Room 528, Thursday Morning

[icecoldfrost]

After her spa trip the other day, Emma had come home to find a large envelope with her name on it, and Hank's clumsy printing on the outside.

Now she sat at her desk, considering the contents and accompanying note with an evil little grin on her face.

party is monday. send this back to me fast so it can go where its supposed to go. bee careful. -- H

"Hank, I love you," she breathed, turning over the invitation to Ben Nishimura's charity gala in her hands. The man had proved infinitely profitable once before, with what she had gleaned from him at Cumberland's birthday party, and this definately held promise. "For this, I might just kiss you."

Humming happily, she skipped over to her closet, pulling out a small box filled with stationary supplies and setting to work.

Practice the lettering, first. Then match the paper and inks properly. By the time of the party, Emma was going to have an absolutely perfect match, and no one would ever know it was fake.


[Open door and open post! That Emma got a package is totally FB, the any mentions that she's a total delinquent and is committing forgery is NFB.]

Comments

[bitten_notshy]

"Coming back from Baltimore, if Sebastien's managed to get back there," Jack said. "It's our free week."

He smiled. "Did you have an idea?"

[icecoldfrost]

"I always have ideas, darling. It's whether or not I can convince people to go along with them." It wasn't usually hard, Emma could be very convincing.

Or just mind-zap people to do it anyway. Details.

"I have an appointment at home. One which involves crashing a very fancy party, charming some very important people, and possibly stealing trade secrets and large amounts of dignity from very bad men," she admitted, grabbing both the real invitation and the forgery she'd been working on and moving to sit next to him on the bed. "Interested?"

[bitten_notshy]

"You need company?" Jack asked, clearly very interested. "Well, I suppose it depends what these bad men have done. Murder? Theft? Giving you funny looks?"

[icecoldfrost]

At the mention of murder an uneasy look flitted across Emma's face, but it was quickly replaced by her smile.

"It's not that I need company, but it's always welcome, especially company so charming as yourself. I would say that you'd be surprised at the depths of depravity some of these people can sink to, but that's too cliche," she said lightly.

"Mostly they're just ruthless bastards who used everyone around them to the top of the food chain, but at least half of them are going to be thinking some very obscene things in my direction, knowing full well that I'm the same age as their daughter or grand-daughter."

[bitten_notshy]

Oh, like Jack would miss that shift in her expression. Had Emma killed? He wouldn't think it about her, but people had surprised him more.

"And your powers give you some leverage to get into their game," he said with a nod. "I think I want to see Emma Frost in action."

For more than one reason, really.

[icecoldfrost]

"We ought to make a game out of it," she mused, tapping one finger against her lips. "Your clever brain against my powers. Let's put what your detective-guardian has taught you to work, hrm?"

"Person who comes up with the most interesting bit of gossip by the end of the night wins?"

[bitten_notshy]

"Child's play, but I'm up for it," Jack said agreeably. He was very, very good at what he did, and there was no shame in not having powers.

"I can keep the wives out of the way while you speak with the captains of industry."

[icecoldfrost]

"Well I don't want to make it too hard," she teased, nudging him with her elbow. "It's a party, we should enjoy it. Although I should warn you that they almost never bring the wives, and when they do, the female is deadlier than the male. It's almost always the mistress or wannabe-girlfriend, and if you can survive their chatter for the night, I'll cede the victory to you hands-down."

"So how do these look to you?" Emma offered up both the original and her copy (so far) of the invitation. "I still need to match the paper better, but it's getting closer."

She had mentioned that they were crashing it, right?

[bitten_notshy]

"I'll have brandy and a decent cigar, if they have them, and enjoy myself quite thoroughly," Jack said, nudging back. "I'm not bad with difficult women."

He let that hang in the air while he looked at the copies. "You're close," he said approvingly. "I think they have a thicker down-stroke on some letters, but I wouldn't notice that if I wasn't looking. I didn't know forgery was one of your talents."

[icecoldfrost]

The comment about 'difficult women' got a snort and a lighthearted swat at his arm.

Although Emma was hardly denying the charges.

"I don't rely on my powers for everything," she teased instead. "Why waste the energy? Big parties and galas are exhausting, and my powers were initially sporadic and required a lot of effort. I learned how to do this just to save myself the migraine from pushing too hard, too fast."

[bitten_notshy]

Jack looked alarmed, though he understood her logic perfectly. "Do you still get migraines, Emma?"

[icecoldfrost]

"Not quite as often," she answered, which was still a 'yes', but one meant to reassure him. Emma didn't like seeming weak or fragile, but she wasn't going to lie to him about it. "It gets tiring, trying to keep you all out, or to sort through the noise to see what belongs to who."

[bitten_notshy]

Jack felt a stab of sympathy at that.

"I'm sorry," he offered, knowing those weren't exactly the right words. "If there's any way I can give you a quiet space, I will."

[icecoldfrost]

"Being around just one or two people at a time helps, it gives me something to focus on; helps block out the rest of the din," Emma said, reaching over to give his hand a squeeze in silent thanks. "And you aren't 'loud', not like some of our other compatriots."

"Which probably sounds utterly ridiculous, but there you have it."

She wasn't going to outright say 'I like you as a person and your mind is comforting,' that would make her sound like some sort of idiotic simpering girl.

[bitten_notshy]

"Well," Jack said, squeezing her hand back, "you can come be alone with me almost anytime."

Which meant he liked her as a person too.

"I should have more free time," he added. "I'm always happy to see you, but I've no classes all week, and Rose has gone home."

[icecoldfrost]

"Careful, Mr. Priest, that almost sounded scandalous," Emma replied in mock horror, pressing her other hand to her heart. "An entire week of free time, not studying anything, and you invite me to be alone with you anytime? I'm already spiriting you away for nefarious purposes for an evening; what will our peers say?"

[bitten_notshy]

"I can't imagine our peers caring, sadly enough," Jack said. "It's terribly hard to scandalize them, have you noticed?"

[icecoldfrost]

"You just have to find the right ones," Emma replied with a sigh. "I'm rather sure every time I breathe, I manage to scandalize Jeannie."

[bitten_notshy]

"The cute redhead who dates Mr. Capulet?" Jack -- who made it his business to notice such things -- asked. "Why does she find you less than charming?"

[icecoldfrost]

"The clueless redhead that he's trying to catch? Yes. 'Our powers are dangerous, I should exercise restraint, our gifts are to help people,' and so on and so on," she answered, rolling her eyes.

"Don't get me started on the face she makes when I smoke."

[bitten_notshy]

"Sounds dull," Jack observed. "Could you just decide you don't care what she thinks?"

[icecoldfrost]

"I could," Emma admitted, smirking at him. "But what fun would that be?"

[bitten_notshy]

"Not nearly as much as mocking her," Jack guessed, and reached a hand to rest on her stomach.

[icecoldfrost]

"I'm not mocking her," she murmured, giving him a coy glance from under her lashes. "I'm furthering her education."

[bitten_notshy]

A slight smile touched Jack's face, and he laughed. His hand started tracing circles on her belly.

"Emma, the first time I kissed you, we ended up fighting," he said carefully. "The second time, you didn't wake up."

"My very important question is if we should try for a third."