Emma & Lex

[x-celsis.livejournal.com]

Emma Frost, despite the impressions of many to the contrary, loved the countryside. The family estate in Boston had been surrounded by extensive avenues of trees and she had taken the opportunity to escape to them on more than a few occasions in her childhood. Thus, she did not tend to hurry back when she had finished a session with Yvette, but instead found herself lingering in the increasingly chilly shadowed depths of the woods that surrounded the school. Switching to diamond form allowed her to shrug off the cold and also brought the relief of escaping from the incessant whisper of minds against her shields.

Emma rarely found peace, but sitting beneath a tall tree on recently fallen log, she let all her cares slide away for a few moments at least, free from the world and all its terrors, giving herself time to simply be.

Even as the weather changed in New York, Lex continued to love the woods. He went almost everyday, enjoying the variety of colors splayed around him like paint on canvas. With every step he felt closer to nature, to the freedom that he could only find when away from others. Something reflected the sunlight ahead and Lex let his hand rest on the hilt of his knife unconsciously.

It was a woman. A woman made of diamond. "Uh, hello," he announced himself, "Can I help you?"

"I very much doubt it," replied Emma, before she opened her eyes. She assessed the young man in front of her visually, not bothering to switch back from diamond. "My problems tend not to be amenable to outside assistance." She inclined her head slightly, a small nod. "But thank you for the offer."

"You're very welcome." He spoke honestly. It wasn't every day he happened across a beautiful woman made purely of diamond. He wondered how that worked, and decided it was better to not ask. She probably got those questions all the time. "What brings you out to the woods?"

Emma smiled and shifted out of diamond form. If he was going to ask questions, then she preferred the option of knowing exactly what was behind them. The lightest telepathic probe, pushed neatly through unexpected static and into his psyche was enough to confirm that he belonged at Xavier's. "Education," she replied. "I provide specialized assistance to Yvette on occasion. Peace and quiet helps." Her hand waved once, an indication of the woods around her. "In a school filled with noisy students, peace is best found here. Or so we've found."

"I see." Lex stammered. He had not expected her to transform, nor be twice as beautiful when she did so. "And I would agree that the woods are the most peaceful place on the grounds, except for when the ferals are about." His smile was meant to let her know that he didn't mind their company, but he couldn't tell if she would understand so he added, "They always make things more <i>interesting</i>."

"Mmmm," replied Emma, relaxing back against the tree. "Like Logan. For a solitary man, he does take up quite a deal of space. All that territorial marking must be quite exhausting." She laughed suddenly at Lex's expression. "I don't believe he does it literally, if that helps."

"In my opinion, it is best to give that man as much space as he requires." Lex said after he composed himself; the thought of Wolverine running around pissing on trees was, at once, both hilarious and utterly terrifying. Moving across from the woman he pointed to a nearby tree, "May I sit with you a while, or would you prefer to be left alone to mark your territory?" He couldn't help a sarcastic smirk from crawling onto his face, <i>now that was a strange image</i>.

"Oh, I've never felt the need to mark my territory," replied Emma, gesturing politely for the young man to take a seat. "That would only limit my options. After all, I can't be sure I won't decide I need to rule the world next week. If I don't already." She smiled, amused at herself, then turned her attention back to the man, letting the slow travel of her gaze up and down his body be blatantly obvious. "Is Xavier treating you well? Filling in those gaps? Fulfilling your needs?"

Lex noticed the ogling and decided to play along. He didn't feel quick-witted enough to respond to her interrogation. Sliding towards her, he moved fluidly down into a comfortable half-crouch that accentuated his physique. It was rather pointless, but no less fun for it. When he came to rest he looked at her and smiled, slyly, and waited for her response.

Emma grinned, enjoying meeting someone who was willing to play along with her games. "Very impressive," she almost purred. "If it wasn't for the fact that mutants are always so supernaturally pretty, I'd question why Charles was always surrounded by so many beautiful young people." She touched her tongue lightly to her lips. "And they're always so very... healthy. Let me know, young man, what do your powers do?" She leaned forward, leaning her chin on her hand, a feline picture of fascination. "Go on, impress me some more."

It took Lex a moment to stifle the laugh building inside him, he was not used to such sarcastic individuals. "Sadly, I'm sort of out of my natural element, but I'll try to give you a small show." He put his hands out in front of him, as though preparing to perform a magic trick, and then with a wave of his hand he shot an arc of electricity from one to the other. "It's not much, but it serves me well."

Emma's eyes widened, a genuine moment of surprise. "Oh, young man," she breathed, "that <i>is</i> impressive. Electricity is <i>quite</i> my favourite thing." She unfolded from her seat and strode over to where he was seated. She gestured with her hands towards his temples. "Do you mind if I take a look?" It wasn't, she knew, in any way necessary to either ask permission or touch him to read his power but, she decided, this wasn't even slightly about doing what was necessary. This was about enjoying herself.

Lex hesitated a moment and then nodded. "You're a telepath and you can transform your body, interesting." He didn't want to say more, because he knew she would be able to know his thoughts before he could utter them. If the woman wanted to peek, there was nothing he could hide. His body shivered slightly with understanding.

"Oh, I'm full of surprises," replied Emma and touched her hands lightly to his temples. The static made sense this time and it took
little effort for a telepath as powerful as Emma to push through it. She rummaged lightly and, for her, exceedingly politely, avoiding following some fascinating and quite inventive thoughts down their rabbit-holes. Instead she sorted through the thought processes around the man's - Lex (she stole his name as easily as breathing) - around Lex's mutant power. The temptation to play - to push him past his boundaries and see what he could really do - was strong, but Emma resisted her own impulses and slipped back out of his mind. "And so are you." She smiled, not quite moving far enough out of Lex's space to make him comfortable. "Now, Lex, with a power like yours and if you're half the man I think you are, I presume you're aware of Frost Enterprises and its specialities?"

Lex paused for a moment, unsure of how to proceed. She could already have gathered that he knew of Frost Enterprises, having heard several things from his comrades and superiors, but then why would she have asked him the question. Maybe because she wanted to see how much he was aware he knew. Quirking a half-smile he looked her in the eyes, "I'm not ignorant of its existence, if that helps, though I have to admit you've put me at a disadvantage."

"It's my life's mission to put everyone at a disadvantage, so don't assume it's personal," replied Emma, smiling. "The public face of Frost Enterprises tends to concentrate on vanilla; avionics, electronics, electronic protection, making truly ridiculous amounts of money. But I'd suspect you're also aware of the specialist research sections; the intersection between mutants and electronic systems, including enhancement and functionality systems. You should meet Haroun one day; he can tell you how I made the lower half of his body after his mutant power blew off the one that belonged to him. Apparently the one I made is still in perfect working order." Emma's smiled widened further. "Allow me to introduce myself, Lex. My name is Emma Frost."

Lex narrowed his eyes and took a half-step back, "The Emma Frost?" He knew the skepticism in his voice wouldn't hide his awe if she read his mind, but he couldn't help it.

Emma laughed. "Oh so very definitely the one and only," she said. "Luckily. I doubt the world would cope if there was more than one like me." Her gaze was suddenly hungry as she looked at Lex. "But you - oh, you are just lovely. What I could do with you..." she breathed and her hand reached up and traced the edge of his cheek for a moment. "Things I've dreamed of. Control without fuses, without resistors, without wiring. Oh, you are a temptation, Lex."

And then Lex realized how dangerous his position was. He didn't know much about the woman, just tidbits gathered from his life before the mansion and the occasional aside from other residents, but everyone seemed to be in agreement that she would do what he she wanted, when she wanted, and how she wanted. "Oh," he asked, playing innocent, "Well, then I'm <i>flattered</i>." The question was, how could he get out of there without offending her, or putting him into an even worse place.

“Flattered. And right,” smiled Emma, as Lex’s thoughts filled with apprehension. “I tell them not to trust me and they always do. I am not to be trusted.” She touched Lex’s cheek again, but there was no possessiveness to the gesture this time. “I would never deliberately hurt you. But there is necessity and there is failure and I’ve lost people to both in the past. I can show you exactly what your power can do, Lex. But I can no more guarantee your safety than the colonels who commanded you and if I need to, I will use, just as they did. For the greater good. However I choose to define that.” Emma raised an eyebrow in mocking irony. “I am not a nice person, Alexander Lexington. But I’m very good at what I do.”

"Well, then I think this will be interesting," he said simply. He thought about her taking over his mind, forcing him to do things at her bidding, and shivered. He didn't appreciate the idea of being without control. Leaning back against the tree, in a fairly relaxed position, he tried to recover from the thought. He'd never trust her completely, but at least she was up front about who she was and what she was about.

“I am always who I am.” Emma replied to Lex’s thoughts, rather than his words. “It’s just taken the world a little time to come around to my way of thinking. Suddenly I find myself one of the white hats, though goodness knows how long that will last.” She stepped away from Lex, raising a hand in farewell. “I’m afraid I have other engagements to attend but it’s been an absolute pleasure, Alexander Lexington. I do hope we meet again. Perhaps we can take the time to explore exactly what you can do if I take you in hand.”

"I prefer Lex," he grinned, "but you already know that. And I would not be opposed to working with you in the future." He returned the raised hand and decided to walk deeper into the woods. Her knowledge of his mind was unsettling, and he needed some time to clear it before returning to the mansion."