>>"So am I gonna have to be on the look out for someone you thrashed in another bar?"

Maya arched an eyebrow and gave him a mock-serious look.

"Boy, the ones I trash do not come back to haunt." she said in a deep truly-bad-movie voice.

>>"Yes I'm buying. Think of it as a gift from the new guy."

"Amen" she chuckled and waited for him to order. She was not legal anyway, but no need to mention that. Once they had their drinks, she raised her glass.

"Here's to... umm" she wrinkled her nose "Erm, to the beginning of a beautiful friendship?..."

Make friends easily. Beat strangers into a pulp.

He laughed and then smirked.

"Then it's down to seeing if you can start a fight in a nearly empty bar."

The drinks came and when Maya toasted he laughed.

"Sounds about right."

Drew took a drink of his beer and eyed Maya. This seemed as good a time to ask as any.

"So Gawain...he your brother or you?"

Yeah, not exactly a smooth transition but Drew was curious. If that meant bludgeoning Maya with a question that far out of left field then so be it.

"Sorry, that's a little abrupt but I remember meeting him a while back and uh, you've got the same power and same tricks."

Maya drank her beer. It tasted really good, minus the stingking from the wounds in her mouth where she bit down during the fight. She grimaced and then grinned at Andrew.

>>"So Gawain...he your brother or you?... Sorry, that's a little abrupt but I remember meeting him a while back and uh, you've got the same power and same tricks."

Maya chuckled at him. For a moment, she was tempted to play tricks.

"Well... I could give you the whole fancy 'he's my mutant twin' drill, but I guess ya're the last person in the Mansion who doesn't know, so might as well tell the truth." she concluded, tilting her head "I'm a gender shifter. That means, yup, I was Gawain yesterday, and will be Gawain again tomorrow."

That, no matter how many times she had to explain it, still sounded weird...

Maya took another sip from her beer, and waited for his reaction.

A gender shifter? That sounded awkward. It also brought ideas to mind that Drew did his best to drown in another swallow of beer. Maya wasn't interested in guys and he was in a complicated spot anyway. Still, he couldn't help commenting so he grinned after he set down his beer.

"Man, it is really a shame you don't do guys."

Drew cracked his neck and stared into his beer for a moment.

"Gender shifting as a trade off for walking through mirrors and what not. Not a bad trade off in my book."

Better than being stuck keeping your promises on literal pain of death. That however was changing, or so he thought, so he couldn't be too bummed about it.

>>"Man, it is really a shame you don't do guys."

Maya blinked. What, no shock, no horror, no awkwardness? Hmm.

"It is really a shame ya're not a girl." she shot back with a grin. Maybe that will change later. It has happened before in history...

>>"Gender shifting as a trade off for walking through mirrors and what not. Not a bad trade off in my book."

"It does have a bright side, if ya put it like that" she chuckled. She had never thought of shifting as a trade off. Actually, she usually thought of her mutations as two completely different issues... one was evolving, and was showed no intent to do so.

"So" she lifted her beer "What's your deal?"

Her reaction was one of amazement for just a brief moment before she grinned and turned the comment back on him. Drew laughed again.

"Well if I ever turn into a girl you'll be the first I tell."

He grinned at her as she admitted that it had it's bright side when put like that. The grin subsided a little when she asked about his mutation.

"Promises. I keep them or I get hurt. There's a bit more to it than that but that's the quick version."

He took another drink of his beer.

"Though, just between us, I think it's changing somewhat so it might not be so useless once I work out the kinks."

Drew hoped that was the case and that he wasn't misinterpreting it. If he was he'd be really annoyed.

>>"Well if I ever turn into a girl you'll be the first I tell."

Maya smirked. That would be such an interesting day...

>>"Promises. I keep them or I get hurt. There's a bit more to it than that but that's the quick version. Though, just between us, I think it's changing somewhat so it might not be so useless once I work out the kinks."

"I think that's pretty darn useful. You are proven to be trustworthy then." she smirked "I'm sorry, ya've probably heard all that before."

Like she had heard all the stupid gender shifting jokes.

"Between you and me: my mutation did change. A year ago, I couldn't take anyone with me into the mirrors... then, umm, during a mission with Sam, I just kinda... did. So. Yup, mutations can change."

That universal truth deserved another drink.

He smirked and rolled his eyes.

"You have no idea...well actually you probably do. Besides, there's always the chance of ending up with a promise to the wrong people."

Maya related what Drew suspected was a very shortened and edited version of how her mutation had changed to let her take people with her into the mirrors.

"Well that's good to know. Mine's been acting funny for almost two weeks now and then just a few days ago I very nearly took a promise from someone else. So..." Drew raised his beer and gave a toasting motion before draining it and motioning for another, "Here's to making sure people keep their word and changing mutations."

Drew leaned back for a moment or two. It was good to talk about this. Not only was he pleased to be able to tell someone about it but the fact that his mutation was probably changing put Drew in a darn good mood. He grinned again. Maya was a good person to go out for a beer with.

>>"You have no idea...well actually you probably do. Besides, there's always the chance of ending up with a promise to the wrong people. Well that's good to know. Mine's been acting funny for almost two weeks now and then just a few days ago I very nearly took a promise from someone else. So... Here's to making sure people keep their word and changing mutations."

Maya raised her beer too and grinned. The world of mutants was a strange world indeed.

"Yup, sounds like somethin' changing. Better be careful or ya'll end up keeping someone else's promises..."

Change of subject. Maya sat back, smiling a content smile; this was just what she needed to blow off the steam, a really bad fight and a lot of beer. There was no heartache that could not be cured by these.
Or, at least, numbed for a while.

"Nice ink" she mused, glancing at his arm "Was thinkin' of getting one too, but I'm not sure it would survive the shifting..."

He winced at Maya's suggestion that he might end up keeping someone else's promises.

"Lord I hope not. It's annoying enough as it is. "

Then he chuckled and took a drink of the newly arrived beer. Maya commented on the vines and he smirked.

"That's sort of part my mutation and part someone else's. Ran into a girl who controls ink. My mutation gives me a very boring tattoo every time I make a promise. Wouldn't you know she thought it'd be a great idea to use what I already had to make this. Still, it's better than a plain black band so I can't complain too much." Drew laughed a bit, "Besides, next time I meet her she'll probably change it."

He looked at Maya.

"Well, you'll never know until you try. I could introduce you to Allison. Fair warning though, she might just decide to give you what she feels like drawing."

>>That's sort of part my mutation and part someone else's. Ran into a girl who controls ink. My mutation gives me a very boring tattoo every time I make a promise. Wouldn't you know she thought it'd be a great idea to use what I already had to make this. Still, it's better than a plain black band so I can't complain too much. Besides, next time I meet her she'll probably change it... Well, you'll never know until you try. I could introduce you to Allison. Fair warning though, she might just decide to give you what she feels like drawing.""

Maya grinned, leaning closer to look at the tattoos in the light of his explanation.

"Now that" she concluded "Is one badass mutation. Totally useless, and still. Badass."

She chuckled. People wre so wrapped up in powerful mutation capable of destroying cities and whatnot that they sometimes tended to forget powers could have other, completely normal, everyday uses.
Sometimes mutants forgot too.

"I think it would be fun to meet her" she grinned "I might end up with a penguin tattoed on my ass, but hey. That's the risk."

Also. Penguins were cute. She had nothing against penguins.

She was half way through her second beer. That surprsied her. For a moment.

"Sooo" she smirked at Andrew "Girl and guys, huh. Out for anyone in particular?"

Now that he was a mansion resident. It was always good to know.

It was hard not to laugh at Maya's comments so he did.

"Yeah, she's a little bit of a space case but fun."

Maya thought it would be awesome to meet her. Drew grinned.

"Well then I'll give her a call sometime and we can meet up with her."

The smirk on Maya's face told him to brace for another comment so he wasn't entirely caught off guard by the comment on his preferences. He just grinned.

"Yeah, girls and guys. I get more options but it doesn't get any easier." Drew took a drink as he thought of Tasean in response to Maya's question, "Right now? Not really. There is this guy Tasean but I'm not so sure that'll work out. It's been a while since I last saw him."

He sighed and then gave a shrug.

"Oh well. Such is life huh? Women are trouble and guys are no better."

>>"Yeah, she's a little bit of a space case but fun... Well then I'll give her a call sometime and we can meet up with her."

Maya smirked and nodded. What do you know, I might end up with a tattoo after all. Or a tattoo artist...

>>"Yeah, girls and guys. I get more options but it doesn't get any easier... Right now? Not really. There is this guy Tasean but I'm not so sure that'll work out. It's been a while since I last saw him. Oh well. Such is life huh? Women are trouble and guys are no better."

"Tell me about it, I am both" the mirrorwalker grinned at him "Women are trouble. Sorry ya took the hit for that." she chuckled, looking at his scars and bruises, then returned to her beer. "So, Sam has been training you? What's your weapon of choice?"

That would be interesting to know. Sam mostly trained people in self defense and hand-to-hand combat, but when it came to preferred weapons... well, everybody had one.

Drew just laughed at Maya when she said she was sorry he took a hit for women being trouble. When he stopped laughing he grinned at her.

"Yeah well that's not the only reason I've taken a hit and fighting you was a cakewalk compared to having my head nearly squashed like a tomato by a guy with massive hands, risking being skewered by a wannabe mutant with nasty metal spikes, or facing off against a flaming fanatic and I mean that literally."

Looking back at those instances he'd been incredibly lucky. He could have easily died any of those times and he knew that. However Drew wouldn't change what he'd done given the chance. It had been the right thing to do.

"Yeah, Sam's been training me. Can't say I've got a favorite weapon though. I guess anything but a gun."

Every time he'd fought so far it had been with his bare hands. Drew took a drink. Would his fights have turned out better if he'd had a weapon? Maybe. But he hadn't really had anything on hand any time he'd fought. Well...there was last Halloween but that hardly counted.

>>"Yeah well that's not the only reason I've taken a hit and fighting you was a cakewalk compared to having my head nearly squashed like a tomato by a guy with massive hands, risking being skewered by a wannabe mutant with nasty metal spikes, or facing off against a flaming fanatic and I mean that literally... Yeah, Sam's been training me. Can't say I've got a favorite weapon though. I guess anything but a gun."

"True dat" Maya nodded sagely, she really did hate guns. They were just... too easy. Not to mention there seemed to be a general dislike among the X-men against guns.

"Bow an' arrows" she pointed at herself "Very... elegant. Tried jousting too, but it kinda sucks. Even with a name like mine."

She was, of course, refrring to the Gawain days.

Andrew listed what sounded like his top boss fights so far. Maya grinned at him.

"As for significant bothers... well, there was this giant ancient god in Central Park... the mind-reading psycho twin brats in the haunted house... the sadistic werewolf serial killer... and the girl with the pink blades."

X-men. They tend to accumulate a long history over a short period of time.