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WHO: Kitty Pryde & Emma Frost
WHEN: Tuesday, May 27th
WHERE: Xavier's Institute
WHAT: Emma has been avoiding Kitty since the break-up, so Kitty corners her so they can talk about alternate universes and maybe feelings a little.
WARNINGS: None they are just dumb girls.
Even Emma Frost has to pee sometimes. Kitty knows she has to be ready for her, when she does. It’s a plan that seems and she admits sort of is insane, but Emma’s been avoiding her. She should just back off, maybe, give her friend time to grieve a relationship in peace and dignity. But she’s starting to feel like all the people who matter most to Kitty are slipping out of her fingers. Kitty, apt to her name, won’t hesitate to dig her claws into the ones she can.
Hence the way she creeps through the third floor women's restroom mirror. There’s no one else in here, and she makes sure no one else will be, as silently clicks the door locked and perches, intangible, on the sinks, waiting for Emma to exit, arms crossed and ready.
When Emma emerges, it seems as though she was just taking a moment to compose herself. She looks tired, her expression not currently schooled into something for public consumption, as she moves over to the sinks. This quickly changes, though, as she catches sight of her intangible friend. Quickly, she becomes much more impassive.
"Ambushes are rude, darling."
Emma looks, while not the worst Kitty’s ever seen her maybe, a little haggard. Sad, if she had to put an emotion to it, and for good reason. While an immediate pang of concern hits her, it doesn’t show on Kitty’s face, nor in her mind, since that’s still incorporeal. Her voice even manages to sound neutral, if not slightly irritated.
“So is ignoring people, so we’re probably about even.”
"I haven't been ignoring you." This is technically true. It's been avoidance, mostly, because she doesn't have the energy for anyone but Manny and her millionaire social obligations.
Emma wets a paper towel and presses it to the back of her neck, focusing now on her own reflection instead of on Kitty.
"Did you need something? I notice you've locked the door."
Which had seemed necessary at the start, but feels a little dramatic, here in the face of Emma’s cool composure. Kitty becomes solid and rests, leaning against the wall, shrugging.
“I wanted to talk to you. This seemed to be the easiest way. I’m not gonna ask if you’re okay or anything, I just.” She shrugs again, because honestly, what had she been hoping for, here?
“I just wanted to make sure you knew I was here.”
Kitty's kindness, though it's being thrust upon her, makes Emma ache a bit, which makes her want to lash out. She hates being vulnerable like this, and she hates that even with her trained expression her friend, of course, knows that she is not alright. She clenches her jaw a little, quiet as she examines her eyeliner in the mirror before checking her watch. There's only so much longer she can hide away.
"There's nothing to talk about. Just focus on Scott."
“No.” Kitty says simply, because Emma should be used to, by now, her never listening to simple commands. “My focus has to go to a lot of places at once. It’s the worst thing about me.” Debatable, she knows, when there are several other horrors in her personality. Still, she knows that to make this a conversation that wasn’t three seconds long, there has to be a reason for it that isn’t emotions. Neither of them get very far with just those. There is, and Kitty is sharp and business-like as she says it.
“I’m looking into alternatives. To his having to leave. It’s a lot of quantum physics right now, unfortunately, but I could explain it if you want. And I was gonna ask what you’d already looked into, so we don’t overlap.”
She doesn’t think she has to even question that this is something Emma has started already.
Emma is quiet for a long while, digesting Kitty's words and trying to squash down her feelings into a manageable little package. She tosses the paper towel on her neck into the trash and finally looks at Kitty again, brows slightly beetled. Something to focus on that isn't her pain, even though it's related, is helpful.
"...how far have you gotten? My attempts have been all theoretical and useless. Asking Ambrose if we can just take a soul or whatever from a different reality where we're about to die, to put in place of ours. Trying to see if I can trace any mental threads between us and them that might be useful to sever to prevent us going back."
There is a part of Kitty that is sort of heartbroken at seeing her friend like this, and the impulse is there to do something drastic like hug her and ask if she wants to go get drunk. Different people need different things when they’re sad, though. So instead, Kitty strides over to Emma’s bag, takes it out of her friend’s hand, and rummages around until she finds a lipstick that probably cost more than her entire current outfit. She shoves the bag back, and starts illustrating the figure that’s been in her brain for weeks, now. Despite the gross misuse of her lipstick Emma doesn't complain, crossing her arms to watch Kitty work.
“I started thinking about this early on. When I thought I’d have to go back, too, to be a president and a mom.”
No use hiding that detail now, as it isn’t really important anyway. She has to do this first, regardless. “What I’m working on with Ambrose right now is hopping from our reality to echoes of our other realities.” (A big circle in the center, with a lot of smaller ones orbiting, each with a dotted line around.) “And if we can do that. Why can’t we take the consciousness of ourselves at the time of transfer, duplicate it, put it in the alternate bodies, and go back to here, the alternate universe I think we’ve all accidentally created anyway.” (A tiny dot to denote that moment.) “Then they continue how they’re supposed to continue, and we live on here.”
The face Kitty turns to Emma is perhaps wild-eyed and feverish, but this theory is her entire focus, right now. “Obviously, there’s a lot more to it, but that’s the gist.”
"Have you spoken with Ambrose about it, yet?" There's a spark of hope in Emma - as insane as this sounds, it's not any more insane than any of her other ideas, and to see that Kitty has been thinking about it this much (which, of course she has) makes her feel a little less alone. The slightly crazed look is reassuring, too.
"It would solve all our problems, if it's manageable. We'd need to make sure those duplicated consciousnesses would have no memory of here." Her arms remain tightly crossed, but her expression is relaxing just a little. "Honestly, the more ideas we have, the better."
“I talked to him. He hadn’t thought of it at all, yet.” This is said with just a small measure of smug pride, but she soldiers on. “We’re going to focus on the visiting, first. But he didn’t shut it down or anything, right away. The duplicating consciousnesses will be the tricky part. But there’s so many realities. I’m sure we can.”
She’s getting sucked into the subject, again, and pulls herself out, at least for the moment. “I have a lot of good ideas.” Kitty doesn’t say, so you can’t afford to shut me out, actually, but she does think it, loud and annoyingly clear.
Emma shakes her head a little, feeling some of the hope drain from her. Not because she doesn't believe Kitty can do this, but because she's exhausted and she can't let herself get too excited about what-ifs. Especially since, while Ambrose hadn't shot it down, it still won't be a priority for him. She feels the need to say as much.
"Kitty, he's not averse to other approaches. But he also doesn't care. All he cares about is figuring this out and setting things 'right' in some fashion. We need to keep that in mind."
There's less fight in her than usual - she doesn't rise to the bait of her companion's annoying thoughts.
"I trust you'll keep having good ideas. A solution will be found." Even if it's significantly sloppier than this one.
Kitty sort of hates seeing Emma this way. She’s subdued, not even taking the most obvious thought-bait. But it makes sense, and she can already hear her friend’s voice in her head (memory and imagination, not telepathy, this time, which is a weird differentiation) saying something about how there isn’t any time for pity, and she wouldn’t want it anyway. So she just nods. Emma is grateful for this, and there is a vague acknowledgement of this in Kitty's mind.
“I know what his priorities are.” She assures Emma. “And I know most of the work will be mine.” She sounds, as she often does to an impossible task, sort of excited about it. She reaches out the lipstick to return to her friend, like perhaps she’d want it back. “Mostly I wanted you to know I’m not going to stop til I find something.”
Taking one look at the lipstick (flattened, covered with whatever mirror germs), Emma tosses it into the trash after it's returned. It's wasteful, but she can't bring herself to care about that right now.
"...I'll do whatever I can to help. I wasn't planning on stopping either, regardless of what's going on with Scott and me." Here she frowns for just a moment, glancing back to the mirror. At least Kitty thrives with these sorts of difficult things. She normally does, too, and she's certain she'll feel more up to the task soon. For now, she is feeling a bit pathetic, though, and is having a hard time putting her entire focus on alternate realities.
"I know you've got a lot on your plate, but you'll make sure he's not being too insane? That he eats some solid food?"
Kitty just nods, because it’s a foregone conclusion that of course Emma would do that. Scott hadn’t even stopped looking, himself. They were all in this, as always. And that’s how they’ll make sure they all stay.
“I’ll make sure. I’ll sneak some sandwiches in there.” She promises, simply. She will, and has been. She would normally demand the same thing from Emma, that she also eat and sleep, but her request today is smaller, because the situation calls for that. “Will you get lunch with me today? So I can explain the rest of it.” And because it feels like a foothold. Which she’ll probably have to admit to, so Kitty sighs like she’s annoyed by this. It’s really embarrassing.
“And to just hang out.”
Emma is quiet as she watches Kitty and combs through her thoughts, particularly about Scott. She hasn't allowed herself into his mind at all since the break up, and it's honestly making her a bit insane. But she's not going to share that - she'll simply quietly get her information second-hand. It's good to see that he's talked to Kitty about her plans, too, but she's not so sure that he's as committed to finding a solution as she thinks. Or, at least, she can't bring herself to hope for that.
"He—" But she stops herself, shakes her head.
"It doesn't matter. Darling, you're not losing me. I just wanted to give you the space to be there for Scott. But yes, if you'd like, we can have lunch."
Kitty floats a little closer to Emma’s side, shaking her head immediately.
“I think I get to decide how much space I need. There’s enough for both of you. And then some.”
It’s Emma’s right to decide a lot of how this goes, obviously. This is her breakup and her feelings about it. But she doesn’t get to decide how Kitty reacts, and who she has the capacity to support. She’s just petulant enough to insist on that. But she’s not supportive enough to not comment on what Emma said just prior.
“He what?” She prods, because of course she does.
Finally, Emma looks a little annoyed at Kitty. It's mild, though, like it often is. "It's more for him than for you. I know you have the capacity to deal with both of us being… like this."
She wrinkles her nose, debating on honesty and, after a moment, giving in.
"...in his mind, going back is inevitable. I don't think he's trying to sort out anything else, unless he's suddenly started now. Which, if he has, I might kill him."
Kitty, all set to argue some more about how sure she is that Scoot would be so annoyed by her constant presence if she didn’t hang out with Emma too, has some of the wind knocked of her sails by this news. He’d been open to the alternatives, when they talked about it. But maybe he was just drunk. Maybe he just liked math.
“Oh.” She says, a little defeated, but not for long. Her face goes back to impassively confident after a moment. “Whatever. He can think it’s inevitable. We already know Ambrose can mark people in different realities. I’m going to make sure he keeps a record of Scoot’s. Even if he does go back, we’ll find him again.”
Emma gives the smallest of nods, her feelings mixed about Kitty's momentary disillusionment. It feels good, a little, to inflict some of her own pain, but it's not helpful and her friend doesn't deserve it. At least she's quick to bounce back.
"We just can't let him go back, Kitty. It will complicate things immeasurably." It's all, of course, tied up in what he would remember where, but all she can think is that, if he goes, he may not want to return here to them. The thought twists up in her stomach, and she has to push it down.
"Let's not get caught up in hypotheticals. There's another path to resolution. That's something."
Kitty knows that’s true. And despite what she’d told Scott before, she knows in her heart that she won’t let him go so easily. Emma’s right. It’d be easier to keep him than get him back.
“There’s lots of paths back.” She stands firm on that. Kitty, hesitant, steps closer to Emma, sort of wanting to put her head on her friend’s shoulder or something but not knowing if that’s appropriate just yet. “And between the two of us we’ll find all of them.”
This one she’s confident on, despite her previous discouragement.
As Kitty steps closer Emma goes to gently take her face in her hands. She watches her quietly, frowning a little, trying to add her confidence to her own, which feels shakier than usual.
After a moment she releases her, but only so she can pull her into a hug with a sigh. It requires some effort to not let her feelings get the better of her composure.
"We'll figure it all out."
Kitty lets herself be pulled around accordingly. She loops her arms around Emma’s waist and squeezes tight. They will figure it out. She’s figured out every other problem which gives her maybe a heightened sense of confidence. But she’ll take it. They can use that.
“Sorry I locked you in a bathroom in the meantime.” She says in a small voice against Emma’s shoulder, for now.
"You've done and will do much more annoying things, so I'll survive." As is often the case when she says things like this, there's no venom in Emma's voice. She is actually happy that Kitty has done this - she likely would have avoided her for some time, and she prefers this earlier resolution.
"...thank you."
WHEN: Tuesday, May 27th
WHERE: Xavier's Institute
WHAT: Emma has been avoiding Kitty since the break-up, so Kitty corners her so they can talk about alternate universes and maybe feelings a little.
WARNINGS: None they are just dumb girls.
Even Emma Frost has to pee sometimes. Kitty knows she has to be ready for her, when she does. It’s a plan that seems and she admits sort of is insane, but Emma’s been avoiding her. She should just back off, maybe, give her friend time to grieve a relationship in peace and dignity. But she’s starting to feel like all the people who matter most to Kitty are slipping out of her fingers. Kitty, apt to her name, won’t hesitate to dig her claws into the ones she can.
Hence the way she creeps through the third floor women's restroom mirror. There’s no one else in here, and she makes sure no one else will be, as silently clicks the door locked and perches, intangible, on the sinks, waiting for Emma to exit, arms crossed and ready.
When Emma emerges, it seems as though she was just taking a moment to compose herself. She looks tired, her expression not currently schooled into something for public consumption, as she moves over to the sinks. This quickly changes, though, as she catches sight of her intangible friend. Quickly, she becomes much more impassive.
"Ambushes are rude, darling."
Emma looks, while not the worst Kitty’s ever seen her maybe, a little haggard. Sad, if she had to put an emotion to it, and for good reason. While an immediate pang of concern hits her, it doesn’t show on Kitty’s face, nor in her mind, since that’s still incorporeal. Her voice even manages to sound neutral, if not slightly irritated.
“So is ignoring people, so we’re probably about even.”
"I haven't been ignoring you." This is technically true. It's been avoidance, mostly, because she doesn't have the energy for anyone but Manny and her millionaire social obligations.
Emma wets a paper towel and presses it to the back of her neck, focusing now on her own reflection instead of on Kitty.
"Did you need something? I notice you've locked the door."
Which had seemed necessary at the start, but feels a little dramatic, here in the face of Emma’s cool composure. Kitty becomes solid and rests, leaning against the wall, shrugging.
“I wanted to talk to you. This seemed to be the easiest way. I’m not gonna ask if you’re okay or anything, I just.” She shrugs again, because honestly, what had she been hoping for, here?
“I just wanted to make sure you knew I was here.”
Kitty's kindness, though it's being thrust upon her, makes Emma ache a bit, which makes her want to lash out. She hates being vulnerable like this, and she hates that even with her trained expression her friend, of course, knows that she is not alright. She clenches her jaw a little, quiet as she examines her eyeliner in the mirror before checking her watch. There's only so much longer she can hide away.
"There's nothing to talk about. Just focus on Scott."
“No.” Kitty says simply, because Emma should be used to, by now, her never listening to simple commands. “My focus has to go to a lot of places at once. It’s the worst thing about me.” Debatable, she knows, when there are several other horrors in her personality. Still, she knows that to make this a conversation that wasn’t three seconds long, there has to be a reason for it that isn’t emotions. Neither of them get very far with just those. There is, and Kitty is sharp and business-like as she says it.
“I’m looking into alternatives. To his having to leave. It’s a lot of quantum physics right now, unfortunately, but I could explain it if you want. And I was gonna ask what you’d already looked into, so we don’t overlap.”
She doesn’t think she has to even question that this is something Emma has started already.
Emma is quiet for a long while, digesting Kitty's words and trying to squash down her feelings into a manageable little package. She tosses the paper towel on her neck into the trash and finally looks at Kitty again, brows slightly beetled. Something to focus on that isn't her pain, even though it's related, is helpful.
"...how far have you gotten? My attempts have been all theoretical and useless. Asking Ambrose if we can just take a soul or whatever from a different reality where we're about to die, to put in place of ours. Trying to see if I can trace any mental threads between us and them that might be useful to sever to prevent us going back."
There is a part of Kitty that is sort of heartbroken at seeing her friend like this, and the impulse is there to do something drastic like hug her and ask if she wants to go get drunk. Different people need different things when they’re sad, though. So instead, Kitty strides over to Emma’s bag, takes it out of her friend’s hand, and rummages around until she finds a lipstick that probably cost more than her entire current outfit. She shoves the bag back, and starts illustrating the figure that’s been in her brain for weeks, now. Despite the gross misuse of her lipstick Emma doesn't complain, crossing her arms to watch Kitty work.
“I started thinking about this early on. When I thought I’d have to go back, too, to be a president and a mom.”
No use hiding that detail now, as it isn’t really important anyway. She has to do this first, regardless. “What I’m working on with Ambrose right now is hopping from our reality to echoes of our other realities.” (A big circle in the center, with a lot of smaller ones orbiting, each with a dotted line around.) “And if we can do that. Why can’t we take the consciousness of ourselves at the time of transfer, duplicate it, put it in the alternate bodies, and go back to here, the alternate universe I think we’ve all accidentally created anyway.” (A tiny dot to denote that moment.) “Then they continue how they’re supposed to continue, and we live on here.”
The face Kitty turns to Emma is perhaps wild-eyed and feverish, but this theory is her entire focus, right now. “Obviously, there’s a lot more to it, but that’s the gist.”
"Have you spoken with Ambrose about it, yet?" There's a spark of hope in Emma - as insane as this sounds, it's not any more insane than any of her other ideas, and to see that Kitty has been thinking about it this much (which, of course she has) makes her feel a little less alone. The slightly crazed look is reassuring, too.
"It would solve all our problems, if it's manageable. We'd need to make sure those duplicated consciousnesses would have no memory of here." Her arms remain tightly crossed, but her expression is relaxing just a little. "Honestly, the more ideas we have, the better."
“I talked to him. He hadn’t thought of it at all, yet.” This is said with just a small measure of smug pride, but she soldiers on. “We’re going to focus on the visiting, first. But he didn’t shut it down or anything, right away. The duplicating consciousnesses will be the tricky part. But there’s so many realities. I’m sure we can.”
She’s getting sucked into the subject, again, and pulls herself out, at least for the moment. “I have a lot of good ideas.” Kitty doesn’t say, so you can’t afford to shut me out, actually, but she does think it, loud and annoyingly clear.
Emma shakes her head a little, feeling some of the hope drain from her. Not because she doesn't believe Kitty can do this, but because she's exhausted and she can't let herself get too excited about what-ifs. Especially since, while Ambrose hadn't shot it down, it still won't be a priority for him. She feels the need to say as much.
"Kitty, he's not averse to other approaches. But he also doesn't care. All he cares about is figuring this out and setting things 'right' in some fashion. We need to keep that in mind."
There's less fight in her than usual - she doesn't rise to the bait of her companion's annoying thoughts.
"I trust you'll keep having good ideas. A solution will be found." Even if it's significantly sloppier than this one.
Kitty sort of hates seeing Emma this way. She’s subdued, not even taking the most obvious thought-bait. But it makes sense, and she can already hear her friend’s voice in her head (memory and imagination, not telepathy, this time, which is a weird differentiation) saying something about how there isn’t any time for pity, and she wouldn’t want it anyway. So she just nods. Emma is grateful for this, and there is a vague acknowledgement of this in Kitty's mind.
“I know what his priorities are.” She assures Emma. “And I know most of the work will be mine.” She sounds, as she often does to an impossible task, sort of excited about it. She reaches out the lipstick to return to her friend, like perhaps she’d want it back. “Mostly I wanted you to know I’m not going to stop til I find something.”
Taking one look at the lipstick (flattened, covered with whatever mirror germs), Emma tosses it into the trash after it's returned. It's wasteful, but she can't bring herself to care about that right now.
"...I'll do whatever I can to help. I wasn't planning on stopping either, regardless of what's going on with Scott and me." Here she frowns for just a moment, glancing back to the mirror. At least Kitty thrives with these sorts of difficult things. She normally does, too, and she's certain she'll feel more up to the task soon. For now, she is feeling a bit pathetic, though, and is having a hard time putting her entire focus on alternate realities.
"I know you've got a lot on your plate, but you'll make sure he's not being too insane? That he eats some solid food?"
Kitty just nods, because it’s a foregone conclusion that of course Emma would do that. Scott hadn’t even stopped looking, himself. They were all in this, as always. And that’s how they’ll make sure they all stay.
“I’ll make sure. I’ll sneak some sandwiches in there.” She promises, simply. She will, and has been. She would normally demand the same thing from Emma, that she also eat and sleep, but her request today is smaller, because the situation calls for that. “Will you get lunch with me today? So I can explain the rest of it.” And because it feels like a foothold. Which she’ll probably have to admit to, so Kitty sighs like she’s annoyed by this. It’s really embarrassing.
“And to just hang out.”
Emma is quiet as she watches Kitty and combs through her thoughts, particularly about Scott. She hasn't allowed herself into his mind at all since the break up, and it's honestly making her a bit insane. But she's not going to share that - she'll simply quietly get her information second-hand. It's good to see that he's talked to Kitty about her plans, too, but she's not so sure that he's as committed to finding a solution as she thinks. Or, at least, she can't bring herself to hope for that.
"He—" But she stops herself, shakes her head.
"It doesn't matter. Darling, you're not losing me. I just wanted to give you the space to be there for Scott. But yes, if you'd like, we can have lunch."
Kitty floats a little closer to Emma’s side, shaking her head immediately.
“I think I get to decide how much space I need. There’s enough for both of you. And then some.”
It’s Emma’s right to decide a lot of how this goes, obviously. This is her breakup and her feelings about it. But she doesn’t get to decide how Kitty reacts, and who she has the capacity to support. She’s just petulant enough to insist on that. But she’s not supportive enough to not comment on what Emma said just prior.
“He what?” She prods, because of course she does.
Finally, Emma looks a little annoyed at Kitty. It's mild, though, like it often is. "It's more for him than for you. I know you have the capacity to deal with both of us being… like this."
She wrinkles her nose, debating on honesty and, after a moment, giving in.
"...in his mind, going back is inevitable. I don't think he's trying to sort out anything else, unless he's suddenly started now. Which, if he has, I might kill him."
Kitty, all set to argue some more about how sure she is that Scoot would be so annoyed by her constant presence if she didn’t hang out with Emma too, has some of the wind knocked of her sails by this news. He’d been open to the alternatives, when they talked about it. But maybe he was just drunk. Maybe he just liked math.
“Oh.” She says, a little defeated, but not for long. Her face goes back to impassively confident after a moment. “Whatever. He can think it’s inevitable. We already know Ambrose can mark people in different realities. I’m going to make sure he keeps a record of Scoot’s. Even if he does go back, we’ll find him again.”
Emma gives the smallest of nods, her feelings mixed about Kitty's momentary disillusionment. It feels good, a little, to inflict some of her own pain, but it's not helpful and her friend doesn't deserve it. At least she's quick to bounce back.
"We just can't let him go back, Kitty. It will complicate things immeasurably." It's all, of course, tied up in what he would remember where, but all she can think is that, if he goes, he may not want to return here to them. The thought twists up in her stomach, and she has to push it down.
"Let's not get caught up in hypotheticals. There's another path to resolution. That's something."
Kitty knows that’s true. And despite what she’d told Scott before, she knows in her heart that she won’t let him go so easily. Emma’s right. It’d be easier to keep him than get him back.
“There’s lots of paths back.” She stands firm on that. Kitty, hesitant, steps closer to Emma, sort of wanting to put her head on her friend’s shoulder or something but not knowing if that’s appropriate just yet. “And between the two of us we’ll find all of them.”
This one she’s confident on, despite her previous discouragement.
As Kitty steps closer Emma goes to gently take her face in her hands. She watches her quietly, frowning a little, trying to add her confidence to her own, which feels shakier than usual.
After a moment she releases her, but only so she can pull her into a hug with a sigh. It requires some effort to not let her feelings get the better of her composure.
"We'll figure it all out."
Kitty lets herself be pulled around accordingly. She loops her arms around Emma’s waist and squeezes tight. They will figure it out. She’s figured out every other problem which gives her maybe a heightened sense of confidence. But she’ll take it. They can use that.
“Sorry I locked you in a bathroom in the meantime.” She says in a small voice against Emma’s shoulder, for now.
"You've done and will do much more annoying things, so I'll survive." As is often the case when she says things like this, there's no venom in Emma's voice. She is actually happy that Kitty has done this - she likely would have avoided her for some time, and she prefers this earlier resolution.
"...thank you."