1045/Queen on the Diagonal

Queen on the Diagonal
Date of Scene:	07 April 2020
Location:	VIP Lounge - Hellfire Club
Synopsis:	Emma and Alton talk, Emma reminds the kid of some options he has, and his future fate.
Cast of Characters:	Alton Schmidt, Emma Frost

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Alton Schmidt has posed:
Alton's been a busy young man. He's got a girlfriend, he superheroes when he can, he has homework to do, school to do, friends to hang out with, and so much more. But...when his parents are far away, he will come here...not necessarily to party, or even for drinks, but to see the people dad trusts a lot. That's where much of the adult influences come from in his life. Well, except for those times it intersects with adult heroes, but even then, they aren't really familiar with his life.

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma has been a bit distracted of late: damage to the club, a new beau, a hostile corporate takeover that's stalling, her own attempts to help with the Genosha situation (openly and covertly)... The Club has been one of her happier places to be, and so she is there again this afternoon, sipping her second mai tai as she has settled into one of the couches in the VIP Lounge, the music turned to a very dull roar in the room so she can concentrate on the various documents she's working through on her tablet. She is business casual today, white slacks and a white blouse, her only accessories being the white choker at her neck and a LexTech smartwatch.

Alton Schmidt has posed:
Oh, hey, there she is. Dad always told him to find Emma or Sebastian if he wanted something or wanted to talk or anything like that. There's also Lex's political campaign, once he managed to get involved with that properly. That'd be another thing on his plate. So many things to do.

While Alton is snappily dressed as usual, with fitted clothes and all, he's been through a lot, lately. "Hey, Emma..." Hopefully she's not too busy with work. There's not too many people around at the moment...off hours, more or less.

Emma Frost has posed:
"Oh, hey Alton!" Emma gives the Legacy a distracted smile. "Shouldn't you be in--" she glances at the time on her tablet. "Oh." When did it get so late? She slips the tablet aside. "How have you been?"

Alton Schmidt has posed:
"...A little tired. I've got so many things to do these days...I'm sure there's a trick to managing it all, but if there is, nobody's seen fit to tell me." Looking at the computer. "Work related, isn't it? How do you manage it all?"

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma lifts a brow. "Forgoing sleep, for the most part," she says dryly. "Multitasking. Delegating what you can, prioritizing what you can't." She snorts. "Pharmaceutical assistance. Everyone has their own unique blend of these things. Some manage well. Most don't, if we're being fair." She taps the tablet. "Yes, work. When you are at the level of a company I am, you're never really //not// at work, even if you're not in the office."

Alton Schmidt has posed:
"...Not the first time I've heard that. Dad...reminds me to enjoy my youth as much as I can. When I inherit our company, my free time will look a heck of a lot like yours. Not exactly 'free' anymore." He seems confident, though, that inheriting all the Schmidt family has built is ultimately in the cards for him. "...Unfortunately, I can't delegate schoolwork. Or, well, I could, but it kinda defeats the point of learning things."

Emma Frost has posed:
"I enjoyed most of mine when I was your age," Emma says idly. "But I was also at a private school and our lessons were largely privately focused and tailored for each of us. I can't imagine having to sit in a large classroom with a bunch of idiots like I did in college, allegedly 'learning' the basics. Grade school is much better focused, I think."

Alton Schmidt has posed:
It's an interesting choice. The Schmidt family in the world could send their son and heir to literally any school on the planet...and there he is at Happy Harbor. Maybe it's for 'socializing' purposes? He did meet his girlfriend there. "...Speaking of which, how do you manage a relationship in the middle of all that? Relationships...take work. Almost as much work as running a company. At least, if you wanna do it right it is."

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma laughs at that. "Don't ask me, Alton. Every date I've been on until Alex was set up by Father. Most of them didn't work out." That's an understatement. Most of them don't remember much at all, not that she's going to say it. "Honestly, I'm not even sure I have time for an actual relationship. Most of us don't-- it's less like what the lower class thinks of dating and a lot more like nobility. Courting, not dating; being seen in public together, and then if everyone's financial and private interests align, a nice expensive wedding, heirs, and corporate mergers."

Alton Schmidt has posed:
"...interests aligned, and old style courting. ...I get it now. Dad doesn't care what I do unless it gets super serious, or the girl gets knocked up. ...And that's exactly the way the teachers said it was in the medieval world. The nobles could get up to all sorts of things, but unless it got serious, or a bastard happened..." Of course, it's not totally the same, a woman's virginity used to be valued much higher. Now, not so much.

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma shrugs. "Pretty much. And if she gets knocked up, both of you are idiots-- either incidentally or purposefully. Functional, semi-permanent birth control is easy to get." She taps her left bicep. "No monthly cycles, either. It's really a win-win." She sighs. "I mean, you could always just do what Shaw does: ignore the demands to marry and have legitimate heirs, and keep your lower class girlfriend as your personal assistant slash concubine. It seems to work all right for them."

Alton Schmidt has posed:
"The world is full of idiots, but /I/ don't have to be one. And yeah, I did think of that. Protection is being used, and I double dipped by making sure she has her own pills and whatnot." Sebastian's living situation is...interesting. But calling her a concubine..."Is that what you're gonna do with your boyfriend? Make him your assistant/concubine?" Because in this modern world, gender roles flip all the time.

Emma Frost has posed:
"Doubtful. He's an academic-- a scientist. If I'm incredibly lucky and get to keep him longer than a few months? He'll probably end up my 'dirty little secret' that's entirely not a secret; while I'm married off to someone like Lex." There's only a mild touch of bitterness at that last bit. "But we'll see. Stranger things have happened." Emma drains the last of her mai tai. She holds up a hand, stopping the bartender from making her another. "Pills are unreliable. You have money. Pay for her to get something that's not something she can convienently 'forget', Alton."

Alton Schmidt has posed:
"Married off to...that sounds like it's your dad's choice more than yours. But...do you even like Lex that way? I mean, he's a great guy, and he'll do great things for the country, but there's a certain...I dunno, don't passions need to match?" But he nods at the better birth control. He'll hook her up with the good stuff. "Thanks for the reminder about birth control. I forgot about those patch things." He feels like he should've remembered that.

Emma Frost has posed:
"Not the patch. She can remove it. IUDs or a implant. Those require a doctor to remove-- which makes it far less likely someone can forget about them." Emma looks pretty unyielding on that. "And it's less father's choice, exactly. More like doing what's best for the family and the company. You may recall my older brother? Who was banned from the club? That was because he wasn't willing to do what was best for the family. Passion is fleeting, Alton. Its easy to manufacture, and easy to go without. Family is everything."

Alton Schmidt has posed:
Implants. Got it. "Right. Implant it is. I thought I read somewhere those IUD things can hurt a woman." And he prefers not to hurt his girlfriend. Or any woman really. It's not lost on him that Emma tapped her bicep, either. "Well, you got me thinking about old nobility, and how arranged marriages work, so I guess I thought that meant your dad was picking for you." But...mmmm. Best for the family. "...The girl I'm with now...hell, practically any girl at that school...isn't going to be what's best for our family, is it? I mean, maybe I don't have to think about it yet, as long as they all have implants. But long range? ...I'll probably have to do better."

Emma Frost has posed:
"Half the reason the club exists is to facilitate socializing with your own strata. That leads to suitable matches, generally." Emma sighs. "Most of us are loathe to admit it publicly, but truly... we //are// the effective nobility of the world now. And there are reasons throughout history such things have been as they are."

Alton Schmidt has posed:
"...There's not a ton of younger girls in the club. Almost all of them are older by a year or two. But none of that matters in the long run." No worries. "...Or do you have ideas already?" It's not an accident that, Sebastian aside, most tend to marry their own kind. "...Every people of every age need leaders. And in turn, those leaders need workers to make their leadership mean something. And so it is the nobility grow in strength, while what little strength the peasantry had slips away."

Emma Frost has posed:
"Precisely." Emma gives a helpless shrug. "That is the way of the world. Of course, there's also a responsibility to take care of the peasantry. Many forget that part, but..." She stands. "Speaking of, I have an appointment this evening I must prepare for. It was good talking to you, Alton. I'll see you around the club."

Alton Schmidt has posed:
"...Thanks for reminding me of stuff. And...yeah. There's a lot of ways to take care of the peasantry. Some of us do a better job of it then others...you can generally see it by whether or not said peasants consider your company a great place to work. And that's just one factor. Charity...we do a lot of that too, though it's also for tax writeoffs."

"Yeah. Thanks for talking. After dad went home...it's hard to find trustworthy adults around." So he appreciates this.