Gift of a Friend

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

Rox and Erika had met, sure, but it seemed as if the blonde had grown closer to her sister, which actually made Erika happy, because Roxana seemed like a great girl and Erika wanted Elsa to have friend of her own and that was good for her. It made her awfully happy to see her twin sister break out of her shell and make friends and have people around her that she could trust.

But even so, Erika had to admit she was rather surprised when Rox had asked for them, not Elsa, herself and Rox, to meet up. She wasn't sure what it was all about, but after everything that had happened, Erika figured she could need someone non-biased to chat with, and from what she had heard and could tell, Roxana seemed like a great fit.

Of course, Erika would have been lying had she claimed she wasn't curious about the girl. So after getting dressed into something more casual than what she usually wore for work, Erika had headed downtown to meet up with the blonde girl.

Wearing a blue hoodie, a pair of short jean-shorts, knee high socks and a pair of ankle high sneakers, Erika had tied her hair up into a ponytail. Gazing at the blonde at the other end of the table, she offered her a smile, "I'm actually rather surprised that you asked for us to meet," she said and furrowed her brows, "I hope nothing's wrong?"

[Roxana Strix]

Roxana had her orders, such orders had to always be obeyed or she would have to deal with the consequences of not obeying them. She tended to obey, wanted to obey, but the new orders she had been given...she knew they were going to cause problems. She knew what she had to do, how to do it, but she knew that she had to. At least she felt that she had to at least do part of what she had been ordered, figuring then that maybe her punishment would not be so bad. She planned on explaining why she was only obeying part of the order instead of all of it, they might understand then. She doubted it, but was it wrong of her to hope? No, it was not wrong. It was just a foolish and childlike thing to do and she knew this was going to come back to harm her in some way. What way it would harm her she was not sure, but knew it would not be a pleasant feeling.

Still, she was going through with it...to a certain point and maybe more but she was still conflicted about actually doing every aspect of her orders. Vixen. That code word since she read it had caused her mind to whirl with so many thoughts, even as she had invited Erika out to get a drink with her at Cool Beans. The location was perfect, public yet private all at the same time in a relaxed environment. This was the best place to do it with Rox and Erika not being particularly close. Roxana would have liked to have gotten close with Erika; it would have made her job easier, but things did not work out that way. Keep your thought guarded around her too. Roxana reminded herself, recalling that Erika had White Noise as one of her powers meaning that Rox had to be careful what she thought. Using her words was easily enough as she felt confident enough that she would be able to at least achieve one part of her new orders.

She stirred at her coffee, not actually planning on drinking it but brought it to have more of a purpose of being in this location as she waited for Erika to show up. Roxana having chooses to just go with a pair of jeans and a thick leather jacket that hung open and revealed a shirt with the Romanian flag on it. Her gazed locked on to Erika as she entered the cafe and stood up with a small smile spreading across her lips as Erika spoke. "I figured with all that has happened you could use a moment to just enjoy something to drink and relax for a moment." Roxana responded as she gestured for Erika to go ahead and have a seat. Roxana didn't say anything as Erika brought up that she hoped nothing was wrong. "Would you like a drink at all? It's on me." Roxana asked, offering up getting the other girl something to drink.

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

Sitting down, Erika folded her hands over the table and offered the blonde yet another smile, "Well, that's thoughtful of you," she laughed. She didn't have anything against Rox, and truth be told, she actually felt rather comfortable and safe around the girl. It was strange, seeing as they didn't know each other, but Elsa was a good judge of character, so if she thought Rox was worth having around, Erika wouldn't object. If anything, it made her trust the girl more easily. Shaking her head no, Erika chuckled, "No, it's quite alright," she said, "If I drink more, I might just explode." After all, she did carry around a bottle of water when she was at the academy. The whole, keep yourself healthy and stuff.

Leaning her chin against the back of her hand, Erika glanced at the girl for a moment before sighing, "I'm really glad you're friends with Elsa," she said, "She needs someone like that, you know?" It was no huge secret that Elsa had always been sort of a loner, and watching her become more comfortable out in the open warmed Erika's heart.

Elsa would always be her person and there was no one that could ever change it. Maybe it was their twin connection, or maybe it was simply the fact that they were siblings. It didn't really matter. Erika was just glad that Elsa seemed happy; The whole overprotective-I'll-do-anything-for-you sibling thing went both ways, after all.

[Roxana Strix]

"With what you have been through it’s important that someone takes the time to see how you are doing and get you away from...drama." Roxana said in a simple tone, pausing there for a moment while she figured which word she was going to settle on. Drama was the best one she could think of that would fit with the situation, hopefully without dragging up any bad memories for Erika. Then again, part of Roxana needed those old memories to surface just a little. Enough to get Erika thinking about what she had been going through and thinking about and hopefully opening up to Rox. Such things were not easy to do with Elsa; even with their friendship, but with Erika's personality she felt it would not be as difficult. At least she hoped it would not be. Roxana chuckled a little bit at Erika saying that if she drank anymore then she would explode. "So then I figure at some point you are going to have to take a restroom break." Roxana pointed out with a small smile, slightly amused by the thought of Erika have to run off for a moment to go to the bathroom.

Roxana stirred her coffee a bit more in that moment of silence as Erika smiled and then basically thanked Roxana for being friends with Elsa. That caught Roxana slightly by surprise, but she figured she should have expected to hear such words from Erika. It still felt odd; it made her doubt even more if she was going to follow through with her orders. "Someone like me?" Roxana asked as she gave Erika a slightly confused look. She could guess what Erika was getting at but she wanted to hear it for some odd reason. It still did bring up a thought in Roxana's mind. "She often makes me feel...conflicted." Roxana said simply before her gaze glanced around the room before falling back on Erika and setting there. "You two have a very powerful relationship. I know you two are twins of course, but it is still interesting to see how your bond withstands the things going on around you." Roxana said and then paused again as her blue eyes looked down at her coffee, now she was going to start using her words in a certain way.

"The two of you have been both dealing with drama for the school overall and on top of that the typical teen drama." Roxana said and then she paused again to let those words sink in. Pausing allowed her time to think and of course for her words to settle on Erika's mind. "How are you and Trevor doing?" Roxana asked, and yes she knew it was a quick change in topic but she had a reason for doing and saying everything.

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

Yeah, Erika had been through quite ordeal over the course of the past six months. Even the brunette couldn't argue with that, but even so, it wasn't exactly something she liked or even wished to discuss. "I suppose so," Erika said with a polite smile. Some things, Erika liked keeping to herself and not discuss with anyone, regardless of how close (or not) or nice people were. At Rox's next comment, Erika simply smiled. She wasn't sure why such a comment was needed in the first place, and she wasn't sure if it was something that was even appropriate to talk about. In short, it was... Uncomfortable.

"Well, you kind of strike me as the extremely loyal, I'd do anything from the people I care about kind of person," Erika pointed out. And if there was anything either of the Bellefonte siblings needed, it was a loyal friend. Erika had a handful, and it was about damn time Elsa got some too. Chuckling softly, Erika nodded, "Yeah, she does that to most people." Elsa had this thing where she confused people and made them feel conflicted about this or that. That was normal for Erika and not something she often pointed out, because of how used she was to her twin's behavior. "She's my person," Erika explained with a soft smile, "That's not easily broken."

Erika studied the blonde for a moment before smiling again, "It is what it is," she shrugged, "I guess it comes with the last name." Another thing Erika didn't wish to discuss. In fact, she didn't wish to discuss a whole lot about herself. Especially not to someone she didn't know too well. It was not something that came easy to the telekinetic. However, when Rox decided to bring up Trevor, Erika grimaced. "Well..." she drawled and narrowed her eyes, "We're on a break." Which basically was a nice way of saying that they had broken up.

She couldn't blame Rox for being curious though, as most people were.

[Roxana Strix]

Roxana knew that Erika did not really want to talk about such things, it didn't take a rocker scientist to know what subjects someone would be comfortable talking about with people they did not all that well. Unless the other person just wanted pity and to seek attention, then in that case they would tell everyone everything in full detail. Erika was not like that, even if she could be seen as the more 'emotional' of the Bellefonte twins. Roxana again only brought it up to get Erika's mind into a certain way of thinking. One that had her thinking about how everything had happened, why they happened, and in general just making Erika think. Question the matter of the past, that way all that Roxana had planned would be easier. There were many ways to go about what she had been ordered to do. This way she figured was the best, one that she was pretty good at and had a less likely chance of backfiring on her. Roxana didn't say anything to Erika's ‘I supposed', but did give a slightly confused look at Erika's next words.

It was not that the words were wrong, but they were just not fully right. At least Roxana didn't feel like she was extremely loyal. She had gone against her organization after all, and now in a way she was going against Erika and Elsa. Yet...she did want to protect Elsa out of her orders and she would probably end up feeling the same about Erika if they hand dealt with one another more often. "Well...I'm happy to hear that you think that I am...good for her." Roxana said, again having to take a moment to pick which word she was using on the subject. She did start to smile a little bit at hearing Erika call Elsa her person. That strong sibling bond that Roxana once had with her older siblings, but age had distanced their relationship. With Erika and Elsa being the same age, perhaps they would stand the test of time. "It's good that you know that. It would be a shame if you ever went with what you thought you felt over something logical that she pointed out." Roxana said, and she was hinting at something there but didn't know if Erika would get it.

It didn't matter wither way because the message would still get the effect that Roxana desired. Roxana nodded her head, watching Erika closely all the while just simply stirring her coffee which was probably luke warm by now. Erika didn't want to talk about herself; Roxana didn't want to talk about herself. One of them was going to end up losing in a way and having to deal with talking about themselves. Or another way of looking at it was less about themselves and more just causing doubt and some self-reflection. Roxana raised a brow at hearing that Erika and Trevor were on a break; which Roxana knew a little bit about, and it just made things all the easier. "Just a break? Or a...break?" Roxana asked, knowing that she was stepping in business that was none of her business of course but again she had a purpose behind it.

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

Offering Rox a smile, the telekinetic nodded. She was a little surprised at the way Roxana reacted, but she wasn't going to question it. After all, she didn't know to what extent Rox and Elsa's relationship went, but from where she was standing, she could tell it was a good one that she hoped would last. "I guess you could look at Elsa like my Timmothy Grasshopper. She's always on my shoulder, being my wicked little consciousness," she joked and winked at Rox. No, really though, without Elsa, Erika was one hundred percent sure she wouldn't have been alive today. She owed her twin sister everything.

"Well," she drawled and pursed her lips, as she chose her next words carefully. She furrowed her brown eyes, looking at Rox and simply shrugging, "I don't know; Things have been a little confusing lately, but..." She shook her head. She was fairly sure Roxana knew about Everett - or the rumors surrounding herself and the cook, as most of the students did, but she didn't want to stir up any trouble in case she didn't.

"It just feels like one of those relationships that lives on borrowed time, you know? At one point, it was going to end anyways and it was simply our stubborn natures keeping it going." She had never really admitted to that out loud before now, although it had crossed her mind from time to time. Of course, she had completely dismissed it every time, but now? It sort of... made sense.

[Roxana Strix]

Roxana didn't really fully understand her and Elsa's relationship since it often caused her some confusion and conflicted feelings. They were friends; Roxana was her employee, but also her protector, and 'enemy' in a way depending on how you looked at it. Since she was reporting on Elsa; and many other with Erika included, but details. In the end Roxana didn't really know what to think of her and Elsa's relationship and often tried to not think too much into it because it just caused her to feel all the more conflicted about it. So that thought was pushed out of her head as she focused solely on Erika and what Erika was talking about. This whole meeting was about Erika and causing the other girl to think and come to a decision all on her own. Roxana had a feeling the decision had been there all along, she just needed to harp on it and that was what Rox was here for.

To complete part of the mission she had been assigned and by the way that Erika was talking Rox knew already that she didn't really have much to do. An easy job for sure. "That is certainly an interesting of seeing your sister, but are you like Pinocchio who does not listen to the grasshopper’s words until it’s too late?" Roxana asked as she looked at Erika for a moment before looking back at her coffee. Roxana knew that Erika and Elsa were close and they probably talked about pretty much everything with one another. Elsa had used Rox as a 'test talking dummy' in a way for a chat she wanted to bring up to Erika and part of Rox wanted to ask how that went, but she didn't. Felt like a betray of trust in a way even if it was to Elsa's twin and Elsa had said that she was going to talk to her sister about it. Roxana just nodded, letting Erika get out what she had to say about her relationship with Trevor.

Roxana of course knew about the rumors and knew certain parts to be facts because she was keeping a close eye on Erika Bellefonte after all. There was not much the now head mistress of the school could do that Rox would not know about or find out. Roxana nodded at Erika's comment, her hands moving to cover up her mouth a little as she rested her chin in hands in a way. "Well considered how the relationship came about, it was only bound to last for a certain amount of time. No offence of course." Roxana said and paused for a moment before going on. "Your relationship came as a result of self-preservation. Not knowing if you were going to live and the pain that I image you went through, such an occurrence would naturally happen but now that you are safe you are thinking again. Thinking about if this is really what you would want and if it’s really good for you." Roxana said with a small smile hidden behind her hands.

"Of course, you clearly realize that now but because you are stubborn and you probably feel bad you don't want to just end it, right?" Roxana asked with a slight look in her blue eyes, but she was not done yet. "It's none of my business of course, but should you be with someone out of...let’s say, pity?" Roxana asked, using her words carefully and being blunt all on purpose. She knew what she was doing here and even if the result were not favorable for herself, she knew the end result would be what she wanted and needed to get.

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

"It depends, really," Erika said and smiled. Her own relationship to Elsa was a complicated one. Not because she didn't know where and if she could rely on her or where their relationship was going, but because it wasn't an easy one to describe with words. Elsa was the closest thing Erika had; Whether that was was a sister, a best friend or just someone to lean on, didn't matter. Elsa was Elsa, and Elsa was her person. It really was that simple, or rather, it was the best way to describe it. "Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't, all depending," she added finally with a shrug.

Now it was Rox's turn to share her piece about her relationship with Trevor and truth be told... It did make sense. Roxana did make several valid points and it actually got Erika thinking about it, and thus, seeing the whole thing in a completely different light. Furrowing her brows, Erika licked her lower lip, but she didn't speak. She simply listened, taking in every single word the blonde dished out at her.

And when she finished, Erika looked up at the girl again, something akin to a faint smile touching her lips. "I've never really thought about it that way," she said silently, almost somberly. "But I suppose..." she trailed off as she looked away, towards the window. Absentmindedly watching whatever was happening outside. "It makes sense," she finally said, slowly she turned to look back at the blonde again, her eyes narrowed and her eyebrows knitted together. "Is that really all there was to it?" She couldn't help but being a little disappointed. After all, she really had thought she loved Trevor and that their relationship would work out, but.. Hearing someone else's point of view on things, that didn't consist of scolding her for dating someone who did shady things, it was.. Well, odd.

[Roxana Strix]

Roxana just smiled a little bit more for a moment when Erika admitted that it all just depended. Yes, Roxana could certainly see that things did sort of all just end up depending with Erika from the history that was tagged along with the other girl. Erika was quick to act upon things, which had been proven time and time again and while Roxana saw it as something that was risky and a dangerous life style to lead, she was not going to say anything about it. Not unless Erika asked or it was in Roxana's goal to be cold towards the other girl. Plus, Roxana was not Erika's sister and didn't really have any sort of bond with the girl so her telling Erika anything without saying things the right way would probably go in one ear and out the other or just cause a confirmation.

Not a physical confirmation since Roxana didn't really see or ever recall hearing about Erika actually beating up or fighting anyone before. "Makes sense, you both have something about you that leans on the more stubborn side." Roxana said simply and didn't mean to be rude or anything. It was just something she had observed in both of the girls. The Bellefonte family in general all seemed to have something that they were really stubborn about. Roxana had said her piece, making sure to choose her words careful but still getting her message across. Still getting Erika to think about it all and see the relationship for what it really was. Sure there were always exceptions to every rules and expectation that people had when it came to almost anything. In this case Roxana and her employers were confident from the start that this relationship would not last. Erika just needed some nudging and her lover boy; the cook, had been that nudge.

Roxana was just adding a bit more to that nudging to ensure that Erika fully went with the desired outcome. That outcome of course was to get Erika to fully break up with Trevor. Roxana didn't say anything when Erika commented on that she had never thought of it that way. It was expected to Erika to not think of it that was because she was in the moment of it all and if you were in the moment you tended to have a hard time looking outside of it. Roxana just looked at Erika in silence as she could see Erika thinking and working through all of what Rox had said. There was a question then, one that Roxana could not leave unanswered. "From a logical standpoint, yes but from an emotional standpoint...from you feeling like you were actually in love with him, there is not. You are going to feel a little guilty for it probably for a little while. You have a distractor so that will probably get rid of some of it. You will also certainly have to deal with those around you and their opinions on the matter because of how everything looks." Roxana responded back to the question and closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath before her eyes opened again.

"I'm sure you would not be unfamiliar by such talk, gossip and opinions since you received them before with Felix and then Trevor." Roxana pointed out, speaking in a lower tone so ensure that Erika was the only one hearing. Roxana didn't like using names, but in this case they were necessary to add to the desired effect that Rox was going for.

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

Again, rendered unable to answer, the brunette listened to what Roxana had to say. Taking it all in and putting some logical thought to it, it kind of did make a whole lot of sense, although, her relationship with Trevor had only manifested after they had gotten back from SPECTRE, but with the girl's logic, that could also be because they had already bonded over a shared experience. Thinking about it though, gave her a headache.

"So... What you're saying is that I never loved him at all?" she asked with her brows furrowed. Moving her gaze to meet the blonde's, she studied her face for a moment. "I'm not worried about what the rest of the student body thinks," she said and sighed. She never really had, anyways. She was far too used to being talked and gossiped about, so this was just a minor bump in the road. She could handle the rest of the people and what they seemingly would think of her because of everything that was going on. Her personal and professional life were two completely different things and she wouldn't let either of them mess with the other. "But.." she began again, but stopped. The confusion was apparent against her features and truth be told, Roxana's words kind of helped pushing her in one direction, and that wasn't going to end in Trevor's favor.

"Unfamiliar with it? No," she shook her head. "In fact, I've been through it my entire life, so it's just another spot on the mirror I suppose."

[Roxana Strix]

The relationship may have become a real thing after Erika and Trevor were free, but it was slowly developing while in captivity. Having that one person with you all the time and who knew the full details of what the two had gone through or done to one another during that time. Roxana could probably find out a little bit but she was fine knowing the general overview of what was done to the captured mutants. There was a question then, one that Roxana was silent for a moment, wanting to lie but she had a feeling that the truth would not sway Erika’s mind. Not after all that Roxana had her thinking about and just how things were unfolding to the Bellefonte girl. “No…you could say that it was probably something akin to love or that you did in fact love him but it was a temporary love.” Roxana responded back, trying to think of if there was a better way to explain it.

“So…in a simple way, you could think of it not being true love but just another fleeting love brought about because of the situation.” Roxana added and ran a hand through her own hair for a moment before she started to go back to stirring her cold coffee. Roxana didn’t say anything and just nodded at Erika’s words where she was not really worried about what the students thought. It made sense, given how much gossip tended to be talked about Erika and how probably some students saw her as a bit of a…well a word basically meaning that she got around and ended up in bed with a verity of guys. Such viewpoints about Erika that Roxana didn’t really care that much about. Erika had seemed to be onto but then stopped and was probably thinking again about what all Roxana said.

Erika brought up that she was not unfamiliar with it, that she had been dealing with such things her entire life and that it was just another spot on the mirror. It was an interesting analogy to describe such a thing, but Roxana had no complaints about it. Roxana would have given Erika word of advice, to not rush into everything but she doubted Erika would listen. From how long she had watched the girl she could tell Erika was quick to act on her heart and since she and Rox were not that close it would be a waste of breath to try her hand at that aspect of the conversation. Her goal was to just get Erika to think about her relationship with Trevor in order to end it, that was all. She was confident that, that goal was complete. “Are you worried at all about your ability to handle the school with your sister?” Roxana asked then, and this was more so out of her curiosity which in turn would more than likely line up with her organizations curiosity.

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

Temporary love? She figured she could understand the concept of that. Love was a fickle thing, she had realized, and it wasn't always meant to last. Well, at least not in most cases. There were people who never stopped being in love and she envied them. She really did. "Yeah, I know what you mean," she said silently and averted her gaze, contemplating again what the blonde had told her, or even made her realize. It made a lot of sense, and considering how confused she was about the whole thing... Well, it did make the bitterness of the situation a little less hard to swallow.

Ah well, she still had time to decide, though, part of her kind of thought that she already had. She had never doubted her feelings for Everett and not once had they faltered. No, if Erika was certain of one thing, it was that her love for Everett was not a fleeting thing, and it was meant to last. After all these hardships they had been through, she didn't think it was possible for her feelings for Everett to ever vanish.

And that made her really happy. He made her really happy.

Blinking, Erika looked back at the blonde and smiled, "Yeah," she said and nodded, "A little bit, but I think it'd be foolish if I wasn't worried. Being worried in a situation like this is what keeps us on our toes and prevents us from going mad with power." She smiled at that, but quickly shrugged it off. "I don't doubt that we can do it though."

[Roxana Strix]

Erika knew what Roxana meant and it was simple as that so Roxana didn't feel the need to say anything more past that. She didn't like to over talk or waste her time or someone else time, especially if she felt just too odd in a situation. This situation did make Rox feel a little odd because she didn't really like talking to people about relationships. Most of them ended up not listening anyways because they would let their foolish emotions get in the way before thinking about it. Sometimes emotions getting in the way were a good thing but other times they resulted to a lot of stupid decisions. Roxana personally didn't see it as good for Erika to be with Trevor or Everett for several logical and a few logical reason for the both of them.

Roxana already knew that her organization would not like Erika going back to being with Everett either but Roxana knew she would just have to get them to understand that Erika's heart was fleeting so it was going to be impossible to get the girl to just be single for a period of time. At least Roxana didn't think it was possible for Erika to handle not going out with someone or at least kissing on someone, Roxana got the whole 'need to be loved by someone' vibe from the other girl but that was based purely off of Erika's behavior since Roxana had started to observe her. With her goal complete she started to focus on asking different questions that she did actually have some care about. Nodding a little as Erika confessed that she was a little bit but explained why that was and how she felt that it was a good thing.

"Good that you are aware of what could make you go mad with power and that you are confident that you and your sister can do it. I would only suggest making sure that you two work together always, at least until the day you too pass the job along. Which since you are both so young won't be for a long time." Roxana said with a small chuckle since Elsa and Erika did have the years ahead of them, but so long as they worked together Rox was not worried. She just knew that neither of them could do the job just as one person. Their personalities would not work for it and the school would either become too lose and break or become to strict and break. They needed to work together or their personalities needed to change. "I'm here to help you and your sister in what ways I can in any case." Roxana added after a moment, looking at Erika with a serious expression.

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

Erika realized why Elsa kept the blonde around. Despite the obvious, slightly cold professional manner she carried herself with, there was something extremely comfortable by being around her. Like, Erika could trust her and stuff like that. She was glad to see that Elsa had found herself a friend like that - despite not knowing how far their relationship went - and it warmed her heart.

"I don't think us working together is ever going to be a problem," she said with a smile. Despite often going along with her sister's ideas based on the pure logical sense of most of them, Erika had never been afraid of speaking up to her, especially not when she disagreed. She hadn't done that much lately, purely because she knew that her sister's current decisions had been made to protect the school and they made a lot of sense too. In a way, Erika often felt like she didn't even need to be here, and that Elsa could handle it just fine on her own. Elsa hadn't exactly done anything to change her mind about either.

Maybe it would be better for Erika to step out of the way altogether?

"Thank you, Roxana," Erika said with a warm smile, "I appreciate it, and I'm sure Elsa does too." It was amazing, what a huge network of support they had. It was touching and it was warming. It also made her confident that despite their young age, they actually had a chance of doing this.