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| What: The few members of Shaw's original Inner Circle meet to discuss their plans for the future, and what to do about the schism that the Inner Circle potentially faces. | |||||
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Ten years ago the Inner Circle of the Hellfire Club was wiped out and replaced by five people. Sebastian Shaw became the Black King and Lord Imperial of the club, Tessa his Black Princess, Emma Frost his White Queen, Harry Leland his Black Bishop and Donald Pierce the White Bishop.
Donald and Harry had left the Inner Circle for reasons. Neither of them left for good reasons. So now on this tenth anniversary of the day Sebastian Shaw murdered the old Inner Circle and became ascendent he has invited his two closest confidants. Emma Frost and the mysterious but, loyal, Tessa.
He held up a glass of wine and made a toast to them, "To my lovely ladies. Who have always aided me, even when I didn't deserve it. Without the two of you, I would truly be lost."
Emma held up her glass of wine with a smirk, "No doubt about that. To our anniversary of ascention."
Emma was of coursed dressed in white White Queen regalia, she never minded the traditional dress. She gently tapped her glass against her Black King and Princess' glass, "And to another ten that might prove even more interesting."
Tessa, too, seems at ease with her mode of dress, although she has substantially less on than Emma... the difference between a queen and a princess, it seems, is a cape with which one can cover oneself. She, too, has a glass of wine. (Probably the strongest stuff anyone has ever seen her drink, for all of the bad behavior the Club hosts.) She lifts her glass as well, and nods solemnly to the toasts of the other two. "Whatever services I can provide to ensure another decade of profitability and power... I will provide."
Sebastian laughed a bit at Tessa's statement. She was always so formal and precise in speaking. It's no wonder in some more vulgar and angry words certain people referred to her as Sebastian's laptop.
"Please Tessa, this is a night of celebration. I know you are so used to your formal roles, but if you with to provide service. Let it be the service to act... a bit more normal."
Emma let out a soft chuckle, some things never changed. She moved to sit at one of the high-backed chairs, adjusting for her long cape to lay to the side, "Relax, let down your hair...so to speak. I know you are set on that hairstyle."
She gave the girl a wink as she sipped at her wine, "And how is everyone this evening? No surprising news that might give me a heart attack? I'd rather not have one."
Tessa is not the type to actually show embarrassment -- god no, never. But her lips do turn inward a bit as she dips her head, and the slightest hint of a smile lifts the corners of her mouth. "I apologize," she says. "Perhaps I am set in more than just my choice of hairstyle. Though I find it easy to avoid heart attacks this way."
"Emma's just jealous, Tessa. She wishes he she could pull off your hair style," Sebastian said with a smile and a chuckle, "Her hair is too thin for it."
He thought of Emma's own question and answered, "As far as I know today is the same as it has been for the last year. Unreliable allies, allies turned to enemies. And oh! I have a recording of my son telling me he is going to kill us all."
He drank his wine and said, "All and all a typical year for my little cabal."
Emma let out a sigh which turned into a laugh, "Goodness how we've progressed. And beyond this little trinity we have all sorts of back stabbings and inner circle members randomly leaving to do...whatever else it is they do."
She didn't want to think of what Victor Creed was up to now. She's read his thoughts and what sort of trouble he likes to get into, "But yes, Shinobi. All sweetness and roses when he talks to me, and his thoughts are...crass. Too bad he wants to stab me in the un-fun way. Oh well, I'd quite like to see him try."
"Far more dangerous men than he have made attempts on my life," Tessa notes dryly, stepping away from the two for a moment to take the bottle of wine and refill her own glass. She drifts back over with it, also topping off Emma and Sebastian. Even in a cabal, there is a hierarchy of power, and Tessa knows her place. "The results of which should be evident."
"The boy is reckless and frankly... a hedonistic idiot." Sebastian said with a smirk as he drank his refilled wine. Honestly, he should probably tell her that she's not meant to be serval tonight but he's on a small rant about his bastard child, "I can respect the hedonism. It's the idiot part I can't tolerate. Played his hand too quickly in every way. And he brought Millie into it, that was a huge mistake."
He thought for a moment and said, "Though I hear some rumors he's meeting with our White King and Prince lately, that could be bad."
Emma shrugged, as she knew something about that as she looked to the side, "As I said to you before, he has his fingers in all of your pies. That is his game, the Luthors are not your fans, particularly Leo. It was the obvious play. I just wish Shinobi was as cunning as his father, a pity."
She caught the thought from Sebastian and gave Tessa a small smile, "Darling please leave the wine on the table and sit. This is a more relaxed atmosphere this evening."
She patted at the seat next to her own, "Come sit next to Auntie Emma."
Tessa does actually raise a dark eyebrow at 'Auntie Emma.' Very faintly... but it happens regardless. She sets the wine down, and sits next to Emma, as requested. "The shortest distance between two points," she says, glancing at Emma and then at Sebastian, "is a straight line. What if we crossed that straight line and... eliminated him as a going concern?"
Sebastian considered. Tessa was always the one who was straight to the point about this sort of thing. While Shaw had no issues with killing, it wasn't ever really the first thought he had. Too used to the game, "If we do that the Luthors will know it was me and they'd make their play quickly. Discredit me. Hell, they might just have Leopold beat me to death. And considering what I think that boy actually is... he might very well be capable of it.
Emma straightened up in her chair and looked to Sebastian, "From my extensive training, I'm quite sure that he could. I think the easiest measure would be for him to return back to Japan, out of our hair and no longer our problem."
She shrugged her shoulders, "While he has developed ties with the Luthors, his footing in America is shaky. He's hoping for the tie to Frost International to go through. And for now I'm playing the..."
Emma sighed and rolled her eyes, "Spurned ex-lover of Shaw desperate for attention, blah blah. So I can make my next play easily enough. I just need to know what the endgame will be."
Tessa sips wine. "Then murder is off the table," she says nonchalantly, as if they'd just discarded a possible route for driving somewhere. "What about character assassination? The boy's love of... indulgence is something we have all observed. If we can manipulate the media, or better yet have them catch him in his debauchery... the Shaw name as a brand will take a hit." Tessa sits back, her legs crossed. Even in lingerie, she's effortlessly ladylike. "However, it may be worth it."
You need to vote for other players before voting for Emma Frost again.
"Character Assassination is on the table," Shaw said with a nod, "Same goes with the Luthors to be honest. I need to remind them all that Sebastian Shaw is a name to be feared and more for just my influence."
Finishing off another glass of wine and pouring another for all in attendance he added, "And the Shaw name can take another hit, I've already flip-flopped on the whole mutant-issue this year and it didn't hurt my stock. One more hit won't do too much."
He considered for a moment and added, "Also, Tessa. Give Shinobi the Sentinel schematics. It'll make him believe you are disgruntled and who knows, may be we can tie the whole thing to him and his own 'Imperial' brand."
Emma added in, "Blueprints, no coding. Good god if he were to get a hold of the basic programming of it and something should happen to my school. Hell will reign. I assure you, Sebastian."
She looked between the two and sighed, "And I've grown quite bored of this Luthor rivalry. At least this Shinobi bit is /interesting/. You and Lex were on decent footing at Halloween, Leo is...in constant flux I have a handle on that."
She pointed at Sebastian, "As a friend, White Queen and everything you need to keep Millie and Shinobi separate. /That/ should be your immediate concern."
She looked again between the two finishing off her wine and immediately refilling it on her own, "He has Yakuza dealings, it's obvious. Throw THAT into the press."
Tessa nods to Shaw's request. "Of course, Sebastian," she says in that way that makes it seem like he could tell her to chew her own foot off and she probably would... and yet, she still manages to not sound like a cult member. It's a real skill. "If I can be of aid in sorting out the..." Tessa pauses, as if trying to think of how best to put it, "...Millie situation, I am willing to do so." She doesn't /say/ that she's willing because it'd be too emotionally difficult for Shaw. But she doesn't /have/ to say it.
"Millie and I have resolved our differences. Apparently thanks to my friends Thor and Sif," it's not often that Shaw mentions his friendship with the two Asgardians so that must be an interesting story, "She's accepted that I killed someone and we are back to being together. I plan on playing the recording of Shinobi threatening to kill me and everyone I love in order to sort out their involvement."
He steeples his fingers and nods his head, "He was a fool to involve her, that just made the situation personal. Before that it was a family squabble. Involving her made me think of William Buckland, the previous White King and what I did to that lout for him come after the people I love."
Someone? Little more plural, but Sebastian knew that as much as Emma did. And when Millie spoked to Emma directly, the subject did indeed come up. Emma would think that she probably had a helping hand in Shaw's lover running back into his arms.
Oh love and relationships. How dreadful. Emma herself couldn't fathom currently the concept of being so...vulnerable. Ugh. Regardless, business was at hand.
She leaned down to a briefcase she had underneath the table and pulled out two photos, one of a mob leader Jackie Escadado and Hans Ganske and pushed them towards the pair, "Sebastian I'm sure you know both but one is a mob boss and the other an ex-Nazi. I have the blonde at the palm of my hand, but we could use more inner circle members more.../Loyal/ members. Thoughts?"
Tessa looks at the pictures, but whatever she feels, she keeps to herself. Instead, she looks to Shaw for his lead. Since even if he asked her, she'd just confess to not having enough data at hand to provide a report yet.