Summary:Family is a choice, and the actions you take. Emma's grows by one Log Info:Storyteller: None |
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Sharon should not have gone shopping at the fish market alone, especially while hungry. The chef had been both thrilled and exasperated, and Sharon quickly covered by saying she was having a friend over for dinner, then called Priscilla and invited her over for dinner, explaining the situation and laughing at herself. Priscilla will be HELPING by coming over and eat dinner! So it's a (relatively given New York traffic) short time later that Catseye bounces back in with Priscilla. "Noooo more shopping while hungry. Was tempted to say would just eat it all, but better have friend over, yes?" She grins at Priscilla.
The jeans-clad curvaceous dancer chuckles wryly at Sharon's commentary and hugs her purple-haired friend. "I shop when I'm hungry, sometimes. I always overbuy then, too. I don't blame you. At least what you buy is good for you." Pris tends to buy things like chocolate. Granted, with her metabolism it's not the end of the world; but it's still not good for her. "At least you're not spending on a limited income. I've ended up leaving myself without enough money for rent, sometimes, because I shopped while hungry."
Emma has done something entirely unexpected today - she's stayed home and taken the day off, she does this about once or maybe twice a month, even Emma needs some 'me' time on occasions. As a result she's dressed in something that would probably make her look about ten years younger, an oversized sweatshirt that hangs over one shoulder. More extraordinary is that it is a very dark blue in color, and has old movie poster images scattered haphazardly over the entire thing. At least the pants are white! She's even barefoot and has her her tied in a simple knot to keep it out of her face. In short - she's dressed for slacking!
She looks up when Cat returns, a faint smile offered her daughter and their guest and friend as they enter. "Hello again, Pris. Welcome."
Emma's currently seated in the conversation pit, and looks to have been reading Through the Looking Glass. A first edition, of course.
Catseye tailwaves to Emma. "Dinner ready soon, MotherMotherFrost. Is Lobster. And Shrimp. And fresh oysters…" She does not look the -least- bit guilty. "Maybe rice or vegetables, left that up to chef." Nope, she'll eat the rice and vegetables, but they are not what holds the lavender kitty's interest. "Busy weekend and busy week. And is only -Tuesday-."
To be honest, Pris is a bit blown away to see Emma looking so casual and laid-back; that's not at all what she would expect of the woman she has gotten to know. Honestly, she'd have expected Emma to 'relax' in something that cost more than Pris' motorcycle. "Evening, Emma. Hope you don't mind my barging in on family night." the dancer offers. She grins rather amusedly at the tailwave; she loves that kind of stuff.
"Wow. That all sounds delicious. I'll be curious to see - and smell, and taste - what treatments the chef chooses. I love seafood. Kinda have to, growing up in Lousiana." The tall purple-eyed dancer gives Catseye a one-armed hug of warmth. "But even I don't have quite the weakness for it you do. How have you two been? I mean … I don't want to pry." But she's curious.
"Yes, Sharon, I expect that Chef will add a few less carnivore centric amenities." And yes, Emma's tone is mildly teasing, she's still reserved, but…for her…even a mild tease is exceptional. It is true that most of the time Emma's 'relaxing togs' are still pricey, but when she's in 'me' mode she dresses for sheer comfort, and damn the conventions. Even the staff is a little off-put by casual Emma, and she's fine with that. Of course, should Pris ever see how Emma sleeps, she'd probably faint outright!
"Pris, you're a friend. You're always welcome to stop by." Emma states with a smile. "Do not ever think you need permission to come over." Which is pretty clear and since Emma's not shielding at the moment Pris can feel her welcome, and the woman's affection for her. "Oh, working on a few projects. An exciting project is something I've cooked up with Mari McCabe - wearable tech, 'Tech Coture'." A faint smirk. "Also going to be working in a joint venture to aid in rebuilding the Disaster Zone, and for infrastructure improves and such in Mutant Town." And there's more, she's not mentioning everything, but would anyone expect her to?
Sharon mms, pouring herself a sparkling water and looking to see if Pris wants anything. "Been hanging out in Mutant town, made some friends there. Was there other day when demon-shark tries to take little girl." She grimaces, "Tasted -awful- but got little girl free, and demon-shark gone. Want some -good- tasting seafood now." She kinda has forgotten to mention to her mother that she's been in a fight.
Pris smiles when Emma makes her welcome clear, and she walks over to give the blonde a hug. "Thank you, Emma. I really appreciate the welcome. I know this place is your private home, your sanctuary. Opening that up to someone else shows a lot of trust." Go figure, Pris gets it. Hello, empath!
"Mari McCabe? Yeah, met her. Wore some of her stuff, modeled it at a show. Nice enough lady. Have to admit, she was pretty brave when the bot blew up and tore me into chunky salsa. Most folks lose their cookies at that." Priscilla offers rather blythely, almost as if it means nothing. Sure, it hurt like Hell. But all's well that ends well.
Pris nods to Sharon and accepts a water for herself. She frowns as Sharon too drops a little situational bomb. "Yuck. Demon shark does NOT sound tasty. Glad the little girl is OK, though. That's awesome." If Pris follows more stuff online, she'd mention something about the rumor of a giant tiger. But she generally doesn't. All part of the 'written word is not my friend' thing.
"Ah…you used bloody mary's as palate cleanser, didn't you? That would explain why the vodka, tomato juice and hot sauce are missing." Emma knows that Cat gets into things sometimes, she may not like it, but she does trust her daughter to be able to take care of herself. "Saving a child is always time well spent." And then a faint hint of stink eye. "Though hearing about it via YouTube and such, not my favorite way of learning that my daughter had been in a scuffle, dear heart." Because though Amur Khatun was the main image, there's also footage showing the tendril girl, and the purple lioness.
Emma is only too happy to return Pris's hug, even returns it firmly. Though Emma is pretty far from a dedicated athlete it is clear she does work out and stays quite fit. "Mmm…she and Prince T'Challa of Wakanda have been working on it, and we've formed a joint venture. They're very interesting people, and yes, quite brave." A pause at the image of 'Chunky Salsa Pris', and then Emma shakes her head to clear it. "I am sure that I'd not like to see you blown into chunks, Pris." She probably wouldn't toss her cookies, but eew.
Catseye grimaces, "Demon-shark tasted AWFUL, had to get taste out of mouth!" She gives Emma the big-sad-kitty-eyes. "MotherMotherFrost was working late, did not want to worry. And bigtigeressfriend did -most- of the fighting. Catseye just bruised." Well, broken ribs, but by the time she got home they were bruised. "Will send text next time? Or leave note?" If she leaves the note on Emma's bed, it will take longer for her to find out…
Pris cannot help but chuckle at the interplay between the two women. "Big tigress friend, hunh? Bigger than you?" Yes, Pris is impressed at that thought. "Still glad everything worked out." And she gives Catseye a hug. "You're lucky to have Emma." She doesn't say 'you are lucky to have a parental figure, even one not related to you, who loves you and worries about you and wants the best for you' aloud. But she thinks it, and feels it. That's something Pris has never had. The closest was her old team, and they're gone. And isn't that a yawning void in her gut. "Thankfully, I got better after the kaboom. Took a good while, and a lot of protein."
"Yes, please, Sharon." Emma says, she'll make it abundantly clear she trusts her daughter to give her the information in a timely fashion. Which fact, that obvious trust, will absolutely ensure she'll be sent a text instead of note - Emma /knows/ Cat. She knows Cat like few people could ever imagine, building the overlays that gave her speech, reason, and the ability to use tools sort of necessitates that level of knowledge. She also heard the subtext of 'by the time I got home' about the ribs.
She will not sigh.
She WILL love without reservation, however. Which would be a clean, and warm feeling for the empaths in the room!
"We're lucky to have each other." Emma says with a brighter smile. "Pris, you should come by more often. I think it would be good for all of us, and to answer your earlier comment - this IS a sanctuary, and you -are- welcome here any time. Do not ever hesitate." A pause. "And if you ever need anything, even if just a hug, well, we will both of us be happy to provide."
That smile turns into a smirk. "Except for Sharon, of course. She's very shy, you know. Not very huggy." DRY as the Sahara, that delivery. The /joy/ in teasing her daughter? Transcendent. That she's willing and utterly comfortable to do so with Pris present - well, that's pretty warm too.
Sharon nods, "MUCH bigger. Not ask weight, not -rude- but… Amur Tigress. BIG kitty. Very polite too." She hugs Pris, and grins at Emma. "VERY lucky to have mothermotherFrost." And then Emma lays the mother guilt on her and she hangs her head just a little. "Will tell promptly if get in more fights." She pauses and sighs. "Or other trouble. Even if got myself OUT of trouble on my own."
She chuckles at Emma, "Only hug people that Catseye likes." She grins as she leans over and hugs Emma… and just -happens- to rub her tail over Emma's white pants, shedding purple fur on them at the same time. Complete coincidence, to be sure!
Sharon looks towards the dining room and kitchen, "If dinner going to be much longer, might just bring out the oysters -now-." They'll be shucked on the half shell by now, surely… little tubs of condiments, tiny spoons, chilling in the fridge waiting for dinner to be -properly- served, but her stomach rumbles at the thought. She's hungry -now-.
"Thank you, Emmma. I really appreciate that." She waits until after the mother—daughter hug has had a good chance to flourish before she leans in to join it, hugging both women firmly, if a bit briefly. "For the record, the same goes, Emma. Sharon. Either of you end up with trouble, need a hand, I hope you'll at least consider giving me a call. I have … talents that can be very useful." Alien-hunting stripper ninjas can be really handy to have on your side.
Pris glances towards the kitchen, and smirks. "They knew you'd say that. They're bringing out appetizers as we speak." she offers, because she feels it and in this crowd no one is going to look at her weird for feeling it coming. "You have them trained pretty well." she teases Emma. Little does she quite realize how true that is.
"It surely looked impressive in the footage I was able to find." Emma says, though once Cat goes on she relaxes considerably. She smiles with great fondness, something few people see, when Sharon gets both messages - that she cares and that Sharon should inform promptly. "Good. That's settled then." She hugs Cat, nothing shy about it, one might even see how fierce it is. Not that Pris needs to see anything, her love for her daughter is very real, and she -does- worry, but that's not from lack of trust in her daughter. No, there's ample faith in her ability and sense, it stems from a mother's love for her child. It is that simple. And that clean and pure.
The purple addition to her pants is not given any notice, nope, not going to sigh or anything. Fur is love, Emma knows this.
When Pris joins in the hugging, Emma laughs very softly and nods. "Oh yes, if we need you we'll call, that's a promise. This is what friends and family -should- do." And /that/ is an old hurt, clearly her own family was less than supportive. Sound familiar? Cat's mom threw her away like trash, Pris's treated her like trash, Emma's was cold and abusive too. And then the Empath senses the imminent arrival of oysters and she's teased by Pris, which draws a smile of great fondness for Priscilla in turn. "Indeed. It took a while, but any project worth undertaking might."
Not many are brave enough to tease Emma Frost. That she's so treated is noted, and appreciated.
Sharon perks at the mention of impending oysters. "Food, yes! Should not have shopped while hungry, and only gotten hungrier." She grins and grabs both women's hands, giving an exaggerated lean and pretends for a second or two that she is trying to drag them towards the table and failing. Then she releases their hands with a laugh, turning back to look at them, her tone obviously teasing. "Or… Catseye gets there first… oysters arrive before MotherMotherFrost and PrissyKitten, and Catseye eats all the oysters!" Prissy kitten? Someone is being a VERY silly kitty! She almost skips her way into the dining room, clearly amused.
Priscilla laughs delightedly at her new nickname, and wraps her arms around Sharon, hugging the purple-tailed, purple-haired girl firmly. "Prissy kitten, am I? And here I thought I was full growed." Her southern background shows in her moments of truest and deepest emotion; she likes the nickname a lot. Her own mother … she doesn't even remember her. Pris knows such a woman existed, but she has no conscious memories of her, and not even a name or a picture.
Priscilla's experience with family, prior to her old team, was that of the foster care system; quite a challenge for a girl of mixed race in the deep south, and that even before she got old enough to be of perhaps too much interest.
And in comes the staff with their trays, providing oysters with various dips, along with vegetable canapes and other treats, appetizers to stave off starvation just a while longer until the main courses are complete and ready for service. Pris lets Sharon be first, since she's clearly so hungry. "I must admit, I could get mighty used to being treated so fine."
Emma laughs and lets Sharon pull her to her feet, and she'll continue to laugh - joining Pris when she gets and -likes- the new nickname. "Sharon does have the most colorful names, see, her mind doesn't think of names as having any inherent meaning of their own, 'Emma' is meaningless. 'Emma Frost' almost as bad, but…MotherMotherFrost means she thinks of me as more of a mother to her than the ignorant filth that discarded her like so much refuse." Okay, see, now /that/ is the Emma people fear - vengeful Emma - if she EVER finds Sharon's bio mom there WILL be justice.
Emma clamps down on the rage, and saves it up for later, it might come in handy in a fight.
Emma's not so rude as to try and read Pris's thoughts, the woman is an empath, and her shields and sensitivity would no doubt sense it. No way would Emma violate her trust like that - Cat doesn't understand privacy, but Emma does.
The last wistful thought Pris mentions draws a smile from Emma. "Well, why shouldn't you? I can certainly have a room prepared for your use, you can stop by whenever the mood strikes, much as Sharon does. You're a delight, PrissyKitten." Emma says with a hint of teasing of her own. "I /enjoy/ spoiling people who deserve it. Like you. Like Sharon. So…indulge me, mm?"
Catseye smiles, "Thought patterns formed -before- language. Was fifteen or sixteen before MotherMotherFrost found, gave language. Names problem… people so much more than one random word! People are… what they are. Pronouns -worse-. She. She is who? MotherMotherFrost? Catseye self? Random female presenting person? HATE pronouns. Possesives ok, understand my, understand mine. But she? He? They? Bah. Is smoothskin nonsense."
Pris blinks a bit, almost owlishly, as Emma just plainly offers her a place to stay here. All this as a happy accident from a happenstance encounter in a high-end leatherwear boutique? It somewhat beggars the mind for Pris, that something so good could be so random, when so many bad things are usually that or worse: intentional. But she won't be looking this gift in the mouth. No thank you.
"You best be at least half-serious, Emma, because I'll accept. I won't be here every night. But a place to stay, sometimes, would be welcome." Because as warm as Priscilla is, and attractive to boot, she sometimes spends the night all alone, surrounded by her pain, her loss, and her memories of other times. She wouldn't mind a place to go when those nights come, where she can be surrounded by people who actually care about her. Thousand-plus-count sheets wouldn't hurt, either.
Priscilla chuckles as she listens to the feel and rendition of Sharon's thought processes. "You … you really just … 'gave' her language?" She shakes her head. "That … that just beggars my imagination. I can't fathom it. But it's awesome." Maybe Emma really can teach Pris to be a better telepath? Not giving people migraines from telepathic conversation would be a nice step up. "Better than any words, Sharon, is touch and truth. No words can compare to a hug." Says the empath.
Once they're seated, Emma will also let Cat take hers first, permission granted with a faint nod. She settles in, letting the staff do their serving in peace. "Half serious? Here, look, Pris…be welcome in my home, in my…circle." She's not shielding, her feelings are there to be seen, and there's no hiding the truth mind to mind, not without shields anyway. "And if you don't want a room of your own and just need a haven, then that's fine too." Emma's no fonder of sleeping alone than Pris.
She smiles at the mention of language. "Oh yes. When I found Sharon she had been raised with cats until she was a teen. Anything more than a couple years and a person loses the capability of speech, of using tools, or relating to other sapients like us." Emma sighs very faintly. "Her need could not be denied, and so…I rewrote things, put…templates in place. And Sharon, my darling girl, made them her own." Her pride is a -beacon-, it is a hearth fire and it has room for both Pris and Sharon to share it. "So yes, I'm more than serious, Pris."
People see an ice queen - that's an image she's cultivated and cultivated well. The truth though is that Emma's strength springs not from her hardness, her wellspring of power is how MUCH she cares. This has been both a blessing and curse her whole life.
Catseye serves herself, but doesn't take more than a fair portion. Has manners. There is more than enough, and cats share with their group. "Was much more than language. Was taking human form. Using hands. Wearing clothes. Being human. Catseye is cat… is core of self, how Catseye grew up, how thinks, how chooses values. But that Catseye can be more than that… can speak, can read, can -understand- and -do- so much more… is all thanks to MotherMotherFrost. Gave Catseye… everything." She eats her oysters neatly, with few condiments other than perhaps a squirt of lemon or a caper.
Catseye looks at Priscilla, "Adult Cats take in kittens not their own. Tortiseshell with only two kittens took Catseyekitten back to colony. All Mothercats in colony helped nurse. All adults taught to hunt, shared food… and Catseye hunted, shared food. Family is not -birth- family is -action- is -choice-. MotherMotherFrost chose Catseye. Catseye chooses MotherMotherFrost. Is choice made each action, that makes family. That makes friends."
An actual tear wells up in Priscila's eyes as both women talk so frankly and openly of the bond between them and the miracle they represent. She too takes her fair share, though she is a mite less fastidious, and definitely uses condiments. Hot sauce and horseradish, because she is as Cajun as they come. Perhaps she eats to distract herself. Or to cover. Or just to have something to do while she lets thoughts and feelings surge through her rampant.
Pris rolls back her own shields, exposing her mind, heart and feelings to Emma as much as the blonde has entrusted hers to the brunette. "There are things about me … things we've never discussed." Things that Pris keeps secret from everyone. Things that a lifetime's habit would keep still secret. But she is alone and lonely, and these people actually offer her the warmth of family. That's not to be ignored.
"You know I'm not entirely human." Pris isn't bragging. Just explaining. "But there's a lot more to it. Secrets that aren't just mine. I have no memory of a family, a real family like the two of you, until I was almost Sharon's age. Then a group found me. Knew what I was, what I could be. Made me into who I could be. Shaped me, trained me, and accepted me. Gave me a place to belong." She looks down, as that tear tracks her cheek. "Two years ago, a mission went way bad. Big explosion. When I pulled myself back together, healed up enough to move, there was no sign. Everyone was gone. In two years, I've never found a trace of them." And so, she has been alone.
Emma has a great fondness for seafood, perhaps not so great a fondness as Cat, but few can compete with the girl there. Emma actually sets her food down when Cat expresses her feelings in so raw and undiluted a fashion. It is a rare thing indeed when Emma Frost tears up just a little, rarer still when a tear tracks down her face as it does now. She says nothing, what CAN anyone say to that? She simply wipes her eye, and grips Cat with the same hand moments after as she speaks to Pris. "Family is a choice and actions, family should be where your world starts."
When Pris's shields come down, Emma is a little startled, she can feel how hard it is for the girl to do so once she lowers them, how hurt she's been, how alone. "Oh." Just that, and then she sends a questing thought, wordless, just a sense of her seeking to link them all, so they can all three of them share.
Permission granted, she initiates a three way mind link, full rapport. She'd see the diamond clarity, the awesome power of an Omega level mutant telepath. «I will train you. All that you can learn from me is yours for the asking, but it will be hard.» Catseye's presence is linked in, and no doubt to her joy she'll feel that Pris is there as well, and Emma will handle all the work of the link. «You can belong here, you DO belong here.»
"All you need do is reach out your hand, and you'll no longer be alone, Priscilla Kitaen."
Catseye squeezes Emma's hand tightly, and relaxes easily into the rapport. Telepathy feels natural to her, Emma spent a great deal of time in her head teaching her to be human, after all. She loves Emma as the mother she never had, never knew she needed but so desperately did. PrissyKitten is like a sister, she's hurt and alone, and she needs, and Catseye wants to Make It Better. Being Cat that means food, cuddles, purring… and a firm conviction that Emma can Make It Better that is both feline and human.
Catseye's thoughts are… remarkably clear, but very little is in -words-. She doesn't think 'maybe I'll have lemon on the next oyster', she remembers the taste of oysters plain, with lemon, with capers, tastes what is lingering in her mouth now, and fixes her next oyster accordingly. Language is a paperthin veneer over her thought processes, coming into play mainly when she wants to say something. But that means that instead of hearing a dull 'I care about you' telepathic contact with her surrounds Emma and Priscilla with the emotion and reality of being cared about, they can FEEL then depth, the easy violence that rises at the thought of any threat to them.
Priscilla's thoughts are a bit unusual as well, although not nearly to the degree that Catseyes' are. There isn't a memory, a thought in Pris' head that isn't wrapped in a thick, viscous layer of emotional context; her own, and others'. She isn't just aware of others' feelings; she lives them. Everyone she meets is as real to her as she is herself, expressly because she can feel them as she can feel herself. She may not agree, but she would never denigrate another by simply ignoring them or their feelings; she's incapable of it. It also means that for Pris there is no value difference between a male, a female, or anyone somewhere in between. All are equally worthy of love. The words of her thoughts are also in multiple languages simultaneously, and English is not the first, just one of three major original options, battling it out with Creole French and Spanish.
Other things flow out as their union builds and deepens:
Priscilla's earliest memory is of fire. Not a camp fire, but being surrounded by fire as it envelops and devours a house. There is no memory of a rescue, of some brave figure surging through the flames to extract her. Instead, there is darkness. And then memories of a lonely, dejected and rejected child, a daughter of mixed-race from the wrong side of the tracks in the deep south, not to mention one that proved to have a strong learning disability: nigh-insurmountable dyslexia. Undiagnosed - foster children in disadvantaged homes don't rate the kinds of tests that could have signified it, and teachers couldn't be bothered - she has lived with the reality of her supposed 'stupidity' all her life. It is a part of her identity.
Both women will become keenly aware of just how young Pris was when she first became aware of others' attractions towards her, and the rather psychologically unhealthy circumstances which followed for years as a result. Pris matured quickly on the outside, and others responded powerfulp kwaly to that.
Then came her discovery by the guardians, a sect of gifted folks labelled in Pris' mind as Inhumans. They accepted her. They transformed her - the chrysalis - and they trained her. Priscilla became not just a dancer and an exceptional athlete, but an accomplished metamoprh and a highly trained, even lethal ninja-like warrior, a hunter and an assassin.
Emma's mind is…trained, though that word isn't even close to the reality. It /is/ discipline, and power, and precision in a tight-knit weave. She is en rapport, she is /open/ in this linkage so if Pris looks she'll see that Emma has known pain, that she's done terrible things, things she regrets doing. more that she regrets not doing. She has been betrayed over and over and over again, starting with her family - the few people she should have been able to trust implicitly, her father the worst betrayer of them all. She can feel the shame of how that others of the Inner Circle twisted the Massachusetts Academy, how she couldn't stop them, and the horrid anguish of the loss of her students that nearly destroyed her.
There's also the sense of incredulous joy when an X-man returned her daughter to her, her daughter she thought dead for years. And the firm conviction, the adamantine determination to find a better way to do things.
Emma's strength is also her weakness - she cares too much. So…armor her heart…veneer of harsh…layers of remoteness…coldness. Ice Queen…/White Queen/. She uses herself every bit as much, more even, than she uses others. She has /no/ pity for abusers, there's nothing but scorn for those too damn lazy to help themselves. She is doom and damnation to those that wrong her or hers.
Pris and Cat can feel Emma's welcome into a very select circle - she'd be the third.
Frost does study the mind of the dancer, and it gives her key insights into things that can be done to remedy each and every problem. For those that are -hers- NO effort is too much. Implicit is 'we will keep your secrets'.
Wordlessly, she extends her hand towards Pris, having never let Catseye's go.
Sharon is even more direct in her affection, bumping her head against Priscilla's shoulder and purring. There's something remarkably… clear about the young woman's mind and affections. She loves without reservation, but also without sexual desire. She admires physical beauty the same as she admires a sunrise or a butterfly. Priscilla is one of her people now, and that is that. Priscilla will be loved and protected.
Sharon does have what some would call a dark side, though she doesn't think of it as such. She hates as purely as she loves, has no problems with physical violence. She killed to eat as a Cat, then was trained at the Hellfire Academy to fight and kill in human and half forms. The idea of killing someone to defend those she loves bothers her not at all, and she will gladly slaughter to defend 'kittens' whether human or feline. The fact that when Priscilla was a humankitten she was treated so badly makes her furious, and if she ever happens across those who hurt Priscilla, well, the encounters would be short and lethal.
Priscilla feels that warm acceptance despite her - in her view - innumerable flaws, and she reaches out her hands to grasp Emma with one and Catseye with the other. She tilts her head, nuzzling at Sharon's hair, accepting her affections and smiling. Her only mental or verbal response is simple, for all that the emotional context of it is enormous and complex: <" Thank you. ">
Catseye sends another rush of warmth, love, and acceptance, purring happily. Then a nudge of amusement/hunger/desire to provide and she releases people's hands to divide up the remaining oysters as the baked lobsters and shrimp scampi are brought out. "Eat… or I will!" The link makes it very clear she is teasing, but she is hungry and enjoys seeing people she cares about well fed. Food is love!
Emma actually chuckles at Cat's food-ervention, and lets slip the Rapport, people can't generally stand that level of interconnectivity for very long. In truth it can be dangerous. She does however send a pure burst of welcome to both girls, HER girls now. As Cat said, to be loved and protected. She squeezes both girl's hands, Pris's perhaps a bit longer, and then settles back into her seat as the food is brought out.
Casually. "So, Pris, will you be wanting your own room here, or shall we find you a new apartment? Of course I'll have to get some ID so we can get you a bank account for your stipend, and so forth."
Hey, Sharon gets her own room and accounts, PRIS does too. "You could also just come and crash whenever, of course." She adds in a very off hand manner.
More than a bit bewildered, still, Priscilla considers Emma's question perhaps a bit longer than one might expect. "For now, how about a room here. I have an apartment. Well, a safehouse. But having somewhere else, and somewhere nicer and cleaner, would be nice. A place to rest after training, too." Because the one thing she is sure she wants is to start training how to be a better telepath. If anyone she has ever encountered could teach her that? It would be Emma Frost.
"I ask only one thing of both of you: Please, tell no one about the Inhumans. I was sworn to secrecy. I have to ask that you both respect that oath of mine." She assumes that given their rapport, both women now know what the Inhumans are, and how she is connected to them. The purpose served by the guardians of which she was a member. And her rather fierce feelings about certain other alien species, including the dire wraiths, the Kree, and the Skrulls.
"If you're going to work on ID and such … I should probably make sure to point out that legally, my original identity is dead. Killed in a fire that burned a strip club to the ground." OK. Last surprise. Pris shrugs and smiles. Then she settles in and starts to eat. Because darnit, after all of this … she has an appetite. Maybe it's Catseye's appetite bled over? WHo knows?! But she has the metabolism to eat all this and not get fat, so she's going to go for it. Besides … it's all delicious!
Catseye nods, "Will keep secret. Not first will keep, not last. Will mention -other- aliens if and only if find them hurting friends or fighting kree or skrull, yes? People not ask how Catseye knows things, and good at playing dumbfluff." She nods at the ID. "MotherMotherFrost can fix. Had no birth certificate… born in bathroom and abandoned. MotherMotherFrost fixed."
"Of course." Emma smiles and nods. "There's two guestrooms, we'll simply repurpose one and let you decorate it to your liking, Pris." Emma knows that Cat will help with that so she says no more. One nice thing - the guest rooms are across the hall from Cat's room, so they'll be close. Her smile turns a lot more serious. "Oh, you'll need to recover, even your amazing physiology and stamina will be tested by the training you'll be getting. Sharon can tell you I am hard, but fair. So long as you keep trying, I will work with you, but I do not tolerate sloth. We can also work on your dyslexia, and reading issues. Can you be available three nights a week?"
Emma accepts whatever answer Pris offers, and then nods solemnly. "Everything that we just learned is YOUR secret, and your secret is /our/ secret. We will tell nobody, we will reveal nothing."
The legal thing gives her pause. "And is Priscilla Kitaen a new name or your old one? Either way I'll see to it that you have a fully verifiable identity to work from, and ID and papers to match it."
With Sharon's oath given as well, Emma finally feels free to dig into dinner. Sadly she does not have the younger women's metabolism, so she eats a good meal, but does watch her calorie intake.
"Well, evenings are usually my shifts at the Obsidian CLub." Priscilla answers honestly; sure, she's capable of lying, but why would she to these two? "I realize that you have more than enough money I would never have to work again. But disappearing on them would mess up people who haven't done me any harm." And she's loathe to do that.
"I can work out a schedule. I'm guessing you work business hours. Easiest for me would be early mornings, before you go to 'work', and before I go to bed for the night." But Pris will make adjustments if needed to get the training she wants. She knows sacrifices have to be made.
"Priscilla is my name. Kitaen was something assigned to me in one of my early foster placements. But it was the name I died under. Just, no one cares about the fact I'm legally dead." No one cared when Pris was alive, so no one cares now that she's dead. "I've had other names. I don't really care. But I'd prefer to keep Priscilla, given my options."
Sharon grins. "PrissyKitten. But could be sister Priscilla Smith." She tilts her head, thinking. "Or could tie in, cousin, maternal relation. Explain difference in appearance but help strengthen both identities."
"That's fine, we'll manage to find a schedule that suits." Emma actually understands and approves of Pris having a work ethic. "I would not want you to do wrong by people who have done you none, of course." Emma's schedule is generally quite full, and yes, usually during business hours, she can and will make adjustments for this to work out as it /must/.
Thoughtfully. "If you're fond of the Kitaen name I could have the records of your death altered to a different name, a similar one, but still different. I have contacts I can call on to make that happen, otherwise we can simply create a new identity, fully backstopped, and legal in every way that matters."
Pris quite honestly reaches out and threads her fingers through Sharon's hair, carding, brushing. "I'd be honored to be your sister, Catseye. I can do a tail and some fur, too, at least sometimes." She's teasing, but in a friendly fashion. Like a sister, one might say.
"I would say, just build a new one, if it's not too much trouble." She'll keep operating under the Kitaen name, until or unless she has a reason to use the other. But having it will give her options, and she won't deny options are handy things to have. "I'd rather not see the club go under if it can be avoided. I know you want me to consider working at your club, and I'm not opposed. But I don't know how good a fit I would be there. Not yet."
Sharon purrrs at the petting of her hair. "PrissyKitten would look good with a tail. Is useful for balance." But then there is lobster to eat, and Catseye has Serious Opinions about lobster. Thankfully, the chef agrees with her (because Catseye knows she is right) that boiling lobster washes away most of the flavor. Lobster should be baked, or prepared sous vide, but not /boiled/. Sharon cracks the claws, ferreting out every last bit of tastiness. "Not too much trouble for family. MotherMoterFrost will take care of." She is as certain of Emma as she is of sunrise.
A fond smile as Pris pets Cat. And then Emma puts that considerable brain of hers to work. "I think best would be a cadet branch of the Smith family, based out of Chalmette, a not so nice area near New Orleans, hit hard by Catrina. She moved to New York when finally able to afford the move, the rest of her family either gone ore moved away prior. Cousin Priscilla Smith, a Creole cajun girl who we just discovered was alive and in New York, naturally, with her being family, we've taken an interest in helping our long lost cousin get back on her feet, and see her introduced to more polite society." Emma sighs dramatically, though eyes are mirthful, and she /feels/ amused. "It will be a challenge, but I will soldier on, somehow."
Emma laughs softly. "You two are going to be terrors together, I just know it." Emma laughs a bit more. "Good."
As to the cooking of Lobster? Emma -also- agrees, she didn't hire a Michelin star chef because she wanted /bad/ food.
Pris cracks crabs and lobsters. Peels shrimp. SHucks oysters. And filets fish. And she eats it all eagerly, with gusto. "I like that. Chalmette was part of the wrong side of the tracks back home, so that's a cover story I can sell pretty well, I think. And being Sharon's cousin, and sister by adoption, suits me just fine." A terror together at society parties? Most definitely. The stripper and the catgirl will be quite the pair.
Sharon gives Emma her best innocent kitty look. "Terror? Have never terrorized anyone… that didn't deserve it." She grins impishly, dropping the innocent act. She looks at Pris, "Will help, teach how to blend in, how to behave, until it is time NOT to behave. Do it right, no one believes was meant." She chucklepurrs,
Catseye says, "Friend used to complain that could find me standing over dead body, holding smoking gun, and teachers would say 'Sharon honey, don't touch that, there might be fingerprints!'." Her tone is a deft mimic of that years ago conversation, and she feels a pang of sorrow for that friend now lost. "Innocent fluff for brains act can be -useful-. People see prettykitty, not think Catseye might be trouble." She tilts her head, "Pris not… innocent. But sure can act wide-eyed beauty… overly impressed with everything, yes? Playing with people can be -fun-."
"
Emma feels very good about this night's events, she looks forward to seeing what the future will hold. One thing she is sure of - she will not fail her daughter, indeed, her daughterS now. She will continue to help Sharon learn to be more human, she will help Pris learn to use the great power of her mind to her fullest potential, she will watch them grow and nurture each other and she WILL help them become the terrors of high society.
Yes, it is a good night.
The best.