Owner	Pose
Emma Frost	Lunchtime at the Alehouse, in between teleconferences. Emma Frost hates teleconferences, because distance makes her abilities falter. Hard to keep a read on... or a mind whammy... on someone across the country from you as opposed to across the table. She's taken a long lunch, a somewhat liquid lunch as she's on her second beer. And a very, very bad lunch she will have to spend an hour in the gym at least later to work off: fried pickles with spicy ranch, deep friend jalepeno mac and cheese bites, a plate piled high with nachos, and aracini balls with a creamy sauce that she did NOT want to know how many calories were in it. Bar food takes the edge off stress, and this failing acquisition was certainly stressful. She didn't want to bring the board in... because then the assets would have to be split between whichever company gave her the edge in the hostile takeover of Caermon Pharmacuticals... but at the moment, it was tempting. Maybe she would just have to insist on doing the rest of this face to face. She wasn't hard to find, for those who were looking. The staff all knew who she is, obviously, and are used to guests asking to see the youngest and most accessible member of the Hellfire board for one reason or another. She hadn't asked not to be disturbed. Maybe she should have. But she sits at one of the Alehouse's nicer booths, drinking her beer, eating her glorious caloric bomb of a lunch, and generally being somewhat aggravated at life in general.
Jean Grey	Jean had made it a point to scope out the Hellfire Club, since their name kept coming up... and Emma Frost in particular. Doing a bit of research was easy enough, so she could put a face to the name. And well, Alex's interest was definitely understandable. So Jean walked into the Alehouse, red hair loose and free, as she's going with a light green silk blouse and black business slacks, a decidedly professional look with a matching scarf. Her eyes glance around the Alehouse until she spots Emma, and then she makes her way gracefully to her booth, giving her a friendly smile, "Now that looks like a stress lunch if I've ever seen one." A bit of empathy there, as... well, she's a bit shorter than Emma, but similar enough in build to relate to the woes of unrealistic expectations.
Emma Frost	Emma glances up, reflexively doing a surface scan on the redhead who approached her. Nothing. Huh. Nice shields. Emma's in a well-tailored business suit, all white... from the blouse to the pants, jacket, and gloriously hot high heels hidden under the table. Her hair is pulled up and back in a messy-just-so bun, makeup tastefully yet perfectly done. "Quite." She tilts her head. "You're from that place upstate," she notes dryly. There's no other reason for another mutant telepath to randomly approach her in the middle of the day. And she knew Lorna had been thinking of reporting her existance to that... whatever it was. Allegedly a school. "Have a seat. Order a beer. On me," the blonde gestures across the booth.
Jean Grey	Jean grins, "Yes, I am... thanks for the delivery, by the way." She takes a seat, chuckling a bit dryly as she looks over the menu, then orders a chocolate stout. Leaning back in the booth as she waits for the beer to arrive, Jean doesn't bother with any mental probing since... well, why start things off on the wrong foot? Besides, she's been briefed by Lorna. Jean does, however, continue that friendly smile, "Jean Grey. I'm one of the teachers up there. Old friend of Lorna's... and well, Alex is a friend of a friend." Which explains why she's here. At least part of it...
Emma Frost	"Mm. Is this about Alex staying at my place last night?" Emma looks defensive. "He's a big boy, and I'm not going to let anything happen to him, if that's what you're wondering." Ooh, yeah, she's... touchy about that one. She lets out a long sigh, taking a long swallow of her beer. "Sorry. Emma Frost, CEO of Frost International, board member for the Hellfire Club." A mild tinge of jealousy wells up-- she's a teacher? Lucky. Emma would rather be doing that than fighting with middle aged men over stock buybacks and intellectual property. "Well, Lorna is good people. So a friend of hers can't be too terrible." That latter is at least delivered with a touch of humor.
Jean Grey	Jean laughs a bit, but keeps her voice low enough not to carry past the booth, "Well, thanks, and no, Alex is a grown man, what he's doing is his own business. I definitely can't fault his taste." She gives Emma a wry grin, "But, well, if you know a bit about us, and I think you do... you'd understand why we'd be a little concerned." And she says it politely enough, taking a swallow of her stout when it arrives, smiling in appreciation. "Miss Frost, or Emma, if I may call you that. This isn't meant to be anything other than just meeting face to face, so that we don't have any... misunderstandings." She smiles warmly at Emma, "If Alex is happy and you're happy, that's great. I'm glad for both of you. And Lorna getting the offer of help... well, obviously Genosha needs whatever can be offered. I just wanted to come by and learn more about the Club, and you in particular." She chuckles, "I can be devious... but I think, telepath to telepath, honesty would be best, no?"
Emma Frost	"Of course," Emma replies with a half shrug. "I can... appreciate the concern. If certain things about me were public knowledge, I couldn't do my job," she says bluntly. "You know the stigma, and it's worse with... certain abilities." She leans back. "The club is the club. It's a social place. The original was founded centuries ago in London; the older Mr. Shaw simply saw a need to build a subsidiary here before his death. Now his son owns the building and hosts our playground. Four bars, two nightclubs-- one of which can and is frequently used to host large events, conference rooms, two restuarants, and a VIP lounge... everything one would or could want for entertainment in a single building. Full disclosure: we also have several private apartments on the premises, including my own." She takes another drink. "As for my offer of help to Genosha... well, Jean? If I may? Knowing what you know about what we are, how could I do anything else? Think of it as a small down payment on a possible backup escape plan, should things here in the United States... well, should Pro-Humana get their wish." Her tone is cool, but straight forward. Yes, there's an ulterior motive. But it's probably not what folks may have been thinking beforehand.
Jean Grey	Jean smiles a little, "Trust me, what we're able to do... yes, I wouldn't want things to be public either. It's why the school keeps a low profile." She nods a bit, "And well, I do know a few people that mentioned the Hellfire Club and being members, though I'm not one myself. Teaching doesn't exactly pay enough, and my family isn't anywhere close to rich enough to have a legacy membership." She chuckles, "Still, it sounds like a very impressive facility here." She tilts her head, nursing her stout, "And yes, the offer to help Genosha is appreciated. Considering Lorna's... status, I'm sure when she comes to visit here, and I'm sure she will, I'll probably be along as her 'and one'." A chuckle, "Not that anything should be read into that beyond she's one of my oldest friends, and someone that I cherish greatly." No, not dating the Queen of Genosha at the moment.
Emma Frost	"I look forward to seeing you around, then," Emma nods. "And I'm not surprised you've heard of us... several of your students are Legacies, after all," she points out. Jean may not have been aware of that fact. "Our club has long held discretion as one of its fundemental tenats, so there are many of our kind throughout it. Some openly, many not. It's a hard world for us, sometimes." She crunches on a chip. "And because discretion is something I understand, you don't have to worry about me causing any issue that would out your campus. If for nothing else than I wouldn't want to see any of the kids hurt. Alex..." she shakes her head. "Well, he hasn't told me in so many words, but he seems impressed and gratified that you provide a safe haven for them. I wish I had had that growing up, myself, to be fair." She takes another drink and then gives her a blithe look. "Though mental shielding should be possibly one of the //first// things you teach your newcomers. Just a thought. He's an open book. Any half-trained teep would be able to just eat him for lunch." And Emma isn't half-trained.
Jean Grey	Jean nods, "Yes, he's a... recent arrival, and with everything going on, I haven't had a chance to give him as much training in //that// as I'd like. I'll make sure to fix that." She smiles at Emma, "And yes, I was lucky. My powers manifested when I was ten... and, well, I was nearly catatonic for a while. Fortunately, I had a lot of therapy and learned to harness my abilities." She gives Emma a warm look, "I'm sorry that you didn't have that, but I'm glad you understand how important it is." It doesn't take a telepath to see that she does look rather relieved at Emma's words.
Emma Frost	"Of course." Emma frowns, thinking of Alex. Not that thinking of Alex isn't usually a pleasant thought, but... "I hope that him seeing me won't cause him any problems with your people. I know he's worried about his powers, especially... being untrained and uncontrolled. I think he fears hurting someone." She gives a wry look. "Though sometimes that's unavoidable. I'd rather him not lose a place he can be safe and help learn control." She shakes her head. "Consider my surprise yesterday as a peace offering. I have no quarrel with you or your people. No reason to, honestly." For now is left unspoken.
Jean Grey	You don't need to be a telepath to catch that unspoken bit, as Jean nods, "Perfectly understandable. And well, his brother is..." She smiles a bit, "A dear, but also very... protective. For good reason, I might add, but yes, that's the main reason why I wanted to come down. Just to make sure that we're all on the same page. And well... perhaps we should arrange for someone to be here more often, just as a... liaison, if you will?" She tosses the idea out there, curious to see Emma's reaction to that.
Emma Frost	"Any of your people are welcome here at the club anytime," Emma assures her. "Though some of the younger children won't have access to several of the areas... age, you know." She gives a half smile, amused. "Maybe his brother should come meet me. He can see I don't bite." She shrugs again. "Well, unless you're something I'm trying to acquire for the business. I can be ruthless when I must. But here? This is where I relax." There. Business out of the way. "So what do you teach?" Emma asks, curiously.
Jean Grey	Jean smiles, "Right now, I'm teaching science for the younger students, but the older ones I'm teaching ethics courses." She nods, "It's a good practice for me too, with my talents... plus, well, I'm already pretty busy with working on my psychiatric degree, so." A wry smile, "Frankly, I'm sometimes amazed I have any free time at all. And I'm sure Scott would like the chance to meet you." She sips from her beer, "It definitely is a very nice place, at least from what I've seen so far."
Emma Frost	Emma laughs lightly at that. "Oh, belive me, I understand feeling like there's not an minute of free time. I'd offer a tour, but I'll need to get back to my office sooner than we'd be able to go through it, and unfortunately I have a couple of meetings I cannot reschedule." She stifles the urge to rub her temples. "I've considering going back for my doctorate myself, but again... just no time. I may have to content myself with my masters."
Jean Grey	Jean grins, "I understand that, and I'm glad I had the free time to meet you. Here." She pulls a business card from her purse, sliding it over, "My personal number. If you ever want to talk... even if it is just to vent about the Summers..." She chuckles, "It's nice to have someone who actually understands that, and I'm glad we were able to talk this through."
Emma Frost	Emma does the same, pulling her own business card and offering it to Jean. "I am too. Things could have gone much worse, I think, had hotter heads gotten involved."
Jean Grey	Jean laughs, "Definitely, so of course they need us to hash things out." She winks at Emma, then finishes her beer, "Thanks for the drink, and well... I'm serious, if you ever need to talk with someone, feel free to give me a call." She smiles warmly, "After all, no one really gets being a telepath, like a telepath."
Emma Frost	Emma stifles a wince at that. Her experiences with 'getting' other telepaths involve her sisters. And let's just say there's nothing pleasant about that sort of thing, considering. But she replies, "That's true. You're welcome for the beer, and thank you for the conversation. Unfortunately... work calls." She finishes her own beer and stands. "Another time?"
Jean Grey	Jean rises and offers her hand towards Emma, "Looking forward to it, Emma." She senses the wince, but doesn't probe about it, though her eyes reflect a bit of concern, "Particularly if you have more of that stout handy." Changing the subject, well... and it was a very nice stout, too.
Emma Frost	"If you liked that one, there's a cream stout you'll have to try next time!" Emma grins. She shakes Jean's hand. "I'll text you." And with that, she moves off towards the door... and more work.