It was ridiculous that they tried to pass this place off as a dressing room, Riley decided as she struggled to do her own hair and make-up in the small vanity mirror the photographer had provided. Things had definitely changed since the day a gold-man had ran into one of her shoots and two Jr. Detectives had followed by window and by doorway. It had been hard enough admitting, even to herself, that she was one of the many freaks wandering the streets of New York. Riley had always been achingly mediocre...and she'd never wanted to be special. Not this way.

Word got around quickly in the industry and besides the strange shoot at the Sanctuary, Riley had practically been begging for any job, let alone one of the more classy ones.

Riley sighed and straightened the corset she’d stuffed herself into, sighing down at the garter and stockings. The shoes were heels…always heels, and Riley grumbled as she struggled to bend to the mirror and apply her eye-liner. She stomped her foot in frustration and struggled not to make a verbal sound to express her frustration. This wasn’t actually a dressing room, it was a series of cheap partitions arranged in a square with a card table set up in the middle. A paycheck was a paycheck, though, and Riley wasn’t going to complain. Rent was going to be due in a couple weeks and she had to start rebuilding her reputation somewhere. Here was as good as anywhere….if only there was a real mirror.

Maya was out in the city once again, aimlessly wandering around, looking for Mom. She had given up systematic search long ago; there was so tiny a chance she could find her mother that she figured it was more likely to happen if she went by sheer, blind luck. So far, none of her partolling trips brought any success - but once in every while, she found something interesting.

Like the lady on the other side of an annoyingly small vanity mirror, staring back at her.
Maya stopped abruptly.
"Hey, ya're..."

...Rupert's partner in crime.

Grin.

... an adapted.

"Oh shoot."

The forces of her powers cancelled tossed the teenage girl out of the mirror in a blur. Make up items and accessories were scattered in all possible directions as she landed on the woman, knocking her over and off her chair.

"Darn, why do you people keep doin' this to me?!"

Maya stared down at the woman for a long moment, until a few things registered in her mind.
She was wearing a corset.
And garter and stockings.
And heels.
She didn't look bad either.
Also, she'd slept with Rupert.

Maya scampered off the lady with superhuman speed, backing away until she was sitting with her back against the side of the desk.

"Auntie Hookup." she noted with a slight smirk "Hi."

Riley was close to being done, even if it had taken longer than was absolutely necessary. The photographer would just have to deal with it, she’d practically had to crawl inside the mirror just to be able to see her face because the guy had been too cheap to hire a makeup artist. Riley sighed with barely masked impatience, she’d gotten spoiled while the going was good. This was something she was not used to dealing with anymore.

Suddenly, a face that did not belong to Riley appeared in the mirror and she stared at it in barely concealed horror for a moment before it spoke, then fell out of the mirror.. As it fell, make up, the mirror, the table, and Riley all landed on the floor in a heap with a crash loud enough to wake the dead.

”What the….” Riley said, pushing her hair out of her face to look up at the teenager who had scrambled to her feet after the fall. That kid was familiar…it was the same brat from her DMV hookup’s apartment. The kid had cooked her breakfast. The kid was in the middle of a photoshoot.

>>"Darn, why do you people keep doin' this to me?!"

Riley gaped, the last time she’d checked, she was the one who’d just had her photo shoot interrupted again] by a mutant who couldn’t keep it together in her presence. Apparently the kid made the connection to their prior encounter as well, because she had the ‘nads to smirk then call Riley ‘Auntie Hookup’.


”What the hell is going on in there?” a voice came, along with loud, stomping footsteps from the other side of the partition and Riley forgot all about the teenager who had fallen through the mirror.

”These heels are hell on Earth, Frank!” Riley called out, ”I’m trying to figure out how to walk in them before I come on set. Just give me a minute.”

”I’m not paying you to practice. Get your ass out here in five or walk your ass out the door. If you‘re too drunk to walk, don’t even bother.”

Riley sighed as the footsteps retreated , then turned an absolutely furious glare to the young woman leaning against the desk. ”Get. Out.” she said through tightly clenched teeth. ”You people have already done enough for me, really. I‘ve got work to do…and now I have to pay for the damn mirror you just broke.”

>>”Get. Out. You people have already done enough for me, really. I‘ve got work to do…and now I have to pay for the damn mirror you just broke.”

"Yeah, 'bout that mirror..." Maya smirked. Those heels were really hell on Earth. She, for example, would have chosen hell over wearing something like that. And they didn't look good on Auntie either. The corset, on the other hand...

"... I hope ya mean, 'get out' that way" she nodded towards the door where the male voice came from "'cause I ain't gettin' out that way" a nod towards the broken mirror "... or any other way, while ya're in the room. But I s'pose ya already know that. So."

Maya stood, offering a hand to the woman to help her up.

Riley took the hand offered (she wasn’t stupid) and pulled herself up. The heels were still fine, the corset and bottoms were fine, the stockings, however, had ran from ankle to knee. ”Sh*t.” she said, running a hand through her hair as the wheels in her mind raced to find a solution to the sudden problem. Then things got worse.

Without the mirror, the kid couldn’t leave any easier than Riley could. ”No…no no no.” she said, glaring at the kid and wrapping her arms around her middle. ”You people are killing me. Absolutely killing me. Do you have any idea how hard it was for me to get this cesspool of a job?” Riley said furiously, ” I had to practically be…”

”And you’re lucky we hired you on after all the trouble you’ve caused extra photographers.” came Frank’s voice. Riley turned slowly, bright smile plastered on her face, ”What I meant was that I….I mean…you…”

I’ve heard enough.” Frank said, ”Make sure you leave the clothes on the way back, and your ass is lucky I don’t charge you for ruining my gear.”

He walked away, and Riley simply stood and watched, hands balled into fists at her side. She wouldn’t follow him, she wouldn’t beg him for the job back. She had some dignity left. Moving into the dressing area again, Riley bent and unstrapped the heels, kicking them from her feet and stepping down. Next came the ruined stockings. Riley realized the kid was still there.

”There’s a door over there. Just take a left and go down the stairs.” Riley said, the fight simply gone from her for the moment.

>>”No…no no no. You people are killing me. Absolutely killing me. Do you have any idea how hard it was for me to get this cesspool of a job?”

Maya cleared her throat to warn her - but it was already too late. Auntie had been kicked off her job - whatever job it was - and it was, kinda, sorta, her fault too.
That won't look good on my record.

Maya sighed and turned around when Auntie started to change into something more civil, clothing-wise as well as in her attitude.

>>”There’s a door over there. Just take a left and go down the stairs.”

"That's good to know." she said, not moving at all, and still looking away "Listen, I'm sorry, but it's not like I did it on purpose. C'mon. Get changed an' I'll buy you coffee or somethin'."

Just because you slept with Rupert, we're not necessarily enemies...

Simple jeans, a black camisole, and a white button-up shirt with black sandals were a far cry from the lingerie Riley would have had on for the photoshoot, but that didn’t really matter now. She angrily pulled her hair back into a ponytail, ignoring the broken pieces of glass on the floor. It had been a long time since Riley had believed in superstitions, and it was pretty much impossible for her to imagine her luck getting any worse.

Maya spoke, and Riley reconsidered, things could always get worse. She rounded on the kid, blue eyes narrowed and her voice an angry hiss.

”You just don’t get it, do you?” she said, striding forward and poking the kid in the chest, ”It’s not something a coffee is going to fix.”

She glanced towards the door, then back to Maya, ”Word. Gets. Around.” she started, then realized she was explaining herself to the reason for the problem.

”I don’t need your coffee.” she finished, then snatched her purse from the floor of the changing area and heading for the door. ”I need to be somewhere you people will stop ruining my life.”

>>”You just don’t get it, do you? It’s not something a coffee is going to fix.”

Maya smirked at the woman who was poking her chest. "Well, I cold get ya shots too, but I'd hate ta see ya drunk."

>>”I don’t need your coffee. I need to be somewhere you people will stop ruining my life.”

Maya sighed "I'm sorry, alright? I didn't mean to fall on you. By the way, have ya ever considered it might be your powers that keep making weird stuff happen?" she asked, hands on her hips "No wonder Rupert likes you."

”I don’t drink.” Riley said by rote when Maya suggested something else in lieu of Riley’s reluctance for coffee. The kid really didn’t get it. Short of a million bucks, there probably wasn’t anything that would interest Riley to stick around the swarthy teen any longer than absolutely necessary.

Only, she didn’t seem capable of taking a hint. Even when it wasn’t a hint, even when it was a clearly stated near-demand. Riley didn’t care, she was nearly at the door, and unless the little mutant was going to follow her down the street, she’d be away soon enough.

>>“I'm sorry, alright? I didn't mean to fall on you. By the way, have ya ever considered it might be your powers that keep making weird stuff happen?"


Riley stopped at the door when something snapped inside her with an almost audible sound. She turned and walked back to Maya, glaring eye to eye. ”Oh yes this whole situation is obviously my fault.” she said.

”I obviously should have been more careful where I was standing during my last job. So those two freaks playing cops and robbers didn’t get confused. I obviously should have stayed away from that mirror during my photoshoot because there was a chance your sneaking ass would run by. Obviously I should know what each and every one of you are capable of so I can make sure I keep my four foot distance.” Riley feigned sudden enlightenment and clapped a hand to the side of her head, ”Why hadn’t I thought of this before? she breathed, ”My bad.”

Turning again on her heel, Riley stalked towards the door, snorting at Maya’s next comment before grabbing the handle an wrenching the thing open, ”It’s called a one night stand kid.” she said, not even bothering to turn her head over her shoulder, ”He never even called.”

>>”Oh yes this whole situation is obviously my fault...”

Maya listened to the rant (boy did Auntie have lungs), mirrored the glare, the smirk, and when Auntie finally turned on her heels to march away, she followed. She couldn't stay in the room, could she. She was not the model type.

"Ya're dashing when ya're angry." she muttered. She really wanted to see if it was possible to piss Auntie off more than she already was.

>>”It’s called a one night stand kid. He never even called.”

"Big deal, he doesn't call me either." she grinned, catching up and arching an eyebrow at the people who stared as they walked out, wondering where that teenage girl got in. The hell ya'll are lookin' at.

"Too bad, ya'd be a perfect match for him. When I found out ya're one of those people, I though ya're his way of tellin' me to buzz off. But" she looked at Riley as she walked next to her "He doesn't know, does he."

And the kid followed. Riley could hardly believe it. She wasn’t exactly pissed anymore, the dark-haired woman had learned a long time ago that it was best to vent all your fury at once. Holding grudges in her line of work had always simply made for an empty refrigerator and a late rent check. Riley was irritated though. Why couldn’t the kid have simply waited a few more minutes? Why couldn’t she just keep her mouth shut, while they were at it.

Yeah. Riley was walking away from a situation that was pointless. Was anger going to help anything at this point? Sure, punching Maya in the face probably would have made her feel better, at least temporarily, but Riley had gotten out of the business of instant gratification a long time ago.

They were back on the topic of her DMV hook-up again and Riley wanted to laugh out loud for a moment. The kid really didn’t get the concept of a one-night-stand. Obviously Maya didn’t quite know everything about everything despite what the teen may have thought.

”Too bad that’s all the more reason to not pick up even if he does call.” Riley said, laughter obvious in her voice as she pushed through the front door of the building and out into the New York sun. Her apartment was a couple of miles away, but there was no way she’d be able to swing a cab with the money she’d just lost. At least her shoes were comfortable.

>>“He doesn’t know, does he?”

Riley didn’t stop walking, just looked over her shoulder to give Maya look that called the teen every kind of stupid in the book.

”Of course not. I didn’t know until recently, and I told you. He never called.”

>>”Of course not. I didn’t know until recently, and I told you. He never called.”

"Oh." Maya nodded, in an overly understanding tone "An' how does it feel like, bein' the good kinda freak?"

She didn't really have a problem with adapteds. Tyranny and Lenna were nice enough, even after he landed on one of them in a very similar way as she landed on Riley. It was probably Riley's nature and Maya's gender that made all the difference between those two situations.
...
On second thought, Riley would probably have killed Gawain. Or at least sic the cops on him.

"Too bad, he'd love your kind." she added, musing about the possibilities in the Auntie-Rupert relationship "Ya're nature's perfect anti-mutant weapon. He's gotta dig that."

Grin.

"C'mon, Auntie. I'm jus' kiddin'. I didn' mean to ruin anythin' for you." she shrugged "Anyone told ya you look dashing when ya're pissed?"

In that moment she could have sword she felt a bullet in her skull with 'Rupert' carved all over it.

Riley didn’t answer when Maya asked how it felt to be the ‘good kind of freak’, she did muse to herself though. Regular people didn’t want to put up with her because of the inherent problems with the way she cancelled out mutant powers. Even if she’d wanted anything to do with them, mutants didn’t want anything to do with her because she took away their special’ness. Who did that leave? Riley shrugged to herself again, it wasn’t like she’d already been swimming in social requests. What was a few more cold shoulders?

There was Maya again, prattling on about the DMV hook-up’s high points. Apparently the guy didn’t like mutants very much. Judging by the ones Riley had met recently, she couldn’t blame him. Not one bit.

The kid seemed genuinely sorry, but Riley wasn’t the sort of person who could take that at face value and accept it. Compliments she could handle better, but not right that moment.

”Plenty.” she responded, and left it at that, still striding down the street and hoping the kid would take a hint.

”I don’t take in strays, so don’t think if you follow me home I’ll let you cook breakfast in my kitchen.” she pointed out, then sighed, ”If I accept your apology will you leave me alone?”

>>”I don’t take in strays, so don’t think if you follow me home I’ll let you cook breakfast in my kitchen.”

Big mistake, right there.

"I ain't stray." Maya pointed out with dignity. Truth is she was a stray. Or at least, she used to be. For a few years. Before Rupert. And the Mansion. And Twyla.
Sometimes she still felt like a stray. But at least she had a home now.

"I've got a place to stay 'n' all" she clarified.

>>”If I accept your apology will you leave me alone?”

"Maybe." Maya answered with a small smile "Y'know I'm not followin' ya because I want somethin'. I wasn't cookin' breakfast for that either. I just..."

Just what? Huh?

Maya shrugged.

"I kinda know how it feels like to have an ability. Or the opposite of one, in your case."

She’d hit a nerve. Riley tucked it away until the kid was done ranting, she’d learned a long time ago that the best way to keep someone at arm’s length was to make sure they knew you’d go for blood when it was necessary. Saying the things that people simply didn’t say. The way Maya’s face had fallen right before she’d drawn herself up had shown Riley that she was on the right path.

She nodded thoughtfully as she walked, mulling over the verbal possibilities in her head. There was only one reason calling her a stray would have struck such a chord with Maya. Riley didn’t have any sympathy. The world was nasty place and at least it was fair in that it gave the old and young the same crap.

Oh, and now she was trying to sympathize. Riley stopped and rounded on the younger woman. It was frustrating that she couldn’t tower, it was an advantage to her height that Riley had never begrudged. She settled for looking her in the eye again, ”You don’t know a thing about what it’s like to be me.” she said before turning back around and resuming her walk.

”Sweetheart. I deal with worse on a good day than you do on your worst. I don’t care that mommy didn’t want you and that daddy left you both when she got knocked up, and I really don’t care that you’re trying to relate to me on some deep human level. I’m not going to open up, I’m not going to be nicer to you, and I’m not going to begrudgingly let you into my life. I’m not nice on the inside. I’m really not. So stop acting like you want me to be, because you‘re just going to be disappointed.”