♕

“It does,” he agreed, clearly not convinced that was off the mark. “District X is nearly two years old. It took us this long to get most of the mutants and metahumans in the city behind the walls and under our protection. People are tired, Emma. You know as well as I do that they want to be able to walk through that gate without the kind of fear we’ve had since it went up. NOVA pulling back will let some of them do it.” And if they were looking toward that, toward the retreat and a new, if tentative, optimism, how did they know something would not come from another direction? Too many times had they thought themselves safe, protected, only to have some new, unforeseen tragedy to occur.

 “I don’t want to be-…” he let out a quiet sigh, “I can’t be blindsided again.” His mind was already filled with old faces, old voices, of people that he’d failed. He didn’t want to add new ones. 

Something else to focus on. Maybe. The end of the year was fast approaching, and the holidays with it. “You know I’m not the fun one,” he said with a smile that didn’t hold much humor, though there was a bare shred of it, “but maybe giving them something good here is the right idea.” Not that Emma ever gave him bad ones. They’d done something similar the year before, though for a different reason. In all likelihood, it’d be impossible for him to let go enough to enjoy it, but that wasn’t the point at all. 

“Perhaps, but optimism is not ignorant to reality.” There would be those who convinced themselves that the threat had been vanquished, Emma believed that, but there would be more who maintained their healthy skepticism. Mutants were not prone to blind trust or optimism. “They have been on high alert for years. There is nothing wrong with less fear, or feeling more in control, but it needs to remain balanced.” It was a mistake to take either stance too strongly. What they needed to do was maintain a realistic understanding of their situation and what the next step was. “NOVA is still operating. Simply because they are doing so outside of Star City does not concern me.” The city itself didn’t really concern her. They were there because it was convenient.

She nodded, her lips pressed together tightly. “I know, but it isn’t over yet.” There were ways to combat any tricks NOVA might have up its sleeve, but they were not invincible. It was necessary to prepare for the possibility of fallout, too. Even though Emma was a telepath, she knew it was impossible to accurately predict every move in advance.

[ @lareineblanche liked for a starter! ]

It had been some time since Julian really tried pushing himself — he supposed he could blame that on the surprising, yet contented, relationship he had with Josh, but then he’d just get told to take responsibility. It was on him if he grew lazy; he was able to stretch his telekinesis out during the riot. That was fun, but short lived and it wasn’t enough to give him satisfaction.

So he stole himself away during some down time in a study room. The danger room was tied up at the moment, much to his annoyance, but the study room was empty save for one younger mutant trying to actually study in the corner. Julian brought with him a small iPod, one that had been broken past the point of no return, and attempted to break it apart to the smallest possible piece. He sat, near stoic aside from the slight furrow of his dark brow and the bright, neon green aura that glowed around him and enlightened his eyes. He was focused intently on the small music player, hellbent on getting as small as possible — he didn’t hear Emma walk through the door.

It was impossible not to be aware of Julian, even though Emma didn’t make a habit of eavesdropping on people. Instead of meeting with the class currently in the danger room, she took a right at the bottom of the stairs and went into the study room down the hall. 

When: Present Day Where: District X - School With: Emma @lareineblanche​

Bobby was learning so much the longer he stayed here but, while the events of the world commanded a lot of his attention, he couldn’t help but want to learn more about his friends what had happened to them and how they’d grown up in the past fourteen years. One big shock? Scott wasn’t with Jean anymore. He couldn’t help but feel a little sad about that; he’d always thought they were end game. 

And now there was Emma Frost. 

He’d decided it wanted to meet the woman who was with Scott now, even if he felt a gut dislike for her, built out of loyalty for Jean if nothing else. “U-umm…” he began shyly, “Y-you’re Emma Frost, right?” he asked her. 

-

If Emma hadn’t heard about the younger Bobby from Scott, she would have been more than a little shocked to see him standing directly in front of her like this, as if years hadn’t passed, and it wasn’t a particularly positive blast from the past. Still, she gave him a wry smile. 

“Don’t pretend you don’t recognize me, Bobby. You know perfectly well who I am.” His feelings toward her were easily plucked from his mind. She felt no desire to dive any deeper than that. “What can I do for you?”

He stood up a little straighter and massaged his fingers against the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes in case his glasses shifted while he did. Emma could handle it, but their fridge…not so much. Rather than answer right away, he only sighed and tried for the upteenth time to sort through how much was coming from his own anxiety and paranoia and how much of what he was thinking might actually be real. After a few long beats, he decided not to bother. If he was capable of doing that, he’d have done it already.

“Is it just me, or does this whole thing just feel like…misdirection? The mayor didn’t banish NOVA from the city. They chose to leave. If they chose to leave, what’s stopping them from choosing to come back?” And if Harvey Dent had been an advocate for them, why had it taken so long? If he’d wanted to push them out, he could’ve found the support to do it earlier, before riots, before an explosion. Scott had never counted on any level of government to protect them, though, so why should he be comfortable in assuming they’d keep the ‘peace’ that had been established?

He looked past Emma toward the living room, letting his vision sort of blur and lose focus as he stared at the arm of the couch. “I know people are tired of being behind these walls. They’re going to want to leave, and it’s not like we ever forced them to be here, but I don’t…trust this. I don’t want to open the gates to this place.” He couldn’t stop anyone from leaving if they chose it for themselves, but to encourage it? To do anything to make it look like he, like they, thought it was a good idea? He couldn’t do that, either. “We can’t just scatter again.”

-

Scott’s suspicions didn’t strike Emma as unusual. “Misdirection implies deliberation.” Who made the decision for NOVA to leave the city could be debated, but she wasn’t sure what the purpose of it would be. “Nothing stops them from returning once they are able.” It didn’t matter to her what the mayor said. The bottom line was that the agency hadn’t left until sufficient reason pushed them out. Once their headquarters was rebuilt, she anticipated their return. Even if it meant moving Harvey Dent out of office. No matter where he stood on NOVA as an agency, he’d never had the power (or the spine) to make a solid move against them. 

Of course, it was something altogether different if he were suggesting that NOVA’s departure was organized. It was certainly something to consider, but it was difficult to imagine they’d orchestrated everything, possibly starting with a hit on Dick Grayson, in order to create a reason to leave Star City.

“The walls are not a prison. They are a sanctuary.” No one was bound to stay locked up inside District X. There were plenty of residents who went in and out as they pleased, albeit they had to go through the security checkpoint. “They will want to leave, but it will be a long time before they will feel safe enough. Everyone is still on edge, Scott. Those who aren’t don’t have anywhere to go.” She paused, frowning thoughtfully. “Perhaps we could give them something else to focus on.” Scott was right that it was important to maintain unity.

Aaron blinked. School counselor. He hadn’t thought of that one before. And at the Institute, they were certainly more difficult than just the regular, run-of-the-mill high school. Not as likely to get away from him there. And he could help. He could make people’s lives better with enough flexibility to help elsewhere, too. “Actually… yeah,” he answered. “That… yeah.” Looking up at her, he gave a hum. “I don’t have any training with kids, though. I don’t know if that means that it won’t work out? I’ve worked with regression–so the mentality of children in an adult body–to some extent. But it’s not quite the same, is it?” He shook his head. “But I have worked with a lot of adults, obviously. So if on the job training works for you guys, then I can figure it out. I’m a faster study than most people.” Considering he could literally immerse himself in the minds of others.

Aaron watched Emma, wondering at what her mind was really like. He couldn’t tell and he wouldn’t ever be able to unless she chose to show him, but he could wonder. After all, he knew what people said about Emma, but she seemed to be a lot more than what people said she was. “Well… I’ll take that,” he said with a gentle smile.

-

Emma watched him carefully, nodding at the point he made about children. “Most of them have had to grow up too fast. Not only that, but they come to us late. The majority of our students are nearly adults already.” It was the result of the X-Gene emerging during puberty, despite that occurring younger and younger in recent years. “Your gifts do give you the ability to understand them in a way they crave. I do know you would be more successful in connecting with them than others who have tried and failed. if there is training I can arrange for you that would be beneficial, you need only let me know. I will have it arranged.” She didn’t know much about psychology, but she was here to advise them - when and if they needed it. Her telepathy assisted in some cases, but it didn’t help her understand their feelings. There were several things she was proficient at, but that was certainly not one of them.

Nodding, she offered him a rare smile. It brought a surprising amount of relief. “Thank you. They deserve to have someone who can provide nonjudgmental understanding. I’m afraid that is not one of my strong suits.” She’d done her best, but she could recognize when that wasn’t enough. Emma wasn’t so proud that she would deny them what they needed for her own sake. Instead she was pragmatic and determined to find a solution for them. 

the white queen, alice in wonderland

‘I can’t believe that!’ said Alice.

‘Can’t you?’ the Queen said in a pitying tone. ‘Try again: draw a long breath, and shut your eyes.’

Alice laughed. ‘There’s no use trying,’ she said: ‘one can’t believe impossible things.’