Chariots of Fire Are On Their Way

[hellfire_empath]

The American Museum of Natural History was set ablaze with lights and the mingling scents of exotic flowers perfumed the cool evening air. Brooke Wyngarde had put a lot of blood, sweat, and tears into arranging for this soirée, and she was going to be damned if anyone was going to ruin it for her. After all, this was to welcome Stephanie Shaw da Silva and Marcelo Alencar da Silva back to Manhattan and, most importantly, receive them as a newly wedded couple.

Thus, Brooke had pulled out all the stops. Everyone who was anyone who knew the Shaws or the da Silvas had been invited (though Brooke had also dutifully chopped some of the more unsavory names off of her list). The food was a delightful blend of American-Brazilian-Spanish fusion. The cocktails were some of the most popular ones from Brazil, and only the finest Spanish wines were served. The music was live, big band-style stuff, because this was not some hideous high school Kiss on the Lips party. 

Brooke herself, being the hostess of the event, may have gone just a tad bit overglam when it came to her look for the night, but then she was certain that she was going to be gracing many a society page the next morning.

She needed to look great, and she certainly did as she stood next to the entrance of the Arthur Ross Terrace, receiving guests for the cocktail hour which would precede that night's dinner, directing them towards the guest sign-in book, the gift table, and everything else. 

She hoped, she prayed, that everything that night went off without a hitch.

After all, the supervillains only crash the weddings of the A-List superheroes, right? 

Comments

[pussyfootaround]

"I concur with Hana here," Felicity said. "But you should try the crab cake with the herb remoulade. Possibly one of the best things on the menu," she added. As much as Felicity was her father's daughter - she did enjoy her share of beer and hot dogs - she'd also developed her mother's taste for the finer things in life.

"I'm sure our esteemed boss won't mind if I steal some of those, right?"

[hellfire_child]

"Not a gift to be taken lightly, I assure you."

Alistaire is abruptly standing behind Selene. His expression is as polite and smiling as ever, but to those precious few who know him as Stephanie does, it is a historic change in his posture. There is no adolescent enthusiasm, no hint that he's calculating how to turn the situation to his best amusement, nothing but a tightly reigned caution. One of his hands is casually positioned inside his jacket, which now rests loosely on his shoulders.

"The Lady Selene always does make an entrance." Alistaire places a hand across his chest and leans forward ever so slightly. The polished black stone ring on the hand bears a detailed crown, marking him as the Black King of New York.

[pyroprincess]

There was naught for Stephanie to do but graciously smile and exchange a hug with her nephew. She'd never be able to claim in a million years to approve of everything, or even most things, that Alistaire did or was but at the same time, there was the undeniable, sad fact that he was the only blood relative she actually had who wasn't trying to kill her or her husband.

And to be fair, the gifts he brought were lovely.

"Thank you for coming." Stephanie replied with a smile. "And thank you, I've always wanted cutlery in particular." Later, she'd have to quietly enquire as to whether the sword was primarily decorative or actually useful. Not that she couldn't make more devastating weaponry herself, but there was something about being able to practice with an instrument that didn't melt steel.

[pyroprincess]

Stephanie knew the implication of that well enough, and it was something to be thankful for. She knew well enough that while Selene was extremely good at lying, she probably didn't have the reason to lie here. Stephanie had no illusions about her being able to stand up to Selene, but she knew people who could, and had.

Alistaire's arrival actually cut the tension a little bit, and then Stephanie finally got a look at the black ring on the hand. It was certainly true that if her nephew were to hold the position, it could very well make the city safer for her and Marcelo ... but if Fa- no, Sebastian had given him that position, did that mean he'd gone all in with him?

Her expression did not change one bit as she addressed Selene. "I thank you. It's a lovely party, it would be a shame to ruin it."

And now, she supposed, it was time to see how this played out between Selene and Alistaire. She looked over at Marcelo for a moment. Perhaps Alistaire could keep her busy enough that they could make a getaway ...

[vesper_verde]

Marcelo glanced between Stephanie's nephew and 'the Lady Selene.' He did clock this woman was bad news just from his wife's reactions. Though he wasn't sure about the deference coming from Alistaire.

Also, the woman in leather dominatrix wear was certainly standing closer to Marcelo than was comfortable.

"Sim." He paused to get his brain back on track into English. He tried to back away a little. "It was... interesting meeting you."

[ngm_hellfire]

Selene only afforded Alistaire a glance at butting in before she had finished her business with the married couple. Her focus was on them and Marcelo in specific.

Before the Brazilian could move away, she stepped in even closer. Close enough she could lean in and deliver a very low whisper. Her offer complete, Selene stepped back with a hungry smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

With a small wave, she dismissed the spell keeping most people's attention away from her presence. It was a gamble due to a certain powerful redhead who wanted her dead being in attendance. She turned toward Alistaire.

"That was not an entrance, young Mr. Shaw. It was a means to get what I wanted in the easiest manner." She glanced at the ring. "You should stop fawning if you actually want the rank you keep claiming you have. Though being Sebastian's only heir in the game might be to your benefit."

[sonoflongshot]

"Hmm." Aiden noted his aunt avoiding the question entirely. He would talk to her later.

He finished up one order and moved onto the next. He glanced over the room as he pulled out bottles to make the drinks.

"Well, looks like the roof guy gets two more portions of deviled eggs besides his own."

[hellfire_empath]

"The only thing to his benefit is that no one's actually killed him yet," Brooke said darkly. "Though clearly what's beneficial to him is unfortunate for the rest of us," she added, unable to stop herself. "Selene," she said, then, offering the woman a curtsy. Brooke's eyes glittered with a mixture of annoyance and curiosity. Selene was one of the few who explicitly hadn't been invited to that night's soiree. That she'd gotten past all of the security irked Brooke. "What an unexpected surprise." Personally, Brooke was having flashbacks to Sleeping Beauty.

[hellfire_child]

"Well, there's what you want, and what you tell others you want. You taught me that difference, if you'll recall." Alistaire drawls casually, rolling the shoulder of the arm not concealed under his jacket. A crease in the fabric indicated he may or may not be palming something with some heft.

At the External's advance on Marcelo, Alistaire had pivoted his position. It looked like he was just shifting to get a better look at something across the way, but it put him more between Selene and his Aunt.

He scoffs lightly, raising his eyebrows. "'Fawning'? If I were fawning, I'd be offering myself up to your bedchamber again, Selene; but I'm afraid that period of my impulsive youth is gone. I'm not your Pawn anymore." His back doesn't straighten, but there's a certain readiness that creeps into his body language

He ignores Brooke in favor of still watching the adults in the room.

"I don't need to claim anything, Selene. It's simply how things are now." His eyes flash. "You have no business with Stephanie, and, as she stated, it's a lovely party. Go enjoy it. Elsewhere." He reigns his ego in, stopping from actually threatening her. He's a hedonist, and possibly a sociopath, but he's not a fool.

[i_can_hit_that]

"Deviled eggs are made of win. I have questions about those who don't like them." Quinn teased, keeping his eye on the action inside. He wanted to text Tina right now but there wasn't any time. He wondered if she'd get an invite to this shindig.

She'd fit right in.

He missed her but he contented himself with the idea of taking her to dinner at someplace fancy in the near future.

[call_me_phobos]

Alexander noted the new arrival and gave a polite nod of his head though he wasn't exactly up on who the man was. He knew that tone in Brooke's voice, though. She didn't like this person. Alexander reminded himself to ask who Alstaire Shaw was later, in addition to someone related to Stephanie.

"Good evening, Mr. Shaw. Nice to meet you. I'm Alexander Aaron." he said.

[call_me_phobos]

Alexander was surprised by yet another unknown invitee. He heard the name Selene, however, and it tickled something at the back of his mind. The name was familiar, though he'd never met the woman wearing it.

Again, he noted Brooke's displeasure, seemingly even more pronounced than her annoyance at Alistaire. The others also appeared on the defensive and Alexander re-evaluated Selene's threat level.

He really hoped there wasn't a fight tonight. He wanted to enjoy just one party without a fight breaking out.

[vesper_verde]

Marcelo firmly shook the hand of Stephanie's nephew that he had never met before. "Nice to finally meet you. Thank you for the sharp and smooth gifts."

He had heard plenty about Alistaire. That they hadn't met until now made Marcelo get an idea about Stephanie's situational sense. Particularly in regards to himself.

Once he got his hand back, the small thing tickling the back of his mind finally pushed to the fore.

"Alexander, I apologize for not taking you up on the offered designed clothing for the wedding. I hope I can still get it? I have some important meetings and social obligations coming up."

[symkarian_princess]

Nika had just managed to get her eye to stop twitching. Her pleasant smiles to possible customers worked better without eye twitches. She had a small conversation with some party-goer before getting back on the team communicator.

"Take some crab cakes if you want. Quinn will have his Deviled boog-eggs. Any people pinging as suspicious? Outside of Felicity, of course."

[hellfire_child]

Alistaire returned the handshake, and clapped a hand to the respective shoulder for good measure. "The pleasure in meeting is all mine, Marcelo. Thank you for making my Auntie happy." He gives Stephanie a sidelong glance as he catches her appraising the gifts.

"If you'll take my advice, don't just leave them on a shelf or behind glass. Use them."

[hellfire_empath]

Brooke wasn't about to answer for Alexander - sure, their relationship had taken an extra glorious step in recent days - but she wasn't yet at the sort of place in their relationship to be answering questions or making decisions for him.

Although Brooke had no doubt that Alexander would gladly keep his word on the offer that he had extended.

She did smile up at Marcelo, though. He was very smooth and suave, both in his handling of Alistaire and his graciousness towards Alexander.

Maybe she'd misjudged him a little too harshly earlier on.

"Alexander is my boyfriend," Brooke said to Alistaire. "The son of the war god Ares." That much, at least, she was comfortable with saying.

[pussyfootaround]

"Suspicious? Me?" Felicity hissed in mock annoyance. "How dare you, boss? Have you seen how tight my outfit is? There's no way I could possibly sneak out of here with anything." Well, that, and she'd left her special Pym Particle gun at home.

"But no, nothing suspicious here. At least, nothing that I can see." Felicity's eyes swept over the crowd. "Although there's a woman here who very wrongly is under the impression that she's wearing real freshwater pearls."

The Party Goes On

[hellfire_child]

After the business with Selene was concluded, and Alistaire had sufficiently mingled, he let his escort/bodyguard have a wider berth.

He approached Brooke Wyngarde. "Could I have the pleasure of a dance with the lady who put this evening together?" He extends a hand cordially; the one without the ring.

[hellfire_empath]

Long-lashed eyes looked demurely down at the proffered hand before gazing back at her date for the evening. She leaned up and gently kissed Alexander's cheek before taking Alistaire's hand. "The pleasure is all yours, I assure you, Alistaire," she said.

[hellfire_child]

Gilding the lily, Alistaire goes so far as to kiss her hand, before escorting her to the dance floor.

"It really is quite a lovely party. I'm glad it didn't go up in flames earlier."

Although Selene's forte was really more necrotic waste than open flames.

[hellfire_empath]

"Mmm. For a moment, I was sure it was going to when Selene suddenly appeared in all of her tacky unglory." She was so glad it didn't. She wanted this soiree to over without a hitch, and for it to be said that Brooke Aurelia Wyngarde had thrown the absolute best party this season. "But thank you. Your gift truly was lovely. I've no doubt that the couple of the hour appreciated it." Ah, beautiful, civil small talk. Where would polite Hellfire Clubbers be without it?

Sometimes, though, it was also nice to cut to the chase. "So, what's on your mind, Alistaire? Certainly you and I aren't close enough that you wanted a dance simply to be graced by my company."

[hellfire_child]

"Caught my eye while I was in Japan. I love a culture that can make something beautiful without sacrificing the functionality of it."

Clubbers are so good at it, they can even do it without lying.

Alistaire puts a hand on her hip as they dance. Far enough apart to leave room for the conversation, but close enough to not be tacky. "Certainly not; but perhaps that could change." He deftly maneuvers Brooke around a partygoer who clearly should have stopped two drinks ago. A nod of his head and his bodyguard moves to escort them from the floor.

"I'm at something of an impasse. A dissatisfaction with upper management that I'm not sure how to resolve without bringing in outside help."

[hellfire_empath]

Brooke was a woman who was prone to living most of her adult life in ridiculously high heeled designer shoes and dresses that would never be practical enough to be designated casual day wear. She didn't care about functionality as long as there was beauty.

A meticulously groomed eyebrow arched itself. "By upper management, do you mean Sebastian or Selene?" Surely he wasn't talking about Emma. "Or is there something else afoot that I need to be aware of?"

[hellfire_child]

"There's a line that was crossed that I can't forgive. Although that's probably not the best choice of words... better to say it's something that I can't be paid to tolerate." He looks to his security, who gets a faraway look, before nodding. Good, psychic airwaves around here are quiet. He and Brooke aren't in immediate danger of exposure.

"Going back on my decision and turning down the job offer would have been suicide. He doesn't respect me as much as he does Stephanie, in his perverse way. It would have been an open act of rebellion, and I wasn't ready for it. I'm still not, frankly.

That's why I need your assistance." Such a more genteel and dignified word than 'help'.

"I need to start learning how to 'feel'. Something your intersection of talents and temperament are uniquely qualified for." He states, giving her a modest twirl before he continues. "Adrenaline, dopamine, endorphines... these are things I understand, and they're what I spent my life in the pursuit of. All without ever making one of them come out of or be the result of a needle. Hope, love, fear, faith, remorse... I can observe them, and put them to profit, but it's all clinical.

This is where I've come to. I need to reach his level. Control my emotions, rather than not have them. That's the evolution I need next.

I don't expect to ever be friends, but I'm not looking to make any more enemies. My resources are more flush than they've ever been, even without the recent acquisitions overseas. What can I offer you?"

[call_me_phobos]

"Marcelo, you've been busy so I understand. And I'd be happy to design for you. Shall I have my people call your office and schedule a time for a fitting?" Alexander asked.

He simply smiled as Brooke introduced him as her boyfriend. He liked hearing that word coming from her and now...it didn't sound as bad as it used to.

It was nice to have a dark priestess.