2012-10-17 Foundation-laying: Karma

Shan has no idea how Leong and Nga were able to afford to pay the rent while she was away, but she /does/ know that if she wants to be able to continue doing so, she needs a job. She'd had one, but vanishing unannounced for several months has a way of making one return home to a pink slip, regardless of circumstance... and so. She is here.

Shan is not dressed for interviews. She looks far more like just another student as she makes her way from one campus to another, kept warm by a heavy purple hoodie and a yellow scarf, a small stack of applications tucked into the bag hanging from her shoulder.

Emma Frost does not actually live that far from Morningside Heights, and as such, she elected to walk. She is, as fortune has it, looking for the other side of Shan's equation-- she needs more staff for the school she's planning... and Manhattan's college neighborhoods are a likely location.

She is doing much as Shan is-- going from campus to campus and headhunting some of the best prospects with little care about what the universities in question think. There has been a surprisingly small amount of telepathic cheating involved, all told-- and right now, she's on her phone with what sounds like an employee as she walks. "Yes, that is correct, tell them I don't care what it costs. I still need several instructors with the specific qualifications I've laid down. They needn't be superhuman, but they'll have to deal with that. We also still need a talented cooking staff on contract and I still need a librarian that doesn't sputter at the thought of e-books. I don't think I'm finding one at any of these schools-- I'm not sure they think climbing out of the trees was a good idea."

Really, Shan does not /mean/ to eavesdrop. She really really doesn't. But it's difficult not to overhear when she and Emma pass one another on the sidewalk, and she finds her own steps faultering as her brow furrows. What is /with/ today? First, bumping into Sam, and now this?

...well. Her luck had to turn around /eventually/. Maybe it's just her day.

Stomping down the thought that interrupting would be impolite, Shan spins on her heel and hurries to catch up with Emma, falling into step a short distance from her and flashing a hopeful smile. She's not gonna interrupt the call. She will, however, make her presence known, at least.

"I didn't ask for an opinion-- I gave you a task. Get on with it. I have someone waiting here," Emma snaps, and hangs up the phone without waiting for an answer. So, so hard to find good help. That's two assistants in a couple of weeks. She stops, turns on her heel, tucking the phone back into her suit jacket, and gives Shan an appraising look-over, and then a smile. "You overheard, I assume, Miss... ?"

Shan winces. She doesn't know who's on the other end of that call, but she doesn't want to be them. "I did, I'm sorry. Xi'an Coy Manh," she replies, stopping when Emma does and offering a hand. "You said something about needing to hire a librarian..?"

Emma's mood appears to pull a sharp one-eighty, and she offers Shan her hand. "Emma Frost. And indeed I did. Are you seeking yourself, or do you simply know of a good candidate?" Full attention. Emma's serious about this school thing.

Oh, good. She seems happier now. "Seeking myself," Shan says, grinning wryly as she takes Emma's hand for a shake. "I have a resume in my bag, if you'd like a copy?" She's already shifting the bag around so she can go digging.

Emma nods crisply, and uses the grip on Shan's hand to tug her into a walk alongside herself. "I shouldn't think that expressly necessary, Xi'an. There are more important considerations than a sheet of paper. You would not be seeking here if you didn't have the qualifications," she explains, starting into a walk. "What are your opinons on the genetically-gifted?"

Shan blinks in surprise as she's pulled along, but she falls back into step quickly enough. "Are you sure?" Employers not wanting to see pieces of paper are... unusual. But she can work with it. She gets her bag settled at her hip again and quirks at the question. Ah. Aha. "Many and varied," is her response. "So... just like my opinions on anybody else, I suppose. Could. Could you narrow it down a little?"

Emma arches an eyebrow. That is a very... guarded response. Tactfully so. "Perhaps it will be easier to explain the job. I'm sure you are aware of the current political landscape surrounding... for lack of a better word, 'powered' individuals. Gifted, if you would prefer. I am building a school for those gifts and more. Mutants, geniuses, metas, prodigies... all are exceptional, all deserve an education. Publically."

Don't perk. Don't perk. Don't -- damn it, Shan perked. "Oh, well. /That's/ overdue," she says with a wide smile. "Those kids deserve a place to thrive and be comfortable with who they are just as much as anybody else does. Where are you building this school?" she asks curiously, watching Emma with newfound interest.

Emma's smile is quite something with this question. She's also quite pleased that she's clearly hooked Shan. "Metropolis. We're working on the permits now. It seemed fitting that the City of Tomorrow provide for the future in this fashion."

"That does seem fitting," Shan admits, even as she cringes. Hellfire and damnation. "I have two younger siblings that I care for," she explains, before Emma can ask. "They're in class right now, actually. I'd need to make sure I could get them enrolled somewhere close by, at the very least." The twins haven't manifested any powers, and their grades are decent, but not /gifted/. God. Imagine those two with /brains/?

Emma nods, making an understanding noise. "I see. I can personally guarantee suitable arrangements. If not at the school, then another that appeals to you and them." She turns into a sidewalk cafe, holding the door open, and the pair get a table pretty much immediately. Such is it with Emma Frost.

This woman is either very well known and popular in this neighborhood, or... |"Then we should definitely talk,"| Shan muses, taking a little risk as she settles into a seat across from Emma. |"Tell me more about your library."|