((OOC: Henri, thanks so much--I’d go crazy with Van here too!))

Twyla Ashby was tired. Her housewarming party was just dying down with no sign of her real friends. The new neighbors were a trying, hodgepodge bunch that seemed to feel the need to argue with themselves all night. On top of the neighbors, the woman had been hurriedly preparing her loft for this party after finishing decorating and moving in the entire space (by herself) only a few days before. It was good to be all moved in, but she could really go for a day long nap. That obviously wasn’t in the cards for that night.

Her buzzer went off and Twyla buzzed up whoever it was without paying much thought to it--someone had just dropped an entire plate of hors d'œuvres onto the hardwood floor in the hallway. After much grumbling and the procuring of a towel, Twyla proceeded to stoop down and mop up the smelly mess. Brown hair that had been curled for the occasion got in her face and many pains were taken to avoid streaking any food mess onto her black satin dress. A knock on the door halted the cleaning up process and flustered woman forced a smile on her face as she opened the door. Without shoes on. Was that weird?


Twyla was haloed by the soft lighting in the spacious loft behind her and when the door was opened yelling could be heard in the background, along with some soft music for ambiance. At first the woman looked like she was grimacing but when she realized who had finally arrived she let her smile soften and her shoulders droop a little bit. “I’m so glad you’re here.” She said tiredly, looking gratefully at her friends. “Come in, come in.” She waved them forward so she could start a round of hugs. “It’s good to see all of you, seriously.”

The two wolves were suddenly joined by two more members of their "pack" making them both smile in unision. They often smiled in unision like that, not intentionally but almost subconciousslly. Maybe it was part of the two wolves being mated and the fact that once a wolf finds a mate they essetially find another part of their soul or maybe that was just how connected the two were. Nevertheless, Milo's own grin grew wider as he got an idea, causing his wife to fill with worry. Milo had a habit of instigating social situations that were unfavorable for his wife or the person he was trying to help. It was an old habit of his back from his days as a soldier in his pack.

Before Twyla opened the door for the late group the two managed to get some words in with thier companions as well as each other.

Milo grinned at Maya and Henrietta, his tail wagging back and forth with glee, looking down at his wife who glared up at him. "Well we were going the speed limit but we were stopped by a train and had to wait behind that for a few minutes. Before we even got into the car though we argued for a bit about our transportation for the evening. Because I do not think it would be proper for my darling wife to drive us on her motorcycle wearing her lovely dress," Milo explained, refering to the green dress his wife wore that fell right onto her knees. Now he decided to answer Henriettas question before his wife decided to retort with one of her usual comments. "As for what I've been up to, the usual, fighting crime with the agency, taking care of the pups, " Milo moved behind his she-wolf faster than she could move , wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her to him. He lightly traced his fingers to her neck, flicking the collar she still wore around her neck idly. It was a gift he had given to her a long time ago and since then her mate had added one tag to it, One that said "Property of Milo Vanguard." "Pleasing my she-wolf, you know the usual."

A light blush crept its way across the wolf womans face, her mate always having that sort of effect on her. Her mind for several moments was briefly distracted with various thoughts of what the two of them could be doing rather than being there at the party...then she realized what he was doing. A playful growl escaped her throat. "Thats not gonna work Wolf Boy, you arent going to distract me this time. We still could have beaten that train if I was driving." Emerald told both Henrietta and mirror, though both of them knew of Emeralds driving. "Habbits"

Milo Realesed his wife a pouting look on his face for a moment, looking like a wounded puppy. Once he saw his wifes glare however, he knew it wouldn't work this time. He would have to be more foward in order for that plan to work and now was hardly the time or the place. "We could have beaten the train if we were driving like maniacs. Besides riding on your motorcycle in that dress, while it would be a nice view for me is hardly something I want others to see."

Once Twyla opened the door and hugged all of them, ushering them inside Both of the wolves smiled. Emerald hugging Twyla tightly saying. "I would Have been earlier but I wasn't riding on the motorcycle."

Milo on the otherhand whispered in Mayas ear with a devilish grin on his face. "Want me to be your wingman at this party? I could maybe help you get a friend." He told the Mirror walker, his own grin resembling that of a wolf on the hunt.

>>"As for what I've been up to, the usual, fighting crime with the agency, taking care of the pups...
... Pleasing my she-wolf, you know the usual."

"Jesus Christ, get a room you two." Maya grinned, shaking her head. She liked seeing her friends happy like that; they were in fact the happiest and most perfect couple she knew, even though they seemed to be constantly arguing. Sometimes she envied them a little bit. Sometimes, most of the time.

Twyla opened the door; Maya returned her smile, and kissed her on the cheek as they all walked in. There was definitely a party going on, although Twyla herself didn't seem so cheerful. Maya knew that feeling; whoever throws a housewarming party is the person who gets the least fun and the most work out of it.

>>“I’m so glad you’re here. Come in, come in. It’s good to see all of you, seriously.”

"Cheer up, Twy, the cavalry's here" she smiled. Looking around, she could see some people turning to look at her; that came with the celebrity status, people recognising her wherever she went. The fact that her mutation was well known too just added to the rumors

>>"Want me to be your wingman at this party? I could maybe help you get a friend."

"Like I need your help to get a girl, wolf man" she smirked at Milo. last time he played her (his) wingman, things didn't go so well. And even though s/he got something amazing out of it (Rupert), she was not sure that was something that needed to be repeated tonight. Not at Twyla's party.

She smiled as she returned the glances for all kinds of strangers, and then turned back to Twyla.

"First things first, I need to scrape this stuff off my face and look human again" she said, pointing at the make-up she was still wearing "So, would you mind showing me to the way to the bathroom?" she flashed a smile at her friend "After that, I've got wine. Among other things." she added with a grin, dropping her backpack on a chair.

Let the party begin.

Henrietta watched the pair of wolves and felt herself blushing slightly. It seemed like she was seeing something private that wasn’t meant for her. The brunette also noticed the tags around Emerald’s neck. It seemed her and Milo were so close and were almost always together, if it was possible. Van and Henri were close. At least it seemed like they were close enough to not make people wonder if something was up. Of course they loved each other, but it always seemed like one of them was busy and both of them were rarely home at the same time. Murielle was happy, Van always seemed pretty happy, unless work was difficult, and Henrietta was generally a happy person. To her, all was well. Sure, they were different than Milo and Emerald, but it was just as enjoyable for her. She loved her family.

When the door opened, Henrietta noticed how frazzled Twyla seemed to be. The brunette gave her friend a quick squeeze and made room for the rest of the troupe to file into the apartment. All the current guests’ attention was on the new arrivals. She hated being late and being the person who had all eyes on her. The woman pretended she didn’t care though. It seemed easier to act like she didn’t sense all the stares. Instead, Henri strutted a little farther into the room and glanced around; taking in all the decorations and all of Twyla’s other acquaintances.

Mirror had shared that she had to go wipe off all her makeup and added that she had wine in her bag. The brunette came a little closer to the people she knew after looking at the main room for a moment. She stuck her head into the group and grinned. “I could always go for some wine, if you’re interested in what I want.” Henrietta laughed to let them know she was joking and perched on the edge of the chair where the bag was sitting, so she wasn’t squishing it or ever touching it.

There were two hugs and a kiss on the cheek and then all of her friends were in the open foyer area. It was good to have her own people there, even if their presence made the rest of her guests turn and stare at the little group--particularly at Maya, although it was up in the air if her neighbors recognized her or were gawking at the stage makeup she was still wearing.

“You’d ride the bike in a dress?” Twyla coked her head at the wolf woman, before turning and winking at Milo who was obviously the reasoning behind Em taking another form of transportation. “The dress is great by the way.” Twyla brushed her fingers against the green material before spinning on heel to take in the rest of Maya’s makeup and to reply to her question. “You sure you don’t want to keep it on? Its pretty festive. Speaking of festive,” Like a slightly tired bird, the brunette flitted to the woman she hadn’t spoken to directly yet. “This is a gorgeous color on you.” She picked at the other green dress in her foyer and gave Henri a quick hug again.

“Anyway, what was I doing?” She was frazzled and her mind jumped back to the mess she was cleaning up. “Ugh.” The towel on the floor went over the mess made by the fallen platter--she’d deal with it later. With a sigh, Twyla forced a smile back on her face. “If you want to open that wine Henri, I think this is the perfect time.” She half skipped into the kitchen area off the open foyer and snatched up a corkscrew off of the creamy counter of the center island. Handing the tool to the woman on the chair she added: “There are wine glasses in the cabinet to the right of the sink. Help yourselves to anything while we figure out this makeup thing.” A broad smile was given to Milo, Emerald, and Henrietta before she took Maya’s arm and started for the spiraling staircase in the center of the space. It led to the upper story and the bedroom and bathroom of the loft.

“Thanks for the wine, by the way.” She whispered to Maya as they drifted through the clusters of her other party goers, all of them stopped talking upon contact. “Sorry about them.” With a blush, Twyla added.

Once upstairs they walked through Twyla’s bedroom, which merely consisted of a queen sized bed made up with off white bedsheets and a quilt her gandmother made, a spindly bedside table with a single drawer, and a wardrobe covered in pictures taped to the doors. Across from the bed there was an open door that led to the bright bathroom. “So what are you working on that entails this much...er, decoration? Or can’t you tell me?” With a smirk, the brunette led the way into the bathroom, rummaging around in the tower of drawers angled in a corner for some make up remover and a wash cloth.

The mystery of where her shoes had gone was solved--they were sitting next to the tub, directly beneath the bottle of nail polish on the rim that she’d never gotten around to opening. “Use whatever you need.” Wtih a smile, Twyla attempted to skit her way out of the bathroom.

>>“Thanks for the wine, by the way. Sorry about them.”


"It's okay I'm used to it" Maya smirked, following her upstairs. "I'm sorry I showed up like this. Usually gives people a lot to talk about. It's not always easy."

it was not like she was some Hollywood superstar - not yet anyway. But people recognised him/her a lot; she was the "actor/actress who changes genders and is also an X-man". Changing genders was not all that new in the showbiz, but not many people did it on a daily basis.

>>“So what are you working on that entails this much...er, decoration? Or can’t you tell me?”

"I'm playing an enchantress in a fantasy movie" Maya grinned, glancing at herself in the mirror "I know I know. But it looks like fun, my parts of the script anyway." she glanced at Twyla "And I know you were thinking fairy godmother. it makes more sense..."

>>“Use whatever you need.”

"Thanks" she nodded, just to see Twyla ready to walk out of the bathroom "Hey, Twy. Is everything all right? I mean, it looks like a fun party, but my experience is, if it's your house, it's never as much fun, am I right?" she chuckled. She had parties at her house every once in a while. Every one of them had a point when she just felt like kicking everyone out. "How are you holding up?"

Twyla paused on her way out of the bathroom. Leaning her back against the cool wood of the door frame, she smirked into the mirror at the elaborate stage makeup reflected in it. “I think this is a little too glamorous for a fairy godmother, even if that would fit you better.” The smirk turned into a tired smile.

An unmanicured hand came up to the back of a tense neck and the brunette sighed and then she half laughed. “Well, my neighbors are crazy, my coworkers left already to go out--the only ones that showed up were the twenty somethings who can still be out all night and pull a shift, and I burned a stack of napkins with a candle--but nobody told me they were burning till the alarm went off.” As she listed the woes of the party thus far, Twyla’s little laugh turned into a full-blown one that doubled her over against the door frame.

“And I was so worried about impressing the building. I think it’s going as good as they do.” A tear of mirth slid down her cheek, taking with it some of her carefully applied mascara and kohl. “Crap.” One more chuckle and then the woman straightened herself and took the steps to the counter. Sure enough, there was a black streak. “Scoot.” Twyla needed her own wash cloth and the appropriate tools to repair her face along with some shared mirror space.

Twyla seemed really stressed, but she went to help Maya so Henrietta decided she’d ask more about it later. Besides, it was nice seeing Maya and Twyla together again. A soft smile spread onto the woman’s face as she shut her blue eyes and thought about when they were all teenagers together at the Mansion. All of the things they had been through had made them who they are now. Some things were a group effort to get though. The Kabal drifted into her mind and she frowned. She still wasn’t sure what she had been thinking, but it didn’t matter now.

Remembering that her friend gave her permission to break into the wine, her eyes flashed open and she wore a huge grin. Henri hummed as she made her way to the wine glasses and started pouring. There were about six ready for immediate consumption. She took one in each hand and danced toward where Maya and Twyla had gone.

The brunette took a large swig out of the glass in her right hand and made an ‘ahhh’ noise. She reached her friends and smiled. “I have wine! There’s more on the counter, but I thought it seemed like Twy needed some pronto!” She glanced down at the one in her right hand and laughed a little. “Maya, you could have this one if you wanted, but I took a drink out of it. Of course, I could always just get you a new one. I only share so much. I did grow up an only child after all.” Henrietta winked. Setting the glass from her left hand onto the counter, she glaned at her frien's reflection.

She was fixing her make-up. She must’ve been crying. Henri smiled into the mirror so Twyla could see it. “I’ll do whatever I can to help, okay? I hate seeing you so stressed out. It’ll be fine. It’s your own house, d*mn it. You don’t need this crap.” She sipped at her wine again and took in her surroundings. “Your apartment’s so beautiful, Twy. My house always seems so messy, especially compared to this.” She laughed and leaned in the doorway.

>>“I think this is a little too glamorous for a fairy godmother, even if that would fit you better.”

"Hey, just because I am a father it does not mean I am good with kids." Maya smiled, starting to wipe the colors off.

>> “Well, my neighbors are crazy, my coworkers left already to go out--the only ones that showed up were the twenty somethings who can still be out all night and pull a shift, and I burned a stack of napkins with a candle--but nobody told me they were burning till the alarm went off.”

"Sounds like your average housewarming party." Maya chuckled, scratching on the make-up. It was pretty persistent "I guess it got quite warm..."

>>“And I was so worried about impressing the building. I think it’s going as good as they do... Crap. Scoot.”

Maya turned to look; Twyla was laughing, and she still managed to cry the kohl off. That was Wallfower for you. Stepping aside she allowed her to the mirror, and smirked. "Look here" she offered, raising the tissue in her hand. Professional make-up removal was one of her specialties. Now. It might be news for Twyla though, who must be remembering the old Maya...

>>“I have wine! There’s more on the counter, but I thought it seemed like Twy needed some pronto!”

Enter Henri, in the best moment possible.
Maya stepped back in a hurry, and turned away, looking into the mirror. A little less than half of her make-up was gone. Bummer. Was she going to swim in that thing or what? She should read the script again...

>>“I’ll do whatever I can to help, okay? I hate seeing you so stressed out. It’ll be fine. It’s your own house, d*mn it. You don’t need this crap. Your apartment’s so beautiful, Twy. My house always seems so messy, especially compared to this.”

"I totally agree" she nodded "What do you say, let's kick everyone out, and warm the house, just you, Henri, the Lupins, and me. We can help you clean up afterwards."