>>"Boy, you don't even know the half of it... Naw, I don't see that working. 'Sides, she was pissy enough when I fought that Thanksgiving turkey thing alongside some Xes."

"Oh, you were in that? I totally missed that show. Last one I got a piece of was the clay Chtulhu in Central Park the Christmas before last. Completely out of whack."

Too bad he missed the turkey monster. That would have been fun.

Gawain finished his beer and looked at the clock on the wall.

"Excuse me. I'll be right back." he said before he slid off the barstool and picked up the backpack he had deposited under it. Walking to the men's bathroom, he closed the door behind him.

About ten minutes later Maya emerged from the men's room, wearing jean shorts and a tank top, and combing her hair out of her face. Dropping the backpack back under the barstool, she sat down again and waved for another beer.

"So. Where were we?"

>> "Oh, you were in that? I totally missed that show. Last one I got a piece of was the clay Chtulhu in Central Park the Christmas before last. Completely out of whack."

A clay Cthulhu? Really? "Jeez, never a dull day in the big city, huh? Maybe I could have a little more fun stickin' with you and the capes." The term was, of course, slightly inaccurate slang for superheroes. Everyone knew actual capes were a rare part of any heroes wardrobe.

>> "Excuse me. I'll be right back."

Nate nodded, calling for another beer. The boy was a good kid, and it was not terrible getting his problems off of his chest to another guy who more or less understood where he was coming from. He got through half his glass when a dark-haired girl walked close and took Gawain's seat. Nate was going to tell her his friend was sitting there and he would apologize, but she spoke up first.

>> "So. Where were we?"

The comment took a moment to sink in. Somewhere in the rather attractive face, there were shades of his former drinking partner. Nate looked into his drink, before looking back up. "Maybe I have had one too many..."

The reaction was priceless, as usual. Maya smirked and sipped her drink, leaning agains the bar.

>>"Maybe I have had one too many..."

"Nah honey, it's not you it's me" she grinned at him. He was pretty drunk, but not nearly enough to mistake a boy for a girl. This much. The visuals only were kind of convincing.

"Guess ya never got the memo. I'm a gender shifter. Girl half the time."

Which did not necessarily mean she knew more about girls. She knew more about being one, but... well. It was complicated. Sometimes even Maya herself did not understand.

>> "Nah honey, it's not you it's me. Guess ya never got the memo. I'm a gender shifter. Girl half the time."

Well, that explained everything in a way that made no sense. Weirdly enough, that was the sort of world mutants lived in, and crazy news like guys becoming girls at midnight (as he noted the time) was the sort of news Nate had to take in stride now. Gawain was a girl now.

Well, roll with the changes. "Interesting. Well, I can say beyond a shadow of a doubt that you're the first one of those I've known."

Now knowing his drink was not drugged, he returned to drinking away his beer and his sorrows, which were admittedly fading behind the knowledge that his drinking buddy was now a young woman. "So I'm guessing it's not Gawain anymore. What do I call ya, girl?" It would be easiest if he could separate Gawain and this new girl in his mind, for the sake of not feeling awkward.

>>"Interesting. Well, I can say beyond a shadow of a doubt that you're the first one of those I've known."

"You and me both" Maya nodded with a smirk. Nate was too drunk or too experienced (or both) to fret more about the shifting. Good.

>>"So I'm guessing it's not Gawain anymore. What do I call ya, girl?"

"Name's Maya" she nodded "And I'm still the same person. Just different equipment."

To be technical about it.
People usually needed to make sure that they were not talking to some kind of a split personality, and that Maya was indeed the same person as Gawain. With the obvious minor differences.

>> "Name's Maya. And I'm still the same person. Just different equipment."

Nate coughed up his beer at her last comment. She might not have been his student, but she was of age to be, making it weird to hear about her "equipment."

Thinking about it, if he was ever single again, his mind was so warped from being a teacher, he might never be able to enjoy flirting with a nineteen year-old again.

At the very least, he was talking to the same person, so the company and the advice should be the same as before the shift. "Good to know. Fair warning; I'm probably a bit more likely to call you 'sugar' like this."

Oh this was fun. Nate almost choked on his beer, and Maya smiled into hers. She was not planning on torturing the poor guy, he was drunk enough without that, but still, it was kind of fun to watch. Additional benefit to a serious conversation.

>>"Good to know. Fair warning; I'm probably a bit more likely to call you 'sugar' like this."

"They've called me worse" she shrugged with a smirk and decided to dance on the teacher's nerves some more "Fair warning: I'm into girls."

Just to be up front about everything. Not like she was even going to fool around with a teacher, male or female. But to be on the safe side, he was fairly drunk.

"So. That cop woman of yours. She's not with the MRC, is she?"

>> "They've called me worse. Fair warning: I'm into girls."

Nate shook his head. He already knew she had a girlfriend, so this was not news. "Please, I've been in New York for almost a year. That's not something that's gonna surprise me any more than the last thing you did."

Yet another beer, possibly his last, but maybe not, was finished. "Sides, you're young enough to be in my classes. Not exactly my thing, hun."

>> "So. That cop woman of yours. She's not with the MRC, is she?"

So the feelings the MRC had toward the X-Men might be mutual. "That she is, indeed. My lovely mutant lady cop. Problem?"

>>"Please, I've been in New York for almost a year. That's not something that's gonna surprise me any more than the last thing you did. Sides, you're young enough to be in my classes. Not exactly my thing, hun."

"Agreed" Maya grinned with a nod. now that these crucial things had been cleared up, they could get back to girl talk. Guy talk. Guy talk about girls. And guys.

>>"That she is, indeed. My lovely mutant lady cop. Problem?"

"Not for me" Maya chuckled "It's just, some of the MRC is actually on the X-team. I guess she's not one of them." Jorge did not seem to have a problem with being a part-time X-man, anyway. Mirror did not know many of the MRC cops, but she did have a run-in with some...

"Wait. Is she the one with the red hair?..."

>> "Not for me. It's just, some of the MRC is actually on the X-team. I guess she's not one of them."

"Most definitely not." The idea of Quin in an X-Men outfit was ridiculous. Just thinking of his girlfriend fighting crime in some spandex costume, clinging to her curves as she took down criminals, and...

Where was he going with that train of thought?

>> "Wait. Is she the one with the red hair?..."

The oddly specific question left Nate cocking his eyebrow. "Yes she is... why, have you met by any chance?"

>>"Most definitely not... Yes she is... why, have you met by any chance?"

Nate's eyes almost lit up. Maya smirked. Even drunk men who just had a fight with ther women loved talking about their women. It was the fate of men in the world. Women. If you coudl not be with them, you talked about them.

"Yeah" Maya chuckled "She almost ran me over with a car."

Well, technically, it was the guy cop, her partner. But whatever.

"We were out fighting zombies... that's when by girlfriend found out she's a mutant too. She saved my ass from bein' hit by your redhead."

Small world.

>> "Yeah. She almost ran me over with a car."

Okay, Quin never liked the X-Men, but it sounded vaguely unlike her to run one over. If they ever returned to talking, he might have to ask her about that.

>> "We were out fighting zombies... that's when by girlfriend found out she's a mutant too. She saved my ass from bein' hit by your redhead."

He would definitely have to ask about the story if it involved zombies. "I guess everyone in New York gets an awesome mutant girlfriend, huh?"

Despite the dangerous nature of everything they apparently did, there was definitely some intrigue in fighting crime. Zombies, M-Werewolves, Turkey Golems. "Maybe I should just go fight for the cause with you guys if Quin's gonna be all pissy about me being a thief anyway," he mused nonchalantly as he waved for another beer. Apparently he was not yet done.

>>"I guess everyone in New York gets an awesome mutant girlfriend, huh? Maybe I should just go fight for the cause with you guys if Quin's gonna be all pissy about me being a thief anyway,"

"Maybe ya should" Maya agreed. Fighting crime was always a good thing. Many a time also quite entertaining. And apparently the guy did not have anything to lose at the moment either.
Well, he'd have to sober up first.

"Ya can't piss her off if she ain't talking to you" Maya pointed out with all the wisdom of a 19-year-old girl "Just do whatever you want, and if she's got a problem with that she'll have to show up and tell you. It's win-win. The more you piss her off the better the make-up sex will be too."

Well, not like she was speaking from experience. But it was bound to be true, wasn't it?...

>> "Ya can't piss her off if she ain't talking to you. Just do whatever you want, and if she's got a problem with that she'll have to show up and tell you. It's win-win. The more you piss her off the better the make-up sex will be too."

For a teenage boy/girl, Maya was pretty open about sex. If he were of a more sober mind, Nate would accuse her of enjoying throwing him off.

She was not the only who could enjoy that privilege. "I've never been in a relationship long nuff to find out. Is that how make-up sex with you and your gal is?"

He took a smug sip of beer, hoping to illicit some reaction from the girl.

>>"I've never been in a relationship long nuff to find out. Is that how make-up sex with you and your gal is?"

Oh, ouch. He was pretty drunk, but still sober enough to put that one together. Just because he was older and lovesick did not mean Maya had to play fair. That was never any fun.

"Depends on what day it is" she shrugged, sipping some more beer, not fas though, no use catching up to the professor "If I piss her off on a Maya day, yeah. If I piss her off on a Gawain day, I get my ass kicked. Women."