2014.04.21 - Hard as Diamond?

Emma has had an eventful last few days, and wanted to speak with the lovely Jean grey. On a whim she decided to drive to up to Westchester to see her. Unless she's out doing X-meny stuff across the globe. Oops.

After doing some casual research of the area, it seemed this quaint little spot seemed like the place to be.

Emma found herself a nice booth near the back of the establishment. She was dressed simply for the evening, in a short white dress with no sleeves and an open circle across the back. She pulled out her cell phone and sent a text to Jean, "Harry's Hideaway, I'm sure you've heard of it. I'm here, care to join me?"

Jean, on her side, has fully commited herself to helping Logan out with government debts the feral X-Man had acquired when trying to protect Phoenix from Sabretooth. As such, she has been training, overtime, trying to get some hours of infiltration under her belt, and that is never as easy as in movies.

Even in the Danger Room she has to crawl through mud, slip into sewers, hold her breath under water, all in all ruining her hair and making the redhead appreciate all the more the work Gambit and Logan do for a living. Still, as she leaves the training place, a wide, wide smile paints her lips as she feels her heart pumping faster.

Emma. Of course she would go, even if Phoenix tries to mask her dumb smile from the others as she goes to her room, walking fast.

When she finally arrives, Jean has her hair tied back in a thick ponytail, locks of her hair covering most of her forehead giving Jean a youthful look. She chose a figure-hugging summer dress and a jeans jacket for the evening, golden hoops around her wrists as she tries to peek and find Emma.

When she does, the fiery X-Woman smiles and bites her lower lip, approaching the other woman, trying to be subtle about it, so the rest of the bar doesn't get any ideas.

Emma smiled as Jean made her way into the back of the resturaunt, and rose from her seat to give the woman a soft hug, "So delighted you could come at such short notice. Apparently this is the place to be."

She slid into her side of the bar and sipped at, wait is Emma drinking beer? She asked for the most well regarded local brew, which was a pale ale. And it actually wasn't all that bad. Not her normal drink, but an excellent taste none the less. "I've gone ahead and ordered the chili with a few side items. When in Rome, hm?"

If Jean wished to read Emma's mind, she is blocking at the moment. But there is something Jean can sense is wrong, and even looking at her nails, the polish is chipped on one of them. Emma normally would /never/ allow that.

Jean smiles, even if she forces herself to not show how she... expected something warmer from the other woman. A soft hug isn't enough for the Phoenix, but the redhead keeps it to herself, arching a brow at the beer.

Although she parts her lipstick-coated lips, the X-Woman has her answer before she even asks about it. Apparently Emma knows how to slum it when she needs it! As she takes a seat across from the blonde, the Phoenix takes note of the few details. She doesn't press anything for now.

"I've missed you.", she begins, a small smile in her honesty. No point in hiding that. "How have you been?", she asks with a wider smile, leaning forward slightly to hear Emma's voice better, to get a better look at her date.

A smile spreads across Emma's face as she reaches out to gently touch Jean's hand, her voice growing softer, "I missed you too. Things have beennot good."

She took her pint glass and had a sip, "So I drove out to Westchester hoping that you were available. Really ridiculous honestly. Impulsive. Glad you were available though. And how have you been?"

She looked into Jean's eyes as one of the waitresses came over to bring Jean a red wine. Not a brand Emma would prefer, but still good. "Thank you, Denise we're looking forward to our dinner."

Jean smiles and looks briefly at their hands, caressing the other woman's knuckles with her thumb, almost taking that hand up to kiss it, but thinking better of it. They are drawing enough attention as it is, and it is obvious Jean feels inhibited.

At the mentioning of things not being good, however, she squeezes that palm softly, leaning in closer, frowning, always so protective. "What has happened, Emma?", her voice all but a soft whisper. Jean is so absorbed in her worrying that she barely realizes when the wine gets there, and Emma calls the woman by the name. That is so Emma, to own the place, even if she is unused to it.

Jean doesn't touch the wine for now. She is worried about Emma.

Emma looked to the side, as the topic was not for any of the ears nearby. Nor was anything they could see either. For the rest of the evening anyone listening in would they were talking about men, shopping or something equally as boring and staying on their side of the booth. "That sort of strange nonsense we all seem to get ourselves into, hm? Yeah I finally got a bit of that."

She looked back to Jean and frowned slightly, "You know my darlings-um, the Five in One. They are..."

Her eyes looked down, and stared into her beer looking like her eyes might water, likely this was the first time she's told this to anyone, "They are my clones. Someone ripped the eggs from my body, a long time ago."

It's... overwhelming to see Emma like this. The weirdness... as much as she hates to admit, Jean can understand. They sure look like Emma, but... the human aspect of things, how someone forced this on the blonde, and how connected she obviously feels about the quintuplets... that slices deep into Phoenix's heart.

"I... Why?", she asks, trying to convey her warmth across the table, rubbing the other woman's hands, gently, with both of hers'. "Is... something wrong with them? Did you... just discover this?"

Emma nods, and brings her other hand to touch at the top of Jean's, "Yes. They just came to me last night. I've had mysuspicions. Quintuplets do not occur naturally, and their origins have always been odd but."

Emma's shoulder's slump, as the sweet kisses from Jean do make her feel better. On one hand, it is nice to tell someone who is too used to this weirdness. "They've closed off, emotionally. With the-the diamond form we all share we can do that. They can even do things that I can't, like turn their hearts to diamond."

Her eyes look down as she smiles at it all, "How dramatic. Us Frosts are known for the dramatic."

Jean smiles some as Emma seems to get a bit calmer, shaking the woman's hand softly, without ever taking her moist lips away from that smooth skin, Phoenix's bright, green eyes taking on every small detail Emma gives her.

"'Tis both a blessing and a curse. Being dramatic, after all, must have SOMETHING to do with that very subtle diamond form of you Frosts...", Jean jokes on the Frost flair for the dramatic, to help ease things up, before continuing, "They came to you last night with this information? Oh, Emma... they'll come around. They are teenagers... I...", oh boy. This might sound weird. "... Do you want me to talk to them?", her voice low, afraid she might be oversteping, but holding the blodne's hands insistently, not letting go.

"While the thought is sweet, I don't think it would help. Besides one of them would be particularly upset because" mentally she continues the thought without even realizing she's doing so, |"Because she had a crush on me. Oh god!"|

Her eyes widened for a moment as she took her hand away to take a longer sip of her beer, "No I had a good long cry about it, oh all last night. And today I went to the club to partake in booze and socializing but it just wasn't what I needed."

She looked to Jean and smiled, "Was to talk to you. It doesn't fix all of this, I have a long road ahead of me to get to the bottom of this. But needed this."

She leaned forward over the table and gave Jean a soft but passionate kiss on the lips, and pressed her forehead to hers, |"Thank you."|

Jean is opening herself up for new oportunities, new ideas, but... the mental image of one of Emma's genetic daughters in love with her makes the redhead cough a bit, blushing furiously. As much as she does get the mental image of Rachel on her mind, Phoenix just can't imagine anything similar ever happening between them.

It's only Emma's following words that snap the X-Woman out of it, making her smile, almost proudly. In fact, and Emma might just sense it, it's just a relief to know that somehow the blonde also feels like that. Like she needs Jean.

The kiss has Jean's mind wandering as she grips the edges of the table. If she does so to keep herself from drawing Emma closer, into something more intimate and furious, needier, or to keep from making Emma back away, so the other patrons won't see the two ravishing women making out. Still, Jean returns the kiss, sighing softly into it, as Jean has been needing this for quite a while now.

"Emma...", she whispers, a bit dumbfolded, almost scolding the blonde, looking around subtly. When she realizes nobody is looking at them, however, Jean arches a brow, grinning. "Did you... make us invisible?"

Emma quite enjoyed the kiss and was feeling much more like herself. She re-adjusted the napkin on her side of the table and grinned that their dinner had arrived. After thanking the waitress she continued, "Oh no they think we're talking about shoes, men, moisturizers and other things I browsed in a cosmo a couple days ago. Only thing that magazine is handy for. They aren't noticing anything else."

Emma took a tentative bite of the chili and wow. It really was fantastic. /So/ fattening but delicious. She was silent for a moment before she continued, "Personally, I don't mind a bit of PDA...but this is your town. I don't want to put you in an awkward position. You know unless any of your X people show up. That would be interesting. Because then I'd be all over you, just so they'd know that you are mine."

Emma flashed a wicked smile.

As Jean listens to Emma, she slowly sips the wine, if anything to cool her body after the blonde's smoldering kiss. It's just dizzying, the kind of sparks that seem to easily surge between them everytime they do even simple things like crossing their gazes. Still, Phoenix smiles widely as she does so.

And blushes fiercely at the other woman's words, even if there is some... rare mix of embarassment, lust and sass as she cocks her head to the side, brows arched.

"Oooh... I'm yours now, Miss Frost?", she says in a whisper, her voice huskier than Jean had predicted, but it works even better than her usual tone for this. "I remember you telling me you had someone else?", she teases, unsure if she wants to hear the answer to that, but daring to say so anyway.

Jean is not one to back down, her eyes glued to Emma's, her breathing a bit erratic.

It's true, Emma would have never guessed it but they have this sort of unique chemistry. Jean's quiet intensity and Emma's seemingly hard exterior that hid a passionate self. But Emma shrugged, "Only a King of Atlantis, on the side. Whatever."

She held up a finger, "I told Benedict Cumberbatch to quit calling me. See? Mine."

She ran her finger along the top of her pint glass, "Seriously, thank you for coming out. Ineeded you. But look at me, talking all about myself."

She reached out and touched at Jean's forearm, "How is my Jeannie?"

Jean keeps looking at Emma, biting her lower lip. She would like nothing more than to vanish into those lips, those arms, but that answer... She might have been just joking, of course, but the blonde is just so hard to read in that regard. Still, there are a few things Phoenix wants less than to look like a frail high schooler in front of this woman.

Emma she wants to impress.

And the tirade about Cumberbatch has the redhead smiling softly. It's nice to hear Emma calling her like that. As if it really matters that Jean and her are an item. It's something Phoenix can easily entertain in her mind.

"I... have been having some problems. It is just mostly... Victor Creed's attack on that party we went to. I can't seem to shake it off. There's something so out of character about that!"

Ah yes, /that/ topic. Emma took a moment to take another bite of her admittedly delicious dinner before answering, "His attack? Donald Pierce attacked us, while a bit...vicious was really a victim like the rest of us."

Emma chose her words before speaking, "He's a business associate, associated through Shaw. Mr. Creed is a fellow member of the Hellfire Club, just a social club."

She took another sip of her beer, "Which I should really take you to, I didn't get a chance to introduce you to Sebastian."

Emma slapped herself on the side of her forehead, "Silly Emms. We never really did talk about the party did we? Look I..."

She reached out to touch her hand again, her fingers lacing through Jean's, "I am so sorry. I got you involved in that mess, you got hurt. You-you even took what was supposed to be my pain."

She caught Jean's gaze and smiled, "I've never seen someone be so selfless before. It was amazing. You are."

Jean frowns, the kind of frowns throws a wrench on a lot of other feelings she is having right now. This is all very alarming. Still, she arches a brow, wetting her lips while she thinks of what to say.

"Victor Creed... was not attacking with the Reavers? What... kind of club does this Mr. Shaw run? Does he realize Victor Creed is a murderer, a psychotic man that needs help?", her words low, controlled, as Jean fails to realize Shaw obviously knows about that. Because Emma is associated, she just rather give the whole thing the benefit of doubt, hoping it all ends up well.

Without changing her very, very worried face, the redhead nods. "I would... never let you be harmed, Emma. When I told you I liked you I meant it. It's... it means a lot to me to be here. With you."

Emma slid the dinner aside and placed both of her hands onto the table, her attention fully towards Jean. "This man, Victor Creed, I do not know well. He seems like an intense man, but I haven't dove into the depths of his mind. But if he is..."

There is a pause, as Emma shivers slightly, "a murderer. I'll see this matter dealt with. Did he harm you, somehow?"

And Jean smiles, that creeping, happy smile that shows that although she wasn't counting on it, that Phoenix got her faith rewarded. She places both hands over Emma's before leaning forward.

"Do not go into his mind. It is a dangerous, dangerous place. And do not confront him directly too. I... can't take you getting hurt because of me. But he is a violent psychopath that yes, has threatened my life before. He knows my scent. Just be careful, okay?", she whispers, feeling like kissing the woman again.

"Or else I'll just have to put myself in harm's way again to save you, and that would be a downer to both of us.", she finally says with a grin, looking at the blonde lovingly. It may be a lie, but Jean buys every bit of it.

Emma ran her thumbs over Jean's as she smiled widely and continued, "He comes anywhere near you and threatens you and he will be a drooling idiot, literally. He will be a vegetable and that redhead too."

Emma says this as if she's talking about something casual like taking out the garbage, "Downer indeed. None of that."

A lie? Anything but. After this date Emma will drive home, get a hold of Victor and threaten him in person. She likes to take the direct approach when it comes to that sort of thing.

Jean giggles and shakes her head. Hearing Emma say those things is so strange, it's different than when all the boys try to peg her as a damsel in distress. With Phoenix doesn't feel patronized, she just feels well, taken care of.

"Just promise me you'll stay away from him, Emma... that man's mind is not for us. It's a warped, warped thing, and...", and what? She can't just say 'And you might not be able to take it!'.

"... and I would rather have you spend time with me than being angry at Victor Creed.", she finishes with a sly smirk. For a moment she just looks at Emma across the table, smiling sweetly, admiring this woman, taking a sip of her wine, and then she continues.

"Creed has a history with the X-Men, with a very good friend of mine, Logan.", and frequent source of sexually charged encounters, but that is the kind of thing one just doesn't say.

Emma's eyebrow quirks just so. Jean's feeling sexually charged with anyone other than herself? Well that just won't do. Wait Emma doesn't get jealous. She also doesn't drink beer, and she just downed the rest of hers and asked for a refill. "Good to know. And wait, Logan? Wolverine?"

CRAP. The girls did mention a Logan AND this place. Crap on a plate. Trouble was coming up when she wanted to show Jean the charming bed and breakfast she rented for the entire evening, and by that she meant the entire building, "He's involved with my girls. They come from the same place. Crap. They are weapon 14 If that means anything to you. Shit."

Jean frowns slightly. Logan is involved with little girls!? What... no, that's... Weapon XIV!? She has no idea of what is that. She has only some faint memories of Logan's, the symbol X printed on his casket in some facility somewhere in the man's past. Still, the connection comes slowly.

"Emma, you are worrying me... what's got you so rilled up?", her voice low but worried, enough so the redhead slowly stands and moves around the table to sit by the blonde, one hand on the socialite's thigh.

"Explain it to me what is happening? What is this Weapon XIV talk? What does Logan fit in all of this? Relax...", she says lowly, trying to soothe the nervous blonde besides her, Jean's palms dragging along the other telepath's thighs slowly.

Emma was quite glad that Jean was so close. She wrapped an arm around her shoulders and drew her in even more close. Emma normally is quite perfect, but in all of this it's slipping. She's /vulnerable/. "I don't entirely know darling, I normally do but this, I don't. I hate it."

She reached out to the girls, knowing they have an odd connection and asked but Jean could still hear all of this, |"This Logan. Do I need to speak with him? God, girls I don't even know how to fathom all of this. What do you want, what would make you happy?"|

The girls respond and Emma includes Jean as well, |"He is an escapee from the project. We met with him to understand ourselves better. We need nothing Ms. Frost...Mother. We are fine. Happiness is irrelevant."|

Emma was quite glad that Jean was so close. She wrapped an arm around her shoulders and drew her in even more close, "I don't entirely know darling, I normally do but this, I don't."

She reached out to the girls, knowing they have an odd connection and asked but Jean could still hear all of this, "This Logan. Do I need to speak with him? God, girls I don't even know how to fathom all of this. What do you want, what would make you happy?"

The girls respond and Emma includes Jean as well, "He is an escapee from the project. We met with him to understand ourselves better. We need nothing Ms. Frost...Mother. We are fine. Happiness is irrelevant."

As Jean listens to it all, there are a few things that connect in her mind: the feeling of running away, the pain in Logan's body as he jumped out onto the waterfall, to freedom, hands bleeding, new, metallic claws jutting from his fist... Phoenix almost coughs up, the powerful emotions getting to her. She nods, agreeing with the girls. yes. Logan is the escapee. The X is not a letter, it's a number.

Jean leans against Emma, temple to temple, as she kisses the other woman's cheek tenderly. "Don't worry. I am sure we can figure it out.", her voice meant to be reassuring.

She has far more experience with the weird than Emma has, after all.

Now that was likely so. But Emma does place a hand onto her leg and with her other hand draws her chin in closer towards her face and speaks quietly, Jean's own voice being reassuring, "I know. Perhaps the girls you are right, they should talk to you. But for now, enough of this nonsense."

She brought her own face closer and kissed Jean passionately and sweetly, 