, now she wasn’t one. While she knew deep down that everything would be okay, it was obviously going to take some getting used to. There would be tears, there would be frustration, there would be struggle, but she hoped it was something she could accomplish. Why not? She’d already done something similar twice before.

Though Nessa may have been merely trying to bring some levity, the words meant more to Agnes than Nessa would ever know. It brought a smile to her lips that fought off the intrusive tears that wanted to spill.

”Cheesiest line ever…” Agnes replies. ”Good thing for you I like cheese.”

She then nods her head as Nessa continues, reassuring her that they would make it through this together. Again, she was grateful and truly hoped they could make it through this together.

At the mention of the next steps, Agnes wracked her brain trying to come up with a what she could possibly do, but stopped when Nessa clarified. She smiled, a bit embarrassed, and looked about. ”Um, I’m not sure. Mansion is in shambles, there’s loads to clean up…OH. Looks like there’s a bus. Maybe we’re going into the city for supplies?” Agnes gets swept up by the crowd and follows the flow until she ends up in a seat, looking around as people begin to chat ”Hexes and Hos” in the background. She’s confused by this and relates as much as to Nessa while the bus begins to move. ”Umm…I dunno what that is. Maybe some gardening store? Seems like we might be getting supplies to start on the lawn first, which is odd…”

There was that smile Nessa was missing. The kind of smile you could hear over the phone. She could serve up all the cheese Agnes wanted if it kept that gorgeous, amazing woman happy.

Vanessa was already gathering her coat with plans to leave Haven, but she did need a destination. Thankfully, Agnes had details, even if she was oblivious to them. Vanessa heard the name of a club in the background. Without needing to look it up, she smirked, recognizing the name. It was in a neck of the woods she was familiar with, and as a prolific lover and supporter of women and sex workers, she knew the sterling reputation of the witchy strip club.

"Don't worry, babe. I know where to meet you. Not quite as much horticulture as... well, don't worry. You'll get it soon enough."

Waving over Svetlana to help her arrange for a car, Vanessa lowered her voice so she could end the call with only Agnes listening. "I'll meet you there as soon as possible for the biggest hug and kiss of your life," she promised. "I love you, Honeybee."

Agnes sat on the bus and took a long, slow breath. The energy around her was good. She liked it. After something so horrific, she almost felt like she was going to lose it, especially after she realized that her powers were done and gone. But something about being around all these people helped to ground her. Helped her to see the light amid the darkness. Plus, it also helped that Nessa was on the line with her, talking her down and reminding her of the good things she still had now and were yet to be. She was grateful for that…and her.

Glad that Nessa knew of the place, and a little confused by her mysterious words, Agnes agreed that they would meet there. She was glad for it. ”Yeah. Yeah that sounds good,” she said in agreement. ”Can’t wait to see you.”

The thought popped in her mind that maybe she should ask for further clarification of where she was going, since Nessa already knew where and what it was. But before she could form the question, her brain simply stopped. The ‘I love you’. They had said it before. Obviously, it had been months and months since they started dating. But there was something so much more special about it now.

Her smile only grew wider at the nickname, Honeybee. It should have made her sad, given that it was so attached to her powers. But, given how her new magical abilities were manifesting…but that didn’t matter. It wasn’t a name associated with her powers…it was associated with her. That was what mattered.

”I love you too, Bebe,” she said as a slight blush came to her cheeks. She didn’t know why but she blushed every time, especially when she was in public. ”I’ll see you soon.”

After one again assurring Nessa that she was fine, Agnes finally hung up the call and settled into her seat. She didn’t know where this bus was going, but she was grateful for who she would find at the destination.