6304/An Ant and a Witch meet the Witch.

An Ant and a Witch meet the Witch.
Date of Scene:	22 May 2021
Location:	The Centinel Hotel - Mutant Town
Synopsis:	Emma gets a new protege. (How long will this one last? Betting pools are open!) Hank gets a few mean shots in at Emma and gets return volleys lobbed his way. Ain't love grand?
Cast of Characters:	Emma Frost, Nico Minoru, Hank Pym

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Emma Frost has posed:
Emma works fast once she makes up her mind. Only two days after her media blitz, the Centinel Hotel is once again under construction, being modified into a social centre, with half the floors that were once the hotel now being repurposed for a business centre, a community centre, a youth employment office, even a few classrooms for a planned adult education centre. Half of its lobby is pristine hotel while the other half is the barely reined-in chaos typical of construction sites.

And standing astride order and chaos is Emma Frost, one foot in the lobby, the other in the construction zone, resplendent in her unique take on business garb (a take that includes thigh-high white patent leather spike-heeled boots).

By appearances she is livid. (A common situation.) She is shouting into a phone to someone about quality levels and billing scams. Oh, and detailed discussions of ancestry and her conversational partner's mother's incestuous relationship with the family dog.

Nico Minoru has posed:
Nico's been keeping a low profile, as one does when you're not sure whether or not you're being hunted by the remnants of an eldritch cult your parents belonged to. It's been awhile, but cults have a habit of springing back at the worst times.

And while her own style can be as eyecatching as Miss Frost's, today she's gone for a more downbeat 'Goth teen hit by a thrift store clothing rack' look. Dark hair is tied back in a tight bun held snug by an elastic and a pair of crossed pencils, dark-lined eyes framed by a thin pair of oval-lensed wireframe glasses, her slim frame filling out a black ribbed turtleneck, sleeves interrupted at the right forearm by a jangling mass of silver bracelets, drawing the eye from her unadorned left arm, though her exposed hand provides all the metal it could need, the bracelets an effort to draw attention away. She wears a long dark skirt, not quite ankle length, it lets a few of the buckles of her thick-soled boots gleam in the open light.

If anyone's really paying attention, they might notice the young woman floats effortlessly over the various tricky spots to navigate that construction brings, rather than risking actually stepping on wooden planks over wet concrete.

And as she arrives at Ms. Frost, eyebrows lift slightly at the invective spewing forth, lips quirking a little. She waits for a break in the deluge of verbal abuse before chiming in, "My my. I think I saw that story on a tabloid cover. I just thought someone came up with a hilarious pun for a headline and decided to see if they could get it past the editor."

Once she's got Emma's attention, Nico's back stiffens and straightens a little. She can do this, she's faced down strange eldritch beings. She's met Amora the Enchantress. Taking on an Asgardian magician? That's totally a good level of prep for facing the undisputed Queen of the Blondes.

Hank Pym has posed:
Hank Pym is resplendent in his new Fire Ant armor. Wings and everything. He walks with Baudelaire, a dog sized ant at his side. Hank has a multicolored slushie in one hand and a bag from Angelo's Pizzeria in the other. Bo eyes both, antennae twitching. This being Brooklyn not to mention Bushwick, the ant doesn't cause much of a stir. Hank brought bigger ants to aid in crowd control during the enlargement and help out the police. There was even talk of a Myrmidon Mounted Patrol.

The scientist notes Emma Frost several shades redder than normal or healthy. He gets an earful about someone's mother and dog. Then he decides on a little random malevolence to aid his digestion.

"Talking to the Pope again, Ms. Frost?"

Emma Frost has posed:
Upon being addressed, Emma just snaps her phone shut.

It's not a flip phone.

Time to get a replacement.

Then, like a light switch, the anger is gone and a professionally neutral expression is on her face as she looks over Nico. Cold blue eyes rake over the girl's form assessingly, then dismissively as they lock instead on the girl's eyes, feeling for all the world like she was boring holes through Nico's eyes to see to the back of her head.

Which wasn't far from the truth.

Maybe Amora is a walk in the park compared to the Hell that's about to come from this woman...

Emma opens her mouth to speak only to snap it shut again as Hank comes in all red and black and ant-assisted. She pinches the bridge of her nose and mutters something about 'trials' and 'God' being a 'pig' in fluent Portuguese profanity.

The switch flips again and it's effusive, warm, friendly Emma.

This is the Emma many people see moments before they relive their worst nightmares. For hours. Without respite.

"Hank, how NICE to see you!" Emma holds up a finger Nico's way as she talks. "What brings you to the ghetto? Did you miss me that much that you stalked me all the way here?"

The relaxed smile with the eyes close to murder turn on Nico again. "I'm sorry, do I know you?"

Nico Minoru has posed:
Nico's preparing her mind, steeling herself, drawing her resolve tight. If she could focus enough to think on it she'd realize she's preparing herself like she's about to throw down in some real end of the world magic duel shit.

But then, as her resolve is crystalized, as she feels it crystalized, solid, but secretly so much more brittle than diamond... there is a reprieve.

She doesn't argue a -bit- when Emma's focus shifts to the arriving Hank. And his ants.

Well, this is New York. She supposes it's one of the contrasts with Gotham, their costumed folks are more likely to kill you, but they don't show up so freely and frequently.

And then she's back in the crosshairs, her eyes widening slightly, "I.. ah... no! We haven't met. I was..." She frowns thoughtfully and gestures up to the ceiling, "Staying here. Before the remodeling kicked in. And I haven't been getting anywhere with finding out how exactly this is supposed to help the disadvantaged when it's kicking one of us out on our ass."

Arms cross and those dark eyes narrow ever so slightly. It's game time.

"So when I saw you were visiting, I figured I'd cut through the bullshit and ask you directly. Plus your foundation's automated phone system blows goats."

Hank Pym has posed:
Worst nightmares? Pfft. Try living with bipolar disorder before you sic your declawed and toothless feeble excuses for nightmares on Hank.

Hank looks over at the young lady. Hmmm looks like a Nick Drag fan. He smiles at her. A sad knowing, sympathetic smile. Then back to Emma. He knew her of curse from his marriage to Janet van Dyne, a woman cut from much the same cloth... only left in the dryer too long. He met Emma a number of times at the Hellfire Club in between exhortations to put down that goddam book and at least try to be sociable. "What if I'm not into enacting the Kama Sutra set to Cradle of Filth or doing blow and riding a donkey naked or what have you?" he'd say. As for Emma he mostly knew of her and saw her interactions with some others and assessed her as a woman who could cause snakes t jump on chairs by breezing into a room. His own opinion of her was kept to himself and quite dangerous.

He liked her.

Hank leans in and quickly gives her the ambiguous but acceptable phony assed peck on the cheek. He whispers, "Careful with those heels, you'll get a nosebleed... especially as your nose is already high in the air by default," in her dainty shell-like ear. In his normal voice he adds, "Where's the head? This Suicide is going right through me. Baudelaire, stay. No biteys. You might contract something."

Emma Frost has posed:
"The hotel renovation will have displaced people, yes," Emma says with courtesy that would be taken as a warning sign with anybody who knew her. "Part of the reason that I've expanded operations into a full outreach is precisely because I realized this. Just having a hotel bringing in money doesn't elevate a neighbourhood. It brings money to a small part of it and makes disparity even harder: raising prices without equal raises in incomes."

She tilts her head and evaluates the girl once again.

"I'm sorry you were inconvenienced. The new youth shelter that is part of the new complex will help ameliorate this, naturally, but that's in the longer term. At least two months at the rate construction is currently going, assuming all goes to plan. If this is causing you tremendous difficulty, I can bring in one of the social workers to help find you temporary accommodation until the youth shelter opens."

Yes, she's doing this long monologue before telling Hank where the bathrooms are. And when she turns her head his way, the playful malice in her eyes suggests this is intentional.

"The toilets are down the hall here--watch for the poured cement--and lined up against the far wall of what used to be the kitchen. You can't miss them. They're tall and blue."

Nico Minoru has posed:
Nico gets through Emma's -entire- speech before she snorts out and gestures vaguely, "Oh come on, if everything goes according to plan? You can't ride the subway in this city without some lunatic with a laser gun or half a Doombot causing delays in the red line's schedule. I'm betting by next week, there'll have been some sort of anti-Mutant assault on the building, or a space portal will open up, or or.... or... something!"

She pinches the bridge of her nose and sighs, "And please, I've had enough social workers that if I gathered up all the files I could just build a house out of them. It'd be a really crappy house because it was made out of paper, I admit that."

Slender eyebrows lift, arms cross over her chest, "And come on, really? You expect me to just buy that suddenly you've realized trickle down economics are a big lie?"

She glowers and huffs, "I mean, you're saying all the right things, but c'mon, I am... not buying this. No one's going to buy this."

Yeah, Nico's got a bit of a chip on her shoulder, and having a sensible, straightforward answer in front of her? Well, that's just the -worst-! Of course she's going to lash out against it.

Hank at least gets a brief look of sympathy, though his ant gets more of a careful, slow eying. Seriously, what is it with this city? How has anyone from New York ever called Los Angeles silly with a straight face?

Hank Pym has posed:
Hank Pym hurries off handing his bag and slushie to the ant who gladly if neatly consumes them, containers and all. e makes a move suspiciously like an up nod to Nico then waits immobile.

Hank finds the restrooms after ignoring what Emma said and seeking directions from a few helpful ants. On his way back he /does/ spy the wet cement. He grabs a nail, gives the classic sideways look and writes, 'For a good time, call Emma!" in a heart then adds the number for the Avengers' front desk. He smooths it over and writes the number for Janet van Dyne's desk. He gives his heels a quick check, no toilet paper. Good. Then he saunters back feeling good about himself.

Emma Frost has posed:
While Hank goes off to do his waste disposal Emma looks at Rico, professionally neutral mask riveted in place to prevent any and all leakage from beneath. "Tell me," she says, genuine interest in her voice. "Does that actually work for you?"

Beat.

"The whole 'angry at everything in the world' routine, I mean? You're what? 19? 20? Has this advanced you in the world in the slightest? I'm genuinely interested. I may choose to use it for my own business dealings if you think it will help."

She snorts, then, and reaches out a hand where one of the hotel staff passing buy hands her a glass of red wine. Sipping it as she regards the girl, she continues, her lipstick staining the glass which she rotates by its stem as she speaks.

"Now, you see, though I'm only five years or so your superior in age, I would be asking questions like 'Why is this wealthy woman interested in Mutant Town?' Perhaps additional questions like 'What link does this woman have to this community?' So I'll ask you those very questions. Why is it, you think, this woman, formerly of Xavier's School, is interested in Mutant Town and its residents? Think it through before answering."

Hank's return is heralded by one of the hotel staffers walking up to him with two bottles of beer, pressing them into his hands before walking off.

"Did you find them alright, Hank?" she asks innocently. "I don't use public toilets so I may have been off a bit."

Nico Minoru has posed:
Nico bites down on her lower lip, and even with that pristine, pale goth makeup, she's pretty sure she's glowing like Rudolph's nose as Emma Frost picks her apart. "It's... hey, you don't -know- me."

Irony? What's irony?

"Yeah yeah, you're not that much older than me, and you finished high school and have the best education money can buy, and you're totally part of Xavier's school for mutants, and trying to help out in mutant town because..."

And therrrrre it is, that light of understanding in her eyes, widening, Nico's mouth falling open as she darts her eyes around wildly for a moment, "Okaaaay... fine, I think I kind of see your point."

And as Emma takes her drink, Nico's eyebrows lift, "Wait, you drink red wine? I kinda thought the whole white colour scheme was like.. I dunno, a -serious- thing for you, no quarter and all."

Nico's shoulders slump a little and she points a single finger, "Okay, maybe I let myself get a little worked up for no reason. But hey, this angry at the world thing's saved my life a few times. And... like... hey, maybe I'll see if I can help out somehow. Fine. I guess."

Hank Pym has posed:
Hank Pym nods and smiles. The remark of being five years the elder had hm biting his lip."I found the restroom easily enough. It was right through the door that said E. Frost on the door. Uhm, seriously I appreciate the beer but I don't drink anymore." He lets the idea of not drinking rock the blonde's Merlot drenched world and sets the bottles down. Not wanting to end this exchange with a very human statement, he continues, "I've missed you, Emma. Dodging barbs helped me keep my svelte figure. But I have to get the ant home. Stop in sometime when I'm at work and... good luck with all this."

Emma Frost has posed:
"Haven't been dodging many recently then, have we?" Emma says to Hank with joyful, playful malice. "We'll get right to work on that. Thank you for coming by and making everybody's day more surreal."

Phony air-kiss to each cheek paired with a murmur.

"I'll gladly drop by. It's time for me to socialize outside of that damnable school again."

"And Hank," she says, looking more honest now, "you're looking good. Alimony suits you."

Then her attention falls back on the stewing, embarrassed, tomato-red Nico.

"Your first lesson as my protege, then: learn to listen and observe before talking. You have the right attitude toward life: combative. But you haven't learned how to approach it tactically. Your lessons start tomorrow. Frost Towers, executive suite. Dress ..."

She frowns.

"... Not like that. I don't need Wednesday Adams following me around. And you probably don't want me dressing you."

No. She really doesn't.

"If you need an allowance for clothing, the concierge has just been instructed to assist you financially. See you then."

Emma turns, then, and heads off to her car, setting down the emptied glass at the aforementioned concierge's desk. (The one she hadn't spoken to nor even looked at.) Only moments later the powerful engine sends the Bentley off down the road like a jackrabbit being chased by a lynx.

Nico Minoru has posed:
Nico's eyes go somehow wider, and her cheeks go from blushing to ghostly pale. She clearly wasn't expecting a job, let alone a protege position! This is going to take... okay, most of the rest of the day to adjust to.

But her eyes flash and she tilts her head slightly, lips quirking in a thin smirk, "Hey... I was coming down to a -construction site in NYC-. I just didn't want to deal with the catcalls. Some of us haven't got armies of lawyers to get out of the charges we cause with our reactions."

She blinks as Emma breezes off, looking over to Hank, eying those beers he'd been handed. "...Are you going to drink both of those? I think I need a drink."

Nico's got studying to do when she gets 'home'. She definitely needs to figure out a spell phrase she hasn't used to get herself a real fine outfit. ...Because she probably doesn't want Emma dressing her. Although life's no fun without risks. Yep. This is going to take a lot of thinking to decide on.