Who: Emma Frost (open to reactions) What: Publicly coming out as a mutant who is against the Registration Act. Please note: No mention of Wanda or the attack will come up, even in the questions. When: Saturday, May 4, midday Where: NYC
There were moments that mattered and Emma knew this to be one of them. Standing before a mirror, she rechecked her makeup and ran painted fingernails through her hair. Everything had to be perfect, as she'd be photographed from every angle and she needed to be stunning. Her powers couldn't cover up what mistakes a camera caught. With a determined glare, she puckered her glazed lips. The quiet nerves that hit her, the sense of fear before the plunge--she could ignore that so long as she looked alright.
With one last smoothing of the front of her dress (white peplum with a slit to reveal just a hint of cleavage and a stiff collar to show she meant business) Emma exhaled and touched the diamonds that hung from each ear.
This was as nervous as Emma ever let herself get. She was fussing over her image in the mirror and repeating the words she'd memorized. Reminding herself that it'd either go well or wouldn't and that all the preparation in the world wasn't going to change that, she inhaled deeply and put on a neutral face. She wanted to enter strong, but not bitchy. The public wouldn't feel entirely sympathetic to a hard bitch and while she could sway her audience, she didn't have enough power to make every person in the country like her.
She left the room quickly and didn't slow until she was close enough to the stage that she could be seen. Scanning the room with her powers, Emma realized that all the groups she'd invited had arrived. In the very front row were two lawyers she'd paid to ensure she wouldn't be arrested by the end of her talk. Without the hesitation she'd felt in the backroom, Emma walked toward the podium. Like a Frost, to the very end, Emma walked with a small swagger to her step and gazed down at the small crowd who looked at her curiously. She smiled and it seemed genuine.
Whether or not it was wasn't the point.
"You all must be wondering why I called you here. I actually found a rumor on the internet last night that I was about to announce my return to the business world. Emma Frost was to be taking the world by storm, yet again." Her tone was soft, gracious. There was a hint of amusement to her words. "But I left that world behind quite some time ago and have come to find that I like teaching my students. I find the work far more fulfilling, if the paycheck a bit meager." There was a tinkle of laughter from the audience. "What we're here for today isn't about where I'm working. Nor am I to be opening a new fashion line or making an announcement about my interest in joining the wonderful world of acting. It's about something far more important than all that triviality.
"I suppose that the best place to start would be at the beginning and that just happens to be when I was a teenager. I had what could only be described as an awkward puberty, but not for the typical reasons. I had siblings who came before me that taught me how to dress and indoctrinated me into the world of teenage wisdom. But I still had my problems.
"At the age of fifteen, I began to hear whispers. I remember sitting in class and hearing a boy's voice in the middle of algebra. He was saying some rather untoward things about our teacher and I, naive young thing that I was, was absolutely scandalized. When I asked my friends about this incident, no one who sat around me said they'd heard anything. I thought very little of it at the time, though, from that point on I did think the boy was a bit of a brute. But then the headaches began. And nosebleeds. What started as quiet whispers became a rather upsetting thunderous roar."
The crowd shifted in their seats, some murmured to the people next to them.
"What I mean to say is that I am a mutant and have been for some time. And, since I am in a room full of intelligent journalists, I will not dance around the subject. I am hear to talk about Registration."
Hands flew up immediately, but what got everyone's attention was a man from the Bugle who said, "Hey! What number am I thinking of?"
"Red pandas aren't a number, darling, though I do see three of them," Emma said with a small, polite smirk. "Very cute."
Everyone turned to the man, waiting for some confirmation that this had been correct. He nodded with wide eyes and the crowd started to shout out phrases that got lost quickly in a sea of voices. Emma raised her hands, a gesture that seemed to ask them to be reasonable. Ever so gently, she suggested with her powers that they wait until she was done and a few moments later, the room was quiet once more.
"My name is Emma Frost and I am a mutant," she continued pleasantly. There was a flash and the world went white, but Emma didn't even blink. "I am also not going to be registering with our government. There are many reasons for this. Frankly, I was disappointed when the Registration Act came to light. Here was our president and he was associating mutants with lawbreakers, implying us dangerous. I cannot tell you how frightening it is to have the most powerful man in the country tell the world that you are breaking the law merely by existing. The act of being forced to register is insulting. I am schoolteacher. I was a businesswoman. I am not a weapon, nor a criminal. Why should the government invade my privacy in such a way when I have abided by this society's laws? Am I not allowed my privacy? Why? Because I am perceived to be a threat?" She sighed, showing signs of frustration. "Who am I threatening?"
Pausing, she regained her composure. Someone snapped a picture as she ran a hand through her hair.
Perfect.
"The larger question, of course, is what happens to those children who are forced to register? What the president is doing is forcing innocent children to openly admit to their being different. And I'm sure you wonder why that would be so terrible a thing. But look around you, look at this world. It is 2013 and we've only just had the first athlete come out as being openly gay in a major sport. Every day we hear a new story about some misfit ending their life because the other children taunted them for their differences. The stigma of being different is something that I can shoulder. I have no reason to fear reprisal. I know I can handle any bullying that comes my way. But what of the fragile fifteen year old who is only now coming to understand who she or he is? What is also of greatest concern is that our president isn't being transparent. Where are the mutant students being taken? I have students who have been pulled out of school. When I ask for their forwarding information, none is given and no reason is given as to why. Why are blood samples being taken? What is the purpose of this movement? I sincerely wish Mr. Luthor would be gracious enough to address the numerous concerns that have risen from his act instead of blindly running forward with his great ideas for progress.
"There are children's futures on the line here. It is unfair that mutants have been dragged into an issue of vigilantism, because the number of mutants who are vigilantes is negligible. And even if there are mutants who break the law, do they not deserve the same freedoms as their non-mutant counterparts? Are there not men and women who have anger issues, who possess qualities that may make them dangerous, who are not forced to show themselves to the world? Mr. Luthor and his good friends are coming after children while they remain silent on matters that supposedly matter to him. Why are students being pushed to register? Is it because they are easy targets? I imagine they're far easier to find than the Batman, but if vigilantism is the concern, if he wants those who break the law to be accountable, why is it that the innocent are being caught in the crossfire?
"What it all boils down to is discrimination. The Registration Act is unfair and unjust and some of you probably want to know why I am standing out so publicly against it. I will tell you this: At the age of seventeen, I was kicked out of my house, my inheritance was taken away from me. I only had the clothes on my back and no friends. This was done to me because I am a mutant, because I am different. I do this for the lost child that I was and, also, for the countless children who are powerless and afraid. They do not have the ability to hold press conferences. Their voices are quiet and becoming quieter by the day because Mr. Luthor is doing what is in his power to silence them. It would have been very easy to continue to hide myself from the world, but I must do what is right and what is right by them."
At this point, Emma sighed and looked around at the crowd gathered before her. "That's really all I have to say right now. I will take some questions..."