((For Mirror and Ami!))

Twyla Ashby had forgotten just how beautiful the Mansion was. It took her a few moments of dreamily gazing at the brick building before she remembered that she wasn’t just there to enjoy the view. She’d had the cab she’d taken from JFK drop her off a few blocks from her old school. She’d told herself that it wasn’t because she was scared of what would be waiting for her in that old brick building but she had been lying. The walk should have taken her less than five minutes but she’d instead taken as many random side streets as she could find to skirt her destination. The flight that had taken her from the airport in Madison to New York had landed midmorning but now it was almost midafternoon—she’d dillydallied for almost an hour (almost getting lost several times) before bucking up the courage to cross the familiar street and approach the large gates. The young woman had realized that she probably looked like some kind of creep while she’d been scoping out the edges of the school in her walk and the danger of getting picked up by the cops her first day back in the city had outweighed her nerves and forced her to approach the entrance to the grounds.

Besides, how unpleasant could it be anyway?

Sure, she’d basically been awful to everyone she’d been close to at the Mansion and abandoned not only her goals of becoming an X-Man but her friends and…more than friends…but really didn’t everyone do that at one point or another in their lives? No. Probably they didn’t and she knew it. Most people dealt with their problems in other, healthier ways like drinking habits or soap opera addictions. Twyla had dealt with the daunting work of growing up by running away—an immature response to problems that could have been dealt with through communication and…stuff like that. It made the twenty year old queasy to think about some of things that she’d said before she left for California all those months ago but she took comfort in telling herself that she was different now. Maybe she was even a little bit better than the scared little girl who constantly wallowed in her own cowardice.

Maybe, just maybe, she was ready to grow up.

Twyla certainly hoped that she could make some kind of amends for her previous stupidity. While she didn’t want her old life at the Mansion back and didn’t expect anything from anyone except hurt feelings and anger she was still hopeful that she could carve herself a new niche at the school for gifted youngsters. Maybe it was too much to ask but after what had happened in her hometown, she had no excuse not to try and gain herself a fresh start in a familiar place. The young woman was almost positive that New York was where she needed to be—Mansion or no. She needed to be around a large population of mutant kind in a city that she could be safely anonymous in. New York fit into her goals perfectly, all she needed was a place to stay and a steady job and she could start to make something of herself. Part of her was still hoping to become an X-Man so she could do some obvious good in the world but…if that ship had sailed she’d do something else worthwhile with her life.

A deep sigh escaped her chapped lips before she pressed the security buzzer on the gate. Looking up at the place where she thought the camera would be she said in a tone that revealed her nerves: “Um, hello. I…probably should have called first but I’m…Twyla Ashby—I used to live here and I was wondering…if there was any room for me?” She scratched the back of her head and took a step back from the gate, brown eyes taking in the impressive fence and the perfectly manicured lawn behind it. She looked like a combination of her old and new selves in a pair of dark skinny jeans, sneakers, and a green leather jacket. The pink was gone from her blonde hair but her face hadn't changed much--she was still Twyla Ashby, just a little older and (hopefully) wiser.

Something happy swelled in her chest for a moment as she stared inside the fence—even standing outside of it like she was Twyla could still feel the aura of home that emanated from the school. Adjusting her large backpack on her shoulders, she awkwardly shifted from foot to foot waiting for someone to respond to her buzz and silently willing her feet not to turn the gray color of the sidewalk beneath her.

You know, it’s not too late to ding-dong-ditch…

Gawain was, once again, on Mansion greeter duty. It was either that, or X-training, and he felt like he should have liked the latter more, but to tell the truth, he really enjoyed the new people who kept trickling ing every now and then. Meeting new mutants was sometimes a challenge, and sometimes downright dangerous, but it was always fun.

Some girl at the gates she says she used to live here. Buzzed her in, she's all yours.

Well well, this was just that time of the year. First Megan and her spiders, and now another kid who decided it was time to come back to the mutant nest.

Gawain walked down from the office to the foyer and then out the front door into the afternoon sunshine. He was not wearing the X-uniform (outside training it would just look silly), but he did wear a t-shirt with the X-symbol on it. Look all offical-like when greeting...

... Twyla.

The sight hit Gawain square in the face like a ton of bricks; he stopped in his tracks as if he had come to a wall. There was a time, maybe half a year ago, when "girl who used to live here" would have been a warning sign... but now he realized he never even thought it could be Twyla anymore.

Except, it was.
Blonde and older, but definitely her.

Do something dammit.

He couldn't. He really couldn't. If Twyla had been the shy one before, Sir Gawain was completely frozen in shock. Something inside him sank through his feet into the ground, holding him there. All he could do was stand here with eyes wide and dark, and look like he'd seen a ghost that was not Maya.

So much about greetings.

Twyla had thought she’s covered her bases—she’d talked herself into going back to New York, she’d made it to the school, she’d managed to convince herself that it was a good idea to go in…but she’d left home plate glaringly open. Strike! You’re out. The young woman had never considered who would greet her at the gate. She’d assumed that it would be someone she barely knew or something…Mild awkwardness had been expected when she explained why she left and all that but there was nothing that could have prepared her for the young man standing in her path to the school. When the gate had opened she’d hesitantly walked inside of it about halfway to the front doors. Twyla had fully intended on marching right into the building and getting down to business but then…

…Gawain was standing in her way, looking for all the world like she was a ghost come back from the dead.

A handful of stones sunk into her stomach and for a panicked moment she wished that she really was some kind of phantasm so she could phase right back out of the grounds. I need to leave. Copious amounts of guilt washed the girl over in varying shades of pink that glowed in embarrassment for a moment before her powers acted up in the largest display she’d done in a long time. One second Twyla was standing clearly in the drive and the next she was ‘gone’, her skin dappled in the shades of the gate behind her and the greenery of the grounds. The clear blue sky behind her formed her face and hair. She was a painted lady—all but invisible to her ex-boyfriend. I’m going to throw up. The queasiness swelled in her gut, totally drowning the happy feeling of being ‘home’. The urge to flee was first and foremost in her mind. In another life she would have turned to run but she was different now—at least that’s what she constantly reminded herself. This was a test of her will and her new braver parts.

Twyla was in her camouflage for maybe fifteen seconds before she dropped it suddenly, reappearing like the ghostly figure she must have seemed like. Squaring her shoulders, she looked Gawain straight in the face and began to walk towards him. While her face hadn’t aged all that much in a year, her facial expression was much less hesitant than it would have been when she was still nineteen. Her gaze was direct, a rarity when she first came to the Mansion. Twyla had no idea how to deal with this situation…there were no guidebooks about being Mansion-greeted by your ex-boyfriend a year after you’d basically stomped all over his heart in an immature fit of “I-can’t-do-this-anymore, not-any-of-it”. She had no idea what she was getting into but it didn’t matter—she needed a place to stay and she needed to…apologize to Mirror for what had happened. He’d been one of her first and best friends in New York and he deserved anything that she could give to him and more at this point. Thinking about how she must have hurt him brought the threat of camo-blush back but she managed to keep a firm grip on her powers.

The only hesitance that showed on her face was a quiet sadness in her eyes as she stepped determinedly closer. Stopping a few feet in front of Gawain, she subtly looked him over, looking for any clue as to what was going on in his mind. He looked a bit older but so familiar that it almost hurt. Her eyes wandered for a moment to the side, glancing at the large door behind him. When her brown eyes settled once again on his face she cleared her throat and wetted her lips. “Um…hi.” The most ambiguous greeting ever hung in the air for a moment, ridiculously inadequate. Normally it was hard to get Twyla to shut up when she had important things to say but…she had nothing prepared. Any speeches she written in her head were lost to the months of being away. But then…this was Gawain and if she couldn’t talk to him, how did she think she could start over in New York?

“Gawain, I…I didn't expect it to be you.” Brown eyes trailed the ground before bravely coming back to his face once more. She tried her best to catch his eye, so he’d know how serious she was. “It's been a long time but...I’m sorry about how I left things and I’m not here to mess up what’s going on here--” She waved a hand to the grounds and to him. “You don’t have to believe me but I want you to know how sorry I am for the things I said and for leaving. Know that it wasn’t your fault—I was just not ready to grow up. That’s not an excuse and I’m not here for excuses. I couldn’t think of anywhere else to go and I need a fresh start. I just…I need a place to stay and the Mansion was home.” A deep breath was needed to replenish the air reserves that Twyla’s hurried speech had depleted. Her hands, which had been held up in the space between them dropped to her sides; her posture was open and honest.

“I’m…still not good at explaining myself.” A small smirk quirked her lips as she waited for…any kind of reaction. It probably wasn't appropriate to think that any part of her current situation funny but Twyla couldn't help but internally roll her eyes and laugh at how stupid and awkward she sounded.

Twyla disappeared and for a moment the panic that she would bolt again - panic? For what? - was so strong Gawian took half a step forward as if he had been pulled. But then Twyla was back, camouflage melting away into a blush that was eerily familiar, and then she was walking towards him. Gawain swallowed. He had been in X-training for years now and nothing had even prepared him for situations like this.
We need a policy.
X-men policy No. 2432: Greeting the ex-girlfriend who broke your heart.
Step one...

>>“Gawain, I…I didn't expect it to be you. It's been a long time but...I’m sorry about how I left things and I’m not here to mess up what’s going on here-- You don’t have to believe me but I want you to know how sorry I am for the things I said and for leaving. Know that it wasn’t your fault—I was just not ready to grow up. That’s not an excuse and I’m not here for excuses. I couldn’t think of anywhere else to go and I need a fresh start. I just…I need a place to stay and the Mansion was home.”

He watched her sepak and it started to dawn on him that she was back. Twyla Ashby was back. She was coming... home? That sounded so... final.
She had changed. She was more confident. Not older but more... gorwn up in a way. She did not run.

>>“I’m…still not good at explaining myself.”

Gawain looked at her, now that she was standing right in front of him. Without even realizing what he was doing, he was looking her over, checking for... signs. Of something that would make her want to come back to the only real safe place for their kind.
He had to clear his throat before he could speak.

"Are you okay?"

The young woman swallowed hard in an attempt to quell the sloshing of her stomach. Approaching the young man hadn’t really done much to ease the tension she felt and swallowing didn’t seem to help much either. She tried one more time. Gulp. Twyla was fairly certain that she wasn’t going to literally vomit but that didn’t mean she didn’t want to run into a bathroom to avoid the…everything. To her credit she didn’t even turn away from her ex, just stood squarely in front of him like the brave, honest person she had tried to force herself to become. He’d already seen the worst of her—she wasn’t about to give him any more reasons to think poorly of her. Twyla reminded herself that this was a test of sorts; defeat the BIG AWKWARD DRAGON, gain access to the castle. This wasn’t something that countless literary figures before her had done. No complaining, just dealing with consequences she’d created.

Suck it up, buttercup. This isn’t the worst thing that could have happened here, Ashby. Scenarios of ‘the worst thing’ danced in her mind. This certainly was not the worst thing—the school was still here and Gawain wasn’t dead, two very good things. Besides, what was the worst he could do? Get angry at her and turn her away? Anything he said to her wouldn’t be new to the world of awkward reunions because the world had been there, done that a million times over. So no, there was no turning back now. Twyla had to see this thing through and figure out what she’d do if things got to awful when the time came…if the time came.

She didn’t notice him checking her over, was too enveloped in her own internal pep talk to do more that superficially gaze at the world around her. Her body jumped slightly when he spoke. “Are you okay?” The question surprised her—he’d dodged whatever expectations she hadn’t admitted to herself. Wasn’t she the one who always asked that? Twyla’s cheeks went a deeper pink before turning sky blue once more. What did I say…? A quick mental recap of the last few minutes explained it all. I probably sound like I’m in some serious trouble..

Duh.

Her left hand came up to adjust her backpack strap and Twyla bit her lip. One the one hand…no, she was not okay. The last few weeks in the hometown had been awful but…no, she didn’t want to talk about it, least of all with the one person she had hoped to avoid as long as possible after getting back. Brows furrowed and her brown eyes flicked to the side to drop eye contact. Her need for honesty and to defend her vulnerable parts fought for a moment subtly on her face before she let out a sigh. “I’m sorry. I probably could have…chosen my words better. I’m…” She looked back to his face but focused on his chin. “I’m fine, really. I just thought New York sounded, er ,right for where I’m at…” Her words sounded forced, even to herself. Technically she wasn’t completely lying. “It’s just, not as bad as I made it sound—I’m not in any trouble or anything.” There, she quickly and honestly tried to amend her words—no use in sounding like some runaway cat coming home after being chased by the junk yard dog.

>>“I’m sorry. I probably could have…chosen my words better. I’m… I’m fine, really. I just thought New York sounded, er ,right for where I’m at... It’s just, not as bad as I made it sound—I’m not in any trouble or anything.”

Gawain nodded slowly. The change in color was not lost on him; just because Twyla did not bolt yet, that did not mean she was not thinking about it. He was not judging her - being shy was her nature, rooted in her ability. Or the other way around. Same difference. This was probably not easy for her either.
Even though she broke his heart with the cruelty only the first puppy love of one's life is capable of, Gawain never thought Twyla was cold and cruel. He knew her much better than that. It did not make things hurt any less, but he could never hate her.

"Good" he said finally, rolling with the punches "Okay, er, so... I'm kinda the official Mansion greeter for today, so. I can check you in. It shouldn't be a problem. I am pretty sure your room is empty, but you can choose another one if you want."

He did not ask her if and how long she was planning on staying. He was not that brave.

Things started rolling. The ball was still pretty much deflated but they seemed to both be trying their best at nudging it down the hill. Twyla was grateful that things were going…as they were. She was certain that there were much more awful things that could have colored her afternoon. Awkward and sort of clinical she could handle no problems. The blue blush on her cheeks faded to a more natural color before her skin became its usual pale shade. There was no sense in wasting energy on blushing when it seemed like they were getting down to the business of getting her situated at the school once again. A few months ago the flush would have stayed but she was getting better at making is disappear faster. Sometimes Twyla wondered if the amount of blushing that her body did was part of her mutation…

The vestiges of her initial embarrassment crept to the back of her neck and stayed there, unpleasantly warm, red, and itchy. She shouldn’t have said anything—should have just pretended like nothing had happened or something, pretended like they hadn’t been friends and more than friends. Maybe then…no, that wouldn’t have been better and it wouldn’t have been Twyla’s style anyway. Why say nothing when you can say it all at once? She was a born rambler and anything less would have gone against her nature.

At the word ‘Good’ she nodded resolutely. Once again Braver Twyla took ahold of her face and body, making her seem less the awkward apologizer and more the determined whatever-she-was. She thought about the offer of her old room. All of her things had been collected by her grandmother after she’d basically run away so she’d never assumed that it would be open for her to return to. Was it really a fresh start if you went back to everything old? There were probably too many memories in that space for her to really move one from all her past mistakes and before she said anything Twyla was shaking her head. “I think I’d rather go wherever I’d be placed if I was new, to be honest.” A casual shrug accompanied this answer, while there was still some tension in her hands the girl seemed to relax a bit. They were getting somewhere and soon all of the awkward would be over. Probably.

“It’s…Thank you for helping me get situated—is there anything in the office that I need to sign or anything?” She nodded towards the school, impatient and nervous about crossing the threshold once more.

>>“I think I’d rather go wherever I’d be placed if I was new, to be honest. It’s…Thank you for helping me get situated—is there anything in the office that I need to sign or anything?”

And with that, they went from shock straight to denial. Gawain was fine with that. If drama ensued, that would have been a lot worse. Not talking about things worked just fine. Even if he wanted to do that, he would not know how to even begin; besides he had had those conversations with himself in the past year enough to know there was no way they could make anything better. What was done was done, and apprently they have both moved on, there was no use...
... oh screw it.

"Sure" he nodded again "You can come with me, fill out the paperwork, and I'll look up a new room for you..." he glanced at her backpack before he started toward the door "Is that all you've got?"

She didn’t like it, this sweeping things under the rug business but Twyla had spoken a fragment of her piece already and it felt weird to broach the subject of her abandonment and destruction of their relationship like it was the weather or something. ‘Great day, isn’t it? Hey, would you help me get settled in—want to talk about how I took a sledgehammer to your heart and then ran off to California? How are you feeling about that?’ It wasn’t really the best conversation starter in the world. Sure, sweeping things under the rug lasted for a while but she was fairly certain that the pile of Icky Things beneath that rug were going to spill onto the rest of the floor in the near future. The young woman bit her lip once more, staring off at the grounds and not focusing on anything in particular.

Maybe I could suggest that we talk at…some other time? Like, after we’ve both gotten over the surprise? She wondered to herself silently as her brown eyes roamed over the greenery of the front lawns. Twyla made the mental note to mention it, see if he was interested in some kind of catharsis. The mood between them in that moment was so awkward and murky that she doubted she’d be forming any cohesive sentences that articulated anything she’d felt in the last few months.

He responded in the affirmative to her request and she did her best to smooth her face into something pleasant. A small smile lit up her cheeks and she mentally tried to shake off the uncomfortable feelings thrumming around her body. “Awesome.” She nodded a few times, still softly smiling with a tone that was toeing the line between friendly and forced. When he asked her if that was all she had she shifted beneath the bag’s weight. “Yeah, I wanted to make sure that I could stay here before I brought anything else.” She followed him when he headed for the building. “I know they always said that people could come back when they left but I didn’t want to assume anything.” She was thankful that they were walking now so she didn’t have to look at his face while she spoke. “My parents are going to send a box of clothes and things after I give them the go-ahead.” The words were carefully positive but aloof.

And then, in the simplest way she could think of, Twyla took the opportunity of being Gawain’s shadow to ask: “Maybe we should talk about, er, everything? Not now, obviously, but soon or whenever you’re ready.” The young woman tried to keep her voice steady but it became very quiet. Brown eyes bored holes into the front door and then they were ascending the front steps and crossing the threshold into the Sister School. Despite herself, Twyla stopped to marvel at the familiar sight of the foyer. Tears that she couldn’t identify the nature of welled in her eyes but she managed to keep them from spilling over. A green jacket sleeve came up to dab at them furiously before they could make tiny streams down her face.

A voice buzzed on Gawain's comm unit.

"Another visitor." The male voice noted.

By the gates, Amelia waved, one hand steadying the handlebars of her chrome-silver bike.

Who was that with her boyfriend? Probably a student. He had to be showing her around, Amelia decided. There was nothing wrong with that.

Little help here? She thought.

>> “Awesome. Yeah, I wanted to make sure that I could stay here before I brought anything else. I know they always said that people could come back when they left but I didn’t want to assume anything. My parents are going to send a box of clothes and things after I give them the go-ahead.”

"You can go ahead and do that" he nodded "I don't see a problem with you moving back in. It's not like you got kicked out or anythin'."

Ouch. That did not come out right. He was not accusing Twyla of anything, but it sure sounded like that...

>>“Maybe we should talk about, er, everything? Not now, obviously, but soon or whenever you’re ready.”

Ouch again. Gawain winced. 'Talk' was something he was extremely bad at. Especially when Twyla was involved.

Something buzzed. Another visitor? What the...

... Ami.

The gods hate me. All of them.

Gawain stopped in the doorway as he looked towards the gate.

"Um. Twy, give me a second."

Jogging back to the gate he felt like he was tarveling at the speed of light, not getting nearly enough time to come up with something, anything, to say to manage the situation. And probably everything was showing on his face.

"Hey Panda." he smiled, but it did not feel like a real smile, as he opened the gates and let her in. "Um, I'm kinda on greeting duty right now..."

Something about his smile was... off. She hesitated, confused. An eyebrow arched slightly.

"But you're always fine with me visiting when you're on-duty. Sometimes, I even help... so what exactly...?" Her eyes shifted towards the entrance way.

Amelia nodded towards the cute girl. "Who's she?"

>>"But you're always fine with me visiting when you're on-duty. Sometimes, I even help... so what exactly...? Who's she?"

Well, damn. From this point on, this could have only gone two ways: either really bad, or really worse. Gawain sighed and closed the gate behind Ami.

"Her name is Twyla, she used to live here and she just came back. She has camouflage."

Stick to the obvious...

"She is also the first girl I've ever dated. She dumped my ass. End of story."

Glancing at Ami, he sighed, and seeing Twyla waiting at the door, he started back towards the Mansion.

"I'm sorry I'm still kinda in shock from seeing her here. C'mon let's get this over with."

>>"Her name is Twyla, she used to live here and she just came back. She has camouflage."

Amelia absorbed what Gawain was saying thoughtfully as she wheeled her bike along beside him. So far, she didn't see the big deal. Why was he suddenly--

He kept talking. The wheels screeched to a stop.

Gawain had dated her. This was the infamous ex he'd been completely shattered over.

The wheels went back to turning. She took a deep breath and prepared herself.

"Yeah, sure. We can play it cool."

This was hella awkward, but at least he'd come clean.

Twyla wasn’t really sure what was happening but a moment later Gawain was asking for a second and hustling out the door like the building was on fire. The blonde did nothing but shrug—she had nowhere to be. Slowly her body turned to lean against the doorframe, or as much of a lean as her large gray pack allotted for. Brown eyes watched curiously as the young man jogged towards the gate. It opened. Brown eyes caught the sight of a girl with a bike.

Why would he…? A better look at the girl. An eyebrow shot up. A light bulb went off. A smirk broke out across Twyla’s face.

Just when you think things can’t get any more uncomfortable—Ta-Da! Meet my new girlfriend. The ridiculousness of the situation was comical. What were the odds of running into not only her only ex-boyfriend in the world but his new girlfriend at the same time in a school of several hundred students? Well, they may have been decent but this was her first day back. The universe obviously was having a case of the giggles at their little plight and the hilarity of the situation was not lost on the girl in the doorway.

Turning back towards the foyer her body began to shake in quiet laughter. This was too good. Even if she wasn’t Gawain’s real girlfriend she’d obviously been important enough to deserve some kind of run-down on the situation and from her vantage point Twyla had deemed the girl to be all of the right kinds of cute. If the puzzles didn’t fit together like the blonde had assumed, she sure hoped they did. If she could survive the process of getting a new room at the school with both her ex-boyfriend and his female friend of unknown attachment-level, she could do anything.

The smirk was still on her face when she turned back to wait for them walk up the drive. Her mouth didn’t look like it was mean and smirking, it merely looked amused. This amusement filled her eyes as well. If she was just another student he wouldn’t have ran away from Twyla to go talk to her and if she was new someone else would have come and helped her; the situation had changed and the twenty year old could feel it. Twyla was dying to know if she’d been right. It. Was. Just. Too. Good. She coughed down another laugh.