"A moose..." Aurum blinked.

"Hey. Didn't Svetlana stay out all night a while back?" Yeah. He seemed to recall her not coming home one night. She hadn't been around for dinner. Shocking, considering how he cooked.

He didn't want to think about the Ami Mutant Potential thing right then and there. Not because he had anything wrong with mutants. But because she was dangerous enough, powerless. He'd have to have Jude help him figure out what she had without alerting her that he knew...

>>"You guess? How do you know? You never answered my question from before... did something happen?"

Sveta started changing into the clothes she ended up choosing, but her attention was divided between dressing and the conversation. Which was, really, Ami grilling her.

"Yes. We kissed."

It was true. It also might just be enough to distract Ami from guessing and further. If she was lucky...

"We were practicing my powers. He is helping me with that. But he had an inactive power, so he kissed me to activate it. It is how it works."

Yes. He'd been beat up by a moose. It was humiliating and he'd hated that Svetlana had seen the whole thing happen.

"Zat was my fault. We were pretty far away in case somesing happened withs Svetlana's power. Then moose. She had to call DocProf and he sought it was a good lesson to leave me zis bruise." And other bruises. But not many people were flinging themselves at him for hugs so they weren't as much of a bother as the nose bit.

How long did it take to get changed, anyway?

When people lie, or are hiding a bigger secret, they tend to confess to smaller things, to throw people off the trail.

Sveta had been oddly calm and prim and proper when stating that Jude and her had made out. To activate his powers. Yet, she'd blushed like a bride on her wedding night. Which could only mean--

Amelia's mouth dropped.

"You didn't..." She stared. "Make love." Her words came out flat.

That was some story. Moose. Gave Jude a black eye. Huh. Had he deserved it?

Aurum arched an eyebrow, and asked slowly.

"Why did a moose even bother you two...? What were you up to?" Apart from experimenting with powers, of course. He tilted his head.

>>"You didn't... Make love."

Sveta was half way through pulling on her shirt when she stopped. Oh crap.

Not like she had not admitted that before. She did talk to Agnes. And told her because she wanted to. But there was something in Ami's voice that told her she was not going to get away without being judged this time.

Peering out of the shirt, she awkwardly tugged it into place.

"It's... hard to explain" she admitted finally "Things just... happened."

"Why do meese attack anyone?" Because his hair was delicious? Yeah Jude was not explaining that. Nor would he be explaining that the deer had mutant powers. Or... anything else.

"Maybe scared? My power had some glowing..." Or maybe curious for the sounds they had made. Svetty could make some good sounds. He tried not to look too guilty for even thinking that.

Ding ding ding! They had a winner.

She'd been spot-on. Bulls-eye. Other words and phrases to state that she had been correct.

Things had 'just. Happened.' Hm.

Wasn't Jude, like... 12? But he'd looked like that. Well. Most important of all important questions time came. Before she judged, she had to ask. "So. Pre-bruises, or post?"

She asked it so conversationally, too.

"Glowing."

Hrm. Right.

Why did Jude suddenly look suspicious? Was he imagining things?

"Okay then. Maybe you were in their territory, and dangerously close to the moose's kids." He tilted his head back on the right track again. "Plural of moose is mooses, by the way. Not meeses." And, yeah. If you glowed at mooses and threatened their children... you were gonna get a surprise.

And if you got a surprise, you'd probably need an ice pack. Then, maybe a doctor. Then, maybe...

He needed to stop being familiar with children literature. And referencing it in his head.

"That's real rough, buddy." He grunted agreeably.

>>"So. Pre-bruises, or post?"

Sveta blinked. What?! Was that really the most important thing Ami had to ask about the whole deal?...

"I didn't bruise him!" she shook her head "Dat was after... um. He got attacked by a deer. And then we had to call DocProf because he was a mess."

She sighed.

"I know it all sounds worse that it is..." she admitted, pulling on her gloves

Meeses? Well that just sounded silly. He distinctly remembered saying meese. "More zan one goose is geese. Why is moose not meese?" Stupid English nuances. He would try to remember that.

"Thanks." For the sympathy, the correction and glazing over the awkwardness about the moose attack.

"Smells good." Typical man compliment, three words or less.

Amelia's mouth trembled between cat face and amused grin.

"You're forgiven, then." She said.

"Forgiven?" Muse asked.

"Yes, forgiven." Amelia confirmed. "Who am I to judge what the heart wants?" Seriously, who? "Have I told you about my boyfriend, yet? You'd probably arch an eyebrow. Half the time, he's also my girlfriend." She could be accepting of that. Why, then, couldn't she be accepting of Muse loving Jude?

She'd totally lost. Completely, utterly been defeated by the kid. Yet, somehow, she was okay with it.

"What the heart wants, it gets. Forgiven. Besides..." She looked at Muse approvingly. "He's quite the catch."

Even with bruises. Some guys could pull bruises off. She knew from personal experience.

"So." Sly smile, thy name is Amelia. "How was it?" She asked.

>>"More zan one goose is geese. Why is moose not meese?"

Aurum shrugged.

Jude thanked him.

He nodded.

And then he complimented Aurum on how lunch smelled.

Aurum smiled. "Thanks." The kid had had Thanksgiving with him the last year. Kid knew he could cook.

Why was he still thinking of him as a kid, even when the guy looked a little older than him? Well, because.

"I'd offer to let you have lunch here, but... you seem to want to go out with Svetlana." Who was he to force Jude to alter those plans?

>>"Yes, forgiven. Who am I to judge what the heart wants? Have I told you about my boyfriend, yet? You'd probably arch an eyebrow. Half the time, he's also my girlfriend."

Who was Ami to forgive her? Sveta smiled at the idea. Still, it was nice to hear, she would have hated Ami to be mad at her. Or Jude. Or both.
Also, boyfriend-girlfriend? Was the girl dating a drag queen? Whoa. Sveta almost wanted to stay and hear that story...

>>"What the heart wants, it gets. Forgiven. Besides... He's quite the catch. So. How was it?"

Sveta gasped, probably louder than she needed.

"Ami!" she squealed, grinning at her "I am so not telling you dat."

And that was that. Taking a look in the mirror, Sveta decided she looked decent enough to go out. She turned back to Ami before they left the room.

"But. I am going out with him, aren't I." she added with a grin. And a wink. And Ami could guess the rest. She was good at that.

Jude nodded. Yep. That about summed it up. He wanted to go out with Svetlana. He really wanted to talk to her and have her hold his hand.

Did Aurum know...? About Ghost...? Jude opened his mouth to ask, but he thought he might have heard some hopeful noises that would indicate the girls were done in the other room. It was on Jude's mind. He wanted to talk to someone about it. But he much preferred to talk it over with Svetty.