Maya smiled, Angua's hind paw twitched, and all was well in the world.

>>"Hrmph. Fine, we make friends. Dastardly Dog will learn to respect the raccoon, yes yes!"

"Sure" the mirrorwalker grinned, set the puppy down, and stood. "If ya manage to pull that off, lemme know how to do it. I think the pup has issues with respectin' people..."

>>“I’m an animal empath,”

"You are?" Maya arched an eyebrow at Liz "I imagine it must be interesting bein' around the Mansion..."

A mansion filled with dogs, cats, raccoons, horses, and all kinds of animals one could think of.

"I'm a mirrorwalker." she confessed the easier half of the truth "I can walk through mirrors. And anything that reflects, really."

She looked at the girls. Angua was nuzzling Rachel's knee with her nose.

"So, you two live in the Mansion now?..."

Rachel didn't know what an animal empath did, but she liked the animal part! After all she was part 'coon.

"Mansion? Kinda sorta!" Rachel looked up at Mirror and nodded. She had broken into the Mansion during a rainstorm a few nights ago, was caught, and allowed to stay.

Best. Mistake. Ever!

Suddenly, a brilliant idea sprung into Rachel's head!

chikachikasnickerchika

"Heeeeey! You two wanna see my room? Pretty please!" Rachel gave out an excited 'coon chirp to sell it, tugging at Mirror's pant leg. Rachel hadn't let anyone in her room yet, not that anyone had wanted to enter it.

She couldn't wait to test out the booby traps she laid out!

Okay. Yeah. Um. “Yes, it does get interesting around the mansion,” Elizabeth agreed, thinking not only about the animals there, but also the people. Or a combination of both, like Rachel. She smiled inwardly. Fortunately, Maya had reacted pretty well to her revelation of her power. Not that Liz had totally been expecting a negative reaction, but she was trying to stop judging people in any way, shape, or form and so she’d just tried thinking of all the possibilities.

Beth listened in interest at Maya’s explanation of her power. That sounded like a very useful power, much more so than inciting riots among animals. She assumed it was some sort of transportation ability, as Maya called it “mirrorwalking”. “That’s really cool,” Liz informed the girl sincerely. It really was.

The blonde watched the interaction between the dog and the raccoon mutant. They seemed to be getting along now, neither one of them trying to maim or maul the other. The pup seemed to be getting better acquainted with Rachel, sniffing her knee. Liz had to force her nose not to wrinkle up. Who knew where that knee had been? Raccoons may wash their food, but they also dig through garbage. And didn’t dogs prefer not-so-nice-smelling things? That could explain the attraction.

Before Liz could open her mouth to answer Mirror’s question, Rachel rattled out a confirmation and then an invitation to go see her room. Elizabeth looked up at Maya and gave a small smile, feeling sympathy for her and her having her pant leg tugged about like that. She didn’t stay silent for long, as courtesy dictated a response, as the invitation was for Liz as well. Unless Rachel had been talking about Angua, which was totally possible. Liz herself tended to count animals as people too. “Um, no thank you, Rachel. I’d much rather enjoy the beautiful day while lasts.” And Liz also didn’t want to see a raccoon’s room. If Rachel’s clothes looked to be in next-worse condition, what would her room look like?

She looked at Maya again, giving her an opening to join her if she chose. She turned a bit on her heel and began strolling along, assuming that the other two girls would head up to Rachel’s room.

Maya chuckled as the raccoon skittered off, to her room or to some other pace that attracted her. Angua followed her for a while then doubled back and joined them again, running in circles with her tongue flapping.

That feathery thing was holding her captive. Whenever Liz stopped, the puppy rested a front paw gently against her knee, staring up at the bird with her ears perked.

"Animal empath, huh." the mirrorwalker smirked at her new friend "So, you can tell what they're feeling? Or you can, um, make them feel stuff too?"

She was really curious. As most teeange mutants, or at least the sociable ones, Maya enjoyed discovering new abilities.

"Must be noisy for you with all the shifters around here." she grinned at Liz.

Like a dog with a bone, Maya followed Elizabeth away. Liz smiled. The mirrorwalker seemed to want to know more about Elizabeth’s power. “Well, I can do both really. Like, I can take Angua here,” she said, indicating the dog that was standing in front of her and looking up at Nico. “I can tell that she is very curious dog at the moment with a little bit of confusion, I’m guessing that’s because she’s never seen a parrot. But she’s also playful and feeling very safe.” Elizabeth briefly scratched the dog’s head before resuming her walk.

“Or I can always send her emotions and manipulate how she feels,” the parrot-owner said frankly. She was starting to feel a little self-conscience about her powers and it was making her feel a little weird, having Maya right there asking so many questions about them. Honestly, how much was there to say about the emotional sensing and manipulation of animals? The name of her power practically said it all. A little bit of heat rose in her cheeks when Maya remarked on shifters. The increased coloration wasn’t very noticeable at all, but Liz knew it was there.

“Actually, it’s not too noisy. And I don’t think I can sense shifters at all. But I’ve only met one and my power probably didn’t work because she only turns into dinosaurs.” There. She’d said it. The limits of her perpetually lame and useless power which just so happened to be the only one she could use at just about any time. She was about to try turning the conversation around to Maya and her interesting ability when she felt a paw on her leg. Looking down, she saw Angua and realized that she’d stopped again.

“Maya, do you mind if I pick Angua up? She’s seems really interested in my bird.” She looked away from the dog and up at the pup’s owner, thinking it would be rude to just hold the dog without permission. She was certain Angua would gladly give it, but that was why she asked owners. Owners knew best for their pets after all.

>>“Actually, it’s not too noisy. And I don’t think I can sense shifters at all. But I’ve only met one and my power probably didn’t work because she only turns into dinosaurs.”

Maya smirked.

"Oh. Amber, right? I've met her too, she's new around here. Another cool ability..."

She could tell Liz was a bit tired of explaining her ability. She knew that feeling. She got it most of the time when people found out about her gender shifting adn started asking all the same questions. She was ready to change the topic.

>>“Maya, do you mind if I pick Angua up? She’s seems really interested in my bird.”

"Nah, go ahead" Maya grinned, scratching the pup's ears "Careful though, she's heavier than she looks. I've got no idea what breed she is, or if she's one breed at all, but she seems to be growin' as I watch." she chuckled "It it doesn' bother Nico, feel free to pick her up."

Angua made yipping sounds and wagged her tail at Liz and her curious feathery pet.

Elizabeth smiled and carefully bent down to the puppy’s level so Nico wouldn’t fall off her shoulder. “Good girl,” she soothed the puppy, trying to make sure that the dog was okay with it. She slipped a hand under Angua’s chest and moved the other hand down the back and pushed the tail down so she could grab under the butt. Then she managed to pick the creature up.

Whew! Angua was much heavier than she looked! Liz took a half-step backwards in order to regain her balance. As long as the dog didn’t move much, the blonde would be able to hold her, but not forever. “Oh,” she exclaimed, “You’re right, Maya! I think she’s been getting a few too many Kibbles and Bits. Is that right, Angua?” When Elizabeth talked to animals, she always talked to them just like she would a human. For one, baby talk sounded stupid to her when people said it and it was also humiliating and demeaning to say it to something you care for, like a pet. At least, that’s how Liz looked at it. She’d been in the minds of several animals. She wouldn’t like it if someone started talking to her in a cutesy voice reserved for infants.

As Liz worried about holding the dog, her parrot had different things on his mind. What! Lizzybeth pick up weird-thing! No! Weird-thing bad! It attack Nico! “SQUAWK!” he vocalized in the dog’s face. I know! Make weird-thing scared of me! The bird’s feathers puffed up again and he spread his wings in a threat display. It failed to scare the weird-thing away, no matter how impressive it was. “Stupid!” he said to the dog. Fly away! Get away! Get away from stupid weird-thing. The parrot opened his wings and flew off of Elizabeth’s shoulder, taking to the skies as much as his homemade leash would allow. Stupid-weird-thing won’t get me now!

The empath’s eyes widened just before Nico took off. “Oh, I’m so sorry,” she addressed Maya, “I swear I never taught Nico how to say that.” She freed a hand and managed to scratch the puppy’s head.

>>“You’re right, Maya! I think she’s been getting a few too many Kibbles and Bits. Is that right, Angua?”

"You have no idea" Maya grinned as she watched the empath stagger under the weight "That, or one of her parents was a dire wolf."

Angua enjoyed being picked up. It was a trait of hers that Maya really hoped she would grow out by the time she hit thirty pounds. She was fairly still, except for furious and curious sniffing towards the bird that looked more intimidating up close. The bird yelled at her, and Angua's ears flattened as she buried herself into Liz's arms, almost wiggling out of them in the process.
Feathery things were better when they were far away. Nico seemed to agree with that.

>>“Oh, I’m so sorry. I swear I never taught Nico how to say that.”

Maya grinned. "Never mind. I think it's pretty cool that he can talk." she looked at the girl "Ya're really good with pets aren't you." she smiled "I'm... still learning. Any advice?"

Elizabeth quickly altered her grip on the pooch, manipulating her arms so Angua wouldn’t fall. She could understand the dog’s reaction to Nico; Liz would probably try hiding from someone who got right up in her face and yelled insults at her, too. But that didn’t mean the dog should try finding a loop to fall through and test the laws of gravity. “Easy, girl,” Liz soothed, sending a trickle of calmness towards Angua. “It’s okay. Nico won’t hurt you.” She spoke in a gentle voice, one people normally reserved for trying to tame a savage or reckless beast. Or just any animal in particular, when trying to goad them into doing something.

She finally stabilized her balance and managed to find a semi-comfortable posture standing up and holding the dog. As she stroked a bit of the dog’s back, trying to calm her down and make friends with the pup at the same time, she smiled at Maya’s opinion. Nico’s talking was a mixed blessing, really. He was great for conversation, but bad about shutting up. But she wouldn’t trade the ability in for the whole world. It was a part of who Nico was, and Liz loved every bit about him, even when he wasn’t always the best birdie in the world.

And Maya followed it up with a compliment-and-question combination. Why does everyone naturally assume I’m good with pets? That’s almost a stereotype! Sure, I can calm them down or inject them with whatever I want them to feel, but I’m not psychic! I can’t read their minds! And if I possess them, then I’m the one doing all the work and nothing gets accomplished. Besides, Nico barely listens to me a third of the time. Liz blew a stray strand of hair out of her face.

“Sorry, I can’t really say anything,” Beth apologized. “I’ve never had a dog before and I don’t really know much on how to take proper care of one.” A proper apologetic smile crossed her face. The only pets she’d ever had were cats and a parrot; nothing very similar to a dog. Now, if Maya had had a bird or something, then maybe Liz would be able to help. But alas, it wasn’t so.

>>“Sorry, I can’t really say anything. I’ve never had a dog before and I don’t really know much on how to take proper care of one.”

"Well, that makes two of us" Maya grinned "Never mind. I can always ask a shifter, and figure the rest out for myself. One thing for sure, she is not starving."

That was true. Angua was busy putting on weight even with the insane amount of excercise every day, that included lots of running, jumping, wrestling, and tugging on things. Right now, she looked quite comfortable in Liz's arms. Almost sleepy.

"You can put her down, you know, before your arms fall off" she chuckled "With all the weight, she's still a puppy. She'll let you cuddle her until you drop."

That was also true. Angua, maybe because of her childhood in the shelter, was willing to do anything for affection.

"So, Elizabeth, how did you end up in the school?"

Maya was definitely correct; Angua was not suffering from malnutrition or anything of the sort. Maybe excess nutrition, but not too little. “Nah, I can manage her a bit more,” Elizabeth said, declining Maya’s suggestion. Angua was slowly gaining weight through osmosis, but Liz could keep her supported for a little while longer. And, judging by how Angua’s eyes slowly started closing, the dog was falling asleep so Liz didn’t want to rudely wake the pup up. Meeting such strange people had to have been hard on anyone!

But Liz didn’t really want the dog falling asleep (drool, and all that good stuff) so she spiked the canine with a burst of happiness and excitement. There, that should keep her awake for a little bit, the young empath thought happily. She didn’t mind holding her, but she refused to be a giant-sized doggy pillow. That was pushing kindness a little too far. Liz kept a steady drip of upbeat emotions pouring into the dog to keep it awake, hoping to accomplish something akin to mind-coffee.

The light conversation shifted course and returned to her again, but at least it wasn’t as embarrassing as talking about how lame her power was. Talking about the lighter part of her recent past (the part that had nothing to do with being outside the mansion) was easy enough to talk about. It didn’t bother her, at least. “Do you mean how I got here? Or why I’m here?” she asked for clarification. “My empathy appeared only a few months ago and it started getting harder to me to contain it so my parents and I tried looking for ways to control my ability. Our search led to learning about the Xavier Institute and now here I am.”

She finished her brief summary with a smile as if she were saying “and everything is so wonderful and perfect now”. “What about you?” she asked, changing the flow of the topic to focus on Maya.

Maya chuckled as she watched the puppy drift off and then wake up again. Despite the weight and the hyper nature, she was still just a baby. A sleepy baby, currently too enthusiastic to really fall asleep. How cute.

The mirrorwalker listened to the girl's story, truly itnerested.

"Oh, so ya're fairly new to the mutant world then" she grinned "Welcome, once again. It's cool that you found this place, it's the best one there is."

Elizabeth turned the question around back at her, and Maya chuckled.

"I've had my powers active since I was born. As for the school, I've been livin' here for... well, almost a year now. I've got a good handle on my abilities, but there are so many other things to learn..." she smirked "Never a dull moment. You'll see."

Elizabeth let the statement go. No, she wasn’t new to being a mutant at all. She’d had her powers for about three years. Her face hardened a bit as her mind automatically replayed how her first ability had manifested. No, she didn’t want to think on that. Liz corrupted the meaning of what Maya said. No, she wasn’t a new mutant, but yes, she was new to it. She had only taken over an animal’s mind once before she had arrived at the mansion. She had sworn never to do so again, a vow her parents had released her from when she left for the school. And so she didn’t have much practice with many of her powers. So yes, she was fairly new to the mutant world. The stern look vanished almost as soon as it arrived, like a shadow crossed her face. She replaced it with a smile and a nod.

She forced herself to achieve an amiable and happy attitude. The young animal empath went along with what Maya said about the right place. Yes, the Institute was certainly the best place for her to be. It was safe. That in itself spoke quite a bit. Liz had always known that New York could be a dangerous place, but she had never even imagined that normal stuff like walking home from the mall with her friend or going to the movies would be so horrible and dangerous! She did that kind of stuff all the time in New Jersey and nothing had ever happened. Liz decided to halt that train of thought were it was, before it jumped the rails and bulldozed through her brain.

Liz directed her attention to the darker-haired mutant and what she was saying. And that last bit chipped some of her breath away. “What do you mean, never a dull moment?” Elizabeth’s eyes widened a bit as she got prepared for the worst. Did that mean that bad things happened there too? Like gang fights or mutant feuds? A scene formed in her mind’s eye, one of a large group of various radiation-and-fire mutants attacking another group of lightning-and-acid mutants. Her heart skipped a beat at the thought. Compared to everything she’d seen in New York, the idea wasn’t out of the question.

>>“What do you mean, never a dull moment?”

Maya watched the strange expression cross the girl's face just for a split second before she smiled. She didn't agree with something Maya'd said. She was not sure what; it probably had something to do with her powers, or life before the school... probably both. No one grew up to be a mutant without any trouble. No one.
Also, the thing about the lack of dull moments seemed to worry Elizabeth.
Maya shrugged, and smiled back at her.

"As I said, there's a lot to do around here. Going to class and learning about powers' just one thing. We've got parties, and, um, field trips, and you get to meet new people almost every day. So, yeah. Stuff like that." she grinned "Don' worry, the Mansion's safe. But that doesn't mean nothing interesting happens."

Angua wiggled in Liz's arms, and attempted to lick her face. As far as a puppy was concerned, life in the Mansion couldn't possibly get any better.

Then, as the mirror-specialized mutant explained, Elizabeth’s heart finally returned to its normal beat. Images of a mafia-type mutant war vanished from her mind, being replaced by scenes and pictures of various kids dancing or visiting the Empire State Building. Visible relief flooded Elizabeth’s features and she relaxed her grip on her mental barriers. Yeah, she wasn’t going to accidentally infect Angua, Nico, and various other bugs and such with a contagious fear. She let out a breath she hadn’t known she’d been holding, the feeling of safety at the mansion returning to her.

“That’s great,” the bird-owner said, a sincere and relieved look settling on her face. The puppy in her arms took that moment to squirm around and lick her face, getting doggy-saliva all over the girl’s chin, mouth, and cheek. “Cut that out!” she told the dog, saying it gently yet firmly. She also reinforced her command with a simple enough feeling, obedience. But with the dog moving around, Elizabeth also decided that Angua was also a mutant. She seemed to be able to absorb oxygen and convert it directly to physical mass.

“Okay, girl, I’m going to put you down now,” Liz said, speaking to the dog like she would a human. She crouched, deciding a vertical drop was better than tilting the dog over and potentially dropping her. Then she opened her arms and let the dog free, suddenly aware that she had jerked Nico down a few feet in the air. An annoyed Squawk! pierced the air but Liz was soon back upright again, stretching her arms out and feeling the pain of using her muscles in that way.