icecoldfrost | de Ulloa Residence, Baltimore, Early Saturday Evening

Being in a carriage wasn't odd for Emma; she'd gone on plenty of rides in Central Park since moving to New York. It wasn't even being in the past, since Fandom seemed to be about ten years ahead of her anyway. Time travel wasn't hard to deal with.

No, the oddest part was knowing she had willingly hopped through a portal to a world of vampires, and that she was going to be expected to behave and act a lady.

The things she did for Mr. Priest.

Except she was here, and being helped down out of the carriage by the driver and making her way to the front door, knocking physically as well as mentally.

<<Let me in, darling, before the neighbors start to stare.>>

Jack Priest	<<What exactly are you giving them to stare at?>> Jack asked the same way before he opened the door. "Miss Frost," he said aloud. "So my message made sense?" It had been a bit scanty on details: "I seem to have acquired a sister. Would you care to meet her? Portal to my world, 6 p.m. Carriage will be there. And Emma? BEHAVE. Until you're provoked." That had seemed enough to tantalize her, and, clearly, it had worked.
Emma	<<A strange girl on the doorstep is usually more than enough to invite curiosity, especially from terminally bored housewives. They feed on gossip like some people eat candy,>> Emma pointed out, even as she gave him a bright smile. "As much sense as you ever make, darling. I can hardly expect a concise missive from a gentleman who loves a good mystery," she teased. "May I come in, or are you whisking me away elsewhere already?"
Jack	"No, please, come in," Jack said, stepping to the side. He lacked energy and focus for his usual level of banter. The door opened into a neat, dim, front hall, and Jack lead the girl into a large parlor with a roaring fire. It was opulent, in a quiet way, and there were faint noises of cooking coming from a kitchen just out of view. "Rebecca -- Rivka -- the one who says she's my sister -- she'll be here as soon as she can steal away."
Emma	"I assume I'm here because she says she's your sister," Emma replied, glancing at him sideways even as she fell into step with him. "You aren't sure?"
Jack	"I hadn't seen her since I was five," Jack said evenly. "I barely remember her, just the name and her hair, really. If she's telling the truth, it's a bloody miracle. If she's not telling the truth -- or if she's a sister, but only here for money -- I need to know before the touching reunion goes too far." There was some vulnerability in his thoughts and his tone. He wanted to believe Rivka; he just wasn't sure he could.
Emma	"Then we'll find out," she promised. And if the girl wasn't completely honest, well, Emma did so relish the few chances she got to practice wiping people's memories. The little bitch wouldn't even remember they existed when she was done. "How do we want to play this?"
Jack	"As honestly as we can manage," Jack said. "I told her you're good at reading people. No need to say more, is there? Just chat with her a little and see what you find out." He ran a hand through his hair. "I've not mentioned this to Tony or Sebastien. If she's a stranger, I'd like to keep this misadventure discreet."
Emma	"In and out, and no one need even know I was here," she promised, touching his wrist lightly. "But little Miss Rivka will know there's something up, Jack, if she's not a complete fool. My accent and clothing are going to give me away as 'different.'" She'd pinned up her hair, and forgone pants for a long skirt and blouse, but that was the closest she'd been able to manage on short notice. And if the girl was who she said, Jack might not want his family knowing about his more 'unusual' friends.
Jack	"You just sound American," Jack said, and looked at her clothes for the first time. "... your outfit will do. I'm sure she knows something is going on, but I am going to have to tell her I live with a vampire at some point. I'll consider this a trial run."
Emma	"So I'm your friend, and I read people. Anything else I ought to know?" she asked, taking a seat in one of the parlor's chairs and tucking her feet under her, head cocking to the side suddenly. "Speak quickly, because someone's about to be knock-knocking on your door."

Rebecca 'Rivka' Duchovny	Not that Rivka knew, but she knocked on the door just in time to cut off any answer of Jack's. She was dressed in the same neat but shabby best dress as she'd worn the day before and nervously brushed the dust off her skirts and tucked her escaping hair behind her ears as she waited for the door to open.
Jack	A maid answered, this time, and -- having been instructed to expect the guest -- ushered her back to the parlor. Jack smiled, nerves visible, as he sprang from his seat to greet her. "I'm so glad you could make it back," he said. He'd realized a bit late that crossing the city two days in a row was a large investment for a servant; that she'd made it meant she likely wasn't a simple con artist. "Rebecca, this is Miss Emma Frost. Miss Frost, this is my sister."
Emma	Unless she wasn't a servant and was more than a simple con artist, but Emma wasn't going to fan Jack's fears into larger fires. Yet. "Charmed, I'm quite certain," she replied instead, inclining her head to the other woman and dropping all her shields to listen for even the smallest cues. She wasn't going to go in, not yet, not until she had some idea of what she needed to look for.
Rebecca	"I was glad to," Rivka said, speaking carefully to minimize her accent as much as possible. She nodded, almost slipping into a simple bob to Emma. "And I am so pleased to meet a friend of Jack's, Miss Frost."
Jack	"She's been very kind to me since I started at school last spring," Jack said, with a tiny grin at Rivka in honor of the effort she was making. "I'll go help the maid while you two get acquainted." And so he was headed off.
Emma	...Chicken. Flee, Jack, flee, before Emma glares a hole in the back of your head. "He makes us both scurry hither and yon all over the city, and then doesn't even have tea ready," she said lightly, turning her attention to Rebecca. "I would blame Señor de Ulloa, but somehow I find it easier to believe that Jack has simply always been incorrigible."
Rebecca	Oddly offended at the oblique criticism, she drew herself up, hands folded in front of her. "He does well. He always has. Tea is of no matter really."
Emma	"Everything matters, darling," Emma replied, raising one eyebrow elegantly. "Especially when it comes to family."
Rebecca	Rivka shrugged, still not sitting down. "I prefer to think family is where you are always home and little things like that don't matter." It was a completely idealistic view, yes, but she'd had little else to hold onto.
Emma	"Then you're a fool or an idealist, or both," she said acidly, gesturing to the rest of the parlor. "Now stop bristling at me and sit down. I'm not going to bite, and if your brother sees you standing there like a deer in the lights, I'll get scolded for not behaving myself."
Rebecca	Oddly enough, hearing Jan referred to as her brother made Rivka smile a little. She tried to hide it, but she wasn't nearly good enough at concealing her expressions. Obedient to orders, she automatically took the footstool she'd sat in yesterday. "And you would not want him to be upset with you?" she asked with a bit of curiosity.
Emma	Emma filed that away with everything else she was getting from the girl. So far, she seemed to be what -- and who -- she claimed, or else she was very good. Emma was still holding out judgment. "He pouts," she answered with a wave of her hand. "And doesn't stop until he gets his way. It's like kicking a puppy, and contrary to popular opinion, even I'm not that heartless."
Rebecca	"He always used to," she admitted. "He had those big eyes and knew how to use them to get what he wanted." Or to try to since there wasn't usually much to give back then. Her accent slipped back slightly as she forgot to concentrate as she remembered. Of course if Jan hadn't had those big eyes and pretty blond hair, who knew how things would have been different with their parents.
Emma	"And he wields them to devastating effect," Emma grumbled. "It's easier when Jack's upset; when he's disappointed it's completely unfair, if you know what I mean." "But enough about him. If he's listening at keyholes - which he probably is, just so you know - he doesn't need a swelled head from listening to us chat about him. I'm interested in you. He's lived so many different places, I'm impressed you managed to track him down."
Rebecca	"He is my little brother," she said steadily. "And there is enough that is unfair in this world that disappointment of a friend isn't too much to bear." Not that she was looking to get her own back from Emma at all or anything. "I was older when I lost him," Rivka said. "I remember what happened and where and was able to ask about at times. It was purely my good luck to happen across a Jack Priest here in Baltimore and have it happen to be him."
Emma	She could try, but Rebecca wasn't even in Emma's league when it came to insults. "Idealist and a fool," she decided brightly. "If the world wasn't unfair, darling, then those of us with the ambition and the willingness to step on whomever it takes would always end up on top, and we wouldn't want that, would we? There's got to be some chance for the scrappy underdog with a good heart and no sense." Insult, and a threat in there for good measure. Emma did so love multitasking. "Like going around knocking on the doors of strange young men. Really, Rebecca. Would you like to try again, with a bit more of the truth this time? I don't think you just 'asked about' when you had the time."
Rebecca	"Maybe my brother was wrong about your ability to 'read' someone," she said, her hands twisting in her skirts. "If you think I'm lying, you're not doing a very good job of it." She was more upset now, and the heavy Yiddish accent came through much more strongly.
Emma	Her distress was real, at least, but Jack hadn't asked her here to play nicely with others, no matter what his note had said. "I didn't say you were lying, I said you weren't telling me the whole truth," Emma pointed out, still completely calm. "There's more than you're saying, and we both know it." "Because if you were really that casual in looking for him? You don't deserve to waltz back into his life and start ripping things open."
Rebecca/Rivka	"I do not -" Rivka paused for a second to collect herself and the language. "I do not wish to rip anything. He was my baby when we were little, and I wish to make sure he is well. He is -" she shrugged, wiping her palms down her skirt. "He is a gentleman now. He is at school and educated. I would not hurt that." It was almost too private to explain the years of work she'd put into finding him. Scraping together the time and pennies to learn how to read, begging or paying for information, finally bartering more than she had for a change to look at the papers that seemed to point towards the gentleman who purchased him.
Emma	There. Emma quickly - carefully - dove into the other girl's thoughts, dancing from thought to thought, verifying every little bit of memory, every action, before slipping back out again. Her touch so neat and light that another psi would be hard-pressed to spot it unless they knew what they were looking for. And if Rivka didn't want her to tell Jack any of it, she wouldn't. But Emma had what she needed. "See? That wasn't so hard, now was it?" she asked, leaning back in her chair. "Much better, darling. Nothing offends me more than being fibbed too, so it tends to make me a bit - " bitchy " - testy."
Rebecca/Rivka	"Then you should know you haven't been lied to," she pointed out quietly, studying Emma. "So..." Rivka paused for a second then continued, curious enough to ask. "Are you in love with my brother?"
Emma	Emma met her eyes squarely. "I am his friend first and always. That's all you need to know." Because if she did, she would always come second to a certain vampire, so of course she didn't love him. Emma didn't like losing.
Rebecca/Rivka	"Of course," Rivka said, a tiny smile playing over her lips. Miss Frost really was just a girl when it came down to it, hmm. She took a breath, keeping herself from running her hands back over the curls that were escaping from its knot. "Then your talent in 'reading' tells you that I am who I say?"
Emma Frost, Bitch Queen of the Universe.	Emma gave her a Look that had been known to freeze grown men in their tracks. "If you weren't, I would have already thrown you out on the street," she replied coldly. "And if you were here wanting more than your brother, you'd be well on your way to the darkest hell I could find." She didn't need to be judged, thank you.
Rivka	She dropped her eyes from Emma's Look, too well trained to do anything else in the face of a lady's ire. "You're not going to frighten me into leaving," she said quietly but implacably.
Emma	"I'm not trying to frighten you, darling, I'm just telling you the truth," she replied mildly. "'Frightening you' would have been if I'd brought Rose along to lurk beside me and look threatening. But you are who you are, and you're not here for nefarious purposes, so I don't have to do anything dramatic." "And if you don't think I'd be capable of it, ask your brother. Speaking of which..." Emma turned her head towards the door, sending out a little wisp of thought to give him the go-ahead to return before she raised her voice. "Jack, you're being rude! Stop trying to get the maid to give you cookies, and come pay attention to us."
Rebecca	It took every bit of self-possession she had to keep Rivka from shooting to her feet and running to fetch him. But she managed it even if she tensed noticeably at the effort. Instead she raised her eyes again to study Miss Frost. She'd been expecting more specific questions, expecting - she wasn't sure what she was expecting but somehow it seemed as those Jan's test was passed, and now she was curious how.
Emma	"There's more than one way to read someone, darling," Emma said, answering Rebecca's unasked questions. "Ask the right questions, press the right buttons, and I can find worlds of answers without you even opening your mouth." "Now, is there anything else you want to know before he comes scampering back? That you don't want to ask him directly, that is." See? Emma could play nice.
Rebecca	"So you've decided he's stopped listening at the keyhole then?" Rivka asked, her eyes dancing with amusement at Miss Frost's question. The rest of that answer - that needed to be thought about before she was ready to address it.
Jack	"You assume I was listening to start with," Jack said as he entered with impeccable timing, and cocked an eyebrow as he passed Emma. The teapot on his tray had cooled considerably -- the price of the time he'd spent waiting and listening. <<Are you so protective of all your friends, Miss Frost?>>. He'd have more to say to her, but that could come later. He had no inclination toward actually eating, rare as that was. The tea things clattered slightly from shaking hands as he set them on a sideboard. "Thank you," he told Rivka. "I -- I have a sister. I hardly know how to begin talking to you."
Emma	<<Of course. Don't be a brat, Mr. Priest, it doesn't suit you,>> she replied tartly while keeping a bright smile on her face. "He was listening, but you can ask me later," she informed Rebecca over Jack's head, completely cheerful. "And you, Jack, do talk to her like a person, darling. She's not a mythical creature out of legend."
Rebecca/Rivka	"It would be a silly sort of legend," she admitted, smiling a little at Jack. "How much did you listen to?" The tone of that was pure big sister.
Jack	"How much do you think I listened to?" Jack countered lightly. The answer was "all of it." "All right, elder sister who is not of legend," he added. "You're both my guests. How shall I entertain the two of you?"
Rebecca	"Rebecca is fine," Rivka said, apparently unable to stop smiling now. Rivka was for when they were alone. "The other is a bit long, no?" She shook her head. "There's no need to entertain me. This is more than enough."
Emma	"Let him entertain us, or he'll be at loose ends all evening," Emma laughed, unfurling herself from her spot in her chair to help him with the tea; a slight ghosting of her fingertips over his wrist as she reached for the sugar to help settle his nerves.
Rebecca	She shifted uncertainly on her stool, the servant's habit of watching everything not letting her miss the touch. It was strange sitting as a guest in a room this fine but stranger still watching her gentleman of a brother attempt to serve tea assisted by a girl that Rivka couldn't quite place but was obviously used to others following her orders. "Then do as you like," Rivka said seriously. She wanted to ask Jan questions about his life and his school and everything else, but a stranger - even one that he was obviously close to - closed her lips on the simplest of queries.

Don Sebastien de Ulloa	There was a sound from the front of the house, namely the entrance of Sebastien and Tony, who had accompanied him in the investigation. Sebastien moved slowly and made his steps as obvious as he could, as he intended to be the last one to make the situation more awkward.
Emma	Company, and Emma was cursing herself for not paying close enough attention to 'hear' them coming from down the block. So much for her plan to slip out before they returned. "Señor de Ulloa is back," she said aloud, keeping her voice calm and clear for Rebecca's benefit. And since she was rather sure Sebastien could already hear them, she might as well let him know she knew they were there, since it couldn't possibly get more awkward. "And Mr. Foster appears to be with him. What lovely timing." Except not.
Rebecca/Rivka	Rivka bounced to her feet, not wanting to make things difficult for Jan by being caught here. His master might be a kind one as the education and clothes made it seem, but he still might not wish a servant girl claiming kinship in his house. "Shall I go?" she asked in an undertone. "I can slip out the back. No one notices servants."
Jack	Jack shook his head, snapping to attention subtly. "I'm not losing you for another dozen years, Rebecca," he said levelly. "You're my guest in my home. I'll explain." And Emma, he hoped, might be able to help. "Sebastien, come in. I have an unexpected guest."
Sebastien	Sebastien stepped into the room and surveyed the scene as if he were on a case, which was more a matter of habit than any suspicion of wrongdoing. Emma received a nod of greeting, 'Rebecca' a curious but untroubled glance, and Jack received a small, curious smile. "So I see."
Jack	Jack's expression faltered in a way Sebastien would surely notice, even if the girls might not. It wasn't that he hadn't thought through how to explain; it was that thinking about it and doing it were very different things, especially when three completely different worlds of his were colliding. "Sebastien, you know Miss Frost," he said. "I'd also like to present my blood sister" -- oh, there was a rich expression -- "Miss Rebecca Duchovny. She's working in the city these days and was able to come for a bit of a visit. Rebecca, this is Tony Foster." With his eyes, he was telling Sebastien he would explain more later, and asking Tony for support.
Emma	"Always a pleasure to see you again, Señor de Ulloa," Emma said, inclining her head politely. "Tony." She was going to laugh herself sick at this later, but Jack was holding out hope she could help, so she'd try and be good. "I've been having the most lovely chat with Miss Duchovny. I hope you'll forgive me for taking over your parlor."
Rebecca	Rivka was noticeably nervous at the introductions, but she bobbed a careful curtsy to both men. "It is an honor to meet you, Señor de Ulloa," she said softly, each word was pronounced carefully to conceal as much of her accent as possible. "Your kindness is appreciated greatly." She smiled at Tony, a little more at ease with the younger man she assumed could be a servant as well. "Mr. Foster."
Sebastien	Sebastien was not considered a great detective for no reason. And while life could often throw new and interesting patterns even at a mind as old as his, some things were as old as time itself. Family called to family, no matter the circumstances. A tilt of his head and a glance at Jack told him to calm himself. A smile was directed at Miss Frost, his eyes crinkling just a little in genuine, if subtle, mirth. And to Miss Duchovny, he offered the smallest of bows. As sister to his companion, he thought one was necessary, but he well knew that in this time and age, more to one in her position would only serve to make her uncomfortable. "How lovely to have you visit," he finally said. He added Miss Frost with a spread of one hand. "Both of you."
Jack	Jack calmed himself, or tried to. He could tell Sebastien wasn't angry, which had been his crazed subconscious fear. (This, even though it was absurd on its face, even though he'd seen Sebastien angry with him a bare handful of times in all their years together.) "It is lovely," he said, and lowered himself into a seat with calculated relaxation. "I never thought to as much as hope for it. We've been getting acquainted again."
Tony Foster	"It's lovely to see you ladies," Tony said, imitating Sebastien's bow and hoping his manners were passably Victorian. He gave Rebecca a curious glance, but refrained from voicing the questions he wanted to ask.
Rebecca/Rivka	Rivka swallowed, feeling the curiosity and comforted slightly by the gentleman's obvious manners. And if Jan felt comfortable enough to sit in his presence without invitation, she could only assume he was a true gentleman. She, however, wasn't nearly comfortable enough to do anything other but stand with her hands clasped in front of her and try not to jump to doing something. "Lucky as well," she admitted. "I was shocked to actually find him." She smiled, the smile real and full of relief. "He has grown up handsomely, my brother." There was irony she was totally not aware of in saying that in this room. "I think that is mostly your doing, sir."
Emma	Dear lord, everyone was practically simmering with unasked questions and typical Victorian repression, and Emma was somehow keeping up her angelic expression, even in the face of Sebastien's subtle display of mirth. <<I feel like we ought to be playing a game of Charades,>> she commented silently to the three men in the room, carefully excluding Rebecca. <<Honestly, you're all overwhelming the poor girl, and she's going to jump out of her skin if you don't stop standing on ceremony and be friendly.>> If she had to behave, everyone had to suffer.
Sebastien	Sebastien thought the words, hoping she might hear them but unsure of the actual mechanics of such a gift. It was not one he was familiar with, other than in the case of Miss Frost. These ways are no more native to me than any other, but to step so far outside of the bounds of propriety could be even more uncomfortable for her. Nevertheless, I will attempt something... casual. His attention turned to Rebecca. "I have done my best by him, and yet I know that most of it is his own doing, hard work complimented by the gifts nature gave him." There was a half-smile that was probably only visible to Jack, as he intended it. Casual. What did people speak of casually? He was far too used to talking to people during serious situations, playing dangerous duels of wits, spouting witty lines while discussing somewhat dour circumstances. He was usually only casual with Jack and most of that was Jack's doing. He was the straightman (in one sense, anyway). "What brings you to the city?" he finally tried. He almost followed with a question as to why she might have left Europe, but decided it sounded too much like either an accusation or an interrogation.
Rebecca/Rivka	Rivka's glance of pride and an odd relief at Jack probably wasn't at all concealed from the people in the room even if she hoped it was. "I have a job here, sir," she said, answering the question promptly. "I work at the Coopers' household on the North side of the city." And that was going to end any welcome they'd extended. Jan would understand, but his friends would not. "There wasn't - much left at home."
Emma	Emma rolled her eyes at him in a 'no one is going to insult your sister, moron' fashion. "I still haven't seen any of it, except the view from the carriage window on my way here," she mused aloud. "Which hardly seems fair, if you think about it." "I don't suppose I could convince either of you gentlemen to recommend a place for supper before I head back to the school? Or would be willing to escort me?" Hint, hint. Like a sledgehammer.
Tony	"I could be your escort for dinner," Tony offered. It would give Jack a chance to spend some time with his sister. "Maybe you could recommend a good place?" he asked Sebastien.
Sebastien	"I might even join you for the evening. Spend a little time out of the house that doesn't involve my work," he said thoughtfully. There was a look to Jack he'd be all right before he smiled at Emma and Tony both. "Especially as I'm still dressed to travel."
Emma	"Then I've got two of the finest men in Baltimore as my dates for the evening," Emma announced, giving them both an outrageously flirty smile as she stood up and brushed off her skirt. "However will I manage?" Possibly by giving Jack a heart-attack at the idea of her out with Tony and Sebastien. It would be fun. She offered her hand to Tony, even as she grinned at Jack and Rebecca. "You two have fun, and I promise not to let these two go darting off on any adventures without you. They'll be no more work tonight, for anyone."