InsaneJournal

Who: Emma Frost and Faiza Hussain
Where: A tea shop
What: chatting
When: 2/20
Warnings/Rating: PG at worst
Status complete


Meeting Faiza at work was easiest, since Emma knew where that was. She pulled up in her beat up car, smiling as she waited for Dr. Faiza to come out. It was a beautiful day, and the kids had been quite well behaved for once, so she had plenty of energy left. Not that she anticipated needing much energy for this meeting.

For once she’d bothered to change clothes after school, so she was wearing a blue t-shirt and khaki skirt, her hair pulled back into a loose ponytail at the nape of her neck. She stepped out of the car, smiling brightly as she stepped into the main building.

Faiza was preparing to head back home for the evening, but she’d made time for Emma. She really ought to just spend the whole week out here, then a whole week in town, and alternate. She stepped out of the infirmary as Emma drove up.

Emma smiled when she saw the doctor. “Hello, Doctor Faiza. You’re looking well.” She thought about shaking Faiza’s hand, but the doctor had seen her internal organs. Things like that were just too formal.

Faiza walked over and gave Emma a big hug. After the past week, she thought that hugs in general were wanted, and needed.

At that moment, Emma was all about hugs. Hugs for everyone. “Ready to get that drink I promised you?” She wasn’t going to talk about depressing things if she could avoid it. They probably both needed a break from it.

“Water or soda pop, yes!” Faiza shouldered her purse. There were times she wished she drank, if only for social reasons, but she only touched the stuff for medicinal purposes. “I’m ready to go.”

“Perfect. There’s a fifties themed diner that I know of, and they have excellent service.” It wasn’t as relaxing as a coffee shop, or as interesting as a bar, but if she was treating Faiza, she wanted it to be a real treat. “Will you need directions, or would you like a ride?”

“Tea would also work. May I have a ride? I took one into work today but I’d rather not bother her again. Even if she did offer.” Clarice was too nice sometimes, but she didn’t want to take advantage of the woman if she could help it.

“Tea will be a little more peaceful, and I have all evening, I can give you a ride.” She opened the door for Faiza, because it was polite. “I hope it’s been quiet here, at least.” She led the way down to her poor, poor car. It looked even worse when compared with Scott’s. She felt very sympathetic for her old, worn vehicle.

“Thank you, Ms. Frost.” Faiza followed the attractive blonde down to her car. She didn’t seem all that bothered by the state of the car. Her own was both tiny and run down. She’d never seen the need for expensive cars, though she could afford to get a better one. Faiza had hers for such a long time she didn’t want to get rid of it.

“Please, call me Emma. You know which parts are original and which ones aren’t, I doubt we need too much formality between us.” She gave Faiza a warm smile as she opened the passenger side door for her. “I’m still very grateful to you, by the way. I looked up how long the healing time for that sort of thing normally is and nearly died at the thought of enduring that much pain for so long.”

"Well, yes. There's more original than you'd realize. Whoever did the work tried to keep what he could. There's also a few things that aren't original that I'm not sure you know about." Faiza pondered that. "and probably don't want to know about so I'll just leave it there."

Emma blinked a little. “I would actually like to know that.” She got into the car, wondering what Faiza might be talking about. “Beside my nose I haven’t had any other work done, and that was just reshaping, not adding anything.” She started the car and pulled out of the parking lot.

“There might have been some additions to your arse.”

Emma blushed. “Dammit, I thought I was just more toned.” That was a little disappointing, actually. “Oh well, at least that’s supposed to be a little firm.”

“It was fairly noticable when I was healing your wounds. I’ve gotten better since then, mind. There’s..one other thing... I suppose I should have mentioned it before but I didn’t want to alarm you. But I found something then and removed it.”

“Oh?” That was of interest. “What kind of thing?”

Faiza smiled sheepishly, and fidgeted with her head scarf as she tried to think of how to
say it. "I found a growth. I think it was benign but I didn't want to risk it."

“Where?” Emma didn’t like the direction this conversation was going. Still, she kept her main focus on the road. A car accident was a much more imminent danger to her than whatever Faiza might be about to tell her about. If the doctor who could take a person apart organ by organ said something was benign, she was probably correct.

“It was, ah....It was in your head.” She tapped a spot on her skull. “Might have led to some interesting headaches.”

“Oh. Yes, I was having quite a few headaches at the time.” Emma didn’t look anywhere but straight ahead, for the moment. “But you think there’s no need to worry?”

“I don’t believe so. I recommend you get a full checkup, of course. I just wanted to wait until you’d had time to adjust to your...bodily changes.” Faiza nodded her head.

“Thank you.” Emma turned her head to give Faiza a small smile, before focusing on the road again, trying to put the tension of that revelation in the back of her mind. “We’re almost at the tea shop I’ve been meaning to try. When did you move here from England?”

“Originally, I came out early last year but had to return to England for a time. I came back in December, I think? I’m not really sure. It seems like so much happens in so short a time that it feels like longer.”

“I can definitely agree with that.” Emma said with a nod. “It’s been an insane few months.” She pulled into the parking lot of the tea shop and found a space relatively close to the door. “Here we are. Let me know if you don’t like it or would prefer to go somewhere else. I don’t want people getting the idea I’m a bad date.” She gave Faiza smirk before stepping out of the car.

“I think it’s lovely.” Faiza chuckled and followed suit. “Reminds me of a little place near my university, actually, though there wasn’t a Starbucks across the street. Probably is one by now, though. Not that it was really all that long ago but you know what I mean.”

“I do know what you mean. It’s kind of depressing seeing a Starbucks across the street from another Starbucks. It used to be a joke, now it’s not uncommon.” She walked into the tea shop, which wasn’t full of old women in frumpy clothes, as she had assumed it would be. The place was clean and welcoming, and the girl that greeted them was quite cheerful.

"I don't even like the place." Faiza smiled at the girl, ordering her favorite tea. She felt like a stereotype. She didnt mind.

“It serves its purpose. Free wifi and no cats when I need a break to get some schoolwork done.” She ordered what faiza got, because she really had no idea what kind of tea she liked.

“There are plenty of other places to get both,” Faiza pointed out. “Perhaps you should get a catsitter?” She wasn’t sure how that worked. Did catsitters even exist?

“I need to start letting them out when I get home. But they get lonely for company.” She did care about the cats’ well being, even if she griped about them. Really, if her worst problem was overly affectionate pets, her life was pretty good.

“They like to explore, do they? Do they ever bring you little presents? Like dead birdies?” Faiza found this an interesting topic of conversation, though only God knew why.

Emma chuckled. “A half-dead mouse, once. Mostly their presents are things to entertain them with. Once they dragged a clean sock around the house all day. The fought over it and everything.” The cats were a consistent source of amusement. “I wouldn’t have pegged Scott for a cat person when I first met him.”

"Strikes me as a bloke who likes big shaggy dogs," she replied. Her tea was ready then, and she gave an appreciative sound at tasting it.

Emma followed suit. It was. . . tea. Not bad, though. “I thought that too. Apparently the cats came with a roommate who moved out and left them.” She wasn’t quite sure what had happened in that situation. “It’s somewhat irritating that they like me better than him, but they’re amusing enough that I can’t say I’m that bothered.”

"If the cats like you then clearly you must be a good person, or so it's said!"

Emma chuckled. “I’m going to use them as character witnesses at some point, I’m sure.”

“Oh no, you see I think I’ve figured out what’s really they’re going to do. They’ll pin all the murders on you.” Faiza smiled, her eyes glimmering.

Emma laughed at that, nearly snorting tea out her nose. “I didn’t think about that. They’re obviously too smart for me.”

"Well you have a slight advantage. You can read their minds. Tell me, what does a cat think of?" She looked keenly interested.

After thinking for a moment, Emma answered. “They’re like little serial killers. They’re moderately fond of Scott and I, and consider the other cats as potential allies, but mostly they just think about killing things and sleeping. Inasmuch as cats think about anything, it’s not quite the same.”

“You make them out to be little sociopatchs,” Faiza exclaimed, with a laugh. She realized their conversation was a little banal, but sometimes, you really needed just a little bit of chit chat.

“You make it sound like you were expecting something else.” It was good to talk to someone who wasn’t depressed or very young. Emma made a mental note to get back in the habit of having lunch with friends again. “Oh, sure, they want to snuggle sometimes, and then they’re happy, but they really are little Hannibal Lecters with fur.”

"Remind me to just get a dog. My boyfriend has puppies. They're utterly adorable. Follow him around like he's their mum." A big tough Jedi and his puppies.

“That sounds like a good plan.” Emma said with a smile. She imagined a bunch of puppies following Scott around like ducklings. It was an entirely amusing mental picture.

"They're a lot of work for sure, but probably good practice for children." She smiled, wistfully.

Emma nodded. “I have considered that.” Because of course she had. “Who’s your boyfriend, anyone I know?”

“He did some carpentry work for Urdnot Ranch. His name is Obi-wan Kenobi.” Part of Faiza was curious on if Emma would even recognize the name for who it was. It had taken herself a month before it seemed to magically click.

Her eyebrows did go up, but names like that weren’t at all uncommon in Orange County. “He’s a carpenter, hmm?” She almost teased Faiza about how he must have nice strong hands, but they didn’t know each other well enough for that.

"Yes, but he's actually really gentle and sweet." Faiza lowered her voice, her face flushing. "Very handy around the house. He even built me a battle-bot!" That was two Scotsmen who'd built her battle-bots now...

Emma smiled as Faiza described Obi Wan. That was so sweet. Especially the battle-bot. It was important to be with someone who shared your interests, after all. “He sounds like a great guy.”

"He's wonderful," she said, with a sigh. "I could have been with a really handsome movie star, you know. But while he's wonderful too, it wasn't the same sort of....zing."

Emma chuckled. “I know what you mean. I thought about pursuing Tony Stark some time ago, but I quickly came to realize that while I may find him attractive,” and extremely good in bed, “There’s more to it than that. I’m much happier now than I would have been with Tony, and Pepper’s a better fit for him, anyway.”

Faiza nodded. She agreed with that statement. “I just hope that Thor has found someone who’s a better fit for him as well. He really does deserve to be happy.”

Oh! Emma laughed at that. “He has. He’s apparently quite happily involved with some mystery woman I don’t know about. Another actress, I think, so they have that in common.”

“I have my suspicions, but I haven’t been able to voice them!” Faiza said, laughing joyously. “If she hurts him, I might have to write a very sternly worded letter.”

“Well, feel free to gossip with me all you want. I’m very discreet.” Except for that thing with Thor she’d just blurted out. But he didn’t seem like the type to keep secrets. “I’m sure Thor will appreciate the sentiment if anything does happen.”

“Well I heard it was Sansa Stark, but I really doubt that. I don’t usually pay attention to trash rags, you know, but sometimes I’ll look at the cover at market. Thor’s on it a lot, these days.”

“He’s been very busy, apparently. I’m sure he won’t let it get to him, though.” Emma finished her tea, looking down in the cup sadly.

“Mm,” Faiza commented. “I really should get home, soon. I wanted to try my hand at baking."

Emma nodded. “Thank you for having tea with me. Good luck with the baking.”