6027/Not Martha Stewart

Not Martha Stewart
Date of Scene:	20 December 2018
Location:	Xavier's School, Westchester, New York
Synopsis:	Emma is caught in the kitchen baking cookies for the students who don't go home over the holidays. She makes confessions to Jean, and later ropes Hank into her plans with a bribe of cookies.
Cast of Characters:	Emma Frost, Phoenix, Beast

---

Emma Frost has posed:
It's late. Past midnight. The students are in their dorms and in their beds. At least they're supposed to be. Most everyone, as it happens, has gone to bed, or is otherwise engaging in quiet, private pursuits in their quarters.

So why is Emma in the kitchen at this hour? And curiouser still, is that cookies she's baking?

Phoenix has posed:
Jean walks into the kitchen, despite the later hour, mostly because she hadn't had a chance to catch up with Emma since she returned from her vacation. "So...smoking turned to baking?" Jean asks a leading question, as she looks at Emma from the door to the kitchen.

Emma Frost has posed:
"You could say that," Emma says pointedly. "The trouble with taking up a bad habit is one must, eventually, give it up."

She shrugs, and continues on with her task, which seems to be measuring flour at the moment.

"Though, more to the point, there are any number of students who don't have happy homes to return to over the holiday season. It would seem there's an elf leaving festive cookies about in places they frequent." An almost glimmer of amusement from the woman as she looks up. "I don't suppose you'd believe it."

Phoenix has posed:
"So how did the cigarettes came about? Shadow King corrupting you for his pleasure? I believe that's a known habit of his..." Jean muses, before noting, "I excised a part of him from the Astral Plane...have you checked yourself to verify you're free of his influence now?"

"Oh, I'd believe it," Jean plays along, before quipping, "would the elf happen to be blue and answer to Kurt Wagner?"

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma gives a soft, if bitter laugh. "Oh, I have an ill begotten youth nobody knows the truth about. Smoking was a small act of rebellion I could engage in while showing my parents that I didn't need their love, nor their approval. But yes, the main influence for revsiting that habit was my rather ill-advised dalliance with the Shadow King."

Emma carefully measures the spices that go into these cookies. "I'm not much of a baker, but thankfully cookies are forgiving. And if you were expecting me to be shocked you know, or to lie about it, I'm afraid that would just be insulting to both of us, so perhaps we can cut to the chase on this one. Yes, I was involved with him. No, I am not now. You're free to look."

There's a chuckle. "Kurt? No, not unless you believe he wishes to play one. The elf is rather fond of white and not looked upon kindly at this school. I see no reason to disabuse anyone of the notion that I am nothing more than their unkind opinions. It doesn't, however, mean I can't engage in something that pleases me."

Which might be odd to hear her say, unless you understand her regard for the students.

Phoenix has posed:
"We all do our rebellious things, well, those of us given the chance," Jean offers politely without much explanation. "Dalliance is an awfully polite way to put it...I take it yo knelt, and then it was all him."

"Hey, I called you out in Mexico, there's no hiding here, I just want to know you're safe to be in the school. I'll take your word for it."

Jean laughs as Emma exaplins the elf's antics, smirking, "so there's good in the evil witch of the west?" She jokes, "why not come out? Afraid people might like you?"

Emma Frost has posed:
"Knelt?" Emma lifts a brow. "Hardly. Though I suppose what I did do was rather more revolting. I fell head over heels in love with the creature, Jean. And before you tsk, or click your tongue at me, yes, I know."

A handful of flour is tossed on the countertop where she works, and the cookie dough set in the middle of it, Emme deftly flouring a rolling pin, and making short work of getting the dough into cookie cutter readiness.

"You might have called me out in Mexico, Jean, but it was much worse than you imagined. And I'm confident he's gone. I cut the ties myself." She pauses, rolling pin set aside. "I know, because I'm the one who put the ties there. So you see, the fact that I'm here, and talking to you, and in no way concerned for my own safety in this matter should speak volumes. But as I say, please, do look for youself. I did assure Laura that I would have you do so, so that she might stand down instead of eyeingme like target practice."

Again with that almost smile.

"Why not come out? Jean, they already don't like me. They never liked me. I refuse to fawn. As for the Astral, I undid the worst of what he'd wrought there in his place of power. The victim has been returned to as much of a semblance of normal life as I and my money could finangle."

Phoenix has posed:
"I wouldn't be so petty, Emma, I never suggested I was better than you..." and in all honesty, it was the Phoenix that prevented Jean from partaking in further exploration into the Shadow King's psyche. Perhaps a good thing that she did.

"It's impressive you managed to severe the ties yourself, was it after he was diminished? I would assume so..." and Jean would because she felt first hand what that infinity shard of his managed to do. "And why come out...? Because things change. Changing opinions is at the core of our missiong in this school."

Emma Frost has posed:
"Oh, I know you never suggested you were better. But I doubt you'd have been foolish enough to find yourself besotted with him." Emma sighs, and chooses from amongst the gathered cookie cutters she's lain out for these cookies - as it happens, these ones are all animals. "He has an incredible mind, Jean. There's little I find attractive in the staight regards of human flesh. Oh, some is pretty, and other is adequate, but a mind is so much more. I spent my youth chasing other dreams and paying for it. And it would seem I didnt learn from that mistake."

Emma methodically cuts out shapes, and pulls the excess dough aside, to reuse until as many cookies as possible can be made.

"You don't seem particularly horrified. And yes, it was after his dminishing. He rather brushed me aside in his haste to retreat, and ignored what he had on hand. I found myself less and less enthralled with him, until I realized he was nothing more than any other man I'd met, wanting me only for what he thought he could get from me. It was no less insulting that it was my mind and my abilities than those who want my body."

Her work is paused. "I am what I am Jean. Do you honestly see me as Miss Congeniality?"

Beast has posed:
For the past week Hank McCoy has slowly been reintegrating himself into school life after his rather abrup departure onto a personal time 'hiatus' many months ago. The newly returned Beast is a bit shaggier then when he left, his blue fur (especially his mane like hair) a bit more wild and perhaps less groomed but has not lost his poise and cosmopolitan flare. In fact, the style looks good on him. His attitude, like his visage, is a bit gruffer in some ways, a bit woolier, but he is still the same old Hank.. more or less.

The furry blue teacher lopes into Kitchen, his large Cooie Monster mug in his paw and his cellphone tucked between his cat-like pointed ear and his shoulder. "No Mom, it is /not/ a problem. You and Dad /deserve/ this trip.." he says as he ape-walks towards the Coffee maker. "Look, if I felt otherwise I would not have gptten you two this trip. Yes, I understand it is christmas but it is also your aniversary and as your loving son I /insist/ you do not worry about me and /enjoy/ yourselves... Okay... I love you too..."

With that he plucks the phone from his shoulder and thumbs it off, shaking his head.. Then sniffs the air, his nostrils flaring, and quickly turns around. ANd blinks when he sees /Emma/ of all people.. with a cookie cutter. Jean, he could understand. But Emma?

"Okay... Either I have somehow wandered into a parralel dimension or Skrulls have overtaken this school.."

Phoenix has posed:
"Besotted? Oh heavens no, that's absolutely not my style," Jean looks a bit taken back, not following how Emma could be besotted with the Shadow King. Unless of course he already had hooks in her prior.

At Emma's quip, Jean laughs, "not much makes me horrified, I've seen some terrible things." While it's true she's seen a lot, one could call it a white lie. She gets horrified, she just masks it very well. "That's our lot in life as women, Emma, we have to be careful about which men mean 'us' when they profess they love us, or whatever other nonsense."

The last question she leaves unanswered, as she yawns and heads back where she came from, waving at Hank and Emma along the way, "if you'll excuse me...I've worked long hours today, and I could use some sleep."

Emma Frost has posed:
Jean might not follow how it happened, but that's of little import. She'd gone willingly, and perhaps in the end that was his downfall - trusting in Emma's regard for him to be so firm that he didn't feel it necessary to entwine her like the others. Whatever it was, she found herself rather more back in her right mind after he'd been diminished, and severed the ties.

Hank's arrive earns a lift of brow. "I rest my case," she tells the retreating Jean.

Hank merely gets the remainder of that quirked brow. "Oh, you needn't act so surprised. Though you have rather effectively demonstrated how useless it would be to purport myself as anything other than the chill, heartless bitch that everyone thinks I am. No matter."

Her regard takes him in fully, then returns to the cookies which she continues to cut out until all the dough is used up.

"You look rather like hell, Hank. But sound in much lighter spirits. Have we banished the existential angst?"

Beast has posed:
Beast pats Jean on the shoulder as she passes, wishing her a good evening.. as only someone who is basically family can do. Once she is gone he turns to Emma and offers her.. a smirk, his eyes twinkling somewhat behind the half-moon glasses perched on his leonine snout.

"Banished? Nay. Got it better under control, I would like to think so. And I will have you know I look QUITE good. Nothing wrong with being slightly more in tune with my nature." he says with a chuff.

"And I believe after our midnight chat at the museum it has been determined that you are not the 'chill heatless bitch' you play yourself off to be. Still, I did not expect you to start channeling Martha Stewart." he points out as he walks over to the coffee maker and plucks the pot iut to refil his mug.

Emma Frost has posed:
Now that it's merely the two of them, Emma actually laughs. "I see. So I'm merely lukewarm and misunderstood?"

She points with her chin at the ovens. "Help me with the doors, and we can enjoy a coffee while these cook and cool."

AGain she glances over at him. "You look calmer, Hank. And it is a good look upon you. As for being in tune with your nature, again, I suggest that you might consider the seriousness with which the chiding was offered." She nods, lifting the nearest tray of cookies and waits for for him to tend to the oven opening. "You look perfectly reasonable. Scruffy, I believe the young girls are saying. Some such buzzword. As for myself, hardly Martha Stewart, but I felt moved to provide something of a nicer holiday for those who don't have happy homes to return to over the break. It's not like anyone will ever suspect it was me."

Beast has posed:
Beast rolls his eyes as he slips the coffee pot back into coffee maker's slot and sets the mug aside as he lopes over and sits on his haunches (a rather natural pose for him) and opens the oven doors for Emma. "You request is my command." he says with a chuckle, then throws her a look over her shoulder. "Misunderstood, perhaps. But never lukewarm. That implies a certain wishy-washyness, of which you are definately not." he tells her, then moves to the side so she can load the trays into the hearted oven.

"And mayhaps I do not wish to /be/ serious. 'Tis the season, afterall. A time to be happy, even if one fully isn't/ We can at least try, and through that try to impart some happiness unto others.. Such as the gift of these freshly baked cookies."

Emma Frost has posed:
"Cookies and some other treats I thought might brighten their days," Emma says slyly, setting the timer on the ovens, and setting about cleaning up her mess while the coffee brews. "You'll keep the secret, I hope. It wouldn't do to ruin my reputation." That light amusement returns.

"You know, I rather think you wouldn't say that about me had you known me when I was younger. Though I cant argue about the current state of being. Consideration of others did me no favours, and I had a business to claw out of a freefalling death spiral. I find if you give people something to focus upon, they fail to regard the rest." As far as strategies went, it was successful. Perhaps too successful.

Beast has posed:
The cookies now safely being irradiated by infrared energy, inducing a thermally driven chemical reaction otherwise known as 'Baking', Beast grabs his coffee mug and walks over to the fridge to get a splash of half and half to lighten his brew. "I'll take your secret to my grave, Emma, of that you have my most solemn vow.. So long as I get at least a dozen or so of those cookies to keep my mouth shut.. or at least too full to spill the news." he says with a grin.

Coffee is then then sweetened he closes the door of the fridge with a foot. "I could possibly agree with that sentiment. Giving people something to focus on. It is, in stage magician's parlance, a Misdirection. Something I myself have used, especially when I was younger. Using my intelligence to keep people from noticing my.. physical differences."

Emma Frost has posed:
A soft near-grunt of considered sound from Emma. "I think you worry too much about your appearance, Hank. Look at me. By all measures I am considered an extremely attractive woman, and I can't say it has ever benefitted me beyond my ability to use it to manipulate others. Mostly it serves to relegate me to object, or worse, something vapid and to be overlooked. I once took great pleasure in using that against others - particularly men. Showing them up to be great fools."

She wipes the counter, and then washes the few dishes she's made.

"Ultimately, I didn't feel any better when it was done. Smugness is a fleeting emotion. I couldn't even claim pride for my actions. They weren't a challenge. And, as it happens, not really worth my time and effort."

"Pour me a mug, while I finish these, if you will. Black, please. As for the cookies, you'll have none - they're for the students. And if you're good, I might allow you to help in this little scheme of mine."

She makes light work of the dishes.

Beast has posed:
Beast ahhhs and shakes his head. "I think you misundestand me, dear Emma. When I was saying it distracted people from my appearance, I meant it that it made them take less notice of the telltales that I was a mutant. Even before I experimented on myself there were.. physical signs. And It is not like the world was as forgiving then as it is now.. more or less at any rate. I wanted to be judged by my mind, not denied a scholarship because I was considered inhuman."

ANd with that he sips his coffee.. savouring it...

At her request, he sets his own mug down and grabs one for her, filling it with the strong flavorful brew.

"Thise things may not have been worth your effort then, but you feel what you do /now/ is worth it." he points out. It is not a question but a statement. Turning around he offers her the steaming cup. "So I am pretty sure that, in hindsight, you found all that you had to go through to get to this point was worth it, or else you wouldn't /be/ here."

Then he frowns ever so slightly. "Wait.. so I do NOT get cookies, yet I can help you with your sceheme for being good.. That hardly sounds fair."

Emma Frost has posed:
"Oh, I knew what you meant, my dear Hank. I was hardly unaware. But you are what you are, and currently it's unavoidable to believe you are anything but a mutant. Thus, a useless plot on your part. One might even suggest it would be a much more valuable thing to use your mutant looks to hide the nature of your intellect."

She gives him a wry smile.

"Of course, I didn't find that any more satisfying than you likely found hiding your nature to be." The last of the dishes are rinsed and left to air dry in the rack as Emma takes her coffee from him. "So, where does that leave us?" Smiling as he protests not getting cookies. "It's hardly a scheme for being good, Hank. I'm doing nothing outside my nature. It's merely not the nature others have given me. Who am I to argue. But if you insist that you're being deprived, would a bribe of your own batch of cookies once this current batch of surprises are hidden about the mansion suffice?"

Beast has posed:
Beast squints at Emma a moment. Not because of her mentioning him using his mutantism to hide his intellect but...

"Let me see if I get this straight. You will provide me with a platter of cookies for myself.. and all you want me to do is... Play Santa's little helper?" he asks slowly.

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma nods, smiling a sly little smile as her plan comes together. "And not get caught. That's the most important part. You deliver cookies and treats to the student areas over the course of the holidays, as well as some gifts hidden about the mansion, and I will bake you a platter of any such cookie as you might choose."

She savours a sip of her coffee.

Beast has posed:
Beast looks.. thoughtful... and then jods.. Grinning. "I think, my dearm, that we have a deal." he says with that twinkle in his eye. "Heh, Kurt will be so darned Jealous."

Emma Frost has posed:
"Done," Emma says with a finality that has struck fear in the hearts of lesser men. Her grin says it all: Emma has won.