Players:Emma and Scott
Summary: Even a year or so is not enough for two people who know each other a bit too well to not fall into their roles once more. But even in that there's a touch of what might be, or might have been.
Date: June 29, 2010
Bittersweet Moments
Rating: PG
Xavier Mansion - Professors' Wing
A red and blue carpet with a complex pattern stretches down the hall and meets with the wooden walls. Wooden doors run up and down both sides of the hallway as entrances to the staff's dorms. There is a sign on the wall when you first enter the hallway stating, "No students permitted without permission, Professors' Wing."
The mid-afternoon sun playing off her hair gives Emma a rather golden-angelic glow about her person that does little to bely the less than cordial look on her face as she speaks into a phone, "Yes… I understand you make regular deliveries to Xaviers… and YES, I am changing the standing order for refreshments as of today. I do not CARE if your delivery van is already on the way. I am not letting them on the premises until the new equipment and the new beverage selections are confirmed. GOOD. DAY." And the phone is snapped shut, "I never had this problem in Boston…"
Stepping out of his room, Scott raises an eyebrow at the phone conversation taking place. "Sounds like she's having a time." He allows it to finish before asking. "What's this about beverages?" Not really knowing what it is now that Emma has deemed not beneficial to the students.
Slipping the cellphone back in her blazer, Emma turns and smiles at Scott, "I'm having those soda machines replaced with better drinks and making it more available for the student body. Juices, Milk, bottled water… not to mention sugar free and specialty beverages since many of the younger ones have special needs. Nice to see you too, Scott. Thank you for the non-greeting when I came back." Seguewaying it rather easily as she crosses her arms under her bosom, "You're looking well yourself. But you've got grease under your nails."
"Well, after the first year, I almost stopped thinking you were coming back." Scott quickly follows Emma's first comment. True, there is grease under his nails, summer means many of the stay-at-school boys are getting interested in cars. "Auto shop classes, one of the students uncapped the oil sump without getting a pan." Scott continues. "But by all means, welcome back. You haven't aged a day."
"Perks of visiting a spa once a month. I could always take you to see my masseuse, she'd do wonders for you…" But then Emma stops and falters for a moment, reaching up to brush a lock of her freshly dyed hair out of the way, "Let's not do this to each other… not right now. I don't even have to read your mind to see you're unhappy. I'm not here to cause trouble, or to complicate your life, Scott. I'm here because… I really don't have any other place to belong that gives me any sense of fulfillment. But as I was, I was no good to any of you. Especially… you." For a moment her eyes shade and turn away, but then come back up once more.
"The only reason you should think I am unhappy is because the first thing I hear from you when you come back…is a note on my desk. What was it? 'Gone to tour the campus, will be back with a list of unacceptable items.'" Scott may have been annoyed, angered, any number of emotions by Emma. But one thing is wrong about her statement. "You were good to a number of students, Emma. And you…" He doesn't finish that last part.
Her voice turns sour for a moment as she replies, "And what about the call I left on your phone telling you I was back in town finally and coming back? The one you never responded to? The first person to greet me on campus was Jonothon." But then there's a stop in her breath, and she takes a moment to calm, the inhaled breath making her subtly obvious cleavage bounce a bit, "You're right… I could have come to you first. It would have been the polite thing… the right thing. But…" And she smiles once more, "I suppose so far as track records go, when it comes to rightness, I don't rate very high in these hallowed halls. Have you been well?"
If only she could see his eyes, he'd be avoiding looking at her. "I guess I didn't believe it at first. That was my fault." A moment passes by as he think back on what's happened since she left. "Well, overall, could have been better. But as for right now, just fine." He believes such, but there were times he could have used Emma and her…signature way of handling the students.
Emma licks her lips once, but not in any kind of predator fashion, before another sigh runs the length of her body, ending with her shoes taking a few steps forwards and stopping about a foot from the man, "Scott… we're not a couple anymore. We've also made some bad choices on both parts of handling how this all went down. I abandoned you all for personal reasons… without a word to anyone. But that was MY pride, and MY problem to resolve. I did what was best for me… which… I find myself doing again by asking this. Let's start again from square one. Clean the slate. I'm here because this family of yours is also an occupation one can spend a lifetime loving. We're neither of us going to able to handle this school successfully until we agree that we sweep the board clean, and work from the beginning. Allright?" And with that she puts a single gloved hand out to the man.
The subtleties of his facial expression speak loudly to those who truly know him. A tiny raise of his eyebrows, a frown that only makes itself known with the slightest grimace. He'd been feeling more than just a bit awkward with Emma. Mixed emotions and all. He'd never say it, but he really did need help running this place. She understands why Scott has such a hard connection to this place, how he'd do anything to make sure that it would be given the respect and caring that it needed. It is an occupation one could spend a lifetime loving, Scott was just one of the many examples of that around here. With all that slight of expression, Scott extends his hand, grasping Emma's and shaking, releasing after. "Okay."
There's a bittersweet moment during the touch, and as the release comes Emma looks down at her hand a moment, and then balls it slightly before looking back up and saying with a smile, "Besides the facility updates to the kitchen and cafeteria, I'm dipping into my own pockets. We'll be updating the student body so all students will have assigned laptops for school-work as well as new PDA cellphones I'll be putting on my dime. I also renewed the rights to Xavier.edu for the school for email, website, and networking purposes. I noticed it slid a few months back, and sicced a couple of private lawyers on a man who tried to buy it up from the original provider."
Scott returns the smile, albeit a very slight one. "I'm sure the university will still remain bitter about that." He says with a laugh. "I was told that we still had the domain. Apparently not." Either way, Scott has always been more of a personal person, instead of business. "I'll have your people talk with Brian Carerra, our IT tech here. He's a graduate, stayed here after some business with Sinister." Which means, he didn't leave because he was messed up. "I'm sure the students will be excited for the upgrades to their phones. The three years old models have just about ran out."
At the laugh she brightens a bit, and then after a considering nod Emma says, "Allright then… let me ask the harder question… what can I do for you? I can administrate, I can teach, I can do any sort of function this school requires. I can even counsel some of the students about their sexuality. But… more important is… besides my original position, I want to be where you believe I'll be needed. As much as I could run a coup on you and you'd probably be grateful… that's not my place. The dream adopted me, not the other way round." Speaking as she moves to one side and sits down on one of the plush chairs in the foyer, crossing her legs and leaning back with her hands folded primly on one knee.
Scott gives a nod to Emma. "Right now, what I need you on administration, if you wish to teach, I'm fine with that. As far as training goes. I'd like to get some help on the X-Force. I know it's not your usual Hellions, but right now…they have the potential. And I think most of them would be right in your style." The again co-headmaster says, taking a seat across from Emma.
Emma hmms once, and from her pocket comes the phone again, tapping the screen a few times before looking back at Scott, and tilting her head a bit, causing her hair to cascade and shimmer a bit, "I'll see what I can do. I'm not a team leader, but I can assess and advise them… I've never had a problem telling people what to do…" A smirk spreading on her lips as she continues, "We're going to need to reconsolidate the team training dynamic however. Next years senior students are spread over four teachers. On the one hand, making each a team leader under one of the staff might be a good idea from a seniority perspective… I think it would be better to put them all together in one group. Have any of the student body caught your eye?"
Scott pauses a little as Emma asks him about the incoming seniors. "Lucas has some potential, though he is a mess to handle. He has had his share of anger issues around here. James has been a handle too. But he is eager to try. He has many of the other students in his corner. He's currently helping out Julian with security around here. Those right now would be the ones that stand out the most to me who have stood out." He speaks from his gut on that.
The brief smile returns to her lips, "Julian has always attracted troublemakers… like as not has he the charisma for it. And the leadership potential. But to be honest… we need a full staff meeting. And find out who is willing and able to handle Danger Room trainings from for next year. And then work on assigning teams, and handling new students a bit more easily. I've noted on the rosters we have a large mix of new and long-time students on many of the groups. Correct?"
"Julian has been there during our most stressful times. Despite his past here." Scott cannot help but give a nod to Emma. "The way I've had it, is six students to an advisor. If need be, we make a new squad. But I agree, before the summer is over, and we are in a new semester. Possible reorganization of the squads. Though I do think that there should be some seasoned students in a squad, to be able to give the newer ones an easier transition to how the Danger Room works." Just Scott's opinion on the new students.
With a nod of reply, Emma taps her PDA a few more times, and then says, "Then we should do this… each of the staff running a team should get to pick one senior student. We could do it in a sort of mentoring by tiers. Junior Student, to Senior Student, to Teacher." Looking at something on the screen, she sighs and sits back, "Are there any serious problem students or special conditions we need to look out for? I've heard tell of some situation involving a Miss Heather Brown… apparently time travel involved? It's been putting a bit of a dark mood all over this place since I got here."
"I've heard just rumors about it. Though I'm not so sure if it's valid. Other than Lucas, and James. There's one issue I have had with Theo. The boy seems to find killing easy, among the other things we have found out. He has a past involving the Friends of Humanity." Scott offers up. Honestly not having heard anything from Heather. "Heather is…different, to say the least." A side comment. "We'll have to cover what makes each class of student. But that is the easy part."
Emma starts giggling a bit, a throaty thing that barely bubbles out before she stops and sits back, uncrossing her legs, "Well… it didn't take long for us, now did it?" And standing, she moves over and kisses Scott on the cheek, very gently, before whispering, "It's good to be back. Even if it's never going to be the same… it's still good to be back."
