Marvel: 2010-05-26 - Double Zero for Emma Frost

Lily didn't waste much time getting back to the mansion after her little encounter ... though it took her a touch longer than normal, because her innate caution had her making sure she wasn't followed. Once there, she started looking for Scott. Maybe she ought to have gone to Xavier, but ... she'd met and talked to Scott, and felt somewhat comfortable around him. The same could not be said for Xavier. Finally, she tracked him to his room, and knocked on the door.

Scott is in his room, sitting at his desk doing some personal study. He is always keeping busy, trying not to give himself too much time to dwell on things. But the knock draws his attention and he stands up, pushing the chair back. The door is soon opened and Scott is left blinking with some mild surprise at the appearance of Lily. Not that it is noticeable with the red (sun)glasses covering his eyes. "Hello Lily. What's going on? Any problems in the garage?" Course, he doesn't think Lily would search him out for any other reason.

Lily blinked up at him. "Oh, no, nothing wrong in the garage. I ... ummm ... stopped in town, today, to get a few things." She'd been pitifully low on pretty much everything, and hey, allowance. "Ran across someone that ... well ... " She sighed, then shrugged. "Something wasn't right. She wanted something, or was after something, or, I don't know, but ... something was fishy. Her name was Emma Frost. She ... had this whole spiel about a school, and getting anything I wanted, and she gave me a card." The card is proffered to Scott. "But the whole thing ... rubbed me the wrong way, you know?"

A frown. Oh yes, he knows Emma Frost. But he accepts the card. He leaves his door wide open, "You can have a seat if you like," offering his desk chair but not closing the door behind you. No question on Scott having honorable behavior. He studies the card for a moment. "She's a headmistress of a private school up in Boston. Real exclusive and expensive, has high reviews. And it is exclusive as in who's who in rich and influential families send their children there." So the news is only to likely reinforce your current beliefs. "Can you tell me exactly what she said?" This also really makes Scott even more suspicious about what she wants with him, and why she keeps getting him to tutor her in mechanics.

Lily walked in and took a seat on the chair, going quiet for a moment, frowning, but it was clearly an attempt to get the whole thing straight in her head. "I'd finished doing some of my shopping, and got thirsty. So I headed to the coffee shop ... you know the one? And she was already there. I sat down a table over, and she spoke to me, basically 'nice day, isn't it?' I agreed that it was, and a good day for shopping, but I was ... kinda hesitant." No brainer as to why, given how she looks. "Then she wanted to sit at my table. Claimed it helped hold off guys with intentions. Which, if she wanted guys to not drool on her boots, she could try wearing a bit more clothing, you know? That's deliberate, that is. I've seen the type. Flash the boobs and make every male brain in a ten mile radius shut down." And yes, that was a slightly catty tone, even if she is telling the truth. "It made me a bit suspicious, but I wondered what she was up to, so I agreed to let her come over. Told her my first name. She told me hers. She never so much as blinked twice at me, and she /saw/." Which is odd, to Lily, though it's not exactly an isolated phenomenon. There ARE people who don't flinch at the sight of the visibly mutated who aren't mutants themselves. "She realized I was being cautious, and asked why. I told her I'd been mugged recently, and it made me cautious. She wanted to know what the guys got, and I told her some friends of mine stopped them before they got anything. Then she asked me what I wanted." Lily frowns. "That twigged my 'fishy in Denmark' radar HARD. So I lied. Told her I basically wanted the American Dream, you know? Husband, job, kids, a dog, white picket fence. That's when she told me about her school. Said I could be there without having to hide." Lily's openly scoffing at that one. She already HAS a place she doesn't have to hide, thank you kindly. "And I could get anything I wanted if I went there."

Scott has to stop from grinning, silently agreeing with Lily. But then you get to the serious stuff, and he frowns slightly, thoughtful. It isn't hard to figure it out. You would have to be a moron not to suspect, "Recruiting mutants, but why? Why would Emma Frost, CEO of Frost Enterprises, one of the brilliant minds of the U.S. and headmistress of her own playground school want to recruit mutants, especially mutants without a pedigree or money?" This is disturbing, especially when Emma even talks about family as if they should be able to provide her something to be worth knowing.

Scott moves to sit on the edge of his bed, eying the business card again. "I think we might want to keep quiet about this, at least until I find out her intentions." Scott is tempted to go to Xavier, but Xavier takes care of so much already. "Maybe I should scoop out the school...but likely everything would appear on the up and up."

Lily cocks her head at Scott. Maybe he doesn't see it because he wasn't a street kid himself? (or at the very least, doesn't show obvious signs of having lived on the streets). "Scott? I can pretty much figure what she wants, with people like me. A lot of kids like me? You pick us up out of the gutter, give us a roof over our heads, food in our bellies, and we'll do just about anything out of gratitude for not being in the gutter anymore. And to not have to go back there. That's why I stayed here ... because you guys /aren't/ asking anything of me. You're not taking advantage of a situation you could manipulate to your own ends. I'm betting /she/ is."

"Yes, I get that, but why? It isn't like you can easily walk through the sidewalks of her Academy and not get blasted in the news or internet. It is blanent lies, unless she is planning to publicly turn the school into mutant and normal. I'm not sure how the rich and influential families feel about that, but Emma isn't the type to listen to criticism I think." Scott used her first name, he just spilled the beans that he knows her. "What does she have to gain? I just don't understand her." And he freezes, a flash of...something...crosses his face. Something dark. "Until I'm sure, stay away from her Lily." Whatever he thought of, wasn't pretty, and he accidentally crushed the business card in his hand when he thought of it.

Lily is pretty much right there with Scott, but then, seeing the worst in people kinda comes with the territory. "Not a problem. I'd planned on running the other way if I ever saw her again. She makes my skin crawl."

And Scott is stuck with a commitment to her in a way. But he will use it wisely and gather what more information he can, carefully. "My main concern is protecting the students and the school." He then realizes what he did with the business card and promptly smooths it out. "I just hope it was coincidental and she doesn't know about the school."

"I don't think she knows." Lily said. "I never mentioned it, or anyone's name but my own. So she probably thinks my friends are fellow street rats, or something." Of course, Lily doesn't know Emma is a telepath ... and Lily has virtually nothing in the way of mental shields. So ... who knows what Emma knows now.

Scott has some experience with telepaths, and makes a point to try and not think of confidential information, to supress it when not in a safe environment. Though his emotions are not as easily controlled. Still, it isn't Jean and Xavier that taught him that...rather someone darker. "You did good Lily, bringing this to my knowledge. I'll look into it and let The Professor know. Are you alright though?"

Lily smiles. "Yeah, I'm fine. She didn't touch me, or threaten me or anything. She just ... set off my 'trouble' alarm, if you know what I mean. Something about the whole thing wasn't right, and I figured you ought to know, since she was so interested in me, and anyone I might think was willing to join her."

Definitely recruitment. Scott nods, "As long as you are fine. If you are ever uncomfortable with something, let me know." Emma tried to pick up the wrong girl, especially considering Scott's over-protectiveness of those under his care. He stands to his feet. "I'm going to head down to the computer lab to start some research. I can walk down with you?"

Definitely the wrong girl. Lily has an aversion to being manipulated. Big time double zero for the White Queen. "Sure. I ... what sort of research? Anything I can help with?"

Scott says, "Just pulling what information I can on Emma Frost, her school, Frost Enterprises and stuff like that. Education can open doors." Scott isn't naturally manipulative, but he is still a tactician, and he is already developing a plan. "You can help if you want." And Scott will lead you from his room and downstairs to get to work in a computer lab if you want to help."