Z. ANGELICA / FIRESTAR.

"More that it hasn’t felt right? I’m an American. I was born an American. It feels wrong to just give that up to be closer to a people that I haven’t always gotten along with.” Emma Frost, in particular. “Things have felt a little different since I joined the X-Men. I don’t know.”

"Geez, I’m just exaggerating. Do you really think I’d melt you?” 

"Honestly, I probably couldn’t melt you if I tried. It’s just microwave radiation.”

“It’s different for me. The X-Men are a big deal, and we alternate once a year. My tenure is almost up.” Angelica doesn’t know if she’ll push for reelection yet.

“Nah, Jean’s the most popular. Everyone knows Jean.” It doesn’t seem to have gone to her head. Angelica serves with her on the X-Men and Jean is incredibly sweet and down to Earth. “Rachel’s her alt-reality daughter, Madelyne is her clone and Hope is her adopted granddaughter. It’s confusing confusing.”

“Truce.” She confirms. “Not that we needed one. It makes it seem so serious, doesn’t it? I’ve barely been an X-Men at all compared to how long I was a New Warrior.”

“Touché. One would think the literal King of Hell would be above little jabs, but here we are.”

“Which redhead traumatized you? Jean Grey? Rachel Summers? Hope Summers? Madelyne Pryor? I can keep going. Those are only the ones related to each other.” She couldn’t forget Amelia Voight and Theresa Cassidy.”

“Yeah, yeah. You’ve got your hellfire and I have my microwave radiation. It’s different.”

“Thank god.” Angelica exhales. “I heard what happened in Pleasant Hill. I know I’m not allowed to ask about Council business -- or, really, you’re not allowed to tell me -- but is it true that you guys... I mean, I just heard a rumor.”

“Oh. It’s you.” Angelica chills slightly. She doesn’t know Spider-man very well, but they have mutual friends through the New Warriors. Being around the same age means running in similar circles; they had all come up around relatively the same time with Angelica (likely) being a little younger. “X-Men aren’t allowed to melt friendly neighborhood Spider-people.”

“Cassie? No. I’m not sure I’ve ever met a Cassie before.” Then again, Angelica’s meeting a lot of new faces ever since becoming an X-Men. “Is she a mutant?”

“I’m an X-Men now, but I don’t think I qualify as a bigwig. I’ll have to find someone else.”

Angelica didn’t think that being an X-Men would give her a right to laugh at Scott Summers, but weirder things have happened. Still, she only chuckles once. “I feel like I’m in a parallel universe sometimes. Being an X-Men, living with you, Jean and the others.” At the mention of Jean, she sobers up. “Have they found her yet?”

“I personally would have loved to get melted before an exam. Anything to avoid the test.”

“Yeah.” The word drags out. “I’m not actually a Krakoan citizen. I kept my American citizenship.” It had put her in a negative light to a lot of mutants. Those like Roulette continue to doubt her ability to be an X-Men when she refuses to fully embrace the Island nation. “It’s all complicated.”