2013.09.12 - A Favor in Mind

Emma had an interesting challenge on her hands, a young student with literal power and drive but bored and unchallenged. She had spent the evening before plotting out various training scenarios, but nothing stuck. The boy clearly wanted experience. And she thought of one man who had experience and power in spades; Namor, the Sub-mariner.

The following morning she went out her yacht and took to the sea. She got as far out into the ocean as she felt comfortable and threw out the anchor. She spent the first few hours sunbathing and catching up on her reading, dressed in a white bikini while reaching out with her mind to somehow contact Namor. She then grew bored, attaching a heavier anchor to her legs, and sliding herself off as she quickly sunk in the sea, "Perhaps you've already forgotten about me Namor. Oh well, time to drown."

And if she had been reaching out. If he hadn't felt that small little tickle in the back of his brain that he learned was caused by telepathy she would have eventually turned to her diamond form and had to walk home on the bottom of the ocean. Instead a bout a minute after Emma began to sink to the bottom, the sound of breaking metal and unusually warm (for the middle of the ocean) arms wrapping around her waist.

Namor's kiss was swift and powerful, but also served the purpose of breathing air into her lungs. After that was over he said under the water, "Emma Frost, I wondered if I would see you again. Hold your breath this will be a very fast trip."

There was a woosh of speed as Namor began through the water traveling at break neck speed. Using his own flight speed to enhance the speed of his natural swimming ability.

There was a moment when Emma began to wonder if Namor was going to show up. And that would have been a very disappointing and dark walk home.

Once he began swimming Emma turned to diamond and held onto Namor as he started at that break-neck pace. Better not to risk it, especially considering her more delicate frame.

As Namor opened the airlock to his villa, he did make note that she had changed into diamond form. He had to admit that he had forgotten that little trick of hers and it made him feel foolish. He realized that meant he'd been duped. It seemed people only came to his door when they wanted something. Her, Orin, Magneto, they all wanted something from him. And it has always been that way. Before them it Steven, John and Zinda. They all wanted something.

After they were through the airlock he looked at Emma appraisingly, "I have to admit, I feel a bit used now... Ms. Frost. So explain yourself quickly."

As they entered into Namor's private villa she turned back to flesh, and let out a chuckle. She raised her hands dismissively, "Oh please. You never call, write. A girl could take that personally."

She took a quick glance around them, half expecting Namor to reconnect with at least some of his people by now, "I did want to ask a favor. But I don't want to intrude."

"So searching for my mind," Namor said a little annoyed at the manipulated feeling he was having now, "Is your idea of not intruding?"

A quick burst of the loneliness he felt did come through though. He had encountered some of his people, a decided instead to just stay in a self-imposed exile until he was ready to face them again. And that was going slowly.

He sighed and looked at Emma again now that she had returned to normal. Her body was definitely pleasing to the eye, and that was an understatement, "So you are here, and you are not leaving as of yet. So speak your mind. Let's hear this favor."

Emma placed a hand on her hip as she caught the lonely thought. She would have liked to share a compassionate word, but with a man like Namor once he feels like you've wronged him, better not to make it worse. She let out a sigh, "It's simple really. I have a student, quite bright and powerful. Much like the young Julian Keller you met, only more so. He has had a fair amount of training and simulations, and it bores him. He feels eager for a fight."

She raked her wet hair away from her face, "You have more experience than anyone I know. I think he could learn something from you. Something valuable."

Namor studied Emma's face for a few moments. Trying to decide if he could take her at her word. For now, he decided that he could, "Alright, so you think I could be help with him. But I am no teacher Ms. Frost. I don't know what help you expect from me. Save breaking his jaw so that he can not speak his arrogance."

Emma let a smile spread across her face. She walked around him, looking about the villa, as it was a beautiful ship itself. And enjoyed the view that was Namor. Emma circled around, "Something like that, is what I'm looking for to a degree. He needs a chance to stretch out, use his talents to use in a more real-world application."

She let out a soft laugh, "He needs a good fight, darling."

Namor actually let the facade of arrogant indignation slip and smiled a bit, "So I want to make sure I'm understanding this Emma. You have a student, I assuming they are, what do you call them on the surface, a metahuman. And I am assuming you think he is of comparable power to myself. And you want me to... be a challenge to him? Not hurt him to badly and let him understand he's not entirely ready for the reality of what the world is and what it isn't."

His smirk doesn't fade turning to face her again, "And what is in this for me, Emma Frost. I don't know if you recall but I nearly destroyed Metropolis a few months back."

There was no doubt, Emma was placing her trust in who some would call a "villain" but that was nowhere near new for her. But Emma sees the potential in everything, and she could still see it in Namor.

She glanced up at him, her eyes giving that seductive allure, "That's right. And in return, I'll give you a company in Guatemela that is dumping loads of toxins into the ocean. And if everything goes well, I can find more companies of interest to you."

Namor found it a bit humorous that Emma would debase herself with bribery. But then again he did ask her what was in it for him, "So you think that polluting the oceans is all I care about... interesting."

He thinks for a moment and the lust he feels towards Emma is apparent, as once again is his loneliness. There is an image of him sitting on his throne in this villa as the superhero known as Aquaman talked to him about his people. In his memory it was much more hostile and upsetting than probably actually occurred. It was no clear. Namor felt unworthy of the people he used to know and the people who once threw parades in his honor.

Emma shrugged, "I don't know what you care about to be honest. I guess. And while I would love. . ."

She reached out and gently touched at the side of his temple, "To swim about the ocean that is your mind. I respect you too much to just take that out of you."

And it was true. Emma had met a fair amount of interesting men and women in her life, but no one quite so complicated and dreadfully interesting as Namor. "You don't have to say yes. At the very least, it was nice to say hello. And besides drowning is fun."

"I'm not saying, no." Namor said sternly, "I just saying that you are underestimating my motivations. I blame the surface. Different values taught. Seventy percent of this planet is ocean. Whether the surface realizes it or not, the Ocean is in control. All you do is pollute your own drinking water and fishing lanes."

Namor considered for a moment, "If you want to know me. I permit you access to the sovereign ground of Atlantis that is my mind."

Emma was still for a moment as she pondered his invitation. There is a moment of silence before she steps forward, placing a hand behind his neck and planted a hard and passionate kiss upon his lips. She didn't quite know what would be deep into his mind, and what the outcome of all of this was going to be.

But she knew no matter what, it would be exciting. She dove straight into his mind.

And then they are in his mind, it is the dark murky waters of an ocean polluted by war. This was the water that Namor was born in. His father's ship... they were all murdered and the ship sank spilling the oil and gasoline into Atlantis below.

Emma's ego appeared in his mind dressed in her white outfit, her belly show through it but a large flowing fur lined caped behind her. For a moment Emma had no where to got. Then a small boy, pink-skinned and with ankle wings swam up to her. "Your the first real visitor to here. Hi! I'm Namor! Momma says I'm going to be king someday!"

Emma smiled a wide smile to little Namor and held out her hand to take his small chubby little fingers, "Hello Namor. I am sure you will. Would this young prince show me around? I'm new here."

The little Namor said, "Of course! I'll take you to see the Council of Kings! That's happening soon, and it is going to change everything!"

He took Emma's hand and lead her deeper into this kingdom, he grew older as he did. He was about a sixteen when they reached the guards. He was eighteen when he stood infront of the Kings of Atlantis.

He bowed before his own grandfather Thak-kor and the others. They told him to go to war. And go to war he would.

Emma smiled a wide smile to little Namor and held out her hand to take his small chubby little fingers, "Hello Namor. I am sure you will. Would this young prince show me around? I'm new here."

Emma furrowed a brow. She kept her hand held onto his as he led her throughout his life. Emma once they had reached this point she asked, "On the surface we send our children to war just as young. Do you think you were ready?"

Eighteen year old Namor looked at Emma and told her, "I'm the Avenging Son of Atlantis. The only one who can do this. And I will!"

Everything goes dark and Namor looks a year older... his skin is much bluer than it was the last time she saw it. He grabbed a torpedo, and threw it back at the U-Boat.

That U-Boat fell and sank. The next one had to deal with the Sub-Mariner. He crashed into it in such a way that it could survive. He then walked through it and murdered everyone on that U-Boat. No forgiveness, no anything.

It was war.

Emma furrowed a brow. She kept her hand held onto his as he led her throughout his life. Emma once they had reached this point she asked, "On the surface we send our children to war just as young. Do you think you were ready?"

Certainly rough. But it was war. And Emma knew the rules of war, certainly one as cruel yet essential as World War II. Emma stepped by Namor's side and placed a hand onto his hip, and whispered into his ear, "Clearly you handled it. When all was said and done, and the war ended how did you feel?"

The blue skinned Namor looked at Emma but said nothing. His black eyes gave not revelation of understanding anything that Emma had said to him. His teeth were even sharpened to points.

Moments later, Emma is in the Mesosphere of the planet and sees Namor holding a German SS officer by his throat. The Namor she saw slowly changed to a pink skinned twenty year old Namor, "This is the Hessian. He wanted to destroy Atlantis. I dropped him from here, he claimed he was immortal after all."

His hand let go of the SS Officer's throat and Namor drops with him, at that rate of 33/ft per second, per second. Taunting him the entire way down. Because he was a twenty year old Namor of Atlantis.

Then as this SS Officer hit the ground Namor was suddenly a homeless man, walking on the surface. This homeless man looked at Emma and said, "Then a telepathy tried to destroy Atlantis and erased my mind. I spent sixty years as 'Mac' winning money with...."

He looked a sudden passerby, "Hey my friend! I challenge you to arm wrestling! If you win you get thirty dollars! You loose you loose thirty... Come on, come one. Please?"

And then a surprise happened. Especially after her encounter with Namor she researched even more about him. But not every detail, for obvious reasons she didn't know everything.

She positioned herself in front of him, and took his arm, "Telepath? Well that explains a few things. You have telepaths in Atlantis?"

The homeless avatar of Namor looked at Emma, "No. Mind Magicks are not allowed in Atlantis. Destine was one of the Dry. The first officer of my father's ship, he escaped the massacre."

The homeless Namor seemed to hate this fact, "I hate that he survived, because it meant that I was weak before him. He dragged me in with promise that my father was still alive. He then controlled my mind."

He layed down on the mental streets of Metropolis and pulled a piece of wool over him, "But here I am. Living among those I hate, not remembering any of it."

Emma crossed her arms in front of herself. They were quiet close to where she was with the current Namor. But it was an important question, at least to her, "But I am among those you hate and on top that, one who controls mind magics."

She looked down at herself and spread her arms, "Myself in particular, you should hate. So it seems."

"No, you are Homo Sapiens Superior. Your like me," The hobo Namor says before standing back up, "No Atlantean can fly, no Atlantean is as strong as me, no Atlantean can do what I do."

As he glances at Emma, he starts to look like the Namor she knows. His facial hair and long growth is gone and he looks at her more.

That is when she is kicked out of his brain and they are back to looking at each other, "Right now Emma Frost, you know me better than anyone."

Emma stands as close as she was before, looking into his eyes, unflinching. She kept her hand placed on the back of his neck, "And after that, for better or for worse. And what I've discovered? You've made decisions for yourself, and for your people you aren't entirely comfortable with once was all said and done. And than another, in a sense, rebooted you."

She took her other hand and placed it on his chest. Her voice is all sympathy, no manipulation. None of her usual game, "And I'm sorry. You've sacrificed so much. I doubt it'll mean anything, but I think you are. . ."

Her eyes turned to the side as she very carefully picked her words, "a treasure. I'll never find anyone quite like you, the world won't either. And that can be a very lonely person to be."

"I wish I was viewed as a treasure. Perhaps then, the Aquaman would remember who I was." Namor said sternly, "Perhaps men like Captain America would tell people who I was."

He touched Emma sweetly on the check, "Perhaps it would take more than a telepath to remember that I on multiple occasions, saved this entire planet. And perhaps me and mine. My people, the Atlanteans... perhaps they deserve more than they have received."

He looked at Emma and said, "And I will help your student find his full potential. But I do not care about the pollution. I care about what you told me once."

"Tell me that this will make the surface world a better place."

Emma smiled and drew him even closer with both arms, "As should 'my' people, should remember what you have done for the surface."

She took a moment to study his face, as she realized she knew him more than so many others she deemed worthy to be intimate with. One difficult man, who she just realized was just as difficult as she herself really was.

Her voice softened, different then her normal tone, "And for my student I would be forever grateful. As I would for so many other things I might be shy to admit."