Homines Verendi - Confrontation
Sep. 29th, 2024 02:37 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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xp_logsSue confronts Kade Kilgore and make her demands...
It was the lobby of a surprisingly rundown motel, but not the bottom of the scrapheap. There was a couch or two, the vending machine looked like it had been restocked recently and the man behind the desk at least seemed clean.
There were many places that Sue thought that she might visit one day, she had made a bucket list when she was younger, a monastery in Tibet, the Australian outback. She'd never thought she'd ever find herself in a flea-bitten roach motel. A grimace crossed the young woman's face as she suppressed a shiver before stepping down the bare corridor before knocking on the cheap wooden door.
Kade Kilgore opened the door a crack, looking a polar opposite to how he had at the convention. His eyes had large bags under them and his clothes were wrinkled. He glared at Sue with a hint of recognition. “What do you want? How did you find me?”
"Please, you know better than to think that you can just drop off the surface of the world even if this...hotel...motel...rat trap is still the last place on earth I'd want to be seen." Heels clattered on the ground as she pushed past him to look around the room, blue eyes taking it in before her shoulders shrugged, "At least it's quiet."
“If you’re here to gloat, then save it.” He didn’t know who this woman was, but assumed she was in his field. Perhaps she even worked for his family. “It won’t be long before I’m back on top. What happened at the convention was just a minor setback.” His surroundings didn’t inspire much confidence in his statements.
"You make me sound like some kind of cheap movie villain Mr Kilgore," Sue paused in the middle of the room, eyes running over it as she slowly turned to face him, letting her gaze run over their surroundings before settling on his face. "Susan Storm, I'm with Storm Capital, and the Baxter Group, I was one of the attendees at your...show."
Oh. He recognized her now. One of the two "angel investors". Kade bristled. "What? Not done heckling? What are you here for."
A single well styled eyebrow rose towards Sue's hairline as she let her blue eyes settle on Kade's face, "Because, no matter hoe badly you messed up on the presentation, how unprepared you were, you have scientists, engineers and support staff who worked hard for you and depend on you for your livelihoods. So, I'll take those patents and designs you worked on and see what I can salvage out of this mess."
And why would I let you do that? I’m perfectly capable of sorting this.. hiccup out on my own.” Kade was either bluffing or delusional. Without daddy’s money he did not have a lot of options.
"If you could, then you wouldn't have bombed so badly at the presentation," There wasn't an ounce of sympathy in the blonde woman's gaze as she met Kade's eyes, "There's blood in the water, and the sharks are gathering and you don't have the gravitas to hold them off. I've come to do this to your face, the next shark's gonna bypass you entirely and go right for the jugular."
There was a pregnant pause before Kade finally asked: "How much?" Greed triumphed over pride most times.
The blonde looked around for a moment before perching on the edge of the bed, gesturing to a nearby chair, "Less than you want but more than you need, in return I'll take your patents and research and and find them a use in mining or something. The art of compromise isn't dead just yet."
... while Emma is confronted by Wihelmina Kensignton and reels her in.
"Ms. Frost, there is a young woman to see you here." The impersonal voice of her secretary buzzed through the intercom. "A Wilhelmina Kensington? She says you would be willing to speak to her as a future talent?" The last part sounded just a little quizzically.
“Oh, I would definitely like to talk to Ms Kensington. Please, send her on through,” Emma replied. Emma settled back into her chair, a little surprised by the visit. Though perhaps Wilhelmina was testing out a tougher version of the psi blocker. Or was going to try and murder Emma with one of the fancy weapons. They definitely hadn’t parted on the best of terms last time.
Wilhelmina stood more confidently now than she had when she'd last seen the other woman. She was dressed professionally and met Emma's eye with an unreadable expression. "Why did you say those things about me?"
“Because they’re true,” replied Emma, coolly. “I do keep my eye on women rising through the ranks of entrepreneurs and start-ups, particularly in the technology sector. Because I recognized your brilliance and your drive. Because you are far more than you think you can be and I like to encourage that.” Emma smiled at the younger woman. “Do any of those things sound false to you, Wilhelmina?”
"I know what I can be." Wilhelmina said plainly. "What I don't understand is why you said them."
Emma leaned back in her chair. “Because you’re my enemy,” she said. “At least that’s what you think you are. You’ve made it clear that you hate and fear mutants, not for what they do but for what they are, and you’re planning to find ways to… shackle our powers. To lessen us. And maybe you really are my enemy and nothing I can say or do will change that, but I don’t believe that. Yet.” She leaned forward. “Which is why I’d like to help you.”
"I wasn't aware that personal protections against invasions of privacy were considered shackling." Wilhelmina replied coolly. "It is also altogether different to fear what someone can do and seek to mitigate that than it is to hate them for what they are."
“What we do is what we are, Ms Kensington,” said Emma. “As true for humans as it is for mutants. And what you do, in your ever so civilized, hands-clean way, is join with hate groups to bring in laws to register mutants, to find ways to deprive them of their powers, to make them… lesser. And while you may not actually want to do it, the people you ally yourself to want, in the end, to make sure there are no more mutants and your little psi-blocker is just a small part of a whole array of weapons they turn against us. That is what you do, Wilhelmina.” Emma sighed, spoke again before Wilhelmina could get out a word. “And what I do is use my powers to try and find out why you want to walk down that path, because I know where it leads. And what I want to do, because I understand the pain you carry, is want to help you with it. Because I don’t think any young woman deserves to carry that burden.”
"Are you often successful? By invading others' privacy and proving their fears about telepathic mutants true? Has this worked to bring people to your perspective or are you so blind that you cannot see the very real threat you pose that your actions lend credence to? You purposefully invaded my privacy while I was wearing a device designed to protect it, commented on private, personal matters that were of no concern to you, and yet seem to have no guilt but instead indignation that normal people might want to be exempt from another person in their mind." Wilhelmina frowned. "And now I'm supposed to trust you?"
“If you knew how much time and effort I spend on not reading people’s minds, you’d appreciate that I didn’t particularly want to intrude on your thoughts. But you are a threat to me and mine, and so I listen in, the same as your people would happily hack into my networks to find my secrets, if you thought it would help your cause. If you could hack them. Which you can’t,” Emma added. “But you should trust me, because your little psi blocker didn’t even slow me down. If I’d really wanted to, I could have erased any memory of your little plots from your mind, made you think mutants were sunshine and puppies and everything you’d ever wanted to celebrate. But I didn’t. Because you are smart and driven and ambitious and you did not deserve what was done to you, any more than I did. And I want to help that Wilhelmina, not some meat puppet I can make with my mind. I want to help you reach your own potential, not stunt it as you want to stunt the growth of every mutant in the world. So, no, I don’t expect you to trust me. But I would still like to help you.”
"And what exactly is your plan to help me?" Wilhelmina asked cautiously. "What's in it for me?"
“This,” said Emma and suddenly the room melted and disappeared around them and they were in the memory Emma had found, hidden so deeply inside Wilhelmina, one of so many the same. The clothes above Wilhelmina’s head were exquisite, the richest of designer clothes for children, the same with the shoes that lined the racks around the small, huddled body of the blonde girl, crouched in the closed closet, no more than eight or so. The girl trembled, tried so hard to contain her whimpering, but it slipped out as the door of the closet began to open… And then Emma was there, in the closet as well, and she handed the trembling Wilhelmina a flaming sword. “I’m so sorry no-one was there to defend you,” said Emma, crouching low. “I can’t change what your father did to you, no more than I can change what mine did to… all of us Frosts. But you aren’t defenseless now. You can hold off the monster, chase him, slay him, whatever you wish. You don’t need to hide in the dark all alone anymore.”
Wilhelmina gripped the sword tightly, staring into the woman's face to see if she was telling the truth. She closed her eyes and then turned to face the monster outside of her closet, thrusting the sword into him until her arms gave out and the blade stayed lodged in the body as it fell. Her hands shook in front of her and she breathed shakily through her mouth, trying to keep her thoughts quiet and to soothe her pounding heart. "I'll join you." She said, voice barely above a whisper. "I'll join you, but stay out of my head."
“Stay out of mutant affairs and I’ll stay out of your head,” replied Emma and without even a sense of transition they were back in Emma’s executive suite. “But the flaming sword is yours, Wilhelmina. A gift. If ever you need it in your mind, it will be there for you. You have only to summon it.” She raised one perfect golden eyebrow. “It doesn’t work in the same way as your psi blocker, but you might end up finding you wield it more effectively. It is, at the very least, more elegant. And of course,” Emma smiled suddenly, “if you find leaving Hominis Verendi reduces your business opportunities, feel free to reach out. Frost Enterprises is always looking for talented young female executives to join its ranks.”
"I said I'd join you, didn't I?" Wilhelmina raised an eyebrow. "And I think you'll find that Hominis Verendi won't be as....big a thorn in your side without me."
Emma’s smile widened suddenly, softened, reached her eyes. “That is always an excellent bonus, Ms Kensington. It’ll have to be confirmed by the lawyers of course, but let’s start talking contract terms.” Emma stood and walked over to the corner cabinet in her suite, took out two flutes and a large bottle. “But first, a little champagne to welcome you on board at Frost Enterprises.”
It was the lobby of a surprisingly rundown motel, but not the bottom of the scrapheap. There was a couch or two, the vending machine looked like it had been restocked recently and the man behind the desk at least seemed clean.
There were many places that Sue thought that she might visit one day, she had made a bucket list when she was younger, a monastery in Tibet, the Australian outback. She'd never thought she'd ever find herself in a flea-bitten roach motel. A grimace crossed the young woman's face as she suppressed a shiver before stepping down the bare corridor before knocking on the cheap wooden door.
Kade Kilgore opened the door a crack, looking a polar opposite to how he had at the convention. His eyes had large bags under them and his clothes were wrinkled. He glared at Sue with a hint of recognition. “What do you want? How did you find me?”
"Please, you know better than to think that you can just drop off the surface of the world even if this...hotel...motel...rat trap is still the last place on earth I'd want to be seen." Heels clattered on the ground as she pushed past him to look around the room, blue eyes taking it in before her shoulders shrugged, "At least it's quiet."
“If you’re here to gloat, then save it.” He didn’t know who this woman was, but assumed she was in his field. Perhaps she even worked for his family. “It won’t be long before I’m back on top. What happened at the convention was just a minor setback.” His surroundings didn’t inspire much confidence in his statements.
"You make me sound like some kind of cheap movie villain Mr Kilgore," Sue paused in the middle of the room, eyes running over it as she slowly turned to face him, letting her gaze run over their surroundings before settling on his face. "Susan Storm, I'm with Storm Capital, and the Baxter Group, I was one of the attendees at your...show."
Oh. He recognized her now. One of the two "angel investors". Kade bristled. "What? Not done heckling? What are you here for."
A single well styled eyebrow rose towards Sue's hairline as she let her blue eyes settle on Kade's face, "Because, no matter hoe badly you messed up on the presentation, how unprepared you were, you have scientists, engineers and support staff who worked hard for you and depend on you for your livelihoods. So, I'll take those patents and designs you worked on and see what I can salvage out of this mess."
And why would I let you do that? I’m perfectly capable of sorting this.. hiccup out on my own.” Kade was either bluffing or delusional. Without daddy’s money he did not have a lot of options.
"If you could, then you wouldn't have bombed so badly at the presentation," There wasn't an ounce of sympathy in the blonde woman's gaze as she met Kade's eyes, "There's blood in the water, and the sharks are gathering and you don't have the gravitas to hold them off. I've come to do this to your face, the next shark's gonna bypass you entirely and go right for the jugular."
There was a pregnant pause before Kade finally asked: "How much?" Greed triumphed over pride most times.
The blonde looked around for a moment before perching on the edge of the bed, gesturing to a nearby chair, "Less than you want but more than you need, in return I'll take your patents and research and and find them a use in mining or something. The art of compromise isn't dead just yet."
... while Emma is confronted by Wihelmina Kensignton and reels her in.
"Ms. Frost, there is a young woman to see you here." The impersonal voice of her secretary buzzed through the intercom. "A Wilhelmina Kensington? She says you would be willing to speak to her as a future talent?" The last part sounded just a little quizzically.
“Oh, I would definitely like to talk to Ms Kensington. Please, send her on through,” Emma replied. Emma settled back into her chair, a little surprised by the visit. Though perhaps Wilhelmina was testing out a tougher version of the psi blocker. Or was going to try and murder Emma with one of the fancy weapons. They definitely hadn’t parted on the best of terms last time.
Wilhelmina stood more confidently now than she had when she'd last seen the other woman. She was dressed professionally and met Emma's eye with an unreadable expression. "Why did you say those things about me?"
“Because they’re true,” replied Emma, coolly. “I do keep my eye on women rising through the ranks of entrepreneurs and start-ups, particularly in the technology sector. Because I recognized your brilliance and your drive. Because you are far more than you think you can be and I like to encourage that.” Emma smiled at the younger woman. “Do any of those things sound false to you, Wilhelmina?”
"I know what I can be." Wilhelmina said plainly. "What I don't understand is why you said them."
Emma leaned back in her chair. “Because you’re my enemy,” she said. “At least that’s what you think you are. You’ve made it clear that you hate and fear mutants, not for what they do but for what they are, and you’re planning to find ways to… shackle our powers. To lessen us. And maybe you really are my enemy and nothing I can say or do will change that, but I don’t believe that. Yet.” She leaned forward. “Which is why I’d like to help you.”
"I wasn't aware that personal protections against invasions of privacy were considered shackling." Wilhelmina replied coolly. "It is also altogether different to fear what someone can do and seek to mitigate that than it is to hate them for what they are."
“What we do is what we are, Ms Kensington,” said Emma. “As true for humans as it is for mutants. And what you do, in your ever so civilized, hands-clean way, is join with hate groups to bring in laws to register mutants, to find ways to deprive them of their powers, to make them… lesser. And while you may not actually want to do it, the people you ally yourself to want, in the end, to make sure there are no more mutants and your little psi-blocker is just a small part of a whole array of weapons they turn against us. That is what you do, Wilhelmina.” Emma sighed, spoke again before Wilhelmina could get out a word. “And what I do is use my powers to try and find out why you want to walk down that path, because I know where it leads. And what I want to do, because I understand the pain you carry, is want to help you with it. Because I don’t think any young woman deserves to carry that burden.”
"Are you often successful? By invading others' privacy and proving their fears about telepathic mutants true? Has this worked to bring people to your perspective or are you so blind that you cannot see the very real threat you pose that your actions lend credence to? You purposefully invaded my privacy while I was wearing a device designed to protect it, commented on private, personal matters that were of no concern to you, and yet seem to have no guilt but instead indignation that normal people might want to be exempt from another person in their mind." Wilhelmina frowned. "And now I'm supposed to trust you?"
“If you knew how much time and effort I spend on not reading people’s minds, you’d appreciate that I didn’t particularly want to intrude on your thoughts. But you are a threat to me and mine, and so I listen in, the same as your people would happily hack into my networks to find my secrets, if you thought it would help your cause. If you could hack them. Which you can’t,” Emma added. “But you should trust me, because your little psi blocker didn’t even slow me down. If I’d really wanted to, I could have erased any memory of your little plots from your mind, made you think mutants were sunshine and puppies and everything you’d ever wanted to celebrate. But I didn’t. Because you are smart and driven and ambitious and you did not deserve what was done to you, any more than I did. And I want to help that Wilhelmina, not some meat puppet I can make with my mind. I want to help you reach your own potential, not stunt it as you want to stunt the growth of every mutant in the world. So, no, I don’t expect you to trust me. But I would still like to help you.”
"And what exactly is your plan to help me?" Wilhelmina asked cautiously. "What's in it for me?"
“This,” said Emma and suddenly the room melted and disappeared around them and they were in the memory Emma had found, hidden so deeply inside Wilhelmina, one of so many the same. The clothes above Wilhelmina’s head were exquisite, the richest of designer clothes for children, the same with the shoes that lined the racks around the small, huddled body of the blonde girl, crouched in the closed closet, no more than eight or so. The girl trembled, tried so hard to contain her whimpering, but it slipped out as the door of the closet began to open… And then Emma was there, in the closet as well, and she handed the trembling Wilhelmina a flaming sword. “I’m so sorry no-one was there to defend you,” said Emma, crouching low. “I can’t change what your father did to you, no more than I can change what mine did to… all of us Frosts. But you aren’t defenseless now. You can hold off the monster, chase him, slay him, whatever you wish. You don’t need to hide in the dark all alone anymore.”
Wilhelmina gripped the sword tightly, staring into the woman's face to see if she was telling the truth. She closed her eyes and then turned to face the monster outside of her closet, thrusting the sword into him until her arms gave out and the blade stayed lodged in the body as it fell. Her hands shook in front of her and she breathed shakily through her mouth, trying to keep her thoughts quiet and to soothe her pounding heart. "I'll join you." She said, voice barely above a whisper. "I'll join you, but stay out of my head."
“Stay out of mutant affairs and I’ll stay out of your head,” replied Emma and without even a sense of transition they were back in Emma’s executive suite. “But the flaming sword is yours, Wilhelmina. A gift. If ever you need it in your mind, it will be there for you. You have only to summon it.” She raised one perfect golden eyebrow. “It doesn’t work in the same way as your psi blocker, but you might end up finding you wield it more effectively. It is, at the very least, more elegant. And of course,” Emma smiled suddenly, “if you find leaving Hominis Verendi reduces your business opportunities, feel free to reach out. Frost Enterprises is always looking for talented young female executives to join its ranks.”
"I said I'd join you, didn't I?" Wilhelmina raised an eyebrow. "And I think you'll find that Hominis Verendi won't be as....big a thorn in your side without me."
Emma’s smile widened suddenly, softened, reached her eyes. “That is always an excellent bonus, Ms Kensington. It’ll have to be confirmed by the lawyers of course, but let’s start talking contract terms.” Emma stood and walked over to the corner cabinet in her suite, took out two flutes and a large bottle. “But first, a little champagne to welcome you on board at Frost Enterprises.”
