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Tides and tremors, this was really happening. A college party. Well worth a trip in a backpack for the sake of convenience. Praxi was able to stow her dress away for the trip, so she had no complaints.

Unpacking herself, Praxi quickly reformed her body to fill out the toga-inspired violet dress. (She confirmed it was violet with someone who didn't see the world in shades of green, just to be safe.) Honestly, looking at the partygoers already in the middle of celebrating, Praxi was potentially overdoing it. Not that she cared, because if she was crashing a party, she was dressing for it! Even her reformed figure hinted at her desire to stand out with a distinct curvy silhouette.

Of course, there was the worry they'd get trouble for their obvious mutations. The drunk doorman pointed out Carrick's wings, (not that he noticed,) and Praxi got a clear once over, but they got the go-ahead anyway. This WAS New York, after all.

Another thing that shouldn't have been a shock was Amethyst getting an extra dose of attention right out of the gate. Kyle didn't notice Carrick getting prickly, but Praxi was spending enough time with the shifter to pick up on the rumble. She chuckled, wrapping an arm around Amethyst's shoulders, holding herself firm with a cool gel-like texture. (And no residue, because she wasn't looking to annoy Amethyst here.) "Yep, she's quite the Princess," Praxi joked, thinking it best to keep the royal standing lowkey. "We're from another Uni. Lovely Carrick here's showing us how... your school parties. Hope that's alright!" She giggled, trying to play off her realization that she didn't know which school this fraternity belonged to.

Praxi was happy to embrace an unexpected compliment, though if this kept up, her roommates were going to put two and two together and notice Praxi got swirly when she was embarrassed or flustered. Well, Amethyst would notice. Praxi was convinced Carrick was too oblivious to notice things like that.

"Elke could make clones of herself," Praxi clarified. "Pretty useful. Shame I can't split in two." She could, but the split half would just be a non-sentient puddle. Not nearly as cool as a clone.

Praxi finished the mimosas and slid one to Amethyst and one to Carrick. Praxi's tale of youthful indiscretion was inspiring Carrick to plan some mischief of his own. Mischief he wanted to drag the girls along with. "A party? I mean, I haven't done one of those in years... but if there's a chance of hearing the Princess sing, I could be open to this." Invited or party crashing, attending a party with Carrick and Amethyst sounded too fun to say no, even if she was wary of strangers.

”I saw that.” Carrick treated Praxi like any other girl, which meant he occasionally forgot that her eyes were just spots she kept in her head to see. It was harder to see behind her through all the green of her head, but she just barely made out the outline of a tongue. Little punk.

Liz and Carrick had a complicated history Praxi was aware of, enough to be supportive and be a buffer. Liz was always nice to Praxi, though she did note Liz was another guest at the breakfast who technically wasn’t on the team. Yet. ”We’re doing great, I think. As is Amethyst; I’m sure she’s glad to have the apartment to herself for a few hours,” she joked.

For all the… complications that came with living with Carrick and Amethyst, Praxi was surprisingly enjoying her current living situation. They weren’t kids anymore; in a lot of ways, they had matured and grown in how they acted together. She could hardly even call Amethyst a frenemy anymore. She did avoid calling her Princess to other people; they might not understand a former oppressed subject using the title as an ironic but playful nickname.

Praxi waved enthusiastically when Gawain entered the room. It was still odd not having Mis— well, Rebecca at team events. Everyone encouraged her to come around, but she was surely busy with her own magic things.

”Our stuff’s all cooked; just gotta get it on the tealighter things.” Setting down the food they brought, Praxi watched nervously as Jorge inspected the burritos. She was mentally preparing to explain why she had to return Amethyst’s boyfriend as an ice sculpture, but Jorge seemed to approve. She looked back at Carrick, forming a proud smile.

Praxi joined Luna, her fellow trainee, in grabbing some juice. She liked most foods, but sweet and fruity and sour things always agreed with her. ”It’s nice. Getting everyone back together like this. Once repairs are done, all team meetings should totally be brunch.” Maybe not the most serious meetings, but the regular meetings would definitely benefit from pancakes.

Praxi laughed her bubbly laugh. She liked the way Amethyst snorted when she laughed; it was humanizing. After dealing with the prim and proper princess for so long, it was nice to have casual Amethyst around. When she was like this, she was damn near likable!

It helped that she was endearing and gentle with Carrick, sorting out his feathers so they were in their proper place.

"Don't feel too bad. It's not like it hurts. I just feel a little gross when I accidentally absorb dirt and mud. Thanks for being mindful of me." She genuinely appreciated when the rogue was considerate when it came to her needs. "If I'm gonna get dirty, it should be for a good reason," she added obliviously.

Despite protests, the steak was ready to sizzle; clearly Carrick had more hunger than a fruit salad could sate. "Must be a lot to feed a body like that. Er, a griffon body, I mean." She swiped one more fruit to pop in her 'mouth' as a justification for shutting herself up, disregarding how she could talk without a mouth. "I'll probably take a little bit of steak. Protein's probably good for my... something."

"You did, which just reaffirms my theory that he just likes being half-naked. Show-off." It made logical sense that clothes were "too constricting" for Carrick, with his unwieldy wings and his chiseled—

Focusing. Praxi could hardly complain; until recently, she wasn't exactly known for wearing clothes, either, though that was more a problem of mechanics. In theory, she enjoyed clothes, possibly due to her long time avoiding them. She liked her dresses; this yellow sundress was even tailored in a way that made it easier for Praxi to settle on a silhouette with its narrow waist and flaring bottom.

Praxi was still getting used to height, but with Carrick and Amethyst being four inches apart, Praxi usually defaulted to a height in the middle. It left her dress a little short, but she wasn't at risk of accidentally showing too much, unlike some people.

"Can't believe I'm saying this so willingly, but Princess is right. No raw meat," she agreed, grabbing one of the pineapple bits Amethyst cut and popping it into her 'mouth.' When she was awake, she was getting good enough at holding her shape and surface tension that she left no residue after her sneaky theft. "Mmm, thanks. I was craving something sweet." The chunk slowly sank down her throat, disappearing behind her dress.

That was the other benefit of clothes; digesting in relative privacy.

Living outside of the Mansion was its own adjustment, but the Mansion still prepared Praxi for living in proximity to other people. She had a room to herself, but there were always other students and staff members running around. That prepared her to share a communal living space with others to some degree.

It did not prepare her for living with Carrick and Amethyst in an apartment. Amethyst's living situation was not small by the standards of New York, but it was also not a sprawling Mansion boarding school. The constraints of a more normal living situation became apparent with how people used the shared spaces.

Especially Carrick.

DJ Roomba hummed to life, making the puddle that was Praxi-at-rest stir from her slumber. As her senses returned to her, she slowly reformed a body—about five feet, some approximation of a high ponytail, and a slightly curvier silhouette than she would have walked around with in the Mansion. It was entirely possible she was overcompensating now that she was living with a very conventionally attractive royal, but Praxi was not about to confront that.

Sliding her form into a short dress that easily rested over her surface, she pushed down the handle of her door and slid into the living room.

And, proving her point, there was Carrick half-naked basking in the sun on the floor. Praxi never owned a cat, but she imagined it was a lot like this. Well, with the caveat that a pet didn't come with all the same swirly feelings a shirtless, handsome man could inspire.

Not that he did. But, like, theoretical swirling. Not like the unrelated swirliness clear to anyone looking to close at Praxi. Thank goodness for the sundress.

With a bubbly sigh, she moved toward the kitchen, popping her head in. As expected, there was Amethyst. Not nearly as naked, but that robe of hers certainly did her favors. "You know, before staying here, I didn't realize how allergic to clothes your boyfriend was." She slid to the fridge, looking to grab some juice; she was in the mood for something cool and tangy.

The Princess had come along way from the girl Praxi met early in her time at the Mansion. Sure, she could still be a b***h, but mostly in a snarky way. And the way she acted with Carrick now that he was back safe was nice to see. It was the kind of affection that made her bubble a little.

The fight was evidently being recorded, with Amethyst watching somewhere safe. She saw Carrick flying and divebombing like the showoff he was. She apparently saw Praxi, too, as she stuck bad guys and threw her electro-charged body at the big monster.

Amethyst’s comments were too close to genuine praise and respect, and Praxi didn’t know what to do with that, besides get swirly. And then Carrick had to bluster in with all his charm and bravado and hype her up even more! Bubbling and swirling and she was one drink in; it was going to be a night.

That didn’t stop her from accepting another drink. ”I mean, I don’t know about warrior… I’m just an X-Man. It felt like I should do what I can, even as a trainee.” Actually, that brought up a good point! ”Do you think fighting a world-ending titan warrants graduation?”

There would probably be a time to talk with people like Sam and Shin and Maya about that. Unfortunately, Carrick was right; with the state of the Mansion, a lot was up in the air. ”Yeah, I hadn’t really let myself think about that yet. Besides, you know, Atlantean streets, I’ve never really lived somewhere besides the Mansion. Hopefully they set us up with something safe.”

Accepting another drink from the nice bartender with a figure Praxi was dead-set on emulating once she was back to full size, she raised the glass. Looking to the people who had lived at the Mansion during her time there. ”To Xavier’s.”