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'Twas the day after Christmas, and all through the mansion, not a mutant was peeping, not even the… well, okay, maybe the Professor is stirring a bit. Bundled up for the winter, he has a steaming cup of coffee in his hands, enjoying the brisk weather. And chuckling to himself at the impromptu snowman contest the students staying at the mansion had over the Christmas break. Shaking his head a little at the ingenuity, he seems to be enjoying the evening walk, lights still flickering on the central tree in the courtyard. Not the Rockefeller, but then again… it's not prone to getting attacked either.
"I would laugh more if I didn't known at least one of those is supposed to be a snow woman with the surname Frost." says a vaguely aggrieved tone behind you as Emma walks out to join you, holding her own cup of cocoa betwen her hands. "Taking an evening constitutional?"
Charles smiles over at Emma, "Well, I think it was meant as a pun on your name instead of a statement of personality, Emma." He then nods, "I do like taking in the grounds when it isn't so busy, it's relaxing. A few less stray thoughts to worry about screening out, and all. And you?"
"Generally less teenage hormones around, the better for my mental state." she says dryly, slipping from her cup. "Mm, only another week or two until they're back though." She tilts her head. "Do we have any new students joining us?"
Charles chuckles, "Well, Kamala officially starts this semester, even though she's been here for a few weeks already. So at least there's one person that I can talk to regarding Asimov and Tolkien." He smiles wryly at Emma, "But I suspect you know the answer about students just as well as I do."
Emma smiles. "Ah yes, the young miss Kamala. A very successful recruitment, if I do say so myself. I'm pleased her parents were interested in her attending, I wasn't sure if they'd be too conservative to allow her out on her own or not. Pakistani culture doesn't always smile upon it."
Charles nods, "Yes, she was a little skittish with all the Christmas decorations… but I think the welcome gift I got her set her somewhat at ease." He pauses, then smiles, "While I was on sabbatical in England I stayed with Professor Tolkien, and he was charitable enough to sign a few copies of Lord of the Rings for me. And so, she received one of them." He looks particularly proud of this fact.
Emma rolls her eyes. "…such a nerd." she mutters, shaking her head. "Well. Good for you then, and good for her if she's a fan. At least you have someone to share all your little triva facts about elves and orcs and wizards now?"
Charles chuckles, "I heard that." He smiles and extends a hand towards Emma, "At least I knew better than to get you that for Christmas?" He gets a bit of an impish look at that.
Emma wrinkles her nose but regally accepts the offer hand, squeezing it as her lips curve up slightly. "No, I doubt I'd appreciate it." she says dryly. "Best given to a fan, I think."
Charles squeezes the hand, then pauses, "Wait… didn't you open your gift yet?" He tilts his head, regarding Emma with a curious expression. "This… might need to be remedied."
Emma arches a brow. "…well, you were in England. I don't believe I've had the chance to give you yours, either." she reminds the Professor of Grooviness. "Perhaps we could fix that now, then."
The Professor of Grooviness grins, "Let's go inside then, and exchange our gifts then." He smiles and offers Emma his arm, "Shall we?"
Emma gently slides her arm around Charles' arm, then resting her hand on his forearm. "Let's….I think this is a better day to enjoy by a warm cozy fire really."
Charles grins, then tosses Emma a wink, "I won't argue that at all." And with that, he leads the way back into the mansion proper. The nice thing about the Break, is that the mansion is mostly empty… at least, as far as eavesdroppers are concerned. However, the fireplace is already going… and there's a pair of conspicuous presents underneath the tree yet. Go figure!
Emma twitches her lips as she sees the other one. "…you snuck in after I did, didn't you?" she accuses. "…damn, I thought I'd catch you offguard too." she murmurs, a bit disappointedly. She walks over to pick up said presents, offering one to Charles, before she saunters over to take a seat on the loveseat nearby, crossing her legs.
Charles laughs a little, "I know of all sorts of secret passages, Emma. There's a reason I was inspired to put in the sub-basements for housing the more clandenstine things here." He grins and takes the present, slowly unwrapping it with meticulous care. He's not the type to just riptearshred… that he can leave for Logan.
Inside the green and red wrapping paper, under the red bow, is a small watch box. And inside the box is a tasteful, if expensive men's watch. There's an X engraved on the face under the crystal in red, against a blue background. There's an etching on the back as well. <To Keep Time Towards The Future You See> - Emma>
Emma mms. "…I suppose it's not a signed Tolkien book, whatever one is popular these days, but still…it seemed…helpful." she murmurs.
Charles blinks and looks at the watch, then smiles broadly, "Emma, it's… perfect." He looks at the engraving on the back, then blinks again, "Emma, I… wow." He gives her a warm expression, "I don't know what to say… but thank you."
Emma mmms. "Well…if you're to keep your head in the clouds, you should have something to remind you that the clock is ticking." she says shrugging her shoulders gracefully. She tugs the ribbon off her gift, then uses her nails to snip the tape, unfolding it neatly as she slides what's inside free…
And inside the dignified blue wrapping paper, with silver ribbon, is a small jewelry box. Within the box is an elegant silver pendant, crafted to look like a rose and encrusted with diamonds, though in the center of the blooming flower is a star ruby. The pendant also has a silver necklace, naturally, as there's a note inside, <A Rose That Will Never Lose Her Bloom - Charles>.
Emma holds it up, letting it dangle slowly, spinning, as her expression softens a bit, smiling. "…it's beautiful…" she murmurs gently. "Thank you Charles." She leans over, lips parting softly as she leaves a soft kiss on Charles' lips in return. "Mmmm…."
Charles blinks a little at the kiss, but he does return it as he slides an arm around Emma, holding her gently on the couch. "But not as beautiful as its recipient." The advantage of telepathy… being able to talk while your lips are occupied.
Mmm, points for flattery, though if you'd worked a rose motif into it the judges would have given you a ten out of ten…. Emma notes, slitting her eyes as she reaches up to run her fingers through Charles' hair, holding the kiss for a long moment, before she breaks it again with a little sigh, her eyes dancing with mischief.
Charles grins, "Uhoh… I know that look, I think the East German judge just gave me a five." He just holds her close, and says simply, "Merry Christmas, Emma Frost. Truth be told, I don't know what I would do without you."
Emma leans into the man next to her, wiggling a bit to snuggle into his side slightly, in a rare moment where she lets down her usual reserve in private. "Well of course. Someone has to keep your feet on the ground, after all. God knows Erik is too caught up in his own crusades to do it." she says softly.
Charles smiles, "I don't think I could ask for a better partner." He nods, "And I'm glad that you are here to keep my dream tethered in reality." He hmmms, his head resting against hers as he watches the fireplace crackle with a content expression.