2013.04.29 - An Offer You Can't Refuse

Kiden has been very fortunate to be accepted on a trial basis membership with the Young Allies, it provided a pretty wicked shelter with some very interesting gadgets, even if Kiden wasn't exactly a friend to technology. Heck, she still shys from using the smartphone Hawkeye provided her with, mostly accepting messages on it. The one down side? Hawkeye's ban on smoking in the Terminal, and of course, there's the bit worse than smoking that Kiden just hopes Hawkeye doesn't really know about. Brooklyn would be a perfect spot to restock, because she knows there's no Young Allies member in the area to spot her, plus, she really has the most connections in this part of town.
Kiden knows exactly the spot she goes to, and the seedy character to speak to, as she gets herself a few happy pills in exchange for the money she was able to 'earn' this last week. "Talk to you later, Humberto," she quips as she brushes by the man without delay, hands dipping in the pocket of her pants as she continues to walk her way. While walking, her hands get back out of her pockets with a cigarette and a lighter as she sticks the poison stick in her mouth and reaches to light it up.
From across the street, Emma Frost casually watches the girl purchase drugs. A small smirk spread across her mouth, the girl wasn't the typical initiate among the Young Allies. Thankfully she wasn't looking for anything typical.
Emma was dressed in a well-fitted white vest and slacks. She reached into her silver purse and took out a cigarette, lighting it before she approached the girl.
And suddenly she was walking along Kiden's side, looking down at the shorter girl, "I hate to tell you darling, but you won't like what 'Humberto' mixed in with that pills. As I'm sure you worked hard for that money."
Kiden is naturally very easy for a telepath to locate, unlike youngsters at Xavier's, she has zero knowledge about telepaths and how to better shield her mind against them. Not that it would mattered if she did know, considering how Emma Frost is one of the premier telepaths in the world and undoubtedly in the United States.
Finding all of a sudden someone walking by her side, Kiden is snapped from her meandering thoughts and looks up at Emma in surprise, stopping to walk for a moment, "where did you come from?" Kiden asks blatantly, before quipping, "and how do you know Humberto?" Emma after all doesn't look the sort that would give Humberto a second glance, much less be a customer of his. Reaching into her pockets, Kiden takes a better look of the pills she has in a small plastic bag, "are they really bad quality?" Kiden asks, taking a cautious step away from Emma, smoke swirling from her lit cigarette as she takes it between two fingers and holds it away from her mouth.
Emma took the cigarette into her mouth and looked towards the direction where Humberto was heading away. She lifted an eyebrow, "I read his thoughts. Money's been a little tight, even for a drug dealer so he has a mixture of unsavory items in that. Windex, bleach, common things from the kitchen."
She turned her blue eyes back to the young girl, "I'm Emma Frost. I've got an eye for talent, and you Kiden Nixon are talented. Can I buy you lunch?"
"Fuck! Humberto ripped me off? I can't believe it!" Kiden snaps, her first reaction a rather unlikely one, as she realizes she'll have to toss her new purchase instead of take a risk and try it. Only a few seconds later, does she realize how Emma knows and looks up at the stranger with a shocked expression on her face, "wait, hold up, rewind. Did you just say you read his mind?"
Kiden takes another puff from her cigarette, eyeing Emma suspiciously, before muttering, "I don't know about that, but I never say no to free lunch. Lead the way, Emma." Only as they start walking, does Kiden realize something, "wait...I never introduced myself. You CAN read minds! Freaky!"
Emma smiles at the girl. This one was all personality. She looks around for a suitable place to eat that was halfway edible. Quickly scanning the minds of those around, the pizza joint across the street was delightful. She began to lead the girl there, "I can indeed. Excuse me."
She takes out her cell phone, and texts Humberto's name to a secret phone contact.
She As she pockets it again, "There are others out there, with special abilities like I'm sure you've now discovered. I actually teach a school, for those like you or I. And not just.."
Suddenly Kiden hears a voice in her head <Mutants.>
At this point Kiden doesn't bother asking if Emma knows enough about the neighborhood and just follows her lead, when Tony's Pizza becomes visible around the corner, Kiden grins, "are we actually going to Tony's? Awesome!" The young girl seems mighty please that at least something good is coming out of her botched restocking attempt.
"Yeah, yeah," Kiden waves her hand dismissively, "I heard all about people with special abilities and..." Kiden freezes once she hears Emma's voice in her head, specifically mentioning that word, as she slowly looks the woman that appears out of a magazine in the eyes, "...was that pointed at me?" Kiden asks, by now getting a sense that Emma more likely than not have already found out that she has a special ability, as Emma might comically observe with the onrush of . o O ("don't think about my power, don't think about my power, rave! That's it, la la la la la, rave, rave, stick lights, dance, dance, candy, fun") O o . Kiden really tries to think randomly and somehow hide the fact she has a power, even though she should know better by now.
Emma let out a laugh as she stepped up to the cash register, "Bottled water and a large pepperoni pizza and hmm.yes you have garlic knots."
She turned her attention back to Kiden, "And what would you like to drink, darling?"
Tony's pizza was pretty typical for a Brooklyn establishment, but it was very Italian and the grease and smells were very evident, and more importantly everything was fresh and succulent.
Kiden still looks quite pleased to be setting foot at Tony's, especially with Emma footing the bill. She listens to Emma's order and grins, "Tony's garlic knots are sick!" Asked what she'd like to drink, Kiden is quick to call out, "coke!" She may as well go all the way if she's getting treated to a meal. With the conversation turned to the food, Kiden quickly forgets to try and focus on thinking on anything but her power, which just goes to show how unused she is to telepaths in general.
The cashier hands over their drinks before Emma guides the girl to a secluded stall near the entrance of the building. She wanted the girl to feel as comfortable as possible. "Thank you for letting me treat you, especially after your botched deal. Should you take me up on my offer, I'd make sure you would be properly connected."
She chuckles again as she opens her bottle of water, "And before I go on, your thoughts are your own. However I do know your ability, but not a worry your secrets are safe with me."
Following Emma to the stall near the entrance, Kiden takes a quick look and notes how it is more secluded, as she slides in to sit. Once settled she takes a sip of her coke and then looks curiously at Emma, "oh, Humberto will be sorry, I know people. He can get black listed. So, what do you mean by properly conected?"
"Is that why you came to talk to me?" Kiden asks, already of the simple understanding that people usually have time for you only if they want something from you. "Well, thanks for keeping it a secret, I don't need people knowing all about it. I'm perfectly fine with..." and Kiden stops short of saying 'with the Young Allies thinking I am a speedster', but then Emma probably can already fill in the blanks from Kiden's mind, as the girl drinks more of her coke.
Emma shook her head and tisk tisked the girl, "Don't pay any mind to Humberto. He'll be off of the streets by this evening. Humberto won't be swindling young girls at their hard-earned cash, even if they did not gather it by reputable means initially."
She leaned back on her bench, and looked to the side, anyone who would be nearby enough to hear, now will think the two women are chatting about nothing interesting, "I know the team you are associated with, and that's excellent. I think they are doing real good out there. However what I am offering to you is a school, geared towards our specific talents. And should you decide to join the school, I'll make sure you get quality product from the best dealers available, when you indulge from time to time it's best to take in quality."
The cashier arrives with their garlic knots and lets them know that the pizza would be ready in a few before turning, "And speak your mind freely, no one in this room will pay any attention."
"Huh? What do you mean?" Kiden narrows her eyes, now suddenly realizing there might be more to Emma then what her nice affluent look would suggest. But Kiden forgets about Humberto real quick when her concern shifts to herself, Emma knows how she's been earning money, or at least it sounds that way, and seeing how Emma had no qualms about 'dealing' with Humberto, Kiden wonders if she has to worry about her own fate. "Look...it's not like I have a lot of choice, I dropped out of school, I had to runaway from home, I don't really have a lot going for me..."
Holding up her hand at about Emma's face level, Kiden is quick to snap, "I'm not going to any schools! Me and schools don't work out, teachers are boring, they lie, and they think they have some kind of authority. But they really don't, and I won't suffer through another school." Kiden gives her usual rhetoric about school or the education system in general. After all, half the faculty in her Gulianni High School in Brooklyn probably still have nightmares about the name Kiden Nixon. But then comes an unexpected offering of sweetening the pot. "Wait, what...?"
Kiden stares at Emma in confusion, and looks around as if to make sure this isn't some kind of trick, would a crazy tv show even bother with a prank of this magnitude? "What you're telling me is...you'll hook me up with good, safe quality, if I agree to go to your school?" Unable to figure out if it's a scam, a ploy to get her arrested, or something otherwise crazy, Kiden decides to focus on stuffing her face with garlic knots and eating like she hadn't eaten well in a few days.
Emma's face softened as she watched the girl quickly stuffed her face. Old memories came up that she hadn't thought of in some time, being cold, alone, and desperate to do nearly anything for cash. And then she remembered her brother, and his fall from grace with drugs, and the Frost world of problems. She would not let his fate be Kiden's, "No, no Kiden I'm not taking you anywhere where you don't want to go. I'm a teacher, in a school that is a safe haven with above average abilities, mutant or not."
She reached out to take a garlic knot and swallows before continuing, "You are right, these are quite good. I've been homeless before, scared and unsure of what my power meant. . .and doing /anything/ to survive."
She finished the rest of her knot, forgetting how delightful naughty greasy food can be on occasion, "All I want is to teach other young minds how to surive. And obviously, it is a very unconventional school. Our recreational policy is. . .relaxed. If you don't flaunt it, you get away with it."
Not being a telepath, Kiden hasn't a clue on how Emma might sympathize with her situation more than most people could. But for now getting her stomach full is a good thing, which is the only thing keeping her there with Emma, even though she's uncomfortable. Then again, despite her inherent disdain to schools and such, Emma's offer is one she never expected to hear.
"You're not taking me anywhere? I don't get it...why are you making me this offer? And if I accept, what exactly am I agreeing too?" Kiden asks, as she takes a moment to sneak a few words after swallowing a mouthful and reaching for the coke to wash it all down. "You do know I'm broke as a joke, right?" Kiden for the life of her can't figure out this unique offer. She has enough street smarts to know nothing ever comes for free, and she wonders where's the catch.
When Emma relates the story that she was once homeless, Kiden rolls her eyes, the way Emma looks so beautiful and richly clothed right now, Kiden just can't buy it. It seems an unattainable thing from her perspective.
"I never heard about a school with a policy like that, especially with the support of a teacher," Kiden says, thinking over this again. All of her instincts tell her to refuse. A school is the last place she wants to be, she hasn't been in school for at least a year now if not more, and she really doesn't miss that at all in her life. However, Emma did touch on something she cannot quite resist, her addiction. Getting hooked with supply that's of assured clean quality is just so damn tempting, one can almost see the little devil on Kiden's left shoulder drawing her to accept the offer. "I need to understand the terms better, and I might want to see the place...not that I'm committing to your offer! I just want to see..."
Emma smiled and added, "No pressure, darling. And more importantly, the pizza has arrived."
A young cook comes in with their large pizza. And It looks to be a glorious greasy gift from heaven (or Tony's Pizza, whichever). Emma places a napkin on her lap and takes her first slice, she can't remember the last time she had pizza.
There are a few moments of silence, as they both feast and perhaps for Kiden's anxiety to lessen perhaps with a fuller belly, "It isn't like any school you've heard of, I'd wager. It's entirely my own creation. If you are a fan, Tony Stark is even a teacher there. It's a private school, and features a state of the art dormitory, and actually engaging courses. You would have your own room and you've already been approved for a scholarship."
She touches the napkin to her lips, "Visit for a week, if it isn't a good fit you can keep your grant. And what is the catch? In many ways you'll be held to higher standards then you were before. In your personal life you can do whatever you please, but under my tutelage I intend to make you even better."
Kiden is gladly distracted by the pizza as she's reassured there's no pressure, and immediately she grabs a slice and coats it with spices, before folding it in half and taking a big bite, her face lighting up with the taste as she starts to chew in earnest. Taking a break from talking to solely focus on the food, half the large pizza is gone by the time Kiden looks up at Emma, ready to talk again.
"Tony Stark? He's a rich silver spoon kid, he always had everything he wanted and probably even stuff he didn't want just for the heck of it, what in the world can he teach me?" Kiden presses the question, clearly Tony Stark is famous enough that she heard about him even with her lack of education, but she's obviously doesn't care much for his intellect or inventions or whatever people have to say about him.
When the fact she's been approved for a scholarship is mentioned, Kiden bursts into such impromptu laughter that she spits out bits of pizza all over the table. Maybe Emma would luck out and none would hit her directly, as Kiden does have enough awareness to at least try and turn her head so she wouldn't wind up spitting half chewed pizza on the person giving her this meal. "Are you serious? Kiden Nixon approved for a scholarship? You should tell that around my old school, that'll give'em a good laugh. Seriously, I'm good for nothing when it comes to school, how do I ever get approved for a scholarship anything?"
Squinting at Emma's mentioning of higher standards whilst under her tutelage, Kiden figures she finally spotted what seems like a potential catch. "So...what? I didn't do anything my mom told me to do, why would I do stuff you tell me to do? Honestly, I don't know if I really fit well at a school. What are those higher standards? I mean, I didn't clean my room in my house, so fat chance I'm cleaning a room at a school dorm," Kiden throws out one example for why she doesn't fit in schools.
Emma smirked at the girl's very colorful reaction. She finishes off the rest of her first slice before answering, "That will not be a problem, the Stark designed dorm rooms clean after themselves. The higher standards are, I would want you to learn and push your ability. You are talented as you are, but with me I can help hone your abilities."
She placed the plate aside, "And obviously, should you decide to join you would have a warm bed, regular food and anything else you need. You would also be able to continue your work with the Allies. We are located in Metropolis."
She waved her hand as if to dismiss Kiden's thought, "And your past doesn't matter to us. We care about tomorrow, it is our name after all. The Academy of Tomorrow."
Emma Frost says, "Besides I don't think any teacher understood you well enough to challenge or engage you."
"Hold the bus!" Kiden calls out, blinking a few times, and outright staring at Emma as if she just fell from the moon. "You're a grown up, clearly, and from the looks of you a very set one. Aaannnndd you're a teacher, in a fancy school, and all you'd expect from me is getting better at what I do?" Kiden at least shows enough understanding to not blurt out she has a special ability in public. "This can't be real," Kiden seems flabbergasted. "I mean, adults are just not like that."
"Well...I'll definitely think about it, okay? And I do want to see the place, if you don't mind," Kiden flashes the smartphone she got from YAL, "I got a phone, so you can reach me..." she then blinks, and taps her temple, "guess I was being stupid, you probably can reach me without one of those phone-a-majigs." She's all set to go back to finishing her meal and go her way after, having to do some serious thinking. No such thing as free lunch, always a devil behind a godly offer. Kiden knows all those things, and yet, she's supremely tempted. She might consult her friends, she might not. But one thing for certain, Emma definitely got her on her hook.
Emma took a pen from her purse and jotted down her number on a napkin and slid it towards her, "Of course you can contact me. But if at all possible I'd like to show you the school the day after tomorrow, if your schedule allows it. But in the meantime. . ."
She walked towards the cashier and handed him a bill before returning back to the booth, "If you and any friends might like to come here tomorrow, your meal is on me."
Kiden does a shrugging gesture of 'please...' to suggest there's not a whole lot on her plate to be taking her schedule, unless of course some Young Allies related something would pop up, as Kiden recently found out one can never tell when they'll be called into action. "I'll definitely give you a call, I do want to see the place, I mean...I never got such a flattering offer before, I'm still confused. My mother would die if she heard someone offered me a full scholarship," Kiden grins, feeling as if she proved a whole bunch of people wrong, even if she's done nothing academic to warrant this scholarship.
Then Emma speaks those parting words that jumps her into near damned saint status in Kiden's eyes, "seriously? Waw! Thanks, Emma, you're the best," Kiden flashes a thumbs up at Emma and takes her half finished coke with her after she's done with the pizza, ready to head outside and find a place to get rid of the tainted stuff Humberto gave her. "We'll be talking, later."
Emma gave the girl a wink, and waved to the cashier before leaving. "I look forward to that phone call Kiden, and don't forget to grab a box! Plenty of pizza leftover."
As soon as Emma left the establishment Humberto walked in and immediately handed Kiden all of her money back (and perhaps a some extra) with an apology.
Kiden is quite surprised to meet Humberto just as she heads out, only to be handed her money back, well, it's not exact count, there's a bit extra for her trouble. The cherry on top is the apology before Humberto just leaves, making Kiden consider if Emma was involved or not, as she grins to herself and mutters, "wicked," under her breath as she walks on out with her coke and leftover pizza.
Category:Log