AN: Anyone ever get that "I want to write this scene but X comes before it and I can't have anything trip up" feeling?
1
Rogue cast a glance at X-23, the girl was the spitting image of 'watching their six'. She nearly shook her head as she entered the coffee shop with Toad in tow. And then she picked up on how absolutely everyone was trying their best not to stare in one direction.
And then it struck her. She only saw the woman's back, sitting next to the window (how in the world did she not notice such beauty in the window walking up the cafe?). The gleaming blond hair rested over a tantalizingly tailored and assuredly, teasingly promised not see-through blouse that could have hidden any manner of alluring and tasteful lingerie (what if she was brazen enough to wear a velvet corset!). And them child-bearing hips temptingly hidden by the chair. As Todd bumped into Rogue as she slowed down to take in the absolute vixen they were here to meet, she couldn't help but contemplate what it must be like to touch someone like her at least once in her life.
Rogue slowly stepped inside allowing her two followers to bask in this woman's radiance. Wait, her boyfriend was meeting this woman. Exactly as the possible jealousy was forming the woman turned and showed her the friendliest crystal clear blue eyes she had ever seen in her life, even when Bobby was taking on his ice form. How could she not trust her? Rogue smiled to the other two teens who both smiled back.
Maybe this deal with Toad wasn't as sketchy as they had initially believed.
The menagarie made there way over to Miss Frost's table where they finally noticed the other girl...woman sitting there. She looked out the window like she was trying not to give away an inside joke. She wasn't wearing the pristine white only outfit Ms. Frost was, but did have a near bandolier of pockets slung across her.
Todd spoke first. "Uh, hi. Miss Frost.", he nodded nervously.
"It's nice to see you again, Mr. Tolensky.", the hot babe nodded professionally. "And can you introduce me to your friends?"
"We're his girl friends.", X-23 state possessively. Instead of leaning toward Todd to mark territory, X-23 leaned forward as if ready to make the statement more than clear.
Rogue cleared her throat. "That's Laura. Just about e'eryone calls me Rogue."
Miss Frost smiled a smile that could warm a winters day. "Then I will as well, shug. Please - sit down."
Rogue, Todd, and X-23 cheerfully sat. Then Rogue remembered. "And who is she?", she asked, pointing at the girl with no where near the striking figure that Emma Frost cut.
"I'm Marie-Ange Colbert.", the girl informed and held out a hand to shake. "I'm here as a notary for Todd's contract."
The three tentatively took the hand in turn and gave it a small shake. The girl looked to the older woman, and the others did as well. "Marie-Ange is one of my little hellions." The three felt that they could probably instantly trust the girl. Todd wondered why that was.
"Now I have what we're calling a scholarship contract with me.", Emma Frost continued. She brought out a stack of paper from a brief case and set it before Todd. "We have plenty of time, so please read through it and ask me any questions you like, Mr. Tolensky.
"It's really supportive of you to come here with your boyfriend.", she told the other two. And it was, wasn't it?
Rogue remembered something. "Oh, yeah. There was something I was going to bring up."
Miss Frost focused on her. While Todd was reading the papers, X-23 and Rogue brought their attention to Miss Frost. Even X-23's senses did not notice Colbert opening one of the pockets on her bandolier.
Rogue shook her head. "Yes. It was...um, right. Todd's head seemed to be messed with after meeting you."
"How so, dear?", the woman asked as she looked directly at Rogue.
Rogue thought a moment. She had this all prepared in her head and now she felt it was just muddled. "Well, first of all, most of what he remembered was how much of a bombshell you are."
Miss Frost held a hand to her collar bone. "Well, I will try to take that as a compliment. And I was once in highschool myself. Let me assure you, for all Mr. Tolensky's attributes he is a bit too young for me."
X-23 looked Emma Frost up and down with her senses. "No, he's not.", she declared after she could not remember detecting a single sign of age from looking her over. "You're not even..." How old was this woman exactly. She's obviously an adult. But she could pass for... X-23 grew introspective.
"Well another question we have is why?", Rogue continued. "Why offer this type of deal to Todd?"
The woman shrugged. "Simple. He's going to make me a lot of money in the coming years. I have no problem investing the relative amount in what he's going to earn for me."
"So he's gotta work it off. For how long?", Rogue asked. Todd looked up and slid over the page he was on. Rogue looked down and was about to say something when Todd replied. "But it's in exchange for stipend now, a free ride through all the college that they can cram in here, and a guaranteed job of being a big boss man, yo."
Rogue sat back. She folded her arms. "That's actually, surprisingly fair."
"Is there anything else making you uncomfortable?", Miss Frost asked. "I wish you'd let me address it directly."
Rogue nodded. The model of beauty was right, she should give her the chance.
"You're a bit psionic aren't you?", Miss Frost asked.
X-23 pointed at her in self justification and Rogue waved her down. "Yes. I'm X-gene positive."
"Maybe you're just noticing Marie-Ange? She's one of you.", Miss Frost offered. "You don't mind my telling, do you dear."
"It's perfectly fine, Miss Frost.", the girl said with respect. "But I assure you, this contract may be a bit...opportunistic but she does follow through.
"I can read cards. So along with being a notary now while I'm interning, I'm studying world markets and global equity trading. After my education, I'll be joining Miss Frost's firm full time. I don't know if my power turns off."
"Huh.", Rogue accepted. "My mama's prophetic too." She looked across Todd to X-23. And Rogue was being forced to accept the label of psionic again when X-23's simple shrug communicated an entire 'It makes sense to me.' sentiment.
Todd lifted his head. "Yeah, yo. I mean, yes, Miss Frost. I agree to all of it. But your signature isn't on any of it."
Colbert spoke up. "As notary, I have to witness all of the signings in order to notarize it. For the four copies there, Miss Frost will take two - one for her company's archives and one for an off-site secure location. The other two are for you to store however you see fit."
The woman slid the sheets over to herself and started signing. Todd signed each of the individual copies immediately afterwards.
"You need to get back home and do some resting and or studying, young man. You have promises to keep.", Miss Frost told Todd.
The boy and his girl-friends nodded. Todd thanked Miss Frost again before he and his girlfriends left the cafe.
"Here.", he said holding out one of the contracts.
Rogue looked at the papers. "Todd...that's your future. You need to store it in a safe place."
"Like my house?", the boy asked sarcastically. "I can't think of any place more safe than with you."
X-23 stared at the paper. "I'd do a lot for you. If someone hurt you I would hunt them down. But Rogue's right. I know I would defend this for you. But you shouldn't put this in the hands of two girls you might get bored of, or scared of, or realize what they really are."
"I'm doing this for you. To be with you.", Todd countered. "X-23 is going to be the head of S.H.I.E.L.D. when she grows up. Rogue's going to be like Secretary of State. And if they don't let mutants take those jobs, you're going to be big time civil rights activists, yo. What am I going to be? I'm a loser. This is my ticket to become a man you can still be with. I can't afford to be that bum you wasted your highschool time on and couch surf or hit the streets or rot away as the last one in the boarding house. When some reporter digs up that you dated me, I won't let it ruin your lives."
X-23 nearly snatched one of the contracts from him. She rushed into his arms and smelled him, filling her lungs so much that she smelled him on the exhale. She looked into his eyes, hesitated, took confidence from the fact that Rogue was there and kissed him deeply. She curled back at the taste of him. Rogue ran her gloved hand over his arm. As soon as he licked over his lips, the other girl was kissing him just as fiercely.
"We'll keep it safe, shug.", Rogue promised. "We'll figure something out."
Back in the cafe, instead of everyone sneaking peaks at her it was as if a Notice-Me-Not spell had dropped around Miss Frost's table. "I still can't believe you're getting away with this kind of stuff in his town.", Marie-Ange stated.
Miss Frost scoffed. "There is a large difference between raw power and actual aptitude. Sure, sometimes you can feel Charles Xavier's mind wash over the planet as if he's looking for a needle in a haystack. But does a man that adopts troubled children out of the goodness of his heart use it all the time.?"
One of the staff walked up to their table. The girl behind the counter looked mortified but that didn't stop this man. "I heard what you told the other muties, about being one yourself. You...are probably thirsty after being here for so long."
"Yes, thank you for noticing.", Emma told him. She handed him a ten dollar bill. "Please bring two coffees, black. And keep the change."
Turning her attention back to Colbert, the woman continued. "I, on the otherhand, practice on real people everyday. Not everything is an arm wrestling match if you know Systema or Chin-Na.
"And that boy is going to make me a lot of money just by himself. When he figures out how to make pheromones, if anything is happening in Charles' mansion or his own boarding house that's worthy anything, it'll come my way. You know, due to that academy and Magnus' relationship with Charles that this town has the highest concentration of superpowers per capita on Earth? And since I'm the only one who can mine it properly, Sebastian and Selena will have to concede control from their black side of the board to my white."
Marie-Ange got one of those looks on her face again. "It's times like this that I wonder how much you're really using us."
"Dear, we're capitalists not despots.", Frost assured while taking up one of her hands. "Every one of my Hellions can force their way onto the board and in time, might be gathering pawns of their own come the time. Have I ever given you reason to think that I've broken our agreement?"
"No, Miss Frost."
"Have I demanded more than what you should demand of yourself in the situation?"
"No, Miss Frost."
"Do you want to go back to where you came from?", the woman dared.
Marie-Ange shivered. "No, Miss Frost."
"Then en-passant Mr. Tolensky.", she commanded.
The girl slid her bandolier around her body until it felt right. Removing a pack of cards, she found it to be a goblin deck from Magic the Gathering. She quickly shuffled and set the deck on the table. Drawing seven, she furrowed her brow.
"What is it?", Miss Frost asked.
Marie-Ange put down a mountain card and then a simple goblin. She had to push the goblin back into the card but the symbolism was simple enough. But then she revealed that she only had other mountains in her hand, which could power the other spells but not really do anything in and of themselves. She drew another card, set down another mountain, drew another card and let out a breath. She set down a female goblin that empowered all other goblins on the field. And setting down another mountain, drawing a card and doing the exact same thing. And again.
"There's only so many of those goblin empowering cards in the desk to keep it legal.", the girl explained. "Even less are female ones."
"Am I one of them?", Miss Frost asked.
Marie-Ange chose to pack up the cards rather than answer out loud.