Playing the game: Hope and Sue (slightly backdated)

[xp_trance]

 Hope and Sue meet at another gala and discuss their style of playing the game among other things. 

This was becoming a habit now, meeting the young Miss Abbott at a gala or society event, for someone still trying to make her way into the reaches of society Hope seemed to find her way into rather more events than one might have expected. Not a bad thing for someone trying to get into society, definitely showing the drive needed, but then Sue had known the girl had that in spades. An amused smile played over the woman's lips as she raised her glass in salute to the girl, "Hail the conquering hero, seems like you're the word on people's lips right now, the juiciest of gossip."

 

"I am getting the idea Otto Franken was not much liked." Hope could not stop herself from grinning. "Even if they did not take action, I think they liked seeing him taken down a peg. And my my... what an embarrassment. Losing his over a million dollar apartment to a young girl. I heard his grandparents shipped him to Europe or Asia somewhere?" 

 

"Worse, he's been shuffled off the oversee the family's investments in Cincinnati, the ones they just brought so he could be shuffled off for now," there was nothing kind about the shark-like grin that pulled up the corners of Sue's lips. "People like to see someone fall from grace, they always have. If it wasn't him it'd be the next poor sod who found themselves on the bad end of a business deal. Who knows, that might even have been Julian if he wasn't so lucky."

 

"Especially since he can be somewhat tempestuous." Hope agreed, speaking from experience. "Luckily having Tandy around seems to have balanced him somewhat. So... have you caught any other juicy bits of gossip surrounding our dear departed friend?" Her eyes sparkled mysteriously.  

 

"Oh nothing too special, a few people seem to think that congratulations are in order for you, that he got you pregnant and the apartment is a way for the family to pay you off. Others believe you managed to blackmail him somehow." The blonde turned to the younger girl and shrugged "Some people are missing their entertainment but mostly once you're gone the rumor mills find a new subject. What seems important today is just yesterday's news."

 

"They'll find something to gossip about soon enough, but it's always amazing to see which conspiracies people will come up." Hope shook her head with smile. "Seriously... I think  one of the strangest ones was that I had figured out some crazy fetish of his, was going to report him and this was their way of paying me. They didn't see where I did this. Nor would I let an apartment stop me if there truly was something reportable. Hellfire Club or no Hellfire Club... I just wish I could have given more people their things back though."

 

"I'm glad you didn't," The blonde held up a hand to silence any protestation from Hope before waving out at the crowd surrounding them. "This isn't a nice place, it's a horrible world to live in. Those girls who played his game, they came into this innocent and gullible, and they got played. All they lost was money and a little bit of respect and dignity, but that's something that they can get over and now they know what they're getting into here. Those that stay will be better prepared, those that don't will be able to see it's not for them. If you had come in and rescued them, they'd think that people here were nice and someone worse than our poor departed friend would take a bigger advantage of them that they might not be able to come back from."

 

"I have to disagree with you, Sue. Being kind, being gracious... I believe that in this world... in this game... it is simply something that be done like everything else: with caution and thought and with attention to it having the right time and the right place. It has its own advantages and disadvantages."    

 

"For you sure," the young woman turned her blue eyes onto Hope, nodding at her friend, "You're working from an established base and you're ok with the world out there. But them," she nodded across the room where one of the girl's Hope had returned their bets too was talking in a group. "They fell for this despite the fact they should know better, that you did know better. I'm not sure you did them any favors by rescuing them in this world."

 

"Oh, I am quite sure they learned. They will still remember the sinking feeling of embarrassment and hurt of losing what they had bet, knowing they had brought it upon themselves. And with half of the Club watching." Hope's eyes turned just slightly calculating when she added. "Just as well they will remember who returned their precious things to them when she did not have a reason too. Who knows when that will come in handy." 

 

"Just be sure they didn't learn the wrong lesson, that if they mess up someone will come riding in to rescue them, or that they'll turn to you for help because you were nice to them, because you're their friend. They felt embarrassment, and they felt relief but it's too easy for those feelings to push too far in one direction or the other. If they come to you and ask for your help, with nothing to offer but their friendship are you really going to turn them away? Or would you help them again?"

 

"Then I will cross that bridge when I come to it." Hope shrugged. "Like I said... with caution and thought and with attention to the right time and place. Besides, they are not the only ones who will look at me differently. The people who saw me returning their things might just think me 'a bleeding heart' or something similar, not able to do the hard thing. Even though they saw me handle Franken, it might just cause them to underestimate me still."   

 

"If you want to play games with these people you can't wait till the situation comes, you need to be thinking two or three steps ahead of everyone else. Besides," blue eyes settled on Hope, "I don't think anyone who knows what you did will underestimate you, not if they deserve to be here. Although, sacrificing those girls to your future need and for a situation that might happen. That's cold, a good plan but colder than I expected from you."

 

 "I don't know." Hope replied thoughtfully, then paused to take a drink from a passing waiter. "I think it depends from your viewpoint, Sue. Everyone here in this room is trying to advance something, most often themselves. We are all using each other when we can. But a cold, calculated future sacrifice... I do not see it that way." Her eyes darkened for a moment in memory and added in a low voice. "Ksavia taught me to cultivate assets where ever I can, Sue. I might be calculating in that. But if I can I will always choose kindness as a way to do so." 

 

The blonde took a moment to consider Hope's words,, running one finger along the edge of her glass in thought, when she finally did speak she didn't look at Hope, her gaze reliving a past memory, voice touched by a hint of sadness. "Kindness is a wonderful thing Hope...but think about where it comes from. The truly kind, they give without any expectation of reward, without any thought of a favor being paid back in the future. They don't calculate, they don't cultivate assets. If you wanted to be kind to those girls you wouldn't be thinking about it in terms of influence and favors they'll owe to you later." Sue let a sad gaze settle on her friend, "What you're doing isn't kindness Hope, it's just a nice cloak over the ruthlessness of playing the game. You're right we all do it but none of us, not one person here is a good or kind person. If we were we wouldn't be using one another, or be planning to."

 

"Alas Sue... If we only weren't be using one another or planning to." Hope said sweetly. "I think this is one where just have to agree to disagree. We have different ways of doing things, after all..." 

 

"Everyone in the world does," Sue agreed sadly, staring down into her champagne glass, her voice a sad whisper. "You know what the funniest thing is? We all sit here, playing our games, and I play them as much as anyone else, so sure in our machinations and armor. But everyone has a weakness that someone can slide a knife in without any resistance whatsoever."

 

 "Yes, everyone does." Hope consciously gentled her voice, switching to sincerity. "And that is why I will try it a different way first, with kindness if needed. And knowing you, you have found your own ways to deal with that." 

 

Sue arched an eyebrow and shook her head, "No, sometimes the most efficient way is the most brutal. I use those weaknesses to get what I want Hope, or if they don't have a weakness I give them one. If you understand how people think then you know how to manipulate them and get them to do what you want." The blonde raised her glass, tipping it on the brunette's direction, "I never claimed to be a nice person. I prefer...not to get as involved as you do, controlling a situation from behind the scenes is much easier."

 

"Not that different, Sue... 'If you understand how people think then you know how to manipulate them and get them to do what you want.'" Hope quoted Sue. "We just use that knowledge in a different way. You are more like... a chess master moving around their pieces if I were being kind, a puppeteer pulling people's strings if I was being harsh." 

 

The blonde's lips curled up in a wry smile, "I like that, the puppetmaster playing with the poor pure passive persons, if I'm the chess master then what does that make you?" She at least knew she was clinical when it came to her plans, Hope though had wrecked a boy because she had disapproved of his behavior.

 

"Just a player in this game we all play, Sue. Nothing more, nothing less." Hope stated simply. "Unless you already had your own idea's..." 

 

"Hmmm," the blonde stroked her chin pensively, "no one is just a player in the game Hope, you know that. Let's see, if I had to name you...I'd call you a rose with hidden thorns."

 

"A rose, huh?" Hope grinned. "That I can live with. Not as impressive as a chess master though, but being underestimated had its uses."  

 

"Maybe not as impressive, but a Rose can exist and work right in front of people, it's the very nature of the thing. No chess master can manipulate people in the light, you have to be hidden in the shadows after all, otherwise the way they react changes."

 

"You got a point there." Hope admitted, still grinning a little. "How are is everything going with those numbers you put on the stick? Any results yet?"  

 

This time Sue's smile was positively shark-like, "He bit it hook line and sinker. Who'd have guessed that giving someone super-secret information would mean the first thing he'd do is run away and try to use it."

 

 Hope shook her head. "So in how much trouble did you get the poor guy or gal?"

 

"Me get him in trouble?" Two pale hands clasped over Sue's chest as she Gave Hope a mock offended look, "How could you even say something like that? I mean is it my fault if someone was asked to hold onto data but instead used it to try to buy stock in a company about to release a breakthrough product that would see that stock go into the stratosphere causing a run on that stock weakening the company competitor's so they could be snapped up at cheaper prices. It's certainly not my fault if it turns out there was no product in the first place, just a few market traders with egg on their face." 

 

"Uh huh. Completely innocent you are." Hope agreed with a shake of her head. "But it sounds like you accomplished what you were hoping for?" Gesturing over a waiter, she took two glasses of champagne. "Then let's toast to success in our endeavors?"  

 

The blond held up a hand, waving away the waiter as she took one of the champagne filled vessels from Hope, tilting it in the girl’s direction. "To our future endeavors."