Gemma was still not sure why she was sharing all this with Ez. She just kind of trusted the young woman; she had that kinda vibe, if Gemma believed in vibes at all.

>>”Four kids? Hot mama, indeed... but seriously, that’s quite a lot on your plate alone.”

Gemma chuckled a little at the compliment. She had not been feeling particularly hot lately, but Ez's pep was contagious. And she was right, she had been handling a lot alone.

>>”Have you kept in touch with him? It might help jostle something for all we know? Or at the very least he’s still the same guy you married and you can seduce your twenty-something-year-old husband again. You’d make a great cougar.”

Gemma choked on her latte, coughing for a few moments before she managed to pull herself together. Ez really spoke what was on her mind at any given moment, didn't she?... The thought of trying to seduce her twenty-something husband out of the blue was... unexpected, to say the least.

"I don't... I don't think he'd be interested. He knows me as the school counselor." she admitted "He's at a completely different stage in his life. They told him he was married... I just... didn't have the heart to tell him it was me."

Positivity was important. It was the energy she wanted to put into the world. Too many people steeped themselves in their own negativity and wondered why the world returned that to them thrice. Well, they wouldn’t notice it happening thrice. That was on them for not paying attention to patterns. Even outside of her beliefs, everyone knew things happened in threes.

Honesty was also important, (when it did not involve outing her extracurriculars.) Ezmeralda spoke what was on her mind, and when you did that, occasionally you made people choke on their drinks. Ez stifled a chuckle with her hand and muttered an apology, not intending that little struggle moment.

As much as Ez did not see the flaw in her plan, Gemma had a point. Her husband was at a different stage of his life. He was closer to Ez’s stage, which was not a ringing endorsement. If someone tried to wifey her up right now, she’d run far and laugh along the way. She hoped this man was not like her, but could not blame him if he was.

”Okay, fair enough. I’d say you should try to stay available if he needs someone to talk to, but… well, I would understand if that hurt too much.” Being a confidante for a man who did not know how much you missed him or how hard it was to watch him live a life without you. It was not ideal, though she bet Gemma would still do it. She was already the noble martyr here, sadly.

And then there was the uncertainty of how this process worked. ”Well, he’s piecing together his own life. Have you considered doing the same?” She lifted her drink before stopping mid-sip, wanting to make sure she did not sound callous or crass. ”Not saying to jump back into the dating pool, though I promise you, the waters would be glad to have you back.” Ez had no doubts she’d catch plenty of eyes back out on the market.

Folding her arms atop the table, she rolled her neck to let a few soft cracks remedy some lingering stiffness. ”All I mean is you’re your own woman with your own life to live. I hope you aren’t falling into the pitfall of leaving yourself idling waiting for something to return.” Something no one could guarantee.

>>”Okay, fair enough. I’d say you should try to stay available if he needs someone to talk to, but… well, I would understand if that hurt too much.”

It did. It would. She would still do it, because someone needed to take care of Jorge, help him figure out this strange future he'd found himself in, technology and all. A lot changed since the years she came here from. It was hard to think of spending time with him, but it would have been worse to leave him on his own.

>>”Well, he’s piecing together his own life. Have you considered doing the same?... Not saying to jump back into the dating pool, though I promise you, the waters would be glad to have you back.”

Gemma blinked. She did not expect Ez to go right that way.

>>”All I mean is you’re your own woman with your own life to live. I hope you aren’t falling into the pitfall of leaving yourself idling waiting for something to return.”

Oh, she was definitely waiting for him to return. Weird things had happened in New York before, and somehow people found their way back. Jorge had found his way back from the ocean. She was not giving up on him just yet.

"Well... I'm still married to him." she noted more quietly. "He is still the father of our kids. And I love him. I can't... just look past that."

It was obvious in Gemma’s eyes she was planning to stick around for her husband. She loved him and she was the type of person who found purpose in being there for people. Pain or not, she would not leave him alone to his devices.

It was also obvious in Gemma’s expression that she did not feel comfortable with the line of questions Ez chose to explore. They were still meeting for the first time and Ez was not here to try confronting Gemma with difficult considerations. She just wanted to support this woman. Bring good where the universe was desperate for it.

”I promise I wasn’t implying… listen. I’m not saying to give up. I wouldn’t; we don’t know where the fates go from here.” Maybe the man would stay young forever and maybe he would be back by next Tuesday. Tarot cards would not spell out an answer like that.

Ezmeralda sighed, taking a moment with a bite of her muffin to compose more careful words. ”There’s just… there’s a difference between being there for him to return to and leaving yourself frozen in time until he gets back.” Ez wanted to reach out with a touch of comfort, but she refrained, because not everyone found comfort in unfamiliar contact. ”If you put yourself on hold to just wait and yearn on your own, you might wither away or go mad before he returns.”

Okay, maybe she could drop a tiny consideration to confront. ”How often are you going out from that school of yours? And trips to him or the police station don’t count.”

No one knew yet if the de-aging was permanent. There were two possibilities up in the air, equally likely: one, that eventually the effects would wear off, and Jorge would return, with or without his memories. The other, than he got to re-do a large part of his life. In a whole new way. And he'd never catch up to her. Still, even with that possibility in the future, Gemma was not ready to... not think of him as her husband yet.

>>”I promise I wasn’t implying… listen. I’m not saying to give up. I wouldn’t; we don’t know where the fates go from here. There’s just… there’s a difference between being there for him to return to and leaving yourself frozen in time until he gets back. If you put yourself on hold to just wait and yearn on your own, you might wither away or go mad before he returns.”

Ez seemed like a kind person. Gemma noted her half-finished gesture of reaching out, and she appreciated the sentiment. But she was not sure, or rather her scrambled mind was not ready to deal with... not being frozen. What would that even look like, with a life like hers? With the school and the kids?

>>”How often are you going out from that school of yours? And trips to him or the police station don’t count.”

It was a straight question. Gemma thought about it, and deflated a little.

"I... am not sure. School is kind of a handful. And so are the kids."

Eventually, people might have to confront the notion that their loved ones were never going to return to their original ages. It was a possibility, and if it was the case, many people would be hit by the belated trauma of the loss they were holding onto. Until that day came, if it came, being optimistic was the right choice. Bring positivity, and let the universe provide you positive things in return.

Gemma could be hopeful, but if she was just waiting and clinging to her hope, she was not living her life to her fullest. Ez wanted to believe she could do both.

As expected, Gemma was occupying herself with the school. The way she deflated, she was clearly not letting herself do much else. The school was a responsibility, but it could be a crutch if Gemma wanted it to be. ”It’s a handful, but I’m sure you’re not the only one there. You can be your own adult while doing right by your school.”

Now that Gemma seemed to be listening to her, she decided to hazard an attempt and reach out to place a supportive hand on Gemma’s arm. ”It doesn’t have to be much. This is nice already, isn’t it? Just being out?” Ez was enjoying the ability to snack on something other than rocks, but Gemma was also pleasant company. Ez was happy to try being her friend, if Gemma would have her.

”I know good guidance counselors don’t generally make friends with lewd camgirls, but I promise not to take you to any risque clubs or anything,” she joked playfully. Though she would love to see a woman like Gemma out at a nightclub.

Ez reached out a hand and rested it on top of Gemma's. It was a comforting gesture, not too intrusive, but something she had not realized she had been missing so badly since Jorge de-aged. Gemma smiled a little, and accepted the comfort as offered.

>>”It’s a handful, but I’m sure you’re not the only one there. You can be your own adult while doing right by your school. It doesn’t have to be much. This is nice already, isn’t it? Just being out?”

It was. The coffee was nice, and Gemma was beginning to consider eating a pastry too. A muffin or a cupcake sounded nice, especially if she did not have to bake them herself. She had been so tried lately...

>>”I know good guidance counselors don’t generally make friends with lewd camgirls, but I promise not to take you to any risque clubs or anything,”

Gemma smiled a little.

"I try not to judge people by what they do for a living." she noted "It seemed like you were... very kind to the people online. They probably need that." She did too, that went without saying. "But yes, coffee shops are more of my thing than clubs. How is the muffin?"

It was nice to make contact with Gemma and not have the woman recoil or get the wrong impression. Ez could be flirtatious with the best of them, but Gemma needed a friend. The young witch was happy to offer her friendship to a woman who seemed too good for the misfortunes life kept handing her.

The effort was enough to earn a smile from Gemma, which was all Ez wanted. ”I’m glad you don’t judge, because I noticed you did not log out of the stream after we finished up our chat,” she noted with a smirk. She had anticipated Gemma would leave after they made their plans, but was entertained as she watched the stolen screenname stick around for a curious amount of time.

Looking at the muffin, or the bits of it that were left, Ezmeralda beamed. ”It was great. I don’t generally get to eat things like this, and it’s so sweet, it’s honestly a treat. My digestive system just isn’t meant to process…” A thought occurred to Ez. A very late, very unfortunate thought. ”Oh. When I walk away… my digestive system is going to snap back to normal. My body is not going to be happy to have a muffin in it,” she lamented, not looking forward to the hours she was going to endure after she parted ways with Gemma.

>>”I’m glad you don’t judge, because I noticed you did not log out of the stream after we finished up our chat,”

Ez gave her a knowing smirk, and Gemma had to own up to her curiosity. She had stayed logged into the chat after their talk, mostly out of sheer curiosity. The dancing and flirting did not have the effect on her it seemed to have on the rest of the clientele, but it was mesmerizing in its own way. She had to admit Ez was good at her profession. She chucked a little and nodded. Fair point.

>>”It was great. I don’t generally get to eat things like this, and it’s so sweet, it’s honestly a treat. My digestive system just isn’t meant to process… Oh. When I walk away… my digestive system is going to snap back to normal. My body is not going to be happy to have a muffin in it,”

Gemma blinked.

"Oh. That's... um. That's not good. What do your powers do exactly?"

Ez was not jumping to conclusions; Gemma was not the first straight woman to hang out in her chat and even enjoy a show. Up until things got explicitly sexual, the dancing itself was quite the display, or so Ez was told. She, of course, was too humble to brag. That said, there was a reason she frequented the front page of 4Devotees.

At least her audience did not see her mulling over the misery of digesting a muffin. "My body, er, digests gemstones and crystals. They influence my mood and keep me nourished." She would leave out all the elemental tricks they allowed her to do. "It also means my body doesn't know what to do with food. I got excited about eating food and sort of... didn't think what would happen when my digestive system shifts back. Usually, if I eat normal food, it just sits there and I just get really sick for a while until I can work it off." She enjoyed being a mutant, but some changes were not ideal.

"Without getting hella awkward about this, um. Do you have plans today?" She did not want to inconvenience Gemma, but if she was free...

Gemma had given a warning when they met; he usually did, in case a new acquaintance was a mutant without her knowing about it. It was surprising how often one ran into non-physical mutants in New York City. But even so, with Ez's excitement for enjoying a muffin, there seemed to be something that was not quite great about being in her aura on the long run.

>>"My body, er, digests gemstones and crystals. They influence my mood and keep me nourished."

Gemma's eyebrows rose. So, this girl just... snacked on rubies and diamonds for nourishment?...
Mutations never ceased to amaze her. And very often, they made her wonder just what the hell Mother Nature had been thinking exactly.

>>"It also means my body doesn't know what to do with food. I got excited about eating food and sort of... didn't think what would happen when my digestive system shifts back. Usually, if I eat normal food, it just sits there and I just get really sick for a while until I can work it off."

Gemma blinked.

"Oh."

So, adapted aura on, muffin goes in. Adapted aura off, muffin comes out. Ouch.

>>"Without getting hella awkward about this, um. Do you have plans today?"

Gemma blinked again.

And then she laughed.

It was not really a mean laugh, or even a surprised one. It was something that she had been needing for a while, just plain amused at the whole idea of the situation: spending time with Ez long enough to help her digest a muffin. Suddenly, Gemma found the whole thing hilarious. It took her a few minutes to get the giggling under control.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm not... I'm not laughing at you, I promise. I just..." she shook her head, still smiling "No, no plans. And it's okay, believe me. Basically part of my job at the school. We have had students who couldn't take a shower without an adapted in range...."

Explaining her special diet restrictions came with a degree of trust. Her mutation was an identifying detail, even if she was not giving Gemma the whole story. This woman had her heart in the right place. She could have so many worse beliefs or opinions with a power that disables mutations, but she used it to help young mutants. Ez wondered what her life would have been like if she had the kind of parents who would send her to a school with staff as noble as Gemma. But noooo, she had to have the shady, shadow organization, mutant trafficking parents. Life was like that, unfortunately.

Blaming life for the muffin would be nice, too, but that was all on Ez. She should have known better. At least Gemma took it in stride, laughing without mocking Ez. The young witch laughed too, because it was genuinely funny that she needed to stick close to her new friend until that cursed muffin, well, passed.

"Well, I'll keep that in mind just in case I really need a shower with you close by in the next few hours," she teased, "but in the meantime, maybe we can just catch a movie? Why don't we get your regimen of allowing yourself 'You Time' started right?"