Oh, she led. She led, all right. With happy humming, and arm clinging.

“So, Sir Gawain, what does a princeling like yourself do as he waits to claim his throne? Go to school? Work at McGrease King?” Somehow, she couldn’t picture this particular teenager flipping burgers. Making snarky comments from behind a register, maybe...

The Indian place was just down this block. And... that way. With a left here—or was that supposed to be a right? Maxine knew the way. She’d been there before. Once. Yet somehow, the streets seemed to be getting more deserted, and the buildings more ominous. Spray paint started to mix in with the signs; a few shops could definitely use repainting. Or... windows that weren’t plywood boards.

Not that Maxine was particularly scared, mind you. The sorts of people who would give a lady trouble were usually male, and males + Rex =

Oh. She’d ditched her paperclip chaperone at home, hadn’t she? Opps. That was okay, though. Because she was with a strapping young Knight—

She glanced up at Sir Gawain’s stretched taffy figure. Give him a few years to flesh out at the edges, maybe. For now?

Walk faster. She was pretty sure the place was around here.

>>“So, Sir Gawain, what does a princeling like yourself do as he waits to claim his throne? Go to school? Work at McGrease King?”

Gawain snorted. Work? School? Yeah, right.
"I wander." he said with a gallant shrug "I started in Seattle, and walked all the way. Ya could say I'm on a quest." he added with a smirk "As for school: I am responsible for my own education. All the useful stuff."
Like how to lie and get into trouble.
"As for work: I've done a bunch of things. Bein' a street performer is my favorite."

Maxine seemed a bit nervous about the neighborhood. Gawain grinned. He'd seen a lot worse. As for the paintings... he'd done a lot better.

"So, how about you?"

>> "I wander. I started in Seattle, and walked all the way. Ya could say I'm on a quest."

“Seattle, eh? Long way.” Maxine cast a sneaky glance upwards. “Not as far as Orkney, of course...”

>> "As for work: I've done a bunch of things. Bein' a street performer is my favorite."

In other words: her Knight was a professional hobo.

Seriously?

Yeah. That was his ‘serious’ face.

Crap.

For the first time since he’d shown up in her bathroom mirror, the kid got points knocked off his score. Granted that he was an underage kid (kids tended to be), so his score didn’t matter in the first place, and she hadn’t been keeping track, and...

Really? A hobo? A hobo who’d probably dropped out of high school, too. Maxine tried not to visibly deflate. It did distract her from their surroundings, though.

>> "So, how about you?"

That puffed her back up. “I,” she stated proudly, “am a reporter. Maxine Rawls, Wolf News, at your service. Milord.” She flashed a grin. “Intern reporter, any way. I go to school at NYU.” And he should, too. Or any college, really. Maxine had standards for her ideal guy. Those standards included a high school and college education. (And not being some kind of runaway from Seattle.) Until today, she’d never considered adding ‘ballroom dancer’ to the list. Or ‘prince.’

...Really, though? Was it too much to ask for a prince with a Harvard degree?

“Where did you learn to dance like that, any way? That was a little beyond anything my high school gym teacher ever made us do.”

A torn and crumpled McGrease King burger wrapper rolled past them in the chilly breeze, like some kind of New York-style tumbleweed.

Gawain glanced down at Maxine as he walked beside her, and he could tell from the look on her face that - for the first time in their short history - she was not impressed.
Well, tough luck. It's not like he wanted to wander around aimlessly instead of having a home and a friggin' family.

>>“I am a reporter. Maxine Rawls, Wolf News, at your service. Milord. Intern reporter, any way. I go to school at NYU.”

The knight raised an eyebrow. Reporter? That explained a lot. Like the dark circles under her eyes. And the hyperactive curiosity. The rain of questions. And the attitude.
Reporter indeed.

"Impressive" he smirked at her "And does your boss know about your unique relationship with office supplies, or do ya keep mutation an' business strictly separate?"

He was not mocking her. Well, not really. He was truly curious, mainly because his own mutation kept him from taking any decent job in a non-mutant friendly environment and he wanted to know how others dealt with the same thing.

>>“Where did you learn to dance like that, any way? That was a little beyond anything my high school gym teacher ever made us do.”

Annnd the grin was back. Had he been sitting, the knight would have set back with his hands behind his head, but since he was still walking with one hand taken hostage by he lady... he just grinned.

"Told ya, learned all the useful stuff myself." all right, so some credit needed to me given, to the only person Gawain did not like to lie about "... Mostly. Ballroom stuff was my mother's favorite. She taught me that. The rest I picked up once I was left alone. It's fun, and an easy way to make money."

Because the knight was not just aimlessly wandering around. He was on a quest.

>> "Impressive. And does your boss know about your unique relationship with office supplies, or do ya keep mutation an' business strictly separate?"

“Oh, they know.” Maxine said, with an impish smirk. “How do you think I stood out at the interview? I, Sir Gawain,” she lifted her chin, “am in a unique position, with regards to both age, gender, and genetic demographics, to bring a fresh and honest voice to the reporting of the ongoing tension between mutant and human rights activists.” She nodded, most authoritatively. “I had graphs. You should have seen the looks on the committee’s faces when Rex started eating one.” Methodically tearing it into small, small pieces which he piled, with great care, onto their carpeted board room floor. To be precise.

The short skirt probably helped, too. Lechers.

>> "Told ya, learned all the useful stuff myself. ... Mostly. Ballroom stuff was my mother's favorite. She taught me that. The rest I picked up once I was left alone. It's fun, and an easy way to make money."

“Momma’s boy. I should have known.” Maxine resisted the urge to ruffle his hair again: she wouldn’t want to be predictable. Instead, she went in for a quick cheek pinch.

“So!” She declared confidently, as they reached the next corner. “I have no clue where we are. Left, right, or straight?” Time to test her Knight’s skills at divining the location of curry shops. A vital skill, mind you.

>>“Oh, they know. How do you think I stood out at the interview? I, Sir Gawain, am in a unique position, with regards to both age, gender, and genetic demographics, to bring a fresh and honest voice to the reporting of the ongoing tension between mutant and human rights activists.”

Gawain chuckled at her. "Ya practiced that a lot in front of the mirror didn't you."

He'd seen people do it. All kinds of peope. Sometimes he even helped them look better. Or made them look worse. Depending on his mood.

>>“Momma’s boy. I should have known.”

Gawain's eyes flashed. What do you know about my mother? He kept his opinion to himself, because it probably would have ruined the whole afternoon, but if it had been anyone else (okay maybe except Twyla) he would have done something he'd regret. Later.
The pinch, however, was too much.

"Stop that!" he frowned at Maxine, catching her hand "I'm not a toy, okay? I'm seventeen years old, FYI yes that's legal, and I have been takin' care of myself since I was 13 because I had no choice, so."

Sooo, he probably just managed to ruin the afternoon anyway.
Looking around, he recognized the neighborhood; it was one of those that were bad enough to suspect someone might be hiding out here, and he'd spent most of his time at places like this, looking. Searching. Wandering around.

"There's an Indian place on the next corner that way" he said, nodding his head to the right, sinking his hands into his pockets and glancing at her with a stubborn flush on his cheeks "Let's go."

>> "Stop that! I'm not a toy, okay?”

Just like that, the switch flipped from ‘day on the town’ to ‘looming fight.’ It made a warped kind of sense. Usually, she had to wait a few dates to feel this comfortable with someone. If she didn’t have to wait for that, then really, why wait for the fight? Really, they were just living her whole dating experience in fast-forward. Good meeting: mutual approval: fun dates: brooding storm clouds: looming fight: explosive end. The only thing missing was the bedroom trip(s). And Rex.

How was she supposed to know that the Knight had a sore spot for Mommy? He’d left his user manual back in that mirror he’d crawled out of.

Bright side:

>> “I'm seventeen years old, FYI yes that's legal—”

Heeheehee. She was going to have to see ID before she believed that one, but now she had hope.

>> “—and I have been takin' care of myself since I was 13 because I had no choice, so."

Malevolent inner cackling aside, her Knight came with some serious saddlebags attached. Then again, it wasn’t like she didn’t. Hers were just less in the past, and came with more tentacles.

>> "There's an Indian place on the next corner that way. Let's go."

Hands in pockets. Face forward. Cheeks red. Now was not the time to point out how cute his Emo look was. Maxine followed him, swallowing back any and all witty comebacks. Her Knight was (self-declared) legal. She was going to finish off this date without getting dumped.

To the Indian restaurant. To the food. To the laid-back dinner chatting, and sneaking a look at his driver’s license. Even high school drop outs had those. Right?

Maxine didn't have anything to say. Not like Gawain had any idea what he wanted her to say anyway. Silent was not the best option, but at least she didn't turn around and walk away, and she didn't yell at him, and, even better, she didn't seem to pity him either. He was pretty sure pity would some with more cheek pinching or something of the sort, and he was not in the mood for that.
Also, he couldn't miss the glint in her eyes when he blurted out he was legal.
Ooooh boy.

Walking down the street they soon found the tiny Indian place that was too small to be a restaurant, but big enough to have decent tables and all. Gawain stopped and turned to look at Maxine, pulling his hands from his pockets because that's what gentlemen do when they talk to a lady they had been ignoring for the past five minutes or so.

"Here we are" he nodded at the door, then "Um, look, I'm sorry, I don't usually snap at people like that... It's not you, it's me." this last sentence was mock dramatic, and by the time he finished it, the smirk was back on his face "C'mon, let's get somethin' to eat."

He opend the door for her, and they walked in; this early in the day - it wasn't even 12 o'clock yet - there were only a few peope inside, and the smell of fesh food, and mainly curry, filled the air.
Gawain really hoped his stomach woulnd't start to growl.

>> "Here we are."

Here they were. His hands were out of his pockets; she crossed hers, tucking her hands against her side. Because they were cold, obviously. She didn’t have gloves. Obviously.

>> "Um, look, I'm sorry, I don't usually snap at people like that... It's not you, it's me. C'mon, let's get somethin' to eat."

Smirk was returned for smirk. “Sounds like a worthy quest, Sir Gawain. Count me in.”

He got bonus points for opening the door.

Inside, the place was adorable. That being the appropriate word for a restaurant that blended ‘hole in the wall’ with ‘cozy.’ It smelled good, too. It seemed to be a seat yourself sort of establishment; Maxine dragged her magic mirror off to a booth in the back corner. It was made for more than two, but it wasn’t like the place was overflowing with customers. And come on: it was a booth. She’d already mentioned cozy, right?

“Hath thy travels brought thee into the Indies, fair Prince?” Maxine asked, snuggling up somewhat closer than she needed to, given the size of the booth, but somewhat less close than she would have before their little spat. She wasn’t on his lap: just next to it. She picked up a menu. “They’ve many a spice not found at the court. I recommend this one most highly.” Her finger tapped on the curry. And not the baby’s curry, either. Maxine ate with the big boys: if your tongue wasn’t bleeding at the end, you were doing it wrong.

>>“Hath thy travels brought thee into the Indies, fair Prince?”

Gawain nodded with all due seriousness.
"Yeah, once, couple o' years ago. Went on a trip with some fella named Sindbad. Boy he could wreck a ship." he smirked.

>>“They’ve many a spice not found at the court. I recommend this one most highly.”

"Ya like spicy huh" he chuckled, looking at the menu "They're good at that here. Ya'll breath fire. Don't say I didn't warn ya."

A waitress arrived soon to take the orders and bring something to drink. Now all left to do was sit back and wait. Gawain glanced at Maxine; she was inching closer to him again. No hard feelings, huh.

"Ya're not gonna make the plates attack me or somethin', are ya."

Just to be on the safe side. Maxine's safe side.

“Sinbad?” Maxine asked, touching her hand over her heart. Shocked, Sir; she was simply shocked. “My lord, you should not be associating with sailors. Particularly not that one. Why, the stories I hear of him...” She trailed off, with a meaningful shake of her head.

When she relaxed out of her acting, she adjusted her seating just a smidge. A smidge closer to him. He was cute: this was public. Was it not her right as a woman to be seen in public sliding up close to a cute boy of legal age? It had been awhile since she’d had the chance. It felt nice. Even though they weren’t touching, she could still feel the heat of his body. Boys: nature’s space heaters.

>> "Ya're not gonna make the plates attack me or somethin', are ya."

“Sir Knight, would I do such a thing to you?” Maxine fluttered her eyelashes, and took a delicate—a lady-like—sip of her water. Really, no need to mention that she couldn’t do such a thing to him. A proper sorceress must have her secrets. “You haven’t even made me angry yet,” she added, with another innocent sip.

>>“Sinbad? My lord, you should not be associating with sailors. Particularly not that one. Why, the stories I hear of him...”

Gawain grinned. "Oh, ya don' know half of it."
Because one side of him (not Maya. The Kid.) still looooved his legends & mythology.
The other side (the legal one) was currently occupied with making sense of Maxine's closeness. Was she still playing with him, or was she serious about this? Not like he had any objections. A pretty sorceress seeking your company was not exactly the worst thing that could happen on a quest.

>>“Sir Knight, would I do such a thing to you? You haven’t even made me angry yet.”

An eyebrow arched. "Yet? Lady, if you are expecting me to do anything that would upset your highness in any way, you are truy mistaken. I would consider it the greatest failure of my honor and upbringing to make such a lovely lady angry in any way."

Yesss, thank you Sir Gawain, high five. Court language for the win.

Was Maxine serious about this? It was a good thing no one was asking Maxine that. In all honesty: she had no idea.

Pros: Gawain was cute. Had a sense of humor. Could ballroom dance. And he was self-proclaimed legal in the eyes of the New York State justice department.

Cons: Hobo. Likely high school drop out. And that reaction of his earlier hinted at some serious baggage, somewhere in his closet.

But he was warm. And he didn’t talk like a high school drop out. In fact, he was currently talking like someone who pre-dated high schools. If high schools hadn’t existed yet, than it wasn’t such a bad thing that her Knight hadn’t finished his, right?

These are the things we convince ourselves of, when the boy is close, and the curry is coming. Their waitress set their food down with a smile, and went her way again. Indian music danced through the air, from a dusty old speaker in the other corner. This was okay, right? Even if she had no idea what she actually wanted—wasn’t that fine? This was fun. He was fun.

And Rex liked him.

Maxine lightly tipped her head against his shoulder, red hair falling against his neck.

“Hey,” she asked innocuously, with a sweet bat of her eyelashes, “What’s your girlfriend’s name?”

The curry could wait a second. She already knew what she wanted out of it.

>>“What’s your girlfriend’s name?”

Gawain looked down at Maxine who now was shamelessly cuddling up to him, using his shoulder as a pillow. He'd been close - very close - to girls before, but the sensation still got him. Take a teenage guy, and give him a double set of hormones. Sic a desperate single hottie on him. Sit back. Watch.

The Knight chuckled at the lady.

"You wound me, fair Lady Maxine" he grinned "Is that the best you've got? I hardly believe you would be in the position you are in right now if you truly believed I have a girlfriend."

Oh if I told you about the women in my life... starting with one called Maya...

There was no harm in being kind to a damsel in social distress. Gawain lifetd his arm and wrapped it around Maxine's shoulders. If she wanted to cuddle, cuddling there shall be.

"So, what's your boyfriend's name?"

>> "You wound me, fair Lady Maxine. Is that the best you've got? I hardly believe you would be in the position you are in right now if you truly believed I have a girlfriend."

“Mmm,” Maxine mulled, a nefarious sparkle in her eyes. “I wonder.” He was warmer up close. His cheeks were so smooth. Was that just a well-done shave, or was her Knight still questing in his own mirror each morning for traces of baby fuzz?

Mmm, arm.

>> "So, what's your boyfriend's name?"

Touché, Sir Knight. Maxine wrapped his arm around herself a bit more snuggly, and let herself enjoy the cuddling. Just for a sec. Just until she risked spoiling it.

“Mirror Mirror at my side,
Courtly evasions I shall not abide.
Once more I seek answer true:
Can’t I just go out with you?”

A grin danced playfully at her lips: that could have been a joke. If it needed to be a joke. Her green eyes were carefully inexpressive. The music kept playing, over them. The pen that had been following them flittered up from its perch on her purse, and landed on the edge of her curry plate; its cap pointed towards them, with a curious twist.

Did she actually want to date him?

No clue. He was cute, he was a modern sort of gentleman, but she wasn’t sure if she was actually attracted to him. Even if she was, she wasn’t sure she wanted to date him: it was hard to lower her standards from college boys to errant Knights. Not to say there was anything wrong with not going to college. It was only a problem if you wanted to date her. Still, though.

Did she want to see him again, with more cuddling?

Mmmm yes. She had mentioned he was warm, right? ‘Cause he was. Very.