A Grand Soiree [Open to anyone with potential business at the NYC branch of the Hellfire Club]

[ngm_hellfire]

"There hasn't been a party like this in years at this location, has there?" Sebastian turned towards Tessa, or rather, the clone of her that Essex had made for him. It was true, though, there was an energy in the old place that hadn't been seen ever since before he died for the first time. They didn't know yet, that he would take this moment to make his reemegence into the public eye, but there were rumours that there would be a grand surprise.

"No, sir. Attendance at the New York branch's soirees has been declining for some years." Tessa replied crisply. He wondered, vaguely, what the original Tessa would think of this pitch-perfect copy of her. As for Tessa's part, she was aware of Sage's existence and regarded it as nothing more than a vague curiosity.

Sebastian continued to watch guests filing in through the cameras at the command centre he'd installed some years ago beneath the halls of the Hellfire Club.

"What about my would-be heirs?" Sebastian spoke with a faint sneer. Disappointing as they were in many ways, they were his family. His legacy. They would have to do. He couldn't have another Shinobi on his hands.

"I expect they will both attend. I've spotted Stephanie, but but Alistaire as of yet." Tessa replied again.

"Good. And others have been invited too. The Braddock and the Worthington girls." Sebastian turned again towards the monitors. "Keep a close eye on the witch, would you? I won't have her ruining my night."

"Yes, sir."

Sebastian lifted a glass of fine whisky to his lips and took a slow sip, watching the event unfolding before him. A grand collection of the finest of New York society. A fine audience for him to emerge before, like the phoenix.

Comments

[hellfire_empath]

Though part of her family had the membership, Brooke herself wasn't part of the New York branch of the Hellfire Club. Not since becoming her father's Red Rook under the London Branch. But as a prominent New York socialite, Brooke was very much invited to this event. (There was also the fact about Sebastian's return...)

So there she was, in an outfit carefully chosen to represent all three houses under the club, with a flute of sparkling sweet red wine in her hand, her eyes seeking out Stephanie, who she knew would most certainly be present.

[pyroprincess]

When Stephanie arrived, it was in an effortless whir, a pitch-perfect smile towards all of the beautiful and insignificant people on the way. And on her arm, of course, her handsome fiancee, whom many of the people at the club treated with a certain condescending curiosity, as an exotic aberration from the New York blueblooded scene.

And she pretended she didn't notice the utter vapidity of their small talk. She did look up at Marcelo for a moment, as if to say your patience will be rewarded later with a faint saucy smile. And then she saw Brooke and glided over to her, Marcelo in tow.

"Brooke, you look absolutely stunning as always." Cue the ritual of airkisses, followed by a rather more sincere brief hug. "A big night tonight at the Hellfire Club. It's been a long time since there's been so many people here. It's as if they know something's going to happen." Which of course it was. She wondered how much people knew and suspected.

[wateronthebrain]

The young heir to the Sterling fortune was invited. Erin is going to be going to college in the city within a few short months. She hadn't expected to be invited here. She thought it would be a good idea to attend this just to see why they were interested in her.

She knows she can come off as naive because of her age and due to how sheltered her upbringing led her to be on the surface.

Still she thinks as long as she is careful she will be fine. Even if she feels like she might be in shark infested waters. Next time she is going to bring a date. Someone who doesn't mind playing meat shield.

At least she pulls this little outfit off nicely. She didn't want to go too over the top. Blending in was just as important as standing out in the right situation.

This place looks packed. She glances at her dress briefly wondering if she had missed a social cue given the three different colors she is seeing in spades. Damn. She should have asked her mother. As much as the woman can be a harpy she can be useful for this sort of thing.

Oh well it can't be helped. She looks decent and has no reason to look like she fits in. She's a guest after all.

[ngm_hellfire]

"Why hello there." A confidant man in a bright white suit spoke, his green hair separating him slightly amid the mostly conservative-looking crowd.

Trevor Fitzroy looked like he was enjoying the night, though it was hard to tell if he was actually having a good time or if it was simply put upon. He looked like he'd been working on that flawless grin for a long time.

He extended his hand. "Trevor Fitzroy. And whom do I have the pleasure of meeting?"

[light_as_a_rock]

Eva hadn't really given much thought to symbolism when she picked her dress for this evening, she just knew she looked good in white.

She grabbed a flute of champagne from the tray of a passing waiter, and began to work her way through the crowd. So many business contacts, and potential contacts. Events like these were her least favorite part about being a Worthington.

[ngm_hellfire]

Eva would be able to hear a small change in the piano music as the hired player was convinced to leave the stage, and a man in an unassuming dark suit began to play. Everything about him screamed anonymity to virtually everyone around him. Average height, medium build. A fairly pale face set off by dark hair. Trimmed goatee. Long fingers delicately striking a spare and slightly haunting melody.

To virtually everyone else, he would've been notable only for his playing. But to a few within the room, the appearance of this unassuming-looking man would inspire real dread.

Nathaniel Essex looked up at Eva for a moment, tilting his head in recognition, though not stopping his playing for a moment.

[kinetic_assault]

Brianna knew what the invitation was about before she opened it. She'd dreaded receiving it but she couldn't hide away. Not any longer. She'd asked her mother about the Hellfire Club once and received silence for her trouble. Even her father wasn't willing to broach the subject with her so Brianna knew it was time to do the next best thing.

She bought a dark blue dress and new heels. It was time to find out what all this was about.

She arrived at the event and put on her best act-like-a-lady face. Some of the less debonair individuals here probably had wallets on them. It wouldn't be hard to relieve them of those if she wanted but now wasn't the time.

She asked for a glass of water and tried to figure out how many of these people were just bored socialites looking for a good time or honest-to-badness idle rich that played with the GDP of nations.

She sipped her water and tried to look around for anyone she might know.

[ngm_hellfire]

"Hello Brianna." Reginald Crane said, coming up behind her with his eerily soundless step, his voice barely above a whisper, but inflected with an almost paternal regard. He regarded her for a moment in his idly curious way. His mutant power, the ability to manipulate the impressions and emotions of others through his voice was in full evidence, aimed to lull her and build trust.

"I hope you didn't neglect to invite your lovely companion." He sounded concerned, though his expression barely changed. "I was hoping to speak to you both."

A thin-lipped smile emerged from his mostly impassive features.

[alisa_lebeau_v3]

Alisa was sure her invitation was fake or some sick joke. But somehow she obtained one, and it granted her access to the party. She really did not wish to be here, but she was still a member of New York's High Society, and she still had to make appearances for the sake of clientele. No, not just that, but her fledgling art gallery as well.

Dressed in a black gown that was a close replica to Audrey Hepburn's (Complete with gloves), she made small talk with the few clients she had (who also attended the party as well). Eventually, Alisa would move away from most of the crowds to sit by herself at a table.

Tonight, she dared not to take any alcohol. If she got drunk, she would only make herself look worse... and the Shaws would have a field day playing hacky sack with her head. Instead, she remained somewhat prim and proper... and silent unless someone spoke to her. There was no way in hell she was going to get on anyone's bad side, tonight.

[ngm_hellfire]

What are you doing here.

Tessa transmitted a telepathic signal to Alisa. She wasn't visible to Alisa, as she was monitoring everything through closed-circuit cameras.

It is unwise for you to attend this function.

[lena_essex]

Lena lounged against a door frame, one long white leg poking out from the nearly waist high slit in her black evening dress. The rest of the dress was cut almost as low in the front as it was in back, and probably held on with double-sided tape. Or arcane magic. She threw back her head and laughed, a musical sound, at whatever witty comment the young man standing too close to her had said. He was the son of some or another prominent and wealthy family that had aspirations of joining the Hellfire Club. She would have to find out later how important this young man and his family really were to the greater plan. Although she'd taken a generous bite out of the soul of a waiter not half an hour ago, listening to this boy prattle on about celebrities he had met, and his own plans for a "musical" career was making her peckish again.

She looked past the young man's shoulder, scanning the crowd with predatory eyes. Her job tonight was to mingle, be charming, and listen in.

She couldn't wait for the grand surprise later.

[ngm_hellfire]

"You must be Lena Essex, Nathaniel's darling daughter." A voice dripping in false honey spoke from behind her. Selene smirked coolly. "You look hungry. But there aren't all that many good meals around here. Well ... not ones we're allowed to take."

Selene moved a little closer, a glass of wine in her hands. "Of course, nothing says we can't have just a little bit, mmm?" At the moment Selene had her arm around the shoulder of a young brunette woman, who was at the moment looking at them with a slightly dead-eyed look.

"I suppose I could let you have a nibble of her. Not all of it, of course. She does need to walk out of here alive. But her life force is lovely."

[hellfire_child]

Alistaire arrived with precise timing. It takes a lot of work to make things look like they just happened. He's in flawless Hellfire garb, just a touch rumpled, from his festivities immediately preceding the party. He was the Black King of the New York branch now. That station demanded making an entrance, and arriving bearing gifts. Both to those now under his watch, and to the Lord Paramount.

The closeted son of a hardline right-wing industrialist. The middle child daughter of one of Sebastian's old business partners, with designs on her father's company. The son and daughter, twins even, of a visiting ambassador of a country that the United States was only technically not at war with. A congressman's trophy wife, and her step-son who was off to Harvard Law in a matter of months, perhaps just a bit too comfortable on her arm. Alistaire had all of them delighted, all laughing, all ready to receive libations and meals and to chatter the night away. It was scandal, or the chance to stop scandals, all gift-wrapped and for the asking.

Sebastian Returns!

[ngm_hellfire]

It was easy to get absorbed in the minutiae of running a multinational corporation from the shadows, of directing the global Hellfire Club. And that would only become more so when he emerged into the public world. Many questions would have to be answered, revelations about him to be explained away. It would be a known fact that Sebastian was a mutant- not just to a handful of powerful government officials, but to the public as a whole. He had his daughter to thank for that.

But all that was petty. What mattered was a new beginning for the Hellfire Club. A dream, one as real and vital as the ones the fools Xavier and Magneto clutched to their hearts.

A mission. One that he considered to be holy, or as close to holy as anything. The creation and fostering of a mutant aristocracy, with him and his dynasty at its forefront. They would make themselves indispensable to humanity and then, subtly and without them noticing, make the Hellfire Club masters of the world. They were already closer to realizing that goal than most people realized.

Freedom was a lie. Democracy was a sham. As always, the strong and the gifted would rise to the top. It was time to build a new order, in which talent and power were lauded and recognized, rather than shamefully hidden. It was with this holy mission in mind that the speakers directed the attention of viewers to the grand staircase. A special amplifier allowed Crane's vocal manipulation abilities to be broadcast over a huge area.

He was immune to it, thanks to a special inhibitor, as were all the Lords Paramount. Everyone else, however, would be subtly affected by his powers, made to anticipate this moment like it was the defining moment of all their lives.

It was then that Sebastian Shaw was introduced and emerged, a living man, into the public eye, with a thunderous applause. And then he began to speak, about the return of the Hellfire Club, about creating a new legacy in the world, about feeling born again.

Sebastian felt like Caesar, Crane having primed the crowd to receive every word he said as rapture. When he raised his glass in a toast to the immortality of the Hellfire Club, and all two thousand guests did the same, it felt like a sacrament.

OOC NOTE: Crane's manipulation powers are vocally-based, not psychically based. Even telepaths would be vulnerable to them.

[pyroprincess]

Stephanie had to admit, she was amazed by the speech. It wasn't like she was going to forget all her resentments about how her father had treated her. Or forgive them. But he'd expressed everything so perfectly. It reminded her of the man she'd idolized, come to love as a father, not the bitter tyrant who had treated her like chattel. Maybe coming into the public light would be good for him, perhaps she could help him see that this, this was the real Sebastian Shaw.

It all seemed so much to hope for, but it was something she wanted to hold onto and never forget.

Stephanie didn't want to be an orphan. She wanted a family.

Deep down, she wanted her Daddy.

Didn't she?

[vesper_verde]

Marcelo felt like the only person in the room entirely underwhelmed by the speech. He lagged behind people in applause, and his was much more subdued. The man with the odd voice speaking before Sebastian seemed to have wound the crowd up. The Brazilian had never heard a voice like that before, and he wasn't sure he would like to again.

He went from confused to slightly horrified at the change in Stephanie's demeanor. He turned toward her. "... you liked that?"

[wateronthebrain]

Erin is very surprised. She hadn't expected this at all.

Well. Shaw is a man of vision. She could use more direction besides being an Avenger and future business woman. That can't be all her life will have to offer her. She is lonely. She can admit it.

The Hellfire Club might give her what she wants. In spite of some of the more obviously dangerous members they have so much they could offer.

She should seriously consider joining.

[ngm_hellfire]

"A magnificent speech, wasn't it?" Fitzroy smiles at her as he comes closer. "Of course, it means something a little more to people like us than it does to the general crowd."

"I know you're thinking that you should join the Hellfire Club." Fitzroy's smile turned into a broad grin. "I could help you, you know. It would be my pleasure."

[seismic_shockwave]

"... that's Sebastian Shaw?" Kayla mumbled as she listened to the speech. Because, wow, he made a lot of sense. He didn't specifically talk about mutants of course, but it was clearly implied in his words. They needed to make themselves indispensable to society. Not conquer it or to beg. Sure, there were probably still tons of things she disagreed with them on.

But the Hellfire Club was really sounding like an important and necessary thing for mutants. A place where they could be safe, not isolated from the world, but as an essential part of it.

She was also really, really tired and she didn't know exactly why.

"Hey Bri ... what did you think of that speech? I ... I thought it was incredible. Not what I was expecting."

[kinetic_assault]

Brianna didn't need nudging on this. Everything Shaw said made perfect sense. She was ready to help usher in the new world order and she wanted to speak more with Mr. Shaw to find out how she, specifically, could help with this.

She looked to Kayla.

"This is how we help Xavier's and the X-Men. We do the things that they can't or won't do. I think we should look into this further." she told Kayla.

"He certainly has a way with words. I'll grant him that."

[alisa_lebeau_v3]

Like the other two thousand guests, Alisa expressed great shock and even happiness at the return of Sebastian Shaw. Because her mind was not protected like the majority, she was reacting just as they did. When the glasses of champagne were handed out, she took one like the rest of the crowd, and raised it right after his speech.

There was much fanfare for Sebastian in the room. never had she witnessed so many people so... happy, so excited for a single man's return. Though there was very little she could do to prevent herself from joining the celebration and worship of Sebastian Shaw.

Resistance to Crane's abilities was futile. She had become a puppet on strings like the rest guests in the crowd. Her only desire now was to try and gain membership, once more.

[light_as_a_rock]

Eva was so enthralled with the stirring introductory speech she wasn't even surprised when Sebastian Shaw made his triumphant return from the dead.

Of course the strong and the talented always rose to the top, that was the natural order of things. And wasn't it their job to help and protect the less gifted? Wasn't that what Shaw was really saying? Of course it was.

Of course.

[hellfire_empath]

Brooke was, of course, all for this. She had always believed that mutants were better than humans, after all. A mutant aristocracy - one in which she could possibly be queen - sounded absolutely like want she wanted. She didn't need much nudging, this one. She was ready to sign up right then and there.

[pyroprincess]

"Brooke?"

Stephanie Shaw should have been on top of the world, the daughter of the man onf the hour, making her way around the crowd like a noble to be. But she felt a weird, horrible tension in her mind that was undermining everything. She was aware she'd been unkind to Marcelo. And yet, he'd been unkind to Reginald. It was all a strange snarl in her mind.

"I have a small favor to ask."

[hellfire_child]

Alistaire joined in the applause. He'd been in the midst of making his rounds, after seeing to Alisa, and he'd spotted his former Lady. A leonine grin crept over his face as he approached her and an almost equally fetching young redheaded woman at her side. Much like Selene, she set off alarm bells in his head that shrieked 'you know better'.

Much like Selene, that was precisely why he couldn't keep away.

He had been about to speak up when the room was captured by his grandfather. It was a rousing speech. Elegant in its simplicity. It was so simple, after all. Obvious, even.

"Fine days are ahead, Lady Selene," Alistaire finally speaks up, dropping the former 'my' before the polite address, per his Grandfather's very specific instructions. "--would you not agree?" He kisses her hand, then nods his head to her companion. "I don't believe I've had the pleasure yet."