whitequeenemma (whitequeenemma) wrote in oh_marvelous, @ 2011-11-23 05:52:00 |
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[ WHITE QUEEN ] The Game.
Characters: Emma Frost; HFC NPCs
Setting: The Hellfire Club Estate; New York, NY; Wednesday, November 23rd, 2011; 2 a.m.
Content: Language; Basic dastardly deeds.
Summary: Emma has returned to New York after concluding months ofpleasurebusiness in Europe and her Inner Circle co-conspirators have a new job for her.
It was a little unlike Emma Frost to leave for Europe and not return for months, but this time it was needed. The trip had started off entirely as a business deal and ended with her spending the last couple of months in Paris enjoying the time away from the hustle and bustle of business. Her money was well taken care of so she knew it wasn't a huge deal for the Board to be without her. Besides, she was nothing more than a face to them any more. They could simply say her name and get things done. She didn't have to be there 24/7. Then again, that didn't make her feel at all comfortable. There was no telling what those bastards were doing in her name. Jesus, she needed to get home immediately. After settling back into her penthouse and curing herself of her anxieties, she decided it would probably be a good idea to check back in with her Hellfire consortium. They always seemed so lost without her around to tell them what to do. Emma was, for once, within the Hellfire Club's dress code. It had been quite a while since she'd worn the outfit and the corset was actually feeling comfortable, but there was something crooked. The White Queen sighed as she turned backwards in a mirror to check her corset's lacing, mumbling to herself, "Who do we hire here? I swear the girl who did this has no clue what she's doing." She tried to look behind her shoulder to straighten herself a bit. "If I get my hands on her again..." The woman continued to rant to herself. Maybe it was her control issues rearing their ugly head? It just really bothered her that the knot wasn't straight. "Why don't you let me help you with that?" The voice that called out to her was as smooth as she always knew it could be. Sebastian Shaw wasn't always the most kind of men, but there were times when he seemed to forget that he was the most dominating man she had ever met and did something purely because he was a gentleman. Emma hesitated, but dropped her arms out of the odd positioning she had them in and allowed him run his fingers over the laces of her corset. He straightened the front and then slowly turned her around so that she faced the mirror his head leaning around her's so he could look at her in the mirror while deft fingers straightened the knot and bow that had been so carelessly tied at her waist. "I'm surprised you decided to grace us with your presence again, Madame Frost." As he said her name, Shaw pulled tightly on the laces and Emma drew in a sharp breath. She hadn't expected that at all. "I thought, perhaps, it was time to show my pretty face and see if anything had changed. Are you and the White King still in disagreement, Master Shaw?" Emma had left them in the middle of a power struggle. She knew she was loyal to Shaw, but to be disloyal to her own color court was not something she wanted to do just yet. That struggle was probably what fueled her stay in Paris. Better to be far, far away than to ever be asked to choose sides. Shaw finished tying her laces, something that should have been done correctly by her pawn but that would be taken care of later, and slid her fur-lined cape back onto her shoulders in order to cover them again. "We may be coming to an understanding." Shaw was never one to sugar-coat anything, but "an understanding" could mean absolutely anything at all. Hell, he could have been planning to assassinate the White King at his next convenience. "But there is something we need to ask of you and that may help us further." His dark eyes were watching her face for any sort of surprise, but Emma refused to give it. Instead, she merely gave a slight smile and nodded. Shaw was always a hard one to read, though not nearly as hard as the White King himself, but she usually refused to dig into his mind simply out of respect for him and his position. "If I am needed by my kings, than I shall do my best to serve them." Shaw's hands were still wrapped around her upper arms and he smiled as she answered, releasing her and offering his arm so that he could escort her to the library. "I was so hoping you would say that, Madame Frost." She allowed herself to be led if only, because she wasn't entirely sure what the two men were up to. "You see, we have decided that we should invite a few new new members to the ranks and, well, we were hoping that you could be the one to show one or two of them how much he could benefit from joining the game." Emma's interest was peaked. Curiosity was always the best bait when trying to get her to do what you wanted. All you had to do was give her enough rope and she would, inevitably, hang herself with it. "You're wanting me to wine and dine someone that you and my king think would be extremely valuable to have as pawns in the game?" It would be an easy task, she was sure of it. Who would resist a pretty face and an offer to join one of the most infamous secret societies known to the top one percent? "And just who would this lovely sod be? I thought we had everyone that you could ever need?" Shaw still had a pleasant smile on his face as they stepped into the library and were greeted by a few more members of the Inner Circle. "Madame Frost has decided that she's gong to play the game, gentlemen... and lady." He nodded to Selene as she sat quietly in her own little dark corner, but was really talking to the men in the room. "But has she been told who we need?" Donald Pierce looked her up and down like some piece of meat before smiling at his queen. She loathed that man. Why she ever committed to him becoming her king was beyond her. Something about how Shaw had promised it to him. "I was just getting to that part of the game, Master Pierce," Shaw showed her to the high-backed leather chair before finding his own and receiving his glass of brandy from a servant. "I want to see Anthony Stark playing a larger role in the game. He seems to have shunned the Club, what with all that being blown up and all, but I think his assets could be put to good use for us." What he really had in mind for Tony, Emma didn't know and wasn't going to ask. She didn't really care. She did like the thought of trying to get close to Tony Stark though. See if he really was all he acted like he was. "You said there were one or two? I'm assuming this means there is another challenge involved?" Shaw motioned to Pierce and he nodded, "It's more of a favor than a challenge really." He took a sip from his glass before handing it to the servant beside him, "Justin Hammer has a few things going on that I want to get my fingers into and, well, how hard could it be for a beautiful woman like you to draw someone as eager to please as Hammer into the fray?" "And this was your disagreement, gentlemen? Justin Hammer and Tony Stark?" Emma was beside herself and could not help, but let loose a laugh. "What was the problem? You weren't sure if you wanted stupid or reckless in the game?" Pierce frowned, but Shaw just smiled at her though she knew it wasn't supposed to be a kind one. "I detest Hammer and his projects. I simply agreed that he could be propositioned if you could involve Stark in the game again. It's both or none. Period." "Oh, I see," Emma held out her hand and a cool glass of liquor was handed to her quickly, "In order to get what you want, you're satiating the black court. Master Pierce, I do believe you've learned how to play the game quite well since your installation. I'm impressed though not too pleased that I am being used like a mere pawn. Surely there are better ways than this?" "You were chosen for your many..." Pierce paused to look her over once more before continuing, "Assets, Madame Frost. Plus, we just knew you would enjoy the game itself as you get to do whatever you wish in order to achieve your objective." Was that his way of calling her a slut? She was sure it was. "Fine. I'll play your game, but only if I get a reward of my own choosing later." Both men nodded, "So be it." |