11124/Hellfire Club 101

Hellfire Club 101
Date of Scene:	11 May 2022
Location:	The Inner Sanctum - Hellfire Club
Synopsis:	Sebastian Shaw explains what is expected of membership in the Hellfire Club. Susan Richards exceeds his expectations.
Cast of Characters:	Sebastian Shaw, Susan Richards

---

Sebastian Shaw has posed:
The conclusion, of course, to any tour of the Hellfire Club's more private spaces will no doubt be the Inner Sanctum - the meeting place for the Inner Circle, or Council of Cardinals. It is rare that any who are not already among that body set foot in that chamber, but Susan Richards, the Invisible Woman, and member of the Fantastic Four, is certainly a rare guest. Escorted by none other than the Black King himself, Sebastian Shaw, Sue is able to cast her eyes on a room that itself has been viewed by a population of perhaps less than one hundred people living on the planet today.

"In here lies the real power within the Hellfire Club," intones Sebastian as he steps through the doorway, passing by a pair of attendants dressed in the standards of the club, Sue at his side. The attendants slide the door closed, leaving the Black King and Invisible Woman alone in the chamber.

The hand that bears the black ring of the king waves vaguely in the direction of the ornate black throne. "The members who sit upon the chairs are among the most powerful in the world - titans of industry, beings of incredible personal power, and influence." He glances over towards the large white throne. "Should you pass muster and join, officially, you can learn who would sit upon that, if he were to grace us with his presence." A smile twists over Sebastian's face. "Perhaps the only man on this planet that I would deem worthy of deferring to." For a man like Sebastian, that is quite an admission.

Susan Richards has posed:
Susan takes the chamber in with cool, collected detachment. Or, at least, with the calm and analytical efficiency of a woman who may in fact have previously brought her husband lunch through a dimensional portal. The imposing chamber may lack the shimmering energy of such a portal, but it's got its own oppressive, breath-stealing weight of import to it. Equal yet different.

Something for her to consider alongside the split of the Hellfire Club's court between Black and White.

As those blue eyes flick and survey, the few touches of modern technology are noted with the barest twist of lips at just how artfully it's been worked into the otherwise archaic, imposing decor.

She laughs softly, more an emphasized breath as she strolls along the polished floor, keeping pace with the Black King as she murmurs dryly. "Well, I'm sure he must have a compelling reason to be so occupied. Of course, dangling such a mystery in front of me doesn't exactly lessen my desire to find out." Her eyes glance sidelong to Shaw and she murmurs dryly, "I might almost think you were using it as a trail of breadcrumbs to entice me into making my decision without due thought!"

Sebastian Shaw has posed:
"He does," admits the Black King. "And no, Ms. Richards, of course it is but another in a long line of mysteries and enticements designed to achieve my ends." His gaze flickers over the chairs within the room. His 'ends' clear.

A slow smile spreads across his face as he crosses over towards the black side. "I would not want you to make any decisions in haste. Or without due thought." His gaze moves up towards the most ornate and imposing seat in the room - the Black Throne. "Because a commitment to the Hellfire Club is one made in blood, immutable. We do not allow resignations."

His gaze turns to regard the room as a whole. "When we gather, each King is joined by his Queen, and flanked by their Bishops, Knights, and Rooks. Together, the Council oversees the entirety of the influence of the Hellfire Club, and determines how we shall wield the influence over the rest of the world. What we hope to gain, and what we hope to accomplish." A pause. "You know of my power. My influence. Now imagine a Council of my peers." A pause. "Or as close to one may come to being my peer." His gaze drifts over again to the White Throne.

Susan Richards has posed:
Susan murmurs, thoughtful little noises, wordless, her mind clearly already working, eyebrow perking as she finds her gaze sweeping from throne to throne as she murmurs dryly, "Yes, well, that makes a certain amount of sense. One can't have one's shadowy organization moving the chess pieces with an astonishing turnover rate like you're just some venture capital firm."

Susan's head bobs, eyes calm, steady, and locked directly on Shaw as he bids her to imagine a council of his peers, and her lips quirk ever so slightly, the Invisible Woman immediately glancing to picture herself in one of the empty chairs as she murmurs. "Mh. Yes, that could be a force for change in the world. And as I said earlier, with things escalating worldwide, with the likelihood of reactions to Earth venturing into space, guidance is going to be of the utmost necessity. The Justice League will do their best of course. As will the Fantastic Four. To explain, to guide with the welcoming hand of optimism."

Those bright eyes give a small roll, something she can't fight off entirely, "But that only goes so far. There will be those who don't trust the League. Who don't believe in altruism. Those that don't need a welcoming hand, but a guiding one. The ones needing less of a gentle pull and more an irresistible.. shove."

Sebastian Shaw has posed:
A soft snicker. "I wonder, Ms. Richards, if you are taking this seriously enough." Sebastian's face is no joking matter. He has seen what has happened to those that have attempted to leave the Hellfire Club. There is been one way out.

As Susan begins to talk through of the hand of benevolence, Sebastian slips away from her, moving to the platform, slowly ascending to his throne. Is it necessary, with but one other soul in the room, to sit above and look down, presenting his position of power? Absolutely.

"You seem to have come to the same conclusion our founders did some time ago, Ms. Richards." He gazes downward, allowing Susan to see him in the majesty of his Throne. Perched above the room, just as the Hellfire Club perches above the rest of humanity. "You realize, of course, that our methods are incomparable to the Justice League, or your Fantastic Four, of course." His hands come to rest atop the arms of the throne. "We make the hard decisions that they cannot. And we have the conviction to stand behind them."

Susan Richards has posed:
Susan's eyebrows remain perked as she murmurs dryly, "Oh, don't let the sarcasm and humor deceive you entirely. It's just a well-honed defense mechanism to displaying genuine concern. I'm sure I'll let it down in time."

She snorts softly and crosses her forearms under her chest, fingers clasping her elbows as she seems to consider things, "Oh, I'm not even sure about that. It's human nature for those who have the determination and focus of purpose to take actions that the greater whole find unacceptable or abhorrent."

She chews her lower lip for a long moment, heels clicking as she continues her slow circuit of the chamber. "I don't doubt Superman's integrity or altruism. But I'm sure there are those in the League who have, or would, if the chips were down, take actions eh would disapprove of and keep them secret." She gestures with her left hand, sweeping across the arrayed chairs, "Even the Hellfire Club, whatever the intensity of the methods and focus on ensuring personal power and wealth, can be used for the greater good even if the greatest number of people cannot grasp the full picture of what the club does for them. It may ensure the wealth, power, and pleasure of its leadership, but if they in turn ensure the sun dawns another day, that seems like a net benefit to those who get to watch the sunrise."

Sebastian Shaw has posed:
"I would hope so. Some of our members are a bit...trigger happy." Real triggers? Maybe. Sebastian's smile is enigmatic.

He considers her words for a moment. "That may be so. But how many are willing to do that, particularly if they believe they will suffer from the opinions of those impacted, for better or for worse?"

The Superman example gives Sebastian pause. He reflexively looks to the White Throne. "There are some who would say that trusting the fate of the Earth to an alien not from this planet is the highest form of irresponsibility." Those are clearly someone else's words - the "some" is a specific individual, even from the way the cadence of the words comes out. "But you are correct. Precisely that." A smile crosses over his face. "Who is to judge if I can gain wealth, power..." He draws this one out. "...pleasure...." A smirk. "But provide for the common defense as I do so, right?"

Sebastian taps idly at the throne. "So tell me, Ms. Richards - what could you bring to the Hellfire Club? Why would you do that could benefit..." His hand waves around vaguely. "The Council. As a whole."

Susan Richards has posed:
Susan laughs out softly, perhaps a touch bitterly, lifting her hand with her palm up in a gesture of surrender on the point about people holding back due to worries on their reputation, "Oh, that's a very fair point. But that's /why/ this place is behind so many hidden doors, no? And honestly, the galas, the restaurants, the reputation for the..." Her lips press in a thoughtful frown as she searches for an artful euphemism, "Wilder aspects of the more private areas of the club being focused so very much on the /pleasure/ and less the /power/? It gives a degree of deniability. No one thinks the club full of alcohol and drugs and movie starlets is /actually/ a secret cabal."

One eyebrow quirks and she grins lopsidedly, head tilting coyly, "Why, isn't it obvious? Experience. With space. With the sort of technology that's likely going to start spreading like wildfire as soon as trade becomes regular enough that smuggling becomes a thing." She chews her lower lip and almost sighs out, "And an ability to shape the message. To turn the unexpected disaster of science gone wrong into the next press release about the stunning achievements made in the face of unfolding tragedy. The ends can justify the means, and I bring the clarity of focus that ensures the ends remain the focus of things, no matter how delightful /or/ distasteful the means."

Sebastian Shaw has posed:
The grin expands on Sebastian's face as he nods. "Billionaire playboys engaged in affairs that would make the folks from Eyes Wide Shut blush, surely no one could think that they had any degree of responsibility for anything. Let alone diabolical schemes that rely upon each other, when all of them are so normally..." Another wave of his hand. "Independent free thinkers." He chuckles. "Yes, Ms. Richards. The perfect cover. People suspect the Devil they can't see, they do not worry about the foolish Devil they do see, spending all of his time frolicking in a glade with scantily clad women." There is a pause, as if somehow that triggers a thought. Maybe an addition to his bucket list.

The pitch is good. She can see it in his face. His eyes flicker about, as if going over, one by one, the chairs on the council. Ticking off each by each. He nods, finally. "The Final Frontier." He reaches up and strokes his chin. "I judge your experience, expertise, and proposal worthy." Then his eyes narrow. "The only question remaining, Susan Richards, is whether you can stomach what you will need to do to truly be among us." He watches her intently.

Susan Richards has posed:
Sue bites her lower lip at the mention of billionaire playboys and their lack of responsibility. It's just a brief bite though, as her eyes roll and she laughs out softly and murmurs dryly, "Exactly! People... /the/ people, see what they want to see. Billionaires and movie stars and models hanging out, living carefree and without concern. They see what they'd like to have. Imagine if you had everything, that you'd simply loiter and linger and indulge."

She smirks almost ruefully, "Because until you have that, until you have more than you can spend, until you know more than you could ever forget, you don't realize the truth. There's always more still. Once you have enough, it's never enough." She gestures around the room once more, this time with both arms, "And once you have enough to see that, you realize it can all go away. Because of /people/. And you'll do what's necessary to protect you and yours, and protect them as well, even if they don't appreciate it."

And then that final question hangs, and Sue's blue eyes lock onto Shaw's gaze, her face almost emotionless, "I've made alliances I would have thought impossible to accept before to save part of my family. I will make ones they never know about to save them and the rest of the planet as well. Come now, Mr. Shaw. If a woman without powers can lift a car off her child to save them, what do you think I _wouldn't_ do to save the world?"

Sebastian Shaw has posed:
The words all ring true to Sebastian's ears. He nods along with all of Susan's points. Total agreement. "I am so glad to hear you say that, Ms. Richards." There is almost a full smile on his face. Almost.

"But actions speak louder than words here at the Hellfire Club." He looks up, and as if that were a cue, the doors slowly slide open. "We shall see if you truly have what it takes to sit on one of these thrones."

Susan Richards has posed:
As the doors to the chamber swing shut in the wake of Susan's test, the footsteps of two Hellfire Club attendants fading into the distance with a faint drag of fabric, Susan's hands flex and fidget the slightest, a slow squeezing into fists at her sides, bright eyes, burning with a daring, imperious intensity close.

She takes a full twenty seconds before she exhales slowly, and they open again. Cooler. Almost duller. A controlled facade back in place as she inhales once more, tongue wetting dry lips subtly. Her arms cross behind her back, hands clasping opposing elbows, heels clicking across the floor as she slowly approaches the dais that Shaw's throne rises above. "There's nothing I won't do for my family. For humanity's security. You may not always agree with my decision. But I will _always_ make the one I see as right."

Sebastian Shaw has posed:
The smile on Sebastian's face is both brilliant, and terrifying. He watches the attendants depart. He listens to that fading sound.

The moment hangs, suspended, as the doors slowly close behind them. Once more, the room is just Sebastian and Susan.

He waits, patiently, for that time. Watching her take each breath. Those twenty seconds that feel like an eternity, perhaps. He watches her approach the throne. He stares down at her. His smile evolves into a grin.

"Welcome to the Hellfire Club, Susan Richards." He extends out his hand. The one bearing the signet ring of the Black King. He watches her expectantly.

Susan Richards has posed:
Susan eyes that ring for a moment, before her hand reaches out, slipping into that extended one as she murmurs softly, voice dry, almost sardonic like it's just a defense mechanism, "I suppose I could have asked earlier if I'm supposed to kiss the ring if I'm welcomed in."

Her lips quirk slightly, a bit of a grin, a bit of a thoughtful scowl. "Of course, I suppose since my actual position isn't decided, that's probably premature, isn't it?"

Still, her hand is placed in his easily enough, one blonde eyebrow lifting, "Is there more to the tour? If not, I think I'd enjoy stopping at one of the facilities for a drink."

Sebastian Shaw has posed:
A soft smile from Sebastian Shaw. Friendly, almost. "You do not need to kiss anything, Ms. Richards." His fingers entwine with hers and he rises up from the throne, holding her hand as he slowly descends to stand next to her. "There are protocols in place, of course." He curls his hand with hers, preparing to walk and escort her.

"I believe you have seen, and done, enough for one day. There is always tomorrow." His eyes twinkle for a moment, and he slowly leads her towards the exit.