1420/Glimpses into the Past

Glimpses into the Past
Date of Scene:	28 April 2020
Location:	Emma's Suite - Hellfire Club
Synopsis:	Alex and Emma use the mindscape to see each of their pasts, to somewhat eye opening results.
Cast of Characters:	Emma Frost, Alex Summers

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Emma Frost has posed:
"You were serious about wanting to do that mindscape?" Emma snuggles beside Alex in bed, comfortable in a pair of loose fitting pajamas. "The whole see your high school thing?" She curls more comfortably into the bedding, a content look on her face. Whether it was her place or his, falling asleep beside Alex was a level of comfort she hadn't realized she was missing until it had become a somewhat regular occurance.herccurence.

Alex Summers has posed:
    Alex mmms, shifting next to her, wearing just boxers really and barechested. "Sure." he says. "I'd be curious to see it. I mean....I think we could both play out some what if situations, if we'd been lucky enough to meet each other earlier." he murmurs, peering over at the blonde next to him. "Though I'm still serious that I mean both of us as we were at the time, rather than...as we are now."

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma frowns a bit, but then shakes her head and laughs. "If you insist," she murmurs. Her hand slips down, reaching for his and her fingers interlacing with his. "I can bring a mindscape without touch, but it helps," she explains, a touch embarrassed.

In moments, they are both within Alex's mind, in a mindscape constructed of his memories from high school. At first everything seems hazy, fuzzy, as Emma concentrates on weaving the memories together. But it quickly snaps together, exactly as Alex had known it back then.

Alex Summers has posed:
    "Like I'd mind." Alex says amusedly, his fingers interlacing with Emma's as he closes his eyes. And then with a flash he's back in high school. A MIdwestern suburban school, the main building made to look up vaguely like a castle tower over the front doors with crenellations along the edge of the roof. There are two newer wings on either end of the school, one of which appears to hold a gym and theater, the other a rectangular building that contains newer classrooms, right next to the large parking lot that delinates the boundaries of the school along with a metal fence that runs around the perimeter, separating it from the fast food places, gas station, and other businesses across the street.

    Walking around the school are a wide variety of students, some dressed in cheerleading uniforms or letter jackets in dark blue and gold. Alex is walking in from the parking lot where the buses let people off, heading for the side door rather than the front.

Emma Frost has posed:
Just outside the side door is a bit of an oddity, given how the other students are dressed. A slender girl with mouse-brown hair hanging limply to her shoulders stands, peering around uncertainly. She is dressed in a white button down collared dress shirt with a simple maroon tie, a blazer in the same maroon, and a maroon and gold pleated skirt that falls to just past her knees, and black dress loafers. A very obvious private school uniform in the midst of a very not private school. It takes a couple of minutes of dissonance before the brown haired girl's clothing changes into a mimicry of a passing female student: blue jeans, mid-range generic sneakers, and a t-shirt with some anime character on it.

Alex Summers has posed:
    Alex slows a bit as he sees her...very obviously giving her a once over as he does, before returning his gaze to her eyes. He's dressed in a button up shirt that looks very preppy, a dark green polo shirt and khaki slacks with a slick brown belt holding it in place and all black tennis shoes that sort of go with it, but not perfectly. His hair is a bit too long at the moment, brushing his collar as he smiles. "Hey there..." he says cheerfully. "Welcome to Duke High."

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma gives him a once-over, and half-scowls at him through a pair of designer glasses-- but still glasses. The silver frames are shaped to complement her face. She sighs, shifting the leather messenger bag she's carrying-- that didn't shift with her clothing. "Thanks, I think," she responds, forcing a smile, though she purposefully keeps her lips closed for it, hiding her braces as best she can. "It seems rather chaotic here," she muses.

She's around three inches shorter than she will be as an adult, so its apparent she has at least one more growth spurt, if not two, before she hits her full stature. She's also very much not as endowed in chest or hips, clearly at least one of those spurts will add more feminine curves as well. "So... do we go inside? Or something?"

Alex Summers has posed:
    "Sure. I should give you the grand tour I guess, right? Or at least, I'm assuming you'd not want to actually attend a class." Alex says, walking over to pull open the door and motion for her to enter. "After you?"
    Inside, the school is fairly active, with students everywhere, walking to class, getting stuff out of their lockers along the main hall, in groups talking or grabbing snacks from some vending machines near the main office, or in at least one case, making out enthusiastically before a teacher breakes it up.

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma looks rather overwhelmed at the utter chaos of a normal suburban high school. "Vending machines? Wouldn't the parents have a fit?" she asks idly, giving serious side eye to the junk food and sodas. "Probably no to the class. We'd both be bored senseless. Also, wow. Are those your lockers? They look like they haven't seen paint or maintenance since they were installed in what, the 50s?" A touch of her private-school reared snottiness comes out.

A pair of young men go bolting down the hall, chasing one another and laughing, nearly bowling Emma over as they pass. A teacher yells "NO RUNNING IN THE HALLS!" and they slow a bit, but not much. Emma leans into Alex to regain her balance, wide-eyed.

Alex Summers has posed:
    Probably closer to being in my lifetime, maybe. At least, in terms of paint." Alex says, sliding an arm around Emma as she leans, helping her balance. "And I don't think they care as long as the sugar rush is stuck to school...besides, people will just run over to the gas station over lunch to grab snacks if the vending machine wasn't here." he says simply. A passing group of boys sneers at Alex as he sees him supporting Emma. "Ooh, look guys, Al-Lick got a girl...at least she's more your speed. Desperate." He and the other boys laugh as they push past, one giving Alex a shove as they do that forces him to turn , to avoid ramming into Alex, meaning she ends up with her back to the locker behind her with him slapping his hands in place to recover his balance, then shooting a glare after the trio of jocks as they wander off. "...fuck I hated those guys...." he mutters.

Emma Frost has posed:
"They seem charming," teen-Emma replies as dryly as she would have as an adult. She glances up at him, half-smiling. "Um. So... tour?" She peers past him. "They allow skirts that short here?" she looks surprised as a couple of girls walk by, one in a short skirt and the other in cutoff jeans that are practically daisy dukes. "Public schools are //weird//."

"Alex, no PDA," one of the teachers says as she walks by, seeing Alex leaning on the lockers with Emma against them.

Alex Summers has posed:
    One girl, in fact, has a zip up midriff top that is unzipped to show a noticeable amount of cleavage that she seems pretty proud of...before the girl next to her, who looks Chinese-American, quickly taps her shoulder as a teacher approaches and she zips up before he can rag on her too like he did on Alex. Alex grumbles, pushing away from the locker. "Well, this is the main hall...can go check out the gym or the theater? Or the cafeteria or club rooms." he offers.

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma shrugs helplessly. "Where ever you think best. Maybe somewhere quieter. Is the main hall always this noisy? HOw does anyone hear what's going on in class?"

When they begin heading in the direction Alex has decided on, they don't get too far before, "HOMEROOM, KIDS. I WILL BE HANDING OUT DETENTIONS FOR STUDENTS IN THIS HALLWAY AFTER THE BELL RINGS. Get. To. Your. Homeroom. Now." A frustrated looking... teacher? Administrator of some sort? is standing in the hall in a cheap suit, directing traffic, as it were.

The dark-haired Emma lifts an eyebrow. "Well, we don't want detention," she rolls her eyes as she replies under her breath to Alex. "Can't have that."

Alex Summers has posed:
    "C'mon, we can go hide out in the theater then and claim we're there for choral class or something.' he says, taking her hand and pulling her along as he picks up the pace. 'It's only this crazy between classes usually, it's like musical chairs. The music only plays and people only walk around until the end of the round, then everybody better be in their places." A quick dodge down the hallway and out the opposite double doors and you're into the gym/theater wing. Which is pretty easy as they're like a barbell, the hallway you're in becoming a t intersection with the gym on the left and your theater in the right. Alex pushes the theater door open, revealign a darkened space. Not a huge theater, but enough to seat perhaps 200 people or so, with a small balcony above in the back, an da stage with some large speakers set up on either side. There's a slightly crumbling plaster cast of the comedy and drama masks over the center of the stage, and there's some set pieces currently in place. Hard to say what it's for, though it looks like it's supposed to be the deck of a cruise ship? Maybe?

Emma Frost has posed:
Putting her hands on her hips, Emma looks up and around the darkened room. "Huh. Is this where you spent time when you weren't in class?" she asks, peering onto the stage with a bit of a frown. What are those props even for, anyway?

"What are you two doing in here?" a friendly but somewhat stern woman's voice comes from the darkened room. "Shouldn't you be in your homeroom?"

Emma is quick to address the issue. "Ahh, this is my first day and Mis-- Alex was told to show me around." She could always just blink the memory-teacher out of existence, but that wasn't the point of this exercise.

Alex Summers has posed:
    "Yeah, I'm just showing her around Miss Weiss, I figured I'd tell her about the musical that's coming up." Alex says quickly, then looks at Emma. "So, we're going to be doing Anything Goes this year, so we've started making the sets up for it. Still doing auditions next week." Miss Weiss, a thin looking woman with frizzy hair steps out from the shadows. "Yes, Alex will be auditioning for the captain, I believe?"

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma gives Alex an amused look. "You did theatre?" she murmurs. She peers up at the teacher, but doesn't say anything, seemingly fascinated by the stage and its contents.

Alex Summers has posed:
    "Got the audition too...though wasn't the part I wanted. You either took chorus or you had to take another four hours of classwork instead of a free period, and you got out of class regularly to go on events for it an' stuff. Including a trip to the state finals." He shrugs, waving to Miss Weiss as she heads out towards her office. "Well ,don't take too long here, now..." she cautions.

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma blinks, looking like she might say something, then shakes her head. "Is there anything else you want me to see?" she asks finally, her hand finding his. She giggles at him as she looks him over. "You got a lot more built in college I guess," she teases.

Alex Summers has posed:
    Alex hehs. "Well, yeah, a bit more. This was okay though." He shrugs. "Captain was a bit part, but I got to do a lot of the behind the scenes stuff, which was fun.

Emma Frost has posed:
"Lead on, then," Emma says, squeezing his hand and gesturing towards the door. "Before I try and pull out your memories in silly stage costumes." She would, too.

Alex Summers has posed:
    "Bah. I only had the captain's outfit anyway." Alex says amusedly, pulling Emma along as they head back out the doors, then cross over towards the gym. Its' a pretty standard gym, with stadium seats retracted against the walls, a basketball hoop on either side of the court, and doors leading off to the locker rooms and storage area. There are kids already in there on their gym period, playing basketball at the moment, split evenly into teams on either end.

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma peers at the basketball playing high school students for a bit, and the bleachers pushed back against the walls. She wrinkles her nose at the cheap gym uniforms. "Didn't you say you were on the swim team?" she asks curiously. "So there's a pool somewhere. Other side of the locker rooms?"

Alex Summers has posed:
    "Yeah, it's outside the gym, there's a path from the locker room hall over to it.' Alex says. "I mean it's nice enough, for competition anyway.' he says, shrugging his shoulders. "Did you want to see it?"

Emma Frost has posed:
There's a quick glimmer of amusement on Emma's face. "Its all right," she says with a laugh. "Not like you'd be competing right now." She tries to keep things light hearted in her tone.

One of the basketballs the students are playing with goes whizzing by Alex's face. "Think fast, A-lick," one of the guys-- one of the same jocks from earlier-- chortles, having been the one who launched it.

Alex Summers has posed:
    "I mean, if you want to try on-" Alex starts to say before flinching as the ball goes shooting past, as it rebounds off the bleachers and comes bouncing back until he drops a foot on it, then scoops it up. "Stick to the basket." he says, tossing it back.

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma glances at the guy in gym clothes, and then back to Alex. "I can make them go away, you know," she murmurs quietly. She glances towards the locker rooms. "Try on what? What they are wearing?"

Alex Summers has posed:
"It's what high school was for me." Alex says quietly, frowning at the man before looking back at Emma and smiling, shrugging. "I'll have to tell you the time I got out of a fight with them by laughing at them sometime. And I meant a suit.' He waggles her brows playfully. "But don't have to. Swimming club was pretty fun though....I got to swim every morning.

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma laughs, closing her eyes and immediately changing into her current self in the same swim attire she wore to the grill out a few days prior. "You mean like this?" she grins. "You should tell me about that sometime, yes. I'd love to hear the story."

Alex Summers has posed:
    "Sure, I can tell it on the way if you want to see the pool?" Alex offers, , motioning towards the door. "I mean, I didn't really do a lot to be popular here, I was always the outsider kid in a lot of ways. Partly because people knew the son of the foster family that adopted me so it was just weird fo ra lot of them when my fosters would try and force me into being like he was."

    He eyes Emma, then wags a finger. "Nope, back to teen. High school, remember?" He grins. "You could do a school swimsuit if you like, but they're bland by comparison. And one piece."

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma scowls, crossing her arms defensively. But after a few moments she returns to her 16 year old form. Her bathing attire changes as well, to a black and maroon one piece swimsuit with a pair of maroon shorts and a black tank top over it. She pulls her hair back into a ponytail. "This is the worst," she grumbles. The tank top hangs loose and unflattering on her relatively flat form. The bathing suit does not help.

Alex Summers has posed:
    "Better." Alex says, then will take her towards the pool. "And on the right is the fantasy of all teenage boys in the school, the girl's locker room, and on the left is the boy's locker room...probably the fantasy of all the girls in the school, I dunno." he admits.

Emma Frost has posed:
Shaking her head, Emma laughs at that. "If they are anything like at private school, locker rooms are boring and kind of gross. I figure for either side of the wall." She waves and steps into the door and immediately ends up in the swimming pool area. Alex's memories don't have the interior of the girls locker rooms. Funny how that works! She looks around his memories of the pool while waiting on him to appear.

Alex Summers has posed:
    Alex comes walking out a minute later, having changed into swim trunks. Plain dark blue ones with gold striping. He's not nearly as muscular at all as he is all grown up, with a swimmer's slender more wiry build, and not a lot of muscle defintion, his long hair making him look shaggy out of his more preppy clothes. "Annnnd here we are..."

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma giggles a little as he comes out of the locker room. He may be smaller and scruffier, but Alex Summers is still a fairly good looking guy at 16. "Mmhmm." She turns away from him and regards the setup. Meant for competition, not for recreation, really, the pool has clearly defined lanes and other apparatuses geared towards such. A separate, smaller and deeper pool is nearby for diving. "I hate the smell of chlorine," Emma says to herself, wrinkling her nose.

Alex Summers has posed:
    "Better than it'd smell without it." Alex says, padding over. "Did you swim at your school?" he wonders curiously, climbing up on one of the diving boards. "I mean, I guess I got a lot of good memories of it from swim club stuff."

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma gives him a Look. "No." She looks down the swim lane. "I didn't do any kinds of sports, actually. My extracurriculars were solely academic and geared towards college." She shrugs.

Alex Summers has posed:
    "Like what? I tried Yearbook because I thought it might look for college, but it wasn't exactly exciting. Mostly a lot of cropping pictures and setting up layouts." he says, wrinkling his nose as he bounces easily on the end of the board, then executes a perfect dive into the water with a splash, before resurfacing, , swimming for the side ladder.

Emma Frost has posed:
"Errrm. Debate. Academic Decathlon." Emma steps back to avoid any splash. "Law and Judiciary. Young Business Leaders." She shrugs. "My sister spent a summer as a student intern for our Senator, so that was interesting for her. I didn't want to, so I didn't."

Alex Summers has posed:
    "I tried Trivia Club! Not really debate, but just being able to answer a lot of questions in a lot of different fields." Alex says, combing back up and reaching up to brush his wet hair out of his face. "Ugh, I tried that Boy's Town thing...if anything it put me off ever getting involved in politics. Pure popularity contest. One jock who was dumb as rocks won just because everyone liked him, and the other political party revolted against the candidates that were chosen when it got to the debate portion of things because they were so terrible."

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma frowns. "Wow. I mean, so no one bothered forming an actual campaign or coalition of other students? Work out bribes and compromises? Doesn't anyone teach you how to do politics?" She snorts. "I don't know. I guess... that sort of thing, knowing who to talk to and what to horse trade... maybe that's just not stuff lower class kids even think about. It's pretty ingrained for us from childhood, almost. Politics, that is. Everything in life is politics." She delicately sits down on the side of the pool, dipping her toes in. "Trivia Club kind of sounds like Academic Decathlon. You have to know a lot of trivia, I guess. Though the 10 topics change each year. My favorite year was when one of them was philosophy and philosophers. It was a good excuse to read the Tao Te Ching and Descartes."

Alex Summers has posed:
    "Oh, they did. Just it was a group of people that most of the group wasn't aware were their candidates. And were very unhappy when they found out who they'd be forced to choose between. So just like real life!" Alex says cheerfully. "And more middle class than lower class, really." He shrugs a bit, sitting down next to Emma as he dips his feet back into the water as well, leaning back on his hands. "So you didn't get to take anything just for fun?" he says, glancing over at her.

Emma Frost has posed:
She looks over at him as if he's lost his mind. "School isn't for fun. It's education for the purpose of settling into the correct career later on-- business, law, politics, whatever. It's for learning the basics and making social and political connections." Emma leans back as well, staring up at the slightly rusting ceiling. "I went to a private boarding school. So did my siblings. This place is atrocious. How do they expect anyone to learn anything here? The buildings are falling apart, they have junk on every corner, the teachers all look like they are about to faint, cry, or explode in anger... the students have no respect for themselves or each other. Public schools //are// nightmares. I'm sorry you had to go through this." She glances over at him sympathetically. "You probably would have had an easier go of it had you been able to go to a real school."

Alex Summers has posed:
    "Well....mmm." Alex considers. "This is kinda how most schools are, Emma.' he says after a moment. "I admit, I'd have had more fun if I was like...more part of the in crowd, or had more friends to hang out with." He shrugs a little. "It's what most people have to put up with. Education gets underfunded all the time, and teachers overworked." He mmms. "So yeah...mostly what kids remember that they liked about high school isn't the classes, it's the sports, or the clubs, or stuff they did with their friends, or school trips they went on, that sort of thing. The teachers who made a difference to them."

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma wrinkles her nose. "Priorities, I guess. I didn't have many friends-- any, really. But I had good teachers. When I have children, they'll likely go to Mass Academy too. I can't imagine putting them into a place like this." She sighs deeply. "It may not be fun, but it will be good for them." She glances back at Alex. "You did well despite this. I think the Club will give you the connections you should have gained when you were younger. Then you'll really not need to worry about anything again. As long as you know the right people and make the right connections, everything else falls in line perfectly."

Alex Summers has posed:
    Alex reaches over to pat Emma's thigh. "Here's a thought, Emma..." he says simply. "Maybe neither of our schools were the best choice. Mine could have been better for education....yours could have been better with letting you grow up with friends, being social, and finding what you wanted to do with your life outside of just school." he says seriously. "As for knowing the right people...the problem with that is, it's the right people who drive you along. Not how good you are. Look at what your father wanted to do with me, right? Doesn't matter how educated I am or how good I am, that's not based on merit, it's based on power."

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma gives him a wry look. "Everything is about power, Alex. Especially things you assume aren't." She sighs softly. "That's why. If anything, my father is likely threatened by someone like you. You didn't have the right connections, or the right anything. Yet. There you are. There's power in that, too." She bites her lower lip, her braces visible for a moment. "No one in my social strata is particularly thrilled when someone from the underclass tries and climbs up and out. You'll see it in the club, with the newly rich and the newly famous. This whole... 'American dream' of work hard and you can be one of us? It's a lie to placate the masses." She looks away from him. "So, yeah. If you look like you might break through the barrier, people like my father will be all too happy to shove you back down again."

Alex Summers has posed:
    "Yeah. The whole 'we got ours, fuck off' attitude." Alex murmurs, then reaches out to slide an arm around Emma, hugging her to his side absently. "But you don't feel that way?" he asks after a moment. "I mean...if someone was just good, you wouldn't keep them down just because you could, would you? It seems...wasteful of talent."

Emma Frost has posed:
Leaning against him, she is quiet for a few moments. "The first and only time I've ever openly defied my father in my life has been being with you. No, I don't feel that way. I don't like bullies, and I really don't like arrogant pricks who think a degree they paid for but wouldn't have gotten if their parents hadn't dropped a ten million dollar donation into the right pockets makes them smart. I know a lot of people in my social strata who didn't take advantage of the education and information they had access to, and yet they think they are better than someone who didn't have the access but turned out smarter and quicker on the uptake." She scowls. "My mentors are Sebastian Shaw and Lex Luthor. Money and power are certainly almost interchangeable. But wealth doesn't mean intellect or gumption. Wealth can be built, power can be gained. Ambition can be stoked. The rest? Whether born in a hovel or a mansion, it's for you to choose to rise or fall."

Alex Summers has posed:
    "Luther's a self-made man...he built his company from nothing. I'm not sure if Shaw's the same, but neither strikes me as the useless later generations of a great man, but the men who start dynasties." Alex says, reaching up to brush his fingers through Emma's hair lightly.

Emma Frost has posed:
"He is. Luthor, that is. And my father bends the knee for him," Emma replies icily. "He was nothing. Now he has everything, and is likely to be our next President. Shaw is a second generation. His father built Shaw Industries... nearly lost it, too, but Sebastian was smarter. My family? Despite what that trollop said, we are not nouveau riche. My ancestors came over when America was still colonies. The name Frost commanded power and respect then, and still does now." She laughs suddenly, as if to a joke she has told herself. She shakes her head. "But yes. Competence and grit... those are choices we make. Most are content to stay as they are, or grasp for fleeting pleasure or things of no lasting value. I was taught better."

Alex Summers has posed:
    Alex nods a bit at the, then murmurs. "That's the part of you that I like. That you push to be better. That you're ambitious, when you could just be padding out time until you inherit or something." He leans over, giving Emma a kiss on the cheek gently.

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma blushes. "Alex, come on. You don't want to kiss me like this. Its gross." She flinches. "And of course. I could live comfortably off my trust fund, but..." she trails off. "Who would run the company? And who would serve the Club?"

Alex Summers has posed:
    Alex sighs a bit exasperatedly at the first part of that, then reaches up with his other hand, turning Emma slightly to face him with his fingers resting on her chin. "Someone else could. You chose to be the one who did." he murmurs. "As for the other part...I categorically disagree."

    And with that, he leans in and gently, but firmly, kisses her quietly.

Emma Frost has posed:
There is almost a mental spark of pain that shoots through them both, and for a moment Alex sees a memory of Emma's from that age... her chin being held with a light touch of fingertips as she's being kissed by a young man in his mid to late 20s, wearing what looks like a professor at a private school or college might wear. As quick as the memory flashes, it's gone and they are back in Alex's mindscape, toes still in the pool.

Alex Summers has posed:
    Alex jerks in suprise at the image, his eyes opening wide for a moment, before he gently pulls away from the kiss. "...that son of a bitch did this to you?" he says after a moment. And there's actual anger in him now, at that professor. "He made you feel like this?"

Emma Frost has posed:
"What? No. Nononono. It... no that... it's not like that at all," Emma's eyes are wide and she pulls her feet up, standing. Her clothing shifts from the swimsuit to her old school uniform to the jeans and shirt she had been wearing earlier in rapid succession. "Its... just ignore that. My mind wandered, it shouldnt have, I'm sorry."

Alex Summers has posed:
Alex jumps up to his feet, his eyes flashing angrily. "I saw it too. How is it like, then?" He inhales deeply, then adds, a bit more calmly. "And I'm not mad at you. Not at all. But you've been down on yourself ever since I noticed that picture in your room, that somehow you were....ugly, or gross, or...that's crap, hon. No one who's a teen is perfect. You weren't as gorgeous as you ended up, but you weren't horrid either...I still think you're cute." he says simply. "But that guy...that was a professor. Kissing you. "

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma inhales deeply. "It was nothing, Alex. Just... let it go." She looks agitated. "It wasn't him. I know what I look like, like this. I was reminded //every day//. But he had nothing to do with any of it." She doesn't deny that he was a teacher. Or that anything happened. But she isnt offering anything else either.

Alex Summers has posed:
    "...man they did a number on you." Alex says simply, then stepping closer to Emma, taking her hands. "If it was nothing, then why are you denying it so much?" he says softly, squeezing her hands.

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma looks up at him, guilt clear on her face. "Because it never happened," she says quietly, in that firm 'this is the reality everyone must accept' sort of tone.

Alex Summers has posed:
    Alex cocks his head slightly, as he goes quiet for a moment, just considering Emma as think sthat over, obviously struggling between wanting to know more and knowing this is bothering Emma. "...look." he says finally, a bit more calmly. "I'm not going to tell anyone. It...if this hurts you, then...I want to help. But if I don't know what it means to you, I don't know...what to do."

Emma Frost has posed:
"It was my fault," Emma says, looking down at her feet. "I told you, my father is... determined. When he... decides to make an enemy of you, he will destroy you entirely."

Alex Summers has posed:
    "...your fault?" Alex says confusedly. "That you kissed him? Or your dad ordered you to?" He looks unsure what Emma means. "And I already knew that. He's an asshole, he'll act like an asshole."

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma is breathing faster, panicking a little. "Its..."

The mindscape changes.

Instead of by a pool in a suburban high school in the midwest, Emma and Alex are standing in the foyer of a old, prestigious boarding school in the northeast. A sweeping staircase leads up towards the dormitories. A grand piano is visible in a gathering room attached to the foyer, the doors wide open to it. Warm, reddish woods and panelling abound, with rich rugs, painted portraits on the walls, and other hints of quality. A simple, gilded sign hangs in the foyer: Massachusetts Academy Prepartory School for Young Men and Women.

Emma has returned to her school uniform, and Alex as well beside her, in black slacks, black loafers, a white collared button down, maroon tie and blazer. Emma closes her eyes, forcing herself to breath normally.

"My school," she says flatly after a few moments. She cocks her head, listening to distant clatter. "Its breakfast in the dining room. Just through there," she gestures to one of the closed doors on the lower floor, where they are standing.

Alex Summers has posed:
    Alex looks around, blinking, then back to Emma, before he walks over closer, behind her, then slides his arms around her from behind, just holding her quietly. "Shhh. Deep breath." he murmurs quietly after a moment, just holding her comfortingly. Just for a moment, before he nods, in acknowledgement as he lets Emma talk.

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma shrugs out of his grasp after a moment. "If anyone saw that--" she tsks, looking around paranoidly. She regards Alex for a moment. "...the best I can do is make everyone think you've always been here. Trust me. Transfers aren't really... a thing." She takes a deep breath. "Breakfast? ...It won't be pretty, but..."

Alex Summers has posed:
    Alex frowns, not so much at Emma pulling out of the hug, but her comment about breakfast not being pretty. "Alright. Lead on." he says after a moment, nodding.

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma leads the way into the dining room, which is large, somewhat open, with multiple tables... and that's about all it has in common with a regular school cafeteria. The tables are carved wood tables with actual dining chairs around them, each of the tables ranging from a table to seat six to seating ten. There are not trays, but actual plates and silverware. The students, ranging in age from around 12 or 13 to high school seniors, are all scattered around in various groups and cliques at various tables, dressed uniformly. Emma slips into the dining hall, obviously trying to be somewhat stealthy and not draw attention as she finds a table that is currently unoccupied to sit at. She had hoped for one at the edge of the dining room, but those were all claimed, so the smaller table she had laid claim to was closer to the middle. After Alex joins her, a staff member in an obvious uniform comes by and sits down a tray with hot tea, honey, milk, and similar fixings before bustling off to retrieve breakfast.

An older man in a professors garb walks by the table holding a bone China mug of coffee. He eyes Alex. "Mr. Summers. You will have that hair cut by breakfast tomorrow, or I will see you in my office to handle it for you." He doesn't even wait for a reply, expecting obedience as he moves on through the room and towards the door. Emma covers her mouth with a hand, giggling. "That's the Headmaster," she murmurs under her breath. "You are a bit... shaggy."

Alex Summers has posed:
    "Ah, the Dumbledore is an ass. Explains things.' Alex mutters, taking a seat with Emma as he idly runs his fingers through his hair. He glances around a bit warily, taking in all the cliques involved. "At least I didn't go with the mullet look." he murmurs.

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma giggles again. "That would have been awful," she agrees. Plates are placed in front of both of them quickly, each with the same breakfast: french toast, two over medium eggs, a couple of strips of bacon, well seasoned potatoes. "Thank you," Emma murmurs reflexively as the staff member walks away. "Must be a Friday," she muses as she idly pokes at her eggs.

"Emmmms." One of Emma's classmates drops herself in a chair at the table, having moved over from where she had been sitting with other girls only moments before. Those other girls all have the distinct looks of those who are pretending not to pay attention but doing a very poor job at it. The girl is pretty, with highlighted dark hair, no glasses, no braces. Actually, she may look slightly familiar to Alex.

"...hi, Adri. Morning." Emma forces a smile at her older sister.

"Don't slouch. and don't pick at your breakfast, I know mother taught us both better." The older Frost girl eyes her younger sister disdainfully. "You were late for breakfast. If you must be late, at least don't look like some ragged beast. How are we even related? Look at you. Did you even //try// to do something with that garbage heap you call hair?"

The girls at the other table titter. Emma just clenches her fork tightly.

"Don't even think it," hisses Adrienne in an undertone. "There is a hellscape with your name on it if you even try defying me, little sister."

Emma looks away, her eyes welling up a little. But she doesn't say anything.

Alex Summers has posed:
    Alex's eyes narrow as he focuses with laser-like intensity on the other girl. "So when you got your work done, did they forget to transfer the personality with it? Seems like an oversight." He considers. "Or maybe it's pills. Could be a laxative. Lotta shit coming out of your mouth right now." He makes a shoo gesture. "You've got all day to be a bitch, try not to use it all up in one go, hmm?"

Emma Frost has posed:
Adrienne glances at Alex for a moment, and the mindscape screeches to a halt. Emma frowns, looking around as everything is like it is on pause. "Huh." She peers at Adrienne, then at Alex. "...I think... since she isn't real, she can't do what I know she would have done to you for that." She wrinkles her nose. "Which is make you and everyone else in the room forget you said it. And probably made you throw up any time you heard soem trigger word for the rest of the day."

She sighs. "She... is like me. Only she got her powers first. And she is better at them." Emma gestures around. "I learned how to do this from her. Not because she taught me, but because she would bring me and Cordy into places of her own design to punish us if we embarrassed her." The implication is that happened more often than one might think. Emma frowns, and the mindscape... resets. Back to before Alex spoke, though nothing moves. "I don't think she can actually hurt me here..." Emma muses. "But she doesn't know that. Interesting."

Alex Summers has posed:
    Alex hmms. "Still, worth it." he says absently, leaning back in his chair. "And you know she can't hurt you here. You're not the girl you were when she did this shit. I wouldn't be suprised if you're her equal. Or better, at this point, in terms of power or skill. Hell, if you weren't, you could probalby learn something from the Professor that she doesn't even know about, for that matter."

Emma Frost has posed:
With a mental flick, the mindscape springs back to life. Though there is a slight glimmer of triumph in Emma's eyes as she replies to her sister, "I won't."

Adrienne eyes her sister warily. "Too easy. I will be by your room later. We will 'talk'. Clear?" She stands up, starting to move back to the other table. "And really, do something about that acne. Its embarrassing to look at your face."

Emma's eyes glitter with hatred as her sister departs. "...I told you it wasnt pretty," Emma mutters. "And maybe. I haven't really tried. We avoid each other. She's psychotic."

. A youngish professor, the one Alex had glimpsed earlier, walks by the table, stopping for a moment and resting his hand on Emma's shoulder. "Miss Frost. I meant to tell you that you had the highest score yesterday on the practice questions. Good job! Did you finish Leviathan?"

Emma perks up. "Almost, Professor Kendall. Did you need it back soon?"

He grins down at her. "No, but the sooner you finish it, the sooner we can discuss the implications the book has for leadership and social responsibility." He squeezes her shoulder. "You are my best student this year." His tone lowers a bit. "And don't let your sister and her friends get to you."

He gives Alex a half smile without any recognition and saunters towards the door.

Emma blushes a bit, suddenly very focused on her breakfast.

Alex Summers has posed:
    Alex mmms, smiling faintly. "Mmm. So he was the bright point at the school, I'm guessing." he said, watching the man walk away, as he starts to dig into his own breakfast as they talk. "Teacher who inspires you and all that....but just treated you like something special too, right?"

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma looks away, embarrassed. "Yeah. Something like that." She pokes at her own food, suddenly unwilling to eat anything. "Its really hard to keep secrets in a school like this," she says finally. "And harder when your sister can literally drag them out of your mind, however you've buried them."

Alex Summers has posed:
    "Yeah, I can see that." Alex says thoughfully. "So what I saw before....that was a fantasy? Something you wished happened?" He looks over at Emma curiously. "I thought it was some professor kissing you...which is just...." He trails off, then mmms. "He seems like a nice guy."

Emma Frost has posed:
"I.." Emma struggles for a moment. Lying to Alex would be the easier way. But she eventually sighs. "It wasn't a fantasy. It was a memory. Part of one at least." She glances at Alex. "...you were definitely my first in... several ways. But not all of them," she admits quietly.

Alex Summers has posed:
    Alex pauses at that, frowning slightly. "...ah." he says quietly. "So your professor...put the moves on you?" he says after a moment, not looking up from his food. Another little flex of anger in his mind at that part...not as much about the not being a first, though there's a faint tinge of jealousy, quickly overcome by reason.

Emma Frost has posed:
"Maybe. Maybe I made him. I don't know. I've looked back so many times... I was news to my power. It was probably my fault." Emma looks distraught. "Adrienne found out. She told Father, the administration... he lost his job. Father went after him. He lost his license to teach, was black balled from the industry completely. My second year of college, Adri took great glee in sending me the news article about... he... well. He stepped in front of a subway train." She shudders. "All because of me."

Alex Summers has posed:
    Alex mmphs. "No." he says after a moment. "Maybe you pushed him to kiss you. But the rest of that...don't hang sins that aren't yours on your neck. Your father did all that. It's because of him. Not you. Anymore than if he went after me like that, it wouldn't be your fault. But his choice." He pauses, twisting his lips. "...your sister is a fucking piece of work though, from the sound of it. I'm suprised he didn't put her in charge, unless she's too unstable."

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma flinches. "Yeah. Christian's too gay and Adri is too psychotic. Father can't rely on her. So. Me, I guess." She looks a bit ill. "He was a good person. Adri said... it was no real loss, because he was a nobody from nowhere, and that if he knew what I was he probably would have jumped in front of a train anyway." She shudders. "She hasn't finished her masters. She barely managed her bachelors. Her roommates," yes, that was plural, "kept killing themselves, so her college tenure was... awkward."

Alex Summers has posed:
    "...damn." is the first response, a bit disbelieving as he shakes his head. "That's fucked up." He reaches surreptitiously under the table to pat Emma's let quietly. "And I meant more she seemed as nasty as he is, not that she'd be better, hon." clarifies. "She sounds just....fucking evil, frankly." She shakes his head a bit, setting his silverware on his plate, apparently losing his appetite thinking about it. "Not as smart as you...or as lovely inside."

Emma Frost has posed:
"Evil is relative," Emma murmurs flatly. She shakes her head, and the mindscape disappears, leaving them both back in Emma's bedroom, her hand still tightly holding his under the blankets.

Alex Summers has posed:
"Degrees of it are. Some things are just wrong." Alex says, squeezing her hand comfortingly. "Or at least, that's my opinion on it." He sighs, then hugs her quietly. "Mmm, tell you what...maybe instead of the school, something more...peaceful? My room, growing up?"

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma nods slightly. "Another time," she promises. "I would love to see it." She snuggles against him as he hugs her. "I wish my older sister was like your brother. Scott seems kind of strict but at least he doesnt seem to be a monster." She gives Alex a small smile. "And now I //really// want that vacation. I'm going to set something up soon, I think."

Alex Summers has posed:
    "Heh....yeah. Scott's...there's two ways of doing things, the wrong way and his way." Alex notes wryly. "I've...I haven't talked to him as much as I should have. Yet. He's been busy and....I'm...not sure what to say to him exactly." he admits quietly, leaning over to plant a kiss on Emma's forehead. "I wish you could meet my foster sister too though. She's the only one of my foster family I give a damn about really."

Alex Summers has posed:
    "Maybe soon. We'll see....whenever Scott gets over being suspicious of everything." He shrugs slightly, then snuggles into Emma comfortably. "Let's just nap a bit for now, hmm? Early day tomorrow...I wanna get this damn paper in and done with so I don't have to worry about it being on my mind, hmm?"