12977/The internet's full of -WHAT-

The internet's full of -WHAT-
Date of Scene:	06 April 2021
Location:	Jeremy's Room (West Halls), Xavier's School
Synopsis:	Emma stops in to discuss Gray with Jeremy, and learns a little about herself. And gets a very handy stock tip. Networking! It's the best.
Cast of Characters:	Emma Frost, SpyderByte

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Emma Frost has posed:
Emma Frost is up early... or possibly, has been up all night. It really is impossible to tell, given how she keeps herself impeccable at all hours. She's chosen a simple pair of ivory white heels, snug blue jeans, and a scoop-necked white t-shirt, apparently dressing down but maintaining a bit of style with a snug platinum choker circling her neck. She knocks lightly upon Jeremy's door, giving a good thirty seconds for any room occupants to react, before she's opening the door and slipping in, voice calling out softly, "Pardon the interruption! I just thought I should pull the classic boarding school room inspection." Sure, -announcing- the room inspection sort of defeats the purpose, but she can't just say she's taking time to meet the new faces about the school.

What, is she going to let people start knowing that heart in her chest isn't ice? Let's not get ridiculous here.

SpyderByte has posed:
The moment Emma opens the door, she is met with a thick rush of 'heat'. Jeremy's room always runs hot due to the amount of hardware he has consistently running at the same time. His side of the room is immaculate and simple. He has his bed and his dresser without anything on it save bedsheets. There's no pictures of family. No posers. Just a backpack settled against the wall. What stands out is the computer desk. It's a wide L shape with four monitors stacked on each other, two by two. There is two large server grade computers below the desk in soft purple and pink lights.

The technopath is currently sitting in his bucket seat that is curved to his body. It's expensive, the type that moves along with him. Instead of typing on the keyboard, he is slinked back and staring out from behind a pair of thin glasses. He's dressed very much like a Goth. Long black hair that hangs past his chin, a choke collar about his throat, long sleeved black shirt and bondage pants.

On the screens are several video feeds and one that appears to be lines of scrolling code that is rapid and fluid. The video feeds show several variations of violence and they appear to be 'live'. Some are grainy black and white, some are in 4K and very clean and clear. He has large headphones on his head, suctioncupped to his ear.

His voice can be heard pinging from a speaker on the desk next to his bed. << Hello. You may inspect. I am currently working. >> The voice is a soft digital tone that is similiar to that of SIRI.

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma's eyebrows perk up, she doesn't know too much about computers as far as using them herself, she can check her email and the like of course, whip up a mean powerpoint... but nothing that takes the kind of horsepower she's looking at. She lets the door slip closed behind her and bobs her head. "Of course, don't let me be too much of a bother. I just thought we should meet."

She perks an eyebrow curiously, head tilting as she can't resist the curiosity, moving towards the boy, to stand behind and to the side and look at the monitors, murmuring out softly. "Seeing anything interesting? It's not just terrible jokes and twitter feuds today, is it?"

SpyderByte has posed:
On one screen, a family is gunned down by what appears to be military officers in foreign uniforms. Their blood splatters the wall and their screams are silenced. Not that any audio can be heard outside of his headphones. He has these for a reason, to keep this to himself and not to trouble his neighbors or roommate.

On another screen it shows just an empty room with someone in a straight jacket reeadtedly slamming their head against a cushioned wall, over and over again. The date and time is current, with words in Chinese below it.

Another video feed shows Mutant Town and it cycles from one streetlight camera to the next, scrolling to pin point on several locations, stores and hot spots. At times it will zoom in on someone walking down the street, followed by a couple lines of text being written up on another window that explains what is happening. Brown skinned male, black hair, 5'10 135 covered in scales heading eastbound down ...

He gives a blink of his eyes as all four screens go dark and he slips the headset off, turning the chair around to stare at her with his dark eyes. He just stares. Unblinkingly, his face slack. It takes a few moments before his head gives a shake, followed by a 'jolt' as he wipes at the bottom of his nose with the back of his hand.

<< No, I do not have time for Internet humor. >>

He gives a subtle glance to her, then towards the door for a moment.

<< What are you actually here for? >>

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma glances over the various feeds with all the cool detachment of someone who once ran an organization fueled by greed and human misery...and also her own sprawling corporation. She lets out a soft little murmur that's almost a laugh, and then a low, slow sigh. "Observant. I like that." Her hips cock slightly as she gestures vaguely, "Oh, I just thought we should meet. I believe Jean suggested it. Honestly i'm having trouble keeping track of who I'm supposed to introduce myself to. Not enough sleep lately."

She glances around the room, "I met your roommate and thought I might drop in and meet the boy he was so worried about waking up when he snuck back in... well, late last night or early this morning depending on your view." She sighs and murmurs dryly, "Do feel free not to mention he did that to anyone. I gave him a free pass out of sympathy. He's dealing with some things and I think the late night walk was perhaps the most acceptable course of action he could have taken. And I'd say the shock of running into me on his way back in was probably punishment enough for such a minor transgression. But we teachers can be a surly and rule-bound lot, you see."

SpyderByte has posed:
<< He tried to sneak in through the garage door. It triggered the silent alarm at three fifteen this morning and I disabled it before the staff was alerted. I then removed the alert from the security log so that no one would notice it during a routine audit. >>

The voice from the speaker continues to speak softly without any vocal inflection. No highs. No lows. It's female. Digital.

<< You then conversed with him from the living room to the kitchen. This is the second time in a row in which he left the school grounds to wander around the city and then come home late at night. I understand the type of trauma that he currently has and is suffering from. My only worry is that he will be a flight risk, or a security risk if he was to devolve into old habits. He is an addict. He has no family. He feels overwhelmed. >>

Reaching to a large canister of energy drink that is called: HEARTATTACK 4X THE CAFFINE, he cracks the top and takes a long sip from it, then slips it between his knees. As he speaks, he is unblinking as he stares at her.

<< He is overly defensive and quick to anger, which makes him unpredictable, especially as he goes through withdrawl and refuses to seek help so his recovery can be more gentle. I believe that he lives within the apex of pain because he believes he deserves it. Survivor's guilt. >>

He gives one slow blink at her, then tilts his head to one side as the long black hair falls across his face.

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma lets out another, more genuine and deeper sigh as she nods, arms crossing under her chest, fingers of her left hand almost nervously stroking her right elbow. "Yes. He's tense as a suspension bridge cable. But he's signed on here, and if there's one thing I can tell you, it's that Jean and the others truly see us as a family." Her lips quirk in an almost cynical little smirk as she murmurs under her breath, "And I'm beginning to think such altruism and sentimentality is contageous, even to those who pride themselves on being above it."

She takes a slow breath and frowns thoughtfully. "But yes. I'm concerned as well. I'm worried his walk last night was -only- a walk by the barest of margins. And I'm conflcited on whether or not quitting cold turkey is the best approach for him. I'm going to try and help him with some unique treatment, but... well, I'm not certain if we should prepare to allow him to stumble in a more controlled and welcoming environment than going and finding relief in the city." She locks her gaze with those eyes, practically trying to see into Jeremy's mind without the use of her powers. "Though I suppose asking a student's opinion on that probably isn't the -offical- recommended course of action."

SpyderByte has posed:
As he stares back into her eyes, Jeremy slowly blinks again. Like a turtle. An old turtle. He has an incredible poker face, void of emotion as he makes only the slighest of gestures and movements. Most of which is bringing the can back up to his lips.

<< I think that he should take advantage of counseling and medication to ween him off and make his withdrawl easier. He does not trust anyone and he does not feel safe, even here, so if one was to nudge him through alternative means, it runs the risk of destroying whatever safe feelings he has built up until now. >>

Reaching up, he rubs at the bridge of his nose a few times.

<< I do not think he should have access to drugs. He assured me that he is no longer using and that he is only taking walks. I am obviously tracking him, though he does not know it. So far he has been truthful to me. But, I am still worried he may be triggered into taking steps back as he deals with this. >>

His head cants again.

<< Did he tell you what happened to him? For him to get to this point? >>

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma shakes her head with a further frown, murmuring softly. "No, I never asked him, I didn't want to push. I could feel a bit of it seeping out, but... well, it -was- our first meeting, and he seems like a nice boy." She smirks crookedly and murmurs dryly, "And I -am- trying to be less of a wicked bitch these days. I was simply thinking of helping him cope with the pain telepathically. Easing the edges of it as it were. I do think it's something he needs to come to terms with on his own time, I just want to help."

She shifts a little and quirks an eyebrow, "Well, if you happen to catch him nearing trouble while you're keeping an eye on him, feel free to alert me and I'll help however I can. And if he stumbles, we'll need to support him carefully. Let him know that we're not going to abandon him if he slips up."%

SpyderByte has posed:
Giving a slow nod of his head, Jeremy picks at his fingernails a bit as he holds the can between his knees. His nails are painted black, a deep, dark black.

<< I agree. He needs support and he needs to learn to trust. He feels the entire world isn't safe and for good reason. He has had a rough life even before he ejected himself on to the streets. >>

Obviously he knows and the reason why lingers heavily on his thoughts. His own mind is built like shattered glass, coupled with screams of modems and binary language floating around. But he /knows/. He knows because it happened to him and that much has not been much of a secret.

<< You should also dump that stock you have in Chemico. They are about to report some terrible news in regards to their earnings and they have been maniuplating profit numbers. >>

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma nods her head and murmurs dryly, "Well, if there's one thing that's constant it's some corporation or another playing fast and loose with the books. Thank you for the tip."

There's a slight quake down her spine, the mixture of darkness and digital signal not something she's used to feeling as she sighs and murmurs softly, "I'm sure, given time, Gray's going to do well. He doesn't want to disappoint you. He cares about you a nearly overwhelming amount. I'ms ure you two being roomies is going to work out fantastically. For my part, I'll make sure he's not missing meals when he's... wandering about avoiding classes. We'll just have to tackle one issue at a time. Like building a house."

SpyderByte has posed:
<< I am only afraid that he may become dependent upon me and I do not feel that I am emotionally stable enough to be that type of foundation for someone in his situation. I care about him as well. But, we all deal with pain and supression in different ways. >>

The voice bounces around the room from speaker to speaker slowly before it focuses once more on the desk between them. The monitors behind him flicker back on as well, this time to different screens of video feeds.

<< I have my work. Gray feels that he doesn't have anything. He also is heavily dslyxic and can't read, and thus his self-confidence is poor in regards to his classes here. He most likely is several grades behind and he just turned eighteen last week. >>

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma's eyebrows perk up and she hum sout. "Well, I'll have to consult with Dr. McCoy, but I'm sure we can work around his needs. We're not very much of an actual -school- if we can't manage that." She frowns thoughtfully, teeth worrying her lower lip as she murmurs thoughtfully. "So, we must find our young Gray a purpose, and the confidence to see he can fulfill it. I must admit, this... earnest educator role is much more difficult than my previous employments. I'm beginning to feel the pressure of fitting in -myself-."

SpyderByte has posed:
There is a raise of Jeremy's brows at her last statement. He gives a blink of his eyes and behind him on the screens, Miss Frost's life will flash before her eyes. The amount of information he accesses is insane and obviously unethical. Video feeds, financials, photos.

<< You are a chameleon Miss Frost. You do not need to worry about fitting in. You just need to make people fit around you. You rose to the top of the Hellfire Club as the White Queen. You have manipulated and controlled billions of dollars in liquid assets. You have gained the upperhand in nearly every situation you have put yourself in. Though while you may have come into a new set of values and ethics that you are truly uncomfortable with having, it's the same game. Your special talent is getting people to like you. >>

He gives a slow blink of his eyes, his lips giving the faintest of twitches.

<< So do what you do best. Find the angle, make your play, get people to like you. But do it for the right reasons. A lot of the female student body looks up to you. You are no doubt the most powerful female mutant here in regards to status. >>

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma actually snorts. An involuntary little noise of mirth. Oh, sure, she should be terrified as her life fills the screens but... well, it's not like she didn't know all of that information existed. Aside from keeping her mutant powers quiet, Emma's -all- too aware just how exposed she's been through her life. Her lips quirk up in a little smirk as she murmurs dryly, Why, Jeremy darling boy, you are simply an -outstanding- provider of pep talks. You're right of course. I need to stop worrying about what I want and simply take it." She pauses for a long moment and sighs, "I think Jean said much the same to me. And if two people think something is the proper course of action, ignoring it is just foolishness."

She stretches her arms above her head with a low groan and purrs out softly, "Well, I think I'm going to go relax for awhile. Perhaps have a nap. Do give darling Gray my best. And try not to overthrow any governments unneccessarily."

SpyderByte has posed:
There is another passive stare from Jeremy before he gives a glance over his shoulder to the displays that flicker off, followed by the sound of the servers shutting down with a hum. As he rises out of his seat for the first time, the sounds of chains wrapped about his legs can be heard jingling and jangling. As he lurges for the window, he opens it wide, then pushes the solid black curtains apart to let fresh sun into the room. He squints his eyes a few times, then slips his glasses off to rub at his eyes.

<< I am under NDA to not discuss my involvement in regards to the sabotage and deliberate takedowns of governments both foreign and domestic. >>

As he turns to face her, he blows the long hair away from his face, then gives a glance over to the pair of beds in the room. One is made tightly and unused, which is Gray's, the other is his, covers strewn about. He ponders for a long moment.

<< Remember, dump Chemico. You have forty two hours and fifteen minutes before their press conferene. By then it will be too late. >>