6 Months Later: The Hellfire Club

[ngm_hellfire]

The fall of Sebastian Shaw did not change much of the societal face of the Hellfire Club; it was still where the people who mattered gathered, just with one less cranky meglomaniac. But the effect on the Inner Circle and the plans Shaw had for them quickly disintegrated. His loss of power left a vacuum that nature only allowed for a moment.

Selene had waited for years, if not decades, for the opportunity. She had a lifespan long enough that while her whims could seem mercurial, the patience for her machinations to unfold seemed boundless. Once Shaw was arrested for his unfortunate assault on an international businessman, the poisoned whispers she had been planting since he slaughtered her followers took hold. Shaw's name was worth nothing, and someone of prominence needed to take control. Selene did it with smooth efficiency.

All of Shaw's promises were quickly discarded.

She was named Lady Paramount with her promises of righting what Shaw had taken so wrong. She embodied the hedonistic past of the Inner Circle but her alliances showed how she could rehabilitate the Inner Circle from the path it had been set on. Her dark yet silken touch seemed a balm after the iron grip.

All other chapters of the Hellfire Club around the world were still subordinate to the power of the New York chapter. However, Selene reversed much of what Shaw ordered. All other chapters would reform their ranking to her wishes. Once the more classically game rankings were applied, they formally acknowledged the New York chapter was in charge. Then it was in the other Clubs' hands to impress her and reap rewards from doing so. Selene's proper feudalistic system was more palatable than what had been put in place previously.

For the young, rich blood of New York, invitations were sent out for some functions held at the Club. After a couple, Selene had more secret invitations to those of Hellfire lineage, like Worthingtons, Wyngardes, Braddocks, and Frosts, as well as to those newer to society that showed promise Selene was looking for.

Selene kept tabs on the recipients of those special invitations and what they had done in the time after her ascension. When she had all of the international business settled, invitations to the young blood of New York City went out. They would be allowed, one by one, into one of the inner sanctum parlors where the Lady Paramount and Black Queen of New York City sat casually on the lone chair in the room.

One of her slender fingers idly tapped the rim of the wine glass with a very deep red liquid in it. The gatekeeper to the Inner Circle was ready.

Comments

[heirtoinhumanity]

Ahura had ensured that his visit was presaged by gifts- exquisite Attilanese crystal goblets, an elegant hardwood box, trimmed with gold, which contained a wide variety of useful compounds for magical spells and a ceremonial scepter made out of crystals black as obsidian and stronger than carbon steel, studded with blood-red rubies. They had come at considerable expense to him, but he was well enough aware of feudal etiquette- it was only traditional to give one's patron and liege lord rich gifts upon their moment of accession.

The moment also called for a new wardrobe- a new suit made by the best tailors in Milan, shirt and tie provided by top Parisian clothiers and immaculately shined shoes that came from Harrod's in London. He knew that his parents were slightly loath to extend him the finds needed, though he'd been able to argue that a prince of the Inhumans needed to be seen to live a certain lifestyle. He'd also seen fit to begin to establish some incomes of his own.

He imagined that there could potentially be quite a market for goods made in Attilan and, as he effectively controlled the supply, he could charge whatever the market could bear. Commerce was, of course, something of a tawdry thing, but Ahura knew he needed incomes separate from the generosity of his parents. It also gave him the chance to make more contacts, to become more widely known. The actual details of the business could be left to underlings.

When Ahura was ushered into Selene's chamber, he bowed deeply and respectfully.

"My Lady Paramount, I thank you for the honour of this audience."

Curious as he was regarding the precise reasons he summoned him- he had an idea but did not wish to be overly presumptuous, he left any inquiries out for the time being. He had far too much dignity himself, and too much respect for her lordly dignity, to ruin the moment thusly.

[ngm_hellfire]

Only a faint flicker of something crossed Selene's face when the doors opened to admit the young Inhuman prince. She nodded at the respect she was due. She set the glass in her hand aside.

"Young Master Boltagon, it's a pleasure to see you accepted my invitation. Your gifts were much appreciated." She tilted her head slightly as she glanced him over. They could exchange pleasantries and verbally take stock of one another again, but she had other people to see and the sooner she had a court, the happier she would be.

"How much do you know of the Inner Circle of the Hellfire Club?"

[heirtoinhumanity]

"I know that it is the secret elite who controls the Club- the chosen few who are favored by the Lady Paramount. That it is a signal honour to be among its ranks." That Ahura wanted very much to be among that chosen elite was something he did not explicitly say, though there was a glimmer of interest in his eye that Selene no doubt noticed. It would be difficult to say much more about it, Ahura thought, until it was known where he stood in it and what precisely Selene wished it to be.

Ahura was happy enough to get to business- Selene was a busy woman, especially at this time. Pleasantries could be exchanged at any time, but this was something more important than that.

Ahura had made it quite plain to her through his actions that he was interested and he believed that he was sufficient to the honour. He maintained his native dignity, however. He was a prince of the Inhumans and it was beyond unseemly for a prince to beg or scrape at even the most exalted lord's feet.

[ngm_hellfire]

"Oh, not just the Club, my dear prince. The Inner Circle are the elite of the world. And New York is at the very center of it. Though in recent years that has fallen off due to mismanagement. I intend to raise the Inner Circle back to its lofty status, and I need the right members to do so."

She ran a fingertip across the upholstered arm.

"From what I have gathered you wish to be among us. Is that true?"

[notmadeofglass]

When the first invitation arrived, one for some function at the Hellfire Club, Tina largely ignored it. There were some legacies that she didn't want any part of and she had a lot on her plate, professionally, anyway. The invitations did not stop, though, and when the final one arrived Tina found herself worn down. Or, perhaps, worn down was the wrong term. She was curious. She knew her mother would be furious, but something inside of her felt called.

It was purely chance that Christina Frost showed up at the Hellfire Club dressed in a gray so light it was just darker than white. She politely waited her turn and fought the urge to go diamond inside when she was lead into the inner sanctum and saw Selene perched on her chair.

Tina nodded her head in deference.

"Good evening."

[ngm_hellfire]

There was the faintest of smiles to grace Selene's lips as Emma's oldest daughter was lead into the parlor. Persistence did pay off again. She took a sip of the dark red liquid in her wine glass to cover it. Except the smile was more pleasant when the glass lowered.

"Good evening, Ms. Frost. I wasn't sure you would accept this invitation, but I'm glad to see you did. I had... double the reason to hope you would."

[notmadeofglass]

"I almost didn't," she said. Tina had her mother's inclination to speak without acknowledging rank, but when Tina did it there was more of an honestly to it. Emma had been plotting her way to the top from moment go. Tina's approach to situations lacked such machination and manipulation.

"Double the reason? I'm not sure I understand."

[ngm_hellfire]

"You have stronger familial ties to the Club than most." Her eyes momentarily narrowed in thought. Then a smile of realization twisted her lips.

"Your parents don't know you're here, do they?" Emma's ignorance was perfectly fine to Selene. Though the young lady's father brought an interesting twist if Tina did not know his identity. Oh, Donald, this would be so rich.

[kinetic_assault]

You can do this, Brianna. You must.

Six months had passed and Brianna was more certain of this path than when she'd originally cooked up the idea. Things were getting better in some places, worse in others. But the one thing she'd noted in the lat few months, the inescapable truth that filled her with determination and sadness was simple:

People with power made things happen. People without power got pushed around.

Someone had to be out there, fighting for mutant kind in the places that the X-Men didn't necessarily go. She had to get justice for those who weren't lucky enough to be at Xavier's.

She needed to get justice for Kayla.

It had taken some finagling of her accounts to hide the transactions from mother, but Brianna purchased a new, form-fitting black dress and black heels. She'd reached out to the Thieves Guild with the intent to determine if they'd allow her membership. She'd take the trial they set, when they set it. In the meantime, the other half of her legacy awaited.

She entered the inner sanctum and saw Selene on her throne. The image made Brianna want to vomit a bit inside, but she was here now. She couldn't turn back. She simply needed to keep this from Kayla until she could prove that her actions were for the greater good.

"Good evening, Lady Paramount. Thank you for your invitation. I hope you are well." Brianna said in a crisp English accent.

[ngm_hellfire]

While Selene had faint smiles of satisfaction for the entrances of the other invitees, when Brianna Lebeau come through the doors, it was definitely the swirl of amusement in the Black Queen's eyes. She set her wine glass aside, where it sat in mid-air like it was on invisible table.

"Miss Lebeau, what a pleasant surprise. I didn't think you'd be allowed by outside forces to venture this deep."

[kinetic_assault]

Brianna offered a polite bow, in keeping with her upper-class breeding, and smiled slightly at the comment. She was right, unfortunately. If any of the X-Men had known, or if Kayla knew, they'd have kept her from attending.

Her mother and father would not be happy.

"I'm charting my own course, Lady Paramount, and learning what power is available to me in this world to help my people." Brianna said honestly.

[ngm_hellfire]

"An ambition for power, I can understand. But the helping your people, I'm curious about. Is it true altruism or is it to cover something more punitive? Because you carry so many reasons on your shoulders. I'd like to know which ones whisper sweetly in your ear." She calmly watched the girl. Though even an eighty year old woman would be just a girl to Selene.

[atlanteanhellion]

To be fair, Kassi thought the invitation was for something Atlantean-related and she didn't want to piss off her dad. This informed her wardrobe choice, a teal green dress that fit her form snugly. It was cut low in the back because, unlike her father's behind-the-ear gill placement, Kassi's were subtle, but just under her shoulder blades. She looked a little sexy and every bit the mermaid she was. She was confident. Proud.

Her confidence didn't falter even as she was lead into a room that was definitely not related to anything Atlantean.

"Nice place," she said.

[ngm_hellfire]

Selene successfully managed not to snort the dark red liquid out of her nose when the next invitee was let in. She brought her wine glass down to rest on the arm of her chair.

"Ah, young Ms. McKenzie, what a surprise," she said amicably while her nose burned slightly.

[atlanteanhellion]

"Surprised that I showed up to your party?" Kassi smiled charmingly. She was, every inch, Namor's daughter.

[ngm_hellfire]

Selene paused. "Truthfully, yes. Your lack of interest in surface society and deep interest in punching things doesn't tend to make me think you'd be interested. Your dimensional half-brother, maybe, but he didn't get an invite."

[lena_essex]

Lena walked in to the throne room - for indeed, that was what it was - with a very handsome, yet strangely stiff young man on her arm. She stepped forwards, away from her companion, and curtsied lightly.

"My Lady Selene. It's always such a pleasure to receive an invitation from you. I've brought a gift."

She reached back and pulled the sunglasses from the young man's face, revealing dazed, glassy eyes.

"I've barely sampled it, just enough to make sure the vintage was... suitable. If you'd like, I can wake him up..."

[ngm_hellfire]

Selene let out an amused laugh. "You do know the best ways to appease my eldritch wants, my dear. But leave him in his stupor. We have business to attend to. I can take care of him later."

The Black Queen took a breath. "How much do you know of my promises to your father? For his beneficence so I claim my rightful place." It was truly kind of Sinister to not get in her way.

[lena_essex]

"Daddy has always spoken highly of you." It was true. Sinister admired Selene's power... and her genes. "And much less so of the unlamented Mr. Shaw. He believes you can return the Hellfire Club to its rightful greatness. I am aware he has supported your claim to it, without becoming directly involved himself."

[light_as_a_rock]

Eva fingered the engraved invitation nervously as she waited to be admitted to Selene's Inner Sanctum. She had been circulating in New York society long enough that she was no longer intimidated, or impressed for that matter, by much of anything, but the Hellfire Club - and Selene - were something entirely different. On many levels.

When she was called in, she nodded her head politely.

"Lady Paramount. Ah must tell you, Ah'm a bit surprised to get this invitation."

[ngm_hellfire]

"Ms. Worthington." She nodded a greeting as a pleased tremble threatened her spine. This was one invitation she wasn't sure would be accepted.

"Because of your family's occasional antagonism against the Inner Circle?" Selene waved the concern away with one hand.

"You are a Worthington, and a bright young mind on top of that. I'm looking for the best. So, why wouldn't I send an invitation?"

[light_as_a_rock]

"Antagonism is puttin' it mildly. Although my father... and my grandfather... and my great grandfather... and my great-great grandfather... have had some dealings with the Hellfire Club, Ah suppose."

[stolenlives]

This was the invitation he'd been working and waiting for. A hedonist from birth, Jerrard had spent the last two hundred years amassing the wealth necessary to lead the sort of life he so richly deserved. Now, all he needed was the power to go with it.

True, there was a certain level of... notoriety that came with his profession and he was very, very good at it. Still, the sort of influence he wanted wouldn't come at the end of a gun or needle. No, it was much more likely to come at the order of a queen. A stunningly beautiful, exceptionally dangerous one at that.

His favorite kind.

Jerrard dressed for the occasion, a dark suit meant to show wealth and taste as well as a healthy dose of ambition. Not that he'd made any secret of his ambition.

When he was shown into Selene's chamber, he bowed to her, reaching to take her hand and kiss it with a flirty smile. "My lady. I can't begin to tell you how delighted I was to receive your invitation."

[ngm_hellfire]

The woman on the throne-like chair smiled faintly as Jerrard approached her. The smile became a little less faint at the kiss on her hand and his words.

"Mr. Prideaux, I'm glad to see your taste and ambition are unwavering."

[stolenlives]

"Taste honed over a lifetime." Or several. "Ambitious from birth. I find there's no benefit to denying oneself whatever pleasure might be had from the moment." Fine spirits, fine women, power... what was it this country said? The pursuit of happiness? He pursueed it relentlessly. It just happened to come, occasionally, at the expense of another's happiness.

Such a shame.

"But, I can tell I don't need to tell you that. Rarely have I met someone with your sense of taste and exceptional beauty to boot. I am honored to be in your presence."