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Emma Frost finished her lecture as she always did, with a confident flourish. “And that, darlings” she declared, a confident smile gracing her lips, “is how you build your personal brand and identity as a superhero. Any questions?”
While there were only three students present, not the lecture hall of eager learners that Emma was used to, Trista Marshall still chose to raise her hand before asking her question. Emma pointed at her approvingly.
“Is that why you always dress like that? Your... brand?” Trista asked.
Emma chuckled to herself. “Of course, darling. No matter the time or place, I have to look my best. Any other questions?”
“Do you have to dress like that?” Thao asked, not even raising her hand. “As we can see… everything.”
“Thao…” Alex muttered. “Don’t…”
Emma smiled her best calm, presentable smile. “Darlings, I paid a lot for this body. This is a designer body. I gotta show it off.”
Thao's face scrunched up with concern. “You don’t mean from Sinister… Do you?”
Emma resisted the urge to roll her eyes. “Essex? Heavens no. We may be mutants, but I got this body the old-fashioned way. Surgeries, silicon, and a little bit of HRT.”
“You’re trans?” Trista asked.
“Of course, darling. Could you not tell?”
“I could,” Alex said.
“I couldn’t,” Trista admitted.
“I would never presume such a thing about anyone,” Thao declared.
Kate Pryde, meanwhile, stood to the side of the room, her jaw hanging wide open in surprise. As the lecture unfolded, she had been primarily focused on texting with Nina, her eyes darting between her phone and Emma… but, with this comment, the White Queen had finally given her something worth paying attention to.
“Kate, darling, don’t stare like that. It’s unbecoming.”
Pryde physically reached up and closed her mouth shut, frowning. “When were you going to tell me?”
“Tell you what?”
“That you are trans!”
Frost rolled her eyes. “I don’t need to ‘tell’ people, darling. It’s obvious. Perhaps cis people, such as yourself, wouldn’t notice, but I radiate my gender at all times.”
Kate continued to stare at her.
“You’re kidding, right?”
“Rest assured, Kate, I do many things, but I do not kid.”
“Emma. I am also trans!”
Emma, as always, locked unbothered instead of shocked. Whether that was to maintain the illusion of her as an ice queen or a side effect of the Botox, it was hard to say. “Interesting. You do not radiate your dysphoria in the way that other mutants do. Rahne's is so loud that I needed to set up psychic blocks specifically for her...”
“Well, when dysphoria makes your body literally - not metaphorically - phase out of existence, it is kind of an encouragement to… Wait. Did you just say Rahne?”
“Of course I did, darling. Wolfsbane is trans. Betsy and Rachel too, but at least they are telepaths. They know how to keep their inner voices quiet.”
“Rahne is. Rachel. What? Is everyone trans and I just didn't notice?” Kitty replied.
“I am also trans,” Trista said, raising her hand again. “If you didn’t know.”
“We know.” Kate and Emma said in unison.
“If you have to know, I'm trans too,” Alex said, sighing.
“I am not trans,” Thao declared. “But, as a sapphic ally, I think it is important for me to say that I do find trans women attractive and would -“
“Please shut up, Thao,” Alex muttered - and it was enough to get the mutant to take the hint.