>>" I might just not be much of a teacher. I just want to help you feel better."

He walked back to her. He didn't mind being in the fishbowl, and he either could control his abilities really well, or maybe he didn't mind the effects, she couldn't tell. Effie tilted her head, watching him. Teacher? He hadn't even started teaching her yet. Make her feel better? That sounded like many guys say in many languages in many cultures, and it always means the same.

>>"Maybe we should just try something easier. How about lunch? No problems there. We can go out or just eat here in the Mansion. Maybe talk about things that don't involve our gifts. Just be people?'

Here we go.

Effie's lips curled into a smile again.
"I am sorry." she blinked with well practiced innocence "My English is not good. Do you mean a date?"

Are you really asking out a girl who is engaged to another Mansion mutant and is capable of making people feel really bad? Really?

'I am sorry." Uh oh. Sounded like an incoming torpedo of rejection. Garrett braced for impact."My English is not good. Do you mean a date?" His features softened as he heard the torpedo whiz by. " Yes. I mean a date." That is what he meant, after all. He started to like the field of energy she emitted, even without touching. He couldn't tell where the field ended and his anxiety began. It was easier to tell himself it was all the field and everything was fine. now, to lay out some logic in order to deflect any further torpedoes.

" I don't know who this Fausto guy is. Really? I don't care. You aren't wearing an engagement ring and I like you. If it makes you feel better, I promise not to touch you again without your permission. No reason to think I will try anything that way." He looked down for a moment before raising his hazel eyes back into hers. "I wouldn't anyway. So here's the deal. You go out with me now and if I do anything that makes you upset, I'll either bring you back or call you a cab, your choice." It became easier once he had deluded himself. It was too bad they couldn't shake on it.

>>" Yes. I mean a date."

Now listen to me, Efimia Nikolayeva. I gave you everything you need for a second chance. I don't need to tell you how much you need it. You learned everything I can teach you. You have what it takes to make it on your own from here. And listen closely, because I will only tell you once: you are good. You are perfect. And the man waiting for you... well, you will have to trust me on that. He is good too.
Don't. You. Screw. This. Up.
You hear me?

>>".... So here's the deal. You go out with me now and if I do anything that makes you upset, I'll either bring you back or call you a cab, your choice."

"Deal."

The last thing she needed was a date. She was not sure why Garrett even proposed to take her out. What part of 'engaged' didn't he understand?...
Maybe he got the impression she didn't like Fausto. That was not true. She did. He was nothing she expected... but then again, she wasn't either. And he was kind, and kind of better than those expectations.
Sveta was deeply confused. Effie was too.

"But is not a date." she said, looking up at Garrett "Just talk. Is that good for you?"

"Deal"

Simple enough. No bargaining needed beyond what he had initially presented. He smiled at her and nodded, flourishing toward the gate and beginning to walk, assuming she would follow. " I'm glad to hear that. What would you like to eat? I'm sure the kitchen gets old. It does for me." Of course, Garrett wasn't a child. He could see how it all could be misconstrued by others if they were watching the events unfold. But since no one was, it was only his conscience to deal with. It felt as clear as well water.

"But is not a date. Just talk. Is that good for you?" Apparently Effie's conscience was not so pure. More interesting to Garrett was the way that she had worded it. Maybe it was her English, but he didn't think so. It seemed that if they were ever on a date, there would be something going on besides talking. There was no doubt that the prospect of something else occurring with Effie was very appealing to him, field of energy or not. Oh, answer her. " Talking is just fine, Efimia. Eating would be nice too. I'd hate for you to have to watch me eat."He chuckled as he opened the Mansion's gates.

He walked around to the Iris Clinic van's passenger side, opening the door for her. Once she was inside, he closed the door and got in on his side, putting on his seat belt and turning the key, the engine coming to life. " So, any ideas of where we should go? It's up to you. I'm just happy to get the chance to spend more time with you."

>>"So, any ideas of where we should go? It's up to you. I'm just happy to get the chance to spend more time with you."

"I not know the city that well." Effie confessed "But I eat anything, so you take me to a place you like."

That was major English fail, even for her. But right now, grammar was not on the top of her list of things to worry about.
She didn't really have things to worry about.

They were just going out to eat, right? She was meeting new people. Probably making friends. Or at least finding someone who did't end up in the Infirmary if sh accidentally touched them.
Accidentally, mind you.

"Still getting use to living in America." she added sith a small smile. She was already in his car, so they might as well chat.
How did it go in the good old days, before Efimia?...
She was having trouble remembering.

"I not know the city that well. But I eat anything, so you take me to a place you like." Garrett grinned as they drove through the rural roads leading away from the Mansion. " You don't know. I'm sorry to constantly correct your English, but I figured you probably want to get better at it." He hoped he didn't sound too bad. If he was in a foreign country, he'd be happy to have help with speaking the language. But of course, everyone was different. Especially when you threw the X-gene in the works.

"Still getting use to living in America." Garrett had no real frame of reference as far as that, but he suspected it would be very difficult. " How long have you been here? Where did you come from? I haven't had much experience traveling outside of the country. Well, that's not completely true. I know Antarctica, but all you have to do there is survive." Probably not the greatest of icebreakers, but she couldn't say he was boring, at least. " I'm still thinking about where to go. We have some time before we get to the city."

>>"You don't know. I'm sorry to constantly correct your English, but I figured you probably want to get better at it."

"Yes I do." Effie answered, wrinkling her nose. She really did. Still, being corrected was not something she liked. The Matchmaker did that all the time.
'If you want to be an American wife, Efimia, you'd better talk like one.'
Yeah, right.

>>"How long have you been here? Where did you come from? I haven't had much experience traveling outside of the country. Well, that's not completely true. I know Antarctica, but all you have to do there is survive."

"Antarctica?" she was honestly surprised at that. Not many people wander to Antarctica just for kicks. "You have to tell me about that."

Her own story - well, that was easy. She practiced it quite a lot.

"I grew up in Moskva" she smiled. Hell yeah. She didn't even speak like they speak in Moskva. Good thing Americans couldn't tell the difference even if they heard her speaking Russian. Heh. "I came here... three month ago, to meet my fiancé. We met on the Internet."

And boy did that go wrong. But still, most of the time she stuck to the old story, just to make things more simple.

"Before that, I did not travel much."

"Antarctica? You have to tell me about that." He had indeed brought it up, so Garrett would have to explain it. How to do that and not sound certifiably insane? He would wait and see how well she took it first. " Hmm. Well, this may sound strange, but many people that you know or may meet were all affected by a strange experience concerning time. We all lived for ten years into the future, but then we woke up recently and it seemed to be a dream. Most people dealt with this pretty well. I had a harder time. I wanted to live there in the future, not this present. Anyway, in this other future, I lived in Antarctica in a beautiful place called the Colony. Hundrerds of mutatns worked together using their mutations to make a better world, free of human hatred. " He could still see the glittering ice domes in his mind. Even if Effie didn't believe it, he certainly did.

The sun was out and the sky was a beautiful blue, a few clouds dotting the horizon. " You know, maybe we should just get some supplies and have a picnic. If we go to the city, there's a fine chance that you might accidentally set off a mutant." Or many mutants. She would be a fine mutant detector, even if the results would be chaotic. Garrett grinned at the imagery of such potential. The van pulled into a supermarket parking lot and he turned off the engine once a suitable spot was found. " That sound alright to you?"

Living ten years in the future?
Effie spaced out, wondering how that would feel like. She'd always had problems picturing herself ten years from now - the latest version was, of course, living in America with (or, preferably, without) a husband, and with Bo, being wealthy and happy. But she never factored her brand new mutation into that dream, and now it felt made-up and less real than ever.

"Sometimes is not good, waking up, huh" she said with a smile.

>>" You know, maybe we should just get some supplies and have a picnic. If we go to the city, there's a fine chance that you might accidentally set off a mutant."

Picnic. Now there was something new. Effie was glad, not having to go to a crowded place like a restaurant sounded much better. And more casual too.
"Sounds very good." she nodded with a smile "I didn't have a picnic in a very long time."

Or, ever. It all depends on how one defines picnic. Because if eating outside, sitting on the ground qualifies, she had done that a lot...

Garrett was amazed. She not only took it well, but she said something he had needed to hear for a long, long time. " You said plenty. My life since I woke from that dream has been nothing but hard. " He looked at her and smiled in a very genuine way. It had nothing to do with her beauty or her gift. It had everything to do with Effie just as a person. He was equally pleased that she wanted to go on a picnic with him. Perhaps the truth was always the best way to go. He really thought she would ask to go home when he mentioned the time travel. Not the usual first date banter.

He returned from in the market soon with two bags. He also bought a canvas bag to carry the stuff in and a blanket on sale that had pandas eating bamboo woven into it. Opening the door on the back, he secured the items and quickly made his way back into the van. Who was he kidding? He hurried back to be near Efimia. Once inside, he started the engine again. " So, I got a bottle of wine. I thought it might help us chill out a bit and not be so tense. Is that alright with you? I thought that otherwise you might think I brought it for other reasons if I just pulled it out of nowhere." The van was already out of the parking lot now and they were headed into a local state park, on the lookout for a nice place to park.

>>"You said plenty. My life since I woke from that dream has been nothing but hard. "

Yeah, tell me about it.

Garrett was done with the shopping fairly soon, and returned with all the accessories of a good picnic. Effie could appreciate that. He was really taking the whole not-really-going-out thing very seriously.
"Let him do it, honey. Men like playing knights. And if you get a free meal out of it, where is the harm?"

>>" So, I got a bottle of wine. I thought it might help us chill out a bit and not be so tense. Is that alright with you? I thought that otherwise you might think I brought it for other reasons if I just pulled it out of nowhere."

Effie chuckled. "It is fine. I like wine."
She used to consume generous quantites of it. Back in the day. When Sveta was just another teenager hanging out at parties.
"I do not get drunk very easy."

Effie admired the scenery as they left the urban area behind and headed out into a park. It almost felt like going on a weekend trip, like they did sometimes, when they were little. Number 4 was very fond of fresh air and eating sandwiches.

When they finally parked the car Effie got out to help carry the supplies Garrett bought. There were not many people around; it was surprisingly quiet, after long months of New York city life.

"Nice place" she smiled, looking around.
And a good day for making friends.

The van slowed and stopped. There were no other cars around, which Garrett had anticipated. Not only for safety, but of course privacy with her as well. he didn't expect anything to happen, but he didn't forbid it either. The place was serene, being a grassy hill over looking a turn in a brook below. Since it was still spring, there were plenty of bugs, but not the annoying kind like wasps and hornets. The entire scene was idyllic and peaceful. Perfect.

While Effie insisted on carrying the other bags, Garrett took the large blanket and spread it out on the grass. Once she came close, he took care to relieve her of her burden while not specifically touching her. He sat the food down and shortly after opened the little package the corkscrew came in, using it to open the wine. He had bought two little plastic goblets in the store, now filling them moderately and handing her one. Once she took a seat, he did too, slipping his shoes and socks off, tucking the socks in the shoes and placing them to the side. The air felt good on his toes.

Taking a sip of the wine, he looked out at the beauty of the scene. As lovely and perfect as this moment was, he felt he needed to be truthful about everything he could. Garrett came with plenty of history and if he could ever succeed at winning Efimia's affections, honesty was the only policy. " So, since you seem to be alright with my dream of the future, I guess I should tell you everything. The reason I know about Lori Faust and the organization she is in is because I was a member of it myself once. Not anymore, of course. I returned to the Mansion after I woke up from the dream. That's also when I opened the Iris Clinic with Sebastian." Things not to add? Shooting the old leader of said organization, being nearly beaten to death by her brother, and possibly being in Lori's position had the prior events not occurred. Maybe after some more wine.

Effie found herself smiling. The weather was nice, the place was nice, the blanket was nice, everything was nice. Almost too nice to be true. She had had experiences with that phenomenon before.

Kicking off her shoes she sat down, smoothing down her skirt. She felt like some kind of a lady. She felt like that almost all the time since she met the Matchmaker... but this was one of the rare occsions when it was actually fun. She took the glass of wine, clinking it to his befor she took a sip. Nice.

>>"The reason I know about Lori Faust and the organization she is in is because I was a member of it myself once. Not anymore, of course. I returned to the Mansion after I woke up from the dream. That's also when I opened the Iris Clinic with Sebastian."

Not so nice. So Garrett felt the need to share he used to be one of the bad guys. Effie could relate to that, on a less serious and slightly lighter note - it was not like she was telling the truth about everything. Her name, for example.
But, unlike Garrett, she didn't feel the need to share. Not yet.

"Everyone make mistakes" she smiled, sipping the wine "At least now you help people telling them not to do the same..."

That was as much as she could say to that. That, or a lot more.

"Who is Sebastian? Family?"

"Everyone make mistakes.At least now you help people telling them not to do the same..." True enough. Garrett had done his damnedest not to be a hypocrite. With each new development in his life, the margin for error grew smaller and smaller. Fortunately, his focus grew in direct opposition and proportion. " True enough. Well said. If I can save one person from a lifetime of regret, it makes it all worthwhile." Save yourself, garrett. Then save the world. The wine made his nerves tingle even more with the added effect of Effie's presence.

" Yes, I can definitely call Sebastian family. He saved my life after I had an unfortunate accident." An accident named Abyss. " The two of us opened the Iris Clinic in hopes of helping mutants in a mutant friendly environment. Many mutants never come forward with their unique problems due to humans and their general hatred of us. The X-Men work to bridge that gap and promote tolerance. I would like to take it a step further and see mutants treated as equals, just like anyone else would want to be treated." Garrett purposefully bit his cheek as the alcohol had already loosened his tongue to the point of talking politics. Better to just stick to personal ideals for now.

He looked over at her. Seeing the light breezes blow through her hair made him want to slide closer. He didn't. Willpower was going to be the keystone here. " So, you said you were from Russia. Or Moskva, which I don't know, so I am assuming it is Russia. Anyway, you are young and beautiful and when you said you met Fausto on the internet, I have to admit, it sounded like one of those mail order bride arrangements." She seemed much too smart for that. " It's too bad that those women have to do that sort of thing, ending up with some old slouch just for a green card. There are much easier ways to get one, in my opinion. Why do so many women from your part of the world flock to it?"

Good thing Garrett decided to join the good guys. In Effie's opinion, he would have made a lame villain, with ideals like that. Treated like equals, yeah right. If something like that would ever happen.
Effie hadn't been around for long in the Mansion, and in the mutant wordl in general, but she had an opinion about the issue: mutations were frightening. Anything beyond that, if not impossible, would at least take hell of a lot of work.
Then again, the world needs people trying to do the right thing.

"It is good, have a place like this." she nodded with a smile. At least mutants have a place to go to, if they get hurt.

>>"So, you said you were from Russia. Or Moskva, which I don't know, so I am assuming it is Russia."

Effie chuckled and nodded "You call it Moscow" she explained, overdoing the English pronounciation - it just sounded funny "It's the capital of Russia."

>>"Anyway, you are young and beautiful and when you said you met Fausto on the internet, I have to admit, it sounded like one of those mail order bride arrangements."

Effie smiled into her glass of wine. Young and beautiful and...
... and she choked on the wine.
No one has ever accused her of being a mail order birde. Not into her face. Even if it was very, very clear that she was.

>>"It's too bad that those women have to do that sort of thing, ending up with some old slouch just for a green card. There are much easier ways to get one, in my opinion. Why do so many women from your part of the world flock to it?"

Effie looked away, and her smile wavered. "Maybe they have no other way." she looked back at him "You have any idea how hard is it to come to here, from Russia?"

She didn't really sound angry, or hurt. She was speaking rather softly. She was the one who chose the mail order thing, it was only natural people would treat her like one. Of course he didn't know. It wasn't his fault.