| All Hail the Alma Mater |
| Summary: | Jean Grey returns to Xavier's to check on Linda, and instead runs into Headmistress Frost. Cold shoulder. Brrrr. |
| Date: | 2014-06-22 |
| Related: | Various |
| NPCs: | NA |
| Scene Runner: | NA |
| Social/Plot: | Social |
| Players: |
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When Marvel Girl arrives at the school, it is quiet but lively, as usual. As it was when Jean herself attended here. The various students about who knew Jean would recognize her and greet her warmly, happy to welcome her back. But questions about Ms. Frost would only inform her that they have not seen Ms. Frost all evening. She wasn't at dinner in the dining hall, and no one saw her outside of her office since very early in the afternoon. And, most interestingly of all, no telepathic greeting reached out to the psionic redhead upon her arrival. Neither Charles' nor Emma's minds seem to be 'paying attention' here at the school.
When Jean gets close enough to the office she knows is that of the Headmistress, she can feel Emma's presence, those impenetrable walls of will erected firmly. More firmly than usual, as there are no seams, no openings. No mental awareness outside of their perimeter. The door is closed. There are no signs indicating barred entry, but neither is the telepathic welcome mat being extended, either.
Jean Grey arches a brow, looking a bit surprised as she simply knocks on the door, keeping it mundane and not bothering to telepathically send out a greeting. She doesn't say anything, but isn't bothering to mentally conceal herself either as she waits patiently, having some questions and concerns about Supergirl and the school in general.
A familiar voice, cold and pointed, comes from beyond the door. "Whomever it is, unless it is an emergency, please be so kind as to go away. Leave a message, if you must." It would seem Ms. Frost is not lightly seeing or welcoming visitors. For a woman who so fervently and absolutely values propriety and proper etiquette, it is an unusual and almost unforgivable breach. It must mean something.
Jean blinks in surprise, having not quite heard /that/ tone from Emma… well, sure, cold and pointed, but not quite like this, especially with the walls up the way that they are, "Miss Frost, it's Jean Grey. I came here to see you."
Silence greets that introduction through the door. Even so, after a minute or two, the lock on the door audibly snaps open. Then the handle turns, and the door swings in, revealing the pale office Jean would remember all too well from her time here; the realm and domain of Emma Grace Frost, Headmistress and Jean's chief teacher in telepathic theory and practice. Said selfsame woman sits behind her gleaming glass and chrome desk, resplendent in her white attire. The door, it seems, opened on its own. Jean would recognize this as a hallmark of Emma in latter years: electronic devices activated or controlled with psionic energy. She may not be a telekinetic, but she seems to enjoy acting as though she is, in small ways. "Very well, Ms. Grey. Enter, if you will. Far be it for me to keep one of your recently august company waiting. T'would be rude in the extreme."
Jean Grey blinks a little, "August company? I didn't think being an intern was all that august, really." She smiles a bit wryly at Emma, stepping into her office, "Actually, I had come to see you, mainly to see how things were going here." A brow arches just a bit as she moves over to the other side of Emma's desk, regarding the Headmistress with a curious expression. "Normally you aren't quite so… sequestered."
Also on the desk is a wine glass. It is empty, but unusual for Emma to have alcohol in her office. That's something reserved for her quarters, in privacy. No sign of the bottle … on the desk. "I pay careful attention, Ms. Grey. I am keenly aware of just whom else you have been spending time, of late. Battling large lizards. Saving islands full of people. Battling various criminal elements. We do stay informed." Emma responds, still as cool and distant as ever. Maybe moreso. "Still, an alumna is always welcome here. How may we of Xavier's Academy be of assistance to you this eve, Ms. Grey?" Yeah. Definitely something going on there.
Jean Grey shakes her head, "Well, yes, the Justice League, I haven't exactly made that a secret, Miz Frost." She looks at Emma with a rather confused expression, "But last time I was here, you weren't one to hide in your office with a glass of wine while the world revolved around her, either." Okay, that kind of challenge will either shake off the funk or start a psychic throwdown. Bonus points for both.
Emma shakes her head slightly, eyeing Jean. "Ms. Grey, I am entitled to whatever degree of privacy I require, and it is most certainly not your place to judge my choice of timing." There's real snap and slice to the other woman's voice; she is not amused. "Now. You have returned to your alma mater for a reason, Ms. Grey. Perhaps you would be so kind as to enlighten me as to your reasons?" Emma begins to slowly, carefully open up a bit of the shimmering white tower of will surrounding her mind, edging out to sweep the school at last and check to make sure all is well. She still does not initiate telepathic contact, but she is at least not bottled up so tight that none could possibly be made.
Jean Grey looks at Emma, not seeming terribly amused herself, "Well, I actually was coming here to check on Linda, to make sure everything is okay. I did teach her for a little bit before I left for Gotham, after all. And no, it's not related to League business, this is personal." Her voice softens a little, as she looks evenly at Emma, not bothering with the tower erected as she just waits patiently for Emma to either clarify or shut her down.
Something in what Jean says actually elicits a visible facial response from Emma: the closest she has ever seen to an actual snarl from the Queen of Ice Cold herself. Ms. Rigid Control Incarnate looks both hurt, angry, and bitter, but as quickly as it appears, it is gone again. "Ms. Danvers is … fine. As well as she can be, under the circumstances. Better, in fact, than she has been recently." And yet Emma doesn't seem terribly inclined to explain right off what any of that means.
Jean Grey nods, "Well, yes, I heard about what happened." She looks at Emma, and even without telepathy, it's obvious that Jean wants to offer some measure of support… though she doesn't actually say it. She does, however ask, "Better than she has been?"
Headmistress Frost merely nods, and then gestures towards the two chairs in front of her desk. "Yes. Better than she has been." She does not clarify, but instead waits for Jean to take a seat like a civilized person, before she continues. "Ms. Danvers has been highly troubled since the discovery of the site and its contents. That became exacerbated when she started having troubling flashbacks, fragments of memory intruding into her conscious mind. We have … dealt with that. She now knows what happened, and how and why. She is much more at ease with herself, now." So apparently, the senior telepath in the room has been busy.
Jean Grey takes a chair, and looks over at Emma, "You can call me Jean, you know. There've been enough lessons here between yourself and Charles, after all." She nods, "I knew about the attack, but I hadn't heard about memory flashbacks."
"I could, it is true." Emma offers, nodding to the redhead as she takes a seat. She could indeed call Jean by her first name any time she might like. But she doesn't. To Emma, formality is a way of life. A way of control, and distance. And right now, she needs all of both of those she can get. "The 'incident' was unpleasant, and unearthed a great many things that Ms. Danvers has found very disturbing. She resisted dealing with all of that for as long as she could. But discovering that the location indicated had evidence of murders finally broke through her reserve. She was terrified that she was responsible for those deaths. And she demanded assistance to pierce the veil over her memories, to find and face whatever had happened to her. I assisted her in doing so. It was … not pleasant. Nor was it easy. But we were successful. And she has been exonerated by her memories, whatever the evidence may determine if brought to light."
Jean Grey nods, and looks relieved, "That's good to hear. I'm glad that she's in good hands here." And she sounds sincere about it. Why wouldn't she, this is where she was trained in the first place. "I'll probably see her while I'm here, if she's up for the company anyway. Fortunately living in New York now means that I'm pretty close."
"Of course she is in good hands here. That is what we're here for, after all." Emma admonishes, though she doesn't just verbally slice Jean open, which she could do. She's like that. "I am not sure quite how up for company she may be. I know she headed to the northern grounds after she left." Because that's where her girlfriend was, the last time Emma had gone peeking, before closing her mind's eye. "How is your internship progressing? I do hope you are taking the opportunity to learn a great deal. The Amazons have a great deal to offer, I am sure."
Jean Grey smiles, "Well, yes, it's quite interesting. I'm actually learning a bit of swordplay, Miss Frost. Though Diana and I are looking at using my telekinesis in a bit more, well, I think we're calling it wirefighting style kung fu." She chuckles faintly, "And I'll actually have an opportunity to visit the island itself soon."
The blonde of the pair inclines her head, acknowledging what Jean has said. "Given that you are at least as invested in the physical as the mental, I consider that a wise choice of study, given the available options, Ms. Grey." Which would be Emma's way of saying 'good for you'. "I imagine visiting the island would be a fascinating experience." One Emma doubts she would ever have a chance at, but she's OK with that. She has visited the Moon more than once, so that's fine with her. "Are you still considering seeking your teaching certification?" Emma inquires, in a moment of curiosity.
Jean Grey nods, "I do plan on that, eventually. I know I really did want to get my psychiatry doctorate, but with all the ties on my time, I think coming back as a faculty member would be a good idea." She smiles, "I haven't quite decided yet, but the certificate itself isn't going to be too much of a diversion, with my electives."
"Well, keep in mind, Ms. Grey, that you are young. Take your time. Explore all of your options in time. You don't have to get everything done, all at once." Emma offers, with a wry smile. "Which does not mean I encourage laziness or a lack of active motivation. But be reasonable with yourself. Find joy and relaxation as well. Be a well-balanced woman." Just like they taught at the school.
Jean Grey grins, "I remember our lessons Ms. Frost, very very well." She chuckles, "I do have a boyfriend, frighteningly enough. He's a meta as well, though his job tends to keep him off planet a fair amount of time."
Emma smirks wryly. "Well, congratulations, Ms. Grey, on your successful romantic activities." Yeah, she's not going to go there. No way. Not Emma. "But at least it does prove you are … how would Charles put it? 'Stopping to smell the roses?' Yes. That would be his choice of cliche."
Jean Grey laughs, "Well, considering how withdrawn I was when I first arrived…" She shrugs, "But yes, he's very nice. Exceptionally strong willed, which I do appreciate quite a bit." Less feedback/static for a telepath is always a good thing. "And it's… interesting, being part of the team."
Emma decides not to offer further commentary upon the redhead's dating life or feelings. That's not really any of her business, and she would prefer to keep it that way. "So, what else can I do to be of assistance to you this evening, Ms. Grey?"
Jean Grey just shakes her head, "Well, honestly… I just wanted to see how it was going here. I guess I was feeling a little homesick." She smiles and shrugs, "I didn't mean to be intruding too much on you, but I wanted to check in on Linda and make sure she was okay."
Emma nods. "Well, you are always welcome here, as I said. And you are free to check on Ms. Danvers as you see fit. I'm sure you can find her quite easily if you put your mind to it." Hooray for subtle telepath humor. "Thank you for stopping by. If you need to speak with me again, feel free to let me know. Otherwise, perhaps I will speak with you again the next time you return." But for now, Emma is going to show Jean out. She was trying to have some very private time, alone, earlier. She clearly wants to get back to that. "Do me the favor of not interrupting Ms. Danvers if she is alone with her someone special. I do not wish to summon more repair crews tonight."