Oh God.
Ohdeargod.

Right after the New Year's Eve mess Sir Gawain made an oath not to kiss Twyla unless she asked him to. That seemed to have been the main problem at the club, so he decided it was best, and fit for a knight, to respect a lady and give her the opportunity to initiate... anything. This, naturally, was also in effect on Maya-days.
But once the first step was made, she was more than ready to take it from there.
Many things happened at once; eyes fluttered closed and lips parted against hers; one hand slid back into the blonde and pink mess of hair, and the other let go to sneak around the other girl's waist. With all that arranged, Maya moved on to a kiss that spent her own head spinning.
Maya had never kissed a girl before.
Gawain had, lots of times; but none of them were anything close to this one. It was soft, and sweet, and more than a little desperate. There way no way of telling if it lasted for seconds or minutes, and it felt like a very short version of eternity.
Maya finally - and very hesitantly - came up for air, pulling few inches away, resting her forehead against Twyla's. Eyes still closed. She was not ready to look up yet.
"Wow." she breathed, with a smile in her voice.
Yeah. Wow.

Any doubts she had about what she was or was not supposed to do were pushed from her mind as soon as Maya reacted to the kiss. Soon her loose braids were coming undone and she was pressed against the other girl. Her own hands finally found their places--one rested on the arm around her waist and the other hesitantly lighted on Maya's shoulder. Kissing Maya and kissing Gawain were strangely similar, probably because they were the same person. It did feel a little different, being close to Maya but it wasn't a bad different it was just new different. It felt just as good as the night at the club, only this time when they came up for air she didn't feel the need to run off to the bathroom to stare at herself and think.

Wow. That was a good word for the situation. Twyla laughed when she felt the other girl's breath on her face. She opened her eyes first, and stared at Maya's neck for a moment before pulling her face away. Her hands stayed where they lay for a moment before she untangled herself from the embrace.

"That hot chocolate is going to get cold." Another laugh. A hand came up to touch her lips, they were slightly swollen and she could tell that her eyes were unfocused. The brown orbs looked dazed and that matched the half dopey smile on her face. The butterflies were back, but this time they were giddy.

She wanted to call Nate and she wanted to jump on Henri's bed and giggle like a little girl.

The still functioning part of Maya's mind was ticking an annoying countdown to zero, zero being the part when Twyla comes to her senses and runs for it. It was very likely to happen, even though this time she was the one who started it all... kinda... sorta...
Whatever.

Maya only opened her eyes when she heard Bubblegum laugh, and it was a happy laugh too, not some nervous giggling. There was surprise in her dark eyes, mixed with disbelief, and a series of emotions of the more pleasant kind.
She just couldn't believe this was happening to her.
But there she was, her very own Bubblegum (well now Maya aren't you just selfish), this time with all the right signs of being well kissed, and that would have made Maya laugh too, but somehow all that came out was a soft chuckle, as Twyla untangled herself.

>>"That hot chocolate is going to get cold."

"Well, ya've earned it. Cheers." Maya smiled, finally stepping out of the way, picking up one of the mugs. She didn't drink yet, not wanting to ruin the good taste in her mouth even chocolate couldn't compete with.
"If I didn't know you I'd say ya did it all for the chocolate." she said, playful grin returning to her face "One can never be sure about what women think. Especially the ones with pink hair."

Yeah. How can you trust someone who dates a guy and a gal at the same time?...

"Hah! You have played directly into my devious plot!" Twyla giggled and reached across the counter to pick up the mug that was in obvious need of some drinking. Not that she really needed to be warmed up at all...kissing certain a certain person had handled that quite well. Taking a drink, she smiled into the cup.

Now what?

Having never been in this situation (Twyla had never kissed a boy or girl more than once or had a real crush on anyone) the girl was very confused as to what she was to do with herself. She felt strangely shy and didn't know what to do with herself. "Um..." Another drink gave her some more time to think.

Does this mean we're going out or something...? What's a 'something'? It felt kinda like she was in limbo and Twyla was secretly glad she hadn't bothered with this earlier in her high school experience, there was too much grey area in the significant other department. The confusion and some shyness began to show on her face as the girl rocked back and forth on bare feet.

>>"Hah! You have played directly into my devious plot!"

"Yeah, and I would do it again" Maya grinned. Of course. As long as you can get a kiss like that for a mug of hot chocolate... well, it was a good deal. Very.

>>"Um..."

Oh no. No 'um'. Definitely no 'um.' None. There was a No Um policy on this relationship. Starting now.

"Naaah, Bubblegum, don' even think 'bout it." she smirked, shaking her head "Listen, I dunno 'bout you, but here's what's in my head: I've never kissed a girl before, let alone dated any, and I'v got no idea how stuff like this works. Sounds familiar?" she asked. She wasn't a telepath. She didn't need to be one. "... sooo if ya have any good tips on how to ask someone out, I'd appreciate it. Girl do share stuff like that, don' they." she grinned, leaning back against the counter and sipping her hot chocolate.

Because once you get to the point where things just can't possibly get any weirder, you are free as a bird.

Twyla's cheeks tinged themselves a light pink when Maya said something about falling for her evil plot again. Part of her was still in shock that she'd just kissed a girl. When had she magically decided she liked girls? Well...a girl. Singular. Was it different if she only liked the one? It didn't really matter, the deed was done. No turning back now--not that she really felt the need to. Things were what they were and Twyla didn't mind them, she kind of liked them actually.

The blond relaxed when the other girl began talking about what was going on in her head. "That sounds oh so very familiar, actually." Hmmm...asking someone out. An image of Helen, once of her fellow dance team members who also happened to be her class' biggest flirt, popped into Twyla's mind. How did Helen do it? And then the image vanished. She'd never actually seen the redhead hook a boyfriend, only heard about the dating and the breaking up that went on once she'd forced her perfectly manicured nails into her newest victim. Whatever Helen's approach was, Twyla had a feeling it wasn't her style.

"Girls with information share that kind of stuff, the rest of us just kinda stand back and watch the goings-on. I've never actually seen people start to go out--the only public things I've seen are the displays of affection and the break ups. As far as I know people magically hook up one day so they can crash and burn hot in about a week." She shrugged. "I'm not the girl to ask about this since I've never done anything remotely similar with anyone." As if to herself, she added: "Maybe Nate would know..." Because Nate was an ever flowing fountain of mythic wisdom unsurpassed by any--and he'd had a girlfriend for every occasion since his freshman year of high school. She sipped at her mug as she contemplated things silently to herself.

>>"Girls with information share that kind of stuff, the rest of us just kinda stand back and watch the goings-on. I've never actually seen people start to go out--the only public things I've seen are the displays of affection and the break ups. As far as I know people magically hook up one day so they can crash and burn hot in about a week."

Maya sighed. What was wrong with her, she sure did know how to chat up a girl, but she didn't know how to ask someone out? Maybe it would go easier if she was Gawain right now. Or maybe not.

"Hm." she mused "Displays of affection sounds good, we could go from there." she said, a grin tugging at her lips. She was joking, of course, for now, kind of. There was something useful about being Maya right now after all. The little hint of awkwardness left over was just enough to keep her hands being all over Bubblegum.
"... crash doesn't. Let's not do that. 'Crash' tends to hurt my ribs." she smirked, sipping her hot chocolate as she thought about the rest.

>>"I'm not the girl to ask about this since I've never done anything remotely similar with anyone. Maybe Nate would know..."

"Me neither, so maybe we could... wait, who's Nate?"
The name didn't ring a bell. Or maybe it should have, and she just couldn't place it. Either way. He sounded like someone important.

A slightly nervous giggle escaped her lips when Maya said something about PDA. Part of her wanted to get on that as soon as possible and the rest of her was shy and nervous about anymore kissing like things. "No, crashing isn't fun for any party involved." Especially not the people who have to deal with the whiny broken hearts. Twyla hated that role, it was frustrating and more than a little annoying. 'He didn't text me back because he lost his phone. I just couldn't take it!' Blech. As far as the blond was concerned some people could cry her a river, build a bridge, and get over it. She'd never broken up with someone so she'd only seen the other side of the crash but crashing and burning was still not her agenda.

Maybe we could...? "Nate is my older brother...I guess I don't talk about him much here. He's one of the people I talked to...about this." She waved her hand around to signify the whole situation. Twyla shrugged and took another drink from her half empty mug. "He usually knows what he's talking about, and when he doesn't he's honest about it. I wish you could meet him." The girl's smile was a bit melancholy as she talked about her older brother. Nate had always been and would always be Twyla's favorite sibling, as bad as that was to say. Ever since they were little they'd always played together and as they got older Nate passed on his knowledge of middle school and eventually high school unto her. Sometimes he ignored her when he was with his friends and sometimes they fought but they'd always had each other's backs. Nate was even cool with the mutant thing, which was more than a bit of her family could say.

I miss Nate... The sudden thought made her frown into her hot chocolate and she resisted the urge to run up into her room to grab the scrap book tucked safely under her bed.

>>"Nate is my older brother...I guess I don't talk about him much here. He's one of the people I talked to...about this. He usually knows what he's talking about, and when he doesn't he's honest about it. I wish you could meet him."

Okay. Older brother. Maya was taking mental notes. He sounded like a decent guy, but somehow Twyla didn't seem cheerful at all talking about him.
"I'm sure I will, sooner or later." Maya nodded with a half smile, then thought about it for a while before going on "Um, can I ask you something? You don' have to answer if you don't want to... You've got a family, right? I mean, besides your brother. So, how did ya really end up here?... Last time we talked 'bout this, ya were kinda workin' around the fact that you're a mutant..."
Yeah. The afternoon in the park. That memory almost made her smile again.

It might not have been the best idea to ask it like that. Right now. It was not less awkward then the whole relationship topic... but it was a change. And Maya really wanted to know.

Family. Could she talk about her family and how she ran away? Oh sure she could talk about her cowardice, right after she sat down at one of the stools near the counter. The wood made a screeching noise when it was pushed across the tile. "Sorry." She mumbled, adjusting herself on the chair and tucking her ankles behind one another. "It's not a big deal." Twyla smiled at Maya to show her that she could talk about this. A hand patted the stool next to her. The girl downed the rest of her hot chocolate before she began speaking.

"I was at a party when I discovered my powers." She fidgeted, remembering that Friday night back home. "We were playing Truth or Dare and somehow I picked dare and some of the guys thought it would be funny if I spent a few hours in the old Johnson house--it was deserted and it was supposed to be haunted and all that stuff. I did and then they thought it would be funny if they tried to scare me. I'm really, really scared of the dark." She rolled her eyes and laughed a half living laugh. "I didn't know it was them, so I tried to hide. When they walked in the room I was in they didn't see me, I looked down and realized why..." Twyla looked at her hands for a moment and then shrugged. "I left home the next day. Nate drove me into town and I hopped the next train out east. He didn't know what he was doing...I ran away. I'm a coward." Another laugh and a smile. It was weird to talk about, she'd never told anyone that story before and she felt ashamed of how it sounded.

"And now I'm here." Twyla shrugged again and skipped talking about all the traveling she did in between that first train and the Mansion. Turning back to Maya she asked: "Am I allowed to ask you the same question?"

>>"It's not big deal."

As soon as Bubblegum said that, Maya was already pretty sure it was a big deal. Why the heck else would someone spend the holidays in the Mansion?
She sat on the stool and listened to the story, watching Twyla's face as she talked. It was not a happy story.
"You are not a coward" she said once it was over - or as over as it would be for now, anything else can come out later when it needs to. "It's a mutant thing. Your body starts doin' strange and scary stuff and ya try to outrun it."
Oh, she knew the stories. But she didn't know the feeling itself.
"It's not your fault." she said, reaching up to touch Twyla's face "Your brother's still got your back, and the rest will come around. It's not like ya've turned into someone else."

>>"Am I allowed to ask you the same question?"

"Um, yeah." Maya nodded, setting down her empty mug on the counter "Well... I've always been a mutant. My mother's one. A shifter. She raised me alone, and taught me all kinds of useful stuff about mutants and survival... I was homeschooled, for obvious reasons" she added with a smirk "And... well, long story short, she went missin' when I was thirteen, and I've been wanderin' around ever since."
Yeah. Very short. The Reader's Digest version.
"I... um, pretty much used my powers to get around and... fend for myself." she admitted with some hesitation "I spent most of my time lookin' for Mom. I heard 'bout the school when I got to NYC... then I met this girl on the street, annd, the rest is history." she summarized with a smile. There wasn't really any more to it. For now.

Twyla didn't argue when Maya told her she wasn't a coward. She'd let it slip on by...this time at least. Twyla was pretty sure she was a coward for a lot of reasons but didn't want to argue out her less favorable character traits in the kitchen of the Mansion. It didn't really seem like the proper place to prove her utter pathetic-ness. Well, she wasn't utterly pathetic most of the time, but in her life Twyla had had some pretty pathetic moments--running away being one of them. She also didn't tell Maya that she'd tried to outrun lots of stuff, that her mutation was just one of many instances that the blond had fled from. In her mind fight or flee was only one option, flee. Except in the rare instance where she decided to do something that in most people's eyes would be considered stupid. For example, most people thought it was stupid to charge at a giant clay monster but Twyla Ashby's response is 'Sounds good to me!'.

A small smile found its way onto her lips when Maya's hand found her face. "Yeah." Thinking for a moment she added: "Actually, I've changed a lot." Her tone wasn't bitter or upset but surprised and almost excited. They weren't bad changes, not at all.

Twyla turned her attention from musings on how different she had become to the other girl when she began speaking. Here she was, upset that she only had her brother when other kids didn't have anyone. Pink cheeks again when she realized how selfish she was. There were worse things than she'd suffered--Twyla didn't know what she'd do if her mother was simply gone, not avoiding her like she was now. A hand, Twyla's hand this time, went out and found Maya's shoulder. She wasn't exactly sure what to say, so the hand rested there for a moment. "I'm sorry." Two tiny words that were supposed to make up for something giant. After a second she smiled and added: "Your hair is really distracting me, you look like a duck." Twyla giggled and attempted to smooth down the dark locks.

>>"Actually, I've changed a lot."

Yeah, we all do. Maya often wondered what Mom would say when she sees her/him again. For one thing, the mirrorwalking was new, and for another... well. Three years on the streets were definitely reflected in the Trickster.
Maya could see Bubblegum reacting to her story; her cheeks turned pink, and she looked almost like she was embarrassed. Didn't take a genius to guess why.

>>"I'm sorry."

"'tis okay" Maya shrugged with a small smile "I'm gonna find her eventually."

She will. No doubt. Just a matter of time.

>>"Your hair is really distracting me, you look like a duck."

Maya grinned.
"Nah, actually, ducks look like me." pulling the hand from her hair, she planted a kiss in Bubblegum's palm "And look who's talkin', Li'l Miss Distraction."

Twyla smiled a tiny smile when Maya said that it twas okay. That smile expanded before she spoke with sudden bright confidence in her voice. "Of course you will." And she would, Twyla believed that she would. It wasn't just the thing to say, the blond figured that if anyone could find someone it would be tricky, clever, brave Maya/Gawain--especially with such a useful mutation as mirrorwalking.

A shiver ran through the girl and her arm erupted in goose bumps when she was kissed on her palm. It took Twyla a moment to collect her thoughts, but eventually she replied in a naive tone. "Oh! I was wondering why you looked so familiar when I first met you, I've seen a lot of ducks in my time. Everything makes so much more sense now."

Running her fingers through her hair, Twyla pondered Maya's meaning in that she was the distracting one. Her hair was wavy and a little frizzy but it wasn't sticking out like duck tails. "I don't know what you're talking about." She said primly, folding her hands on her lap. Hopping off the stool a moment later she crossed the room to the stove. "Do you want a refill?" The girl asked while pouring half a cup more of the steaming chocolate into her own mug. Shorts and a tank top and their lack of cover were starting to let the chill settle on her skin. I need a pair of socks. Hot chocolate would be a decent substitute, for the time being.

>>"I don't know what you're talking about."

"'course you don't." Maya chuckled. You are not half teenage guy with part of your brain permanently stuck in the gutter.
She ws aware of the fact that she won't always be able to balme everything on Gawain. But so far it was working out quite comfortably.

>>"Do you want a refill?"

"Sounds good!" she nodded, hopping off the stool and following Twyla to the stove. Standing behind her she wrapped one arm around her waist, holding out her mug with the other hand, waiting for it to be refilled. She rested her chin on Bubblegum's shoulder.
"Geez girl, ya're cold." she muttered, stray locks of blonde and pink hair tickling her face and neck. So much about keeping a polite distance. "Ya need to put some clothes on."
Am I speakin' against my own interest here or what?