Emma, Hope and Betsy
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xp_logs "Have you ever heard of this place?" Hope asked as she made her way through one of the public sitting rooms in the HFC building.
“London has a branch that I’ve heard of, but only in the abstract,” Betsy shrugged. “It’s not exactly the kind of place you bring up in polite company as far as I can tell."
Hope had to chuckle. "You'd be surprised. At least for this branch you will find quite a few known names. But I admit it can be quite... decadent." Finally they arrived at a door and she quickly knocked. "And here we are."
The man who let them in was definitely a butler, but was wearing rather less than a butler generally tended to, although he was at least wearing pants (not always a given at some Hellfire Club affairs). He was the soul of discreet courtesy, however, and quickly conducted Hope and Betsy through the antechamber and into Emma’s private office.
“Thank you, Antony,” purred Emma. “If you could make sure we are not disturbed, that would be much appreciated.” She gestured that the young women should sit in the chairs facing her and waited until Antony left the room. “It’s a pleasure to see you, Hope,” she said.
"Always a pleasure to see you as well, Ms. Frost. I hope you have been well." Hope inclined her head gracefully. "I would like to introduce you to Lady Elizabeth Braddock. I have found we might have some goals in common."
"Very well, thank you, Hope, if a little busy," replied Emma, then smiled at the other girl. "Lady Elizabeth," she said in greeting. "Welcome to our little club. Would you care for anything? Tea, coffee? Something stronger? Antony is... very accommodating."
“It is an honour to meet you, Ms. Frost. Some tea would be lovely, thank you, with a splash of milk if possible,” Betsy replied. She had to fight down the irrational urge to curtsey.
Emma smiled as she inserted Betsy’s request for tea into Antony’s head. “Of course,” she said to Betsy. “It’s on its way. Now, Hope, you mentioned common goals?”
"Elizabeth shares an interest in the game that we play and I feel there might be area's where our interests may align." Hope explained. "It is worth exploring if this is truly the case and that all sides might benefit." She paused when Antony entered with tea and two glasses, one filled with a deep red liquid, one the palest straw gold.
Emma took the white, passed the red to Hope as Antony arranged the tea in front of Betsy and departed. “I always like a mutually beneficial arrangement,” smiled Emma. “Particularly in times of trouble such as we face. I must confess, Lady Elizabeth, that I have not been paying sufficient attention to affairs at the Mansion lately. Perhaps you would be kind enough to let me know what your powers are. I am, at least to some extent, aware of your family history. Social circles being what they are.”
“I am a telepath, without telekinesis. Nothing exceptional,” Betsy replied. “Professor Xavier thinks I should be about mid-range and mid-level, but I have not had enough training yet so all of that remains to be confirmed. I do believe I could be of use in some circumstances though, in particular ones that require some degree of subtlety or an actor less well renowned.” She took a tentative sip from her tea and made a small hum of delight. “This is lovely… As for family history, due to a previous misunderstanding current affairs are mostly run by my brother Brian. I’m afraid I am not really involved."
Emma smiled. “I happen to think that all telepaths are exceptional. It’s not exactly easy to spend your life listening to other people’s thoughts. Or working hard to make sure you don’t listen to their thoughts. There are certainly a lot worse or more difficult powers, but telepathy isn’t one of the easiest. And if you are interested in joining our little Court, then I’m sure that there are ways you could prove very useful. I’m not sure that Lady Braddock would necessarily be less known amongst the denizens of our courts, but there’s certainly no notoriety attached to your name.” Emma smiled warmly at Betsy. “Of course, if you want notoriety attached to your name, we can organise that for you.”
"It is challenging environment to move in, especially if you are new. I have seen a few people being eaten alive and things will come at a price." Hope cautioned honestly. "But at the same time it comes with its own benefits and much is what you make of it. It can be very rewarding to forge new relationships, push your own limits and skills and work towards either your goals or a more common goal, like the mutant issues we spoke about briefly."
”While my name is certainly not unknown, I myself am hopefully less familiar in local circles. And while I wouldn’t say I’m exactly looking for notoriety, from what I understand there can be some benefits to it at times,” Betsy responded to Emma, eager to move on from the topic of family. To Hope she said: “I cannot make any promises, but I am willing to take a challenge, and if I can help other mutants meanwhile, all the better. I am growing rather weary of spending so much of my days aimlessly wandering around the mansion.” She turned back to Emma. "What kind of an arrangement did you have in mind?"
“Perhaps a probationary period?” said Emma. “Hope took a little time to understand some of the more – exhibitionist tendencies of the Hellfire Club and to grow comfortable operating within them. This is a club of insanely rich and powerful people, Lady Braddock. They face no consequences for anything they do, because they can use either their name or their money to buy their way out of any repercussions that may arise from – let’s call them poor social choices. Which means they aren’t just insanely rich, they’re also insanely bored. The Club allows them to indulge quite a range of peccadilloes, although I do have certain ironclad rules in place: everyone consents to what is done with them and nobody is ever allowed to touch children. And one of the joys of being both the White Queen and a really quite formidable telepath is that I can make sure those rules are followed.” She smiled at Betsy. “So the most important thing to remember when Club soirees are on is: always look bored. And faintly superior. Like you’ve seen all of this before and all you feel is languid ennui. Which I believe is standard practice for British aristocracy?”
“That does sound quite familiar, as does the lack of repercussions. And at the moment I would not even have to fake the sense of boredom, really. Possibly not the superiority either, depending,” Betsy smiled to soften her words. "A probationary period sounds good; I have some experience with the kind of people that you describe and I shall not be a plaything for them, but I am not inflexible either in reaching my objectives.” She watched Emma while taking another sip of her tea. "A childhood amongst nobility and a youth spent in mental hospitals for such leaves one with few illusions as to how these things work.”
Emma's smile was tight but sincere. “Yes,” she said. “It sounds as if you and I have quite a deal of things in common. Young telepaths and mental hospitals seem to be a standard combination. Unfortunately. And I would hope to make sure that you are never a plaything. There are many people in the Club who long to be playthings - I prefer to leave those things up to them. I try and use what the Club brings me to make the world a better place for mutants. If that’s a goal we agree on, then we should get on splendidly.”
"I was just thinking that the Mirror party in a few weeks might be a good timing for your HFC debut. It's one that is just a tad less overt because it's one of the 'open' parties." Hope commented from where she had been quietly sipping her wine, observing and taking mental notes of the conversation between the two telepaths.
“An excellent idea, Hope,” replied Emma. “I’m not sure how much access you have to couture or funds, but our themed parties tend to be a little extravagant in terms of costs and... let’s call them costumes. Hope has the details of a number of tailors and dressmakers who are on the White Court’s tab. Please feel free to use their services and bill them to the my expenses. They have all the details of the theme and I’m sure they’ll be able to come up with a more than suitable outfit for you. They also make sure you can both sit down and stand up in whatever they make for you, which is more of a blessing than you can possibly imagine. Until you’ve had to be carried into a car and laid on the back seat like a particularly well-dressed accident victim on a stretcher because your damned corset won’t let you bend more than ten degrees in the middle. I’ll never make that mistake again.”
"I think I know just the person. And I happen to know that one of his customers ran out in a tiff yesterday, so he will happy to take a replacement." Hope pulled up a few images in her mind from the work she had seen and focused her thoughts towards Betsy and Emma. "What do you think, Betsy? His work is a little flamboyant, but you will make quite the impression."
Betsy’s eyes widened as she picked up the design. “Well. That is definitely… Something.” She paused thoughtfully. “How do you think it would work in purple?”
“London has a branch that I’ve heard of, but only in the abstract,” Betsy shrugged. “It’s not exactly the kind of place you bring up in polite company as far as I can tell."
Hope had to chuckle. "You'd be surprised. At least for this branch you will find quite a few known names. But I admit it can be quite... decadent." Finally they arrived at a door and she quickly knocked. "And here we are."
The man who let them in was definitely a butler, but was wearing rather less than a butler generally tended to, although he was at least wearing pants (not always a given at some Hellfire Club affairs). He was the soul of discreet courtesy, however, and quickly conducted Hope and Betsy through the antechamber and into Emma’s private office.
“Thank you, Antony,” purred Emma. “If you could make sure we are not disturbed, that would be much appreciated.” She gestured that the young women should sit in the chairs facing her and waited until Antony left the room. “It’s a pleasure to see you, Hope,” she said.
"Always a pleasure to see you as well, Ms. Frost. I hope you have been well." Hope inclined her head gracefully. "I would like to introduce you to Lady Elizabeth Braddock. I have found we might have some goals in common."
"Very well, thank you, Hope, if a little busy," replied Emma, then smiled at the other girl. "Lady Elizabeth," she said in greeting. "Welcome to our little club. Would you care for anything? Tea, coffee? Something stronger? Antony is... very accommodating."
“It is an honour to meet you, Ms. Frost. Some tea would be lovely, thank you, with a splash of milk if possible,” Betsy replied. She had to fight down the irrational urge to curtsey.
Emma smiled as she inserted Betsy’s request for tea into Antony’s head. “Of course,” she said to Betsy. “It’s on its way. Now, Hope, you mentioned common goals?”
"Elizabeth shares an interest in the game that we play and I feel there might be area's where our interests may align." Hope explained. "It is worth exploring if this is truly the case and that all sides might benefit." She paused when Antony entered with tea and two glasses, one filled with a deep red liquid, one the palest straw gold.
Emma took the white, passed the red to Hope as Antony arranged the tea in front of Betsy and departed. “I always like a mutually beneficial arrangement,” smiled Emma. “Particularly in times of trouble such as we face. I must confess, Lady Elizabeth, that I have not been paying sufficient attention to affairs at the Mansion lately. Perhaps you would be kind enough to let me know what your powers are. I am, at least to some extent, aware of your family history. Social circles being what they are.”
“I am a telepath, without telekinesis. Nothing exceptional,” Betsy replied. “Professor Xavier thinks I should be about mid-range and mid-level, but I have not had enough training yet so all of that remains to be confirmed. I do believe I could be of use in some circumstances though, in particular ones that require some degree of subtlety or an actor less well renowned.” She took a tentative sip from her tea and made a small hum of delight. “This is lovely… As for family history, due to a previous misunderstanding current affairs are mostly run by my brother Brian. I’m afraid I am not really involved."
Emma smiled. “I happen to think that all telepaths are exceptional. It’s not exactly easy to spend your life listening to other people’s thoughts. Or working hard to make sure you don’t listen to their thoughts. There are certainly a lot worse or more difficult powers, but telepathy isn’t one of the easiest. And if you are interested in joining our little Court, then I’m sure that there are ways you could prove very useful. I’m not sure that Lady Braddock would necessarily be less known amongst the denizens of our courts, but there’s certainly no notoriety attached to your name.” Emma smiled warmly at Betsy. “Of course, if you want notoriety attached to your name, we can organise that for you.”
"It is challenging environment to move in, especially if you are new. I have seen a few people being eaten alive and things will come at a price." Hope cautioned honestly. "But at the same time it comes with its own benefits and much is what you make of it. It can be very rewarding to forge new relationships, push your own limits and skills and work towards either your goals or a more common goal, like the mutant issues we spoke about briefly."
”While my name is certainly not unknown, I myself am hopefully less familiar in local circles. And while I wouldn’t say I’m exactly looking for notoriety, from what I understand there can be some benefits to it at times,” Betsy responded to Emma, eager to move on from the topic of family. To Hope she said: “I cannot make any promises, but I am willing to take a challenge, and if I can help other mutants meanwhile, all the better. I am growing rather weary of spending so much of my days aimlessly wandering around the mansion.” She turned back to Emma. "What kind of an arrangement did you have in mind?"
“Perhaps a probationary period?” said Emma. “Hope took a little time to understand some of the more – exhibitionist tendencies of the Hellfire Club and to grow comfortable operating within them. This is a club of insanely rich and powerful people, Lady Braddock. They face no consequences for anything they do, because they can use either their name or their money to buy their way out of any repercussions that may arise from – let’s call them poor social choices. Which means they aren’t just insanely rich, they’re also insanely bored. The Club allows them to indulge quite a range of peccadilloes, although I do have certain ironclad rules in place: everyone consents to what is done with them and nobody is ever allowed to touch children. And one of the joys of being both the White Queen and a really quite formidable telepath is that I can make sure those rules are followed.” She smiled at Betsy. “So the most important thing to remember when Club soirees are on is: always look bored. And faintly superior. Like you’ve seen all of this before and all you feel is languid ennui. Which I believe is standard practice for British aristocracy?”
“That does sound quite familiar, as does the lack of repercussions. And at the moment I would not even have to fake the sense of boredom, really. Possibly not the superiority either, depending,” Betsy smiled to soften her words. "A probationary period sounds good; I have some experience with the kind of people that you describe and I shall not be a plaything for them, but I am not inflexible either in reaching my objectives.” She watched Emma while taking another sip of her tea. "A childhood amongst nobility and a youth spent in mental hospitals for such leaves one with few illusions as to how these things work.”
Emma's smile was tight but sincere. “Yes,” she said. “It sounds as if you and I have quite a deal of things in common. Young telepaths and mental hospitals seem to be a standard combination. Unfortunately. And I would hope to make sure that you are never a plaything. There are many people in the Club who long to be playthings - I prefer to leave those things up to them. I try and use what the Club brings me to make the world a better place for mutants. If that’s a goal we agree on, then we should get on splendidly.”
"I was just thinking that the Mirror party in a few weeks might be a good timing for your HFC debut. It's one that is just a tad less overt because it's one of the 'open' parties." Hope commented from where she had been quietly sipping her wine, observing and taking mental notes of the conversation between the two telepaths.
“An excellent idea, Hope,” replied Emma. “I’m not sure how much access you have to couture or funds, but our themed parties tend to be a little extravagant in terms of costs and... let’s call them costumes. Hope has the details of a number of tailors and dressmakers who are on the White Court’s tab. Please feel free to use their services and bill them to the my expenses. They have all the details of the theme and I’m sure they’ll be able to come up with a more than suitable outfit for you. They also make sure you can both sit down and stand up in whatever they make for you, which is more of a blessing than you can possibly imagine. Until you’ve had to be carried into a car and laid on the back seat like a particularly well-dressed accident victim on a stretcher because your damned corset won’t let you bend more than ten degrees in the middle. I’ll never make that mistake again.”
"I think I know just the person. And I happen to know that one of his customers ran out in a tiff yesterday, so he will happy to take a replacement." Hope pulled up a few images in her mind from the work she had seen and focused her thoughts towards Betsy and Emma. "What do you think, Betsy? His work is a little flamboyant, but you will make quite the impression."
Betsy’s eyes widened as she picked up the design. “Well. That is definitely… Something.” She paused thoughtfully. “How do you think it would work in purple?”
