11704/Nico's Goth Delivery Service

Nico's Goth Delivery Service
Date of Scene:	22 June 2022
Location:	Tessa's Suite - Hellfire Club
Synopsis:	Nico brings Tessa her dinner as part of her duties at the public facing side of the Hellfire Club. They have a discussion about her mentoring under Selene, and possibly taking on further duties than simply room service delivery.
Cast of Characters:	Nico Minoru, Tessa

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Nico Minoru has posed:
    Nico Minoru, runaway, vagrant, constantly on the grind... and as of late, mystical apprentice to one Selene Gallio. But just because she's got a mystical tutor doesn't mean that need to be independent has dampened any.

Of course, being in the environs of the Hellfire Club, running her usual tarot reading routine hasn't been possible. But the benefit of a Club full of myriad, high class clubs is that there's always a need for waitresses, hostesses and dancers.

    And, given the width and breadth of VIP suites, there's always a need for room service attendants.

    Clearly, it's some mixture of duties between one and the other that has Nico making her way through the halls of the club carrying a silver tray towards a particular room, even though she's dressed like a modern reinterpretation of a 1920s lounge singer... after all, she wasn't going to give up her particular goth style, and so her hair is styled carefully, short but not /too/ short, bangs hanging down to obscure her left eye, her right shadowed dramatically dark against her pale skin, lipstick a dark purple that's almost black except in bright light. And her slim body is sheathed in a dark dress, a plunging neckline and bare shoulders, the sleek neckline narrowing to a sharp point just north of her navel. The dress itself barely covers her upper thighs, so brazenly on display with the sleek, dark heels she wears.

    Nico probably wouldn't admit it... but she's getting used to the rhythms of mystical study and service industry work. But then, maybe she's just getting used to not having to try and sleep at the public library without getting ticketed for loitering.

Tessa has posed:
Nico's room service quest takes her to the sixth floor suites, and specifically to Room 640. This is the room of one Tessa Fox. The raven-haired woman is a mainstay of the Club. If Nick is especially observant, she's seen Tessa around. Lurking in the background, tending to various affairs in quiet and unobtrusive ways.

When Nico arrives, Tessa is not alone. The woman is seated in a chair next to a decorative mirror set over a table. She's wearing a dark purple bathrobe tied tightly around her waist. Her hair is done up in a pristine Victorian bun.

Tending to Tessa is a blonde woman dressed in what Nico probably understands by now to be a uniform for the inner layers of the Club, almost the Playboy Bunny outfit of this space. A black corset, matching thong, garter belt, stockings, heeled boots, choker... The woman has a small bottle of something and is drawing from it into a syringe.

"Is the measurement exactly what I specified?" Tessa says, and then looks to the syringe to confirm. She seems to only need a glance. "Good. Inject..." Tessa looks in the mirror, and then takes what looks like an eyebrow pencil and makes a small dot not far from her left eye. "Here."

Tessa waits until the injection has been administered before speaking to the Nico in the mirror behind her. "You're three minutes early."

Nico Minoru has posed:
Nico took the dress code of the inner portions of the club in stride when Selene introduced her... maybe with a little bit of biting her cheek to prevent herself from making an inadvisably snarky remark. But it's been weeks now, and she keeps seeing it. So when she slips into Room 640 after a soft knocking and a delicate pause counted down in her head... just to let anyone who needs to get decent do so, she's hardly surprised at what she finds inside.

She doesn't even really jolt at the syringe being filled. Although the injection point does earn the slightest little flinch, it might even rattle the tray a touch when the needle goes in and she can't help but flinch slightly.

"Oh! ...Well, I /did/ badger the kitchen staff a little intently." She presses those dark lips into a thin, mock-serious line, "Also, I hit the elevator door close button on my way up when I knew someone was trying to get on with me."

She glances down at herself, hips cocking to one side, then the other. "Also, the dress hasn't got pockets, so I don't have my phone. And I don't own a watch because... I mean, club decor aside it /is/ the twenty first century." She clears her throat softly, "No offense."

Tessa has posed:
Tessa continues watching Nico through the mirror. The woman tending to her is discarding the syringe and unwrapping a new one, to draw out a bit more fluid from the bottle. "The kitchen staff is intimately familiar with my desired meal times," she says, her tone neutral and indifferent.

Tessa examines the new syringe and nods, then uses her pencil to mark a corresponding spot on the other side of her face. After it's injected, Tessa says, "Thank you." The attendant gathers her things and moves to leave without a word.

"Miss Minoru, correct?" Tessa stands up. "You arrived during a bit of periodic aesthetic maintenance." She then explains, like she thinks Nico might not get it, "Botox." She moves to her dining table, sitting and ready to be served. "A fine watch is a solid investment. Not to mention a display of one's comparative means."

Nico Minoru has posed:
Nico bobs her head, doing her best to put on an impassive mask of 'underling earnestly and intently absorbing every word of her superior', even if the earnestness doesn't quite reach those dark eyes. But still, she handles the second injection and the attendant breezing out without another rattle of the tray. "Oh, yes, well I'm afraid I've mostly been attending to Ms. Gallio, and there's been... shall we say minimal engagement of kitchen staff?"

Her eyebrows perk slightly, and she shifts into motion smoothly, swaying across the room tray held just so, hips swaying with precision in rhythm and motion, without any difficulty.

She allows the slightest, crooked little smile as she passes right over the aesthetic maintenance she interrupted and bobs her head, beginning to lay out the tray, cutlery... maybe not as smoothly as one of the experienced waitstaff would, but she's at least at 'gifted amateur' level. "Oh, I'll have to keep that in mind. Truthfully, I haven't actually... considered where my pay is going. Or if I'm getting any. I think I'm getting recompense in room and board, and... tutoring."

Tessa has posed:
When Nico says that Selene has had minimal engagement with the kitchen staff, Tessa arches a brow. "I should hope not," she says, her tone neutral but knowing.

Tessa watches Nico, offering no comments on her performance. Still, she doesn't hide that she's watching. Perhaps that's statement enough, unto itself. "Ah. A protege of Miss Gallio. Quite a prestigious appointment. Do make the most of it. And if you are lacking for funds, Miss Minoru, we should address that matter at once."

Nico Minoru has posed:
Nico's response to arched brown and neutral tone is the faintest, darkest glimmer in her eyes as she nods ever so slightly and murmurs dryly, "Yeah, that kind of says it all, right?"

She moves smoothly until she's arranged Tessa's meal and steps back, hands clasping in front of her hips, standing like a lady in waiting as she hums softly, "Oh! Well, that's really very generous, Miss. I mean, the accommodations alone have been more than pleasant enough." She grins lopsidedly and huffs out a soft sigh, "And I've been rather occupied studying and learning... both the subjects Ms. Gallio is tutoring me in, and the workings of the club. Well, the workings of the..." Her lips twist thoughtfully. She knows there's a hidden side to the club that she's only seen the very tip of. And there's no way the hedonism and ritualism she's seen is the /entire/ iceberg. "Day to day /typical/ club activity, yes?" She snorts softly and murmurs out, "I suppose I /do/ have the funds to afford some watches... and I really doubt anyone I deal with day to day would worry if they were genuinely expensive..." She glances sidelong at Tessa and stage whispers, "But I might need you to keep my secret then!"

Tessa has posed:
When the tray is lifted, Tessa's meal is revealed. High protein, minimal carbs, the sort of meal that a dietician would recommend for someone looking to stay in fighting shape. She lifts her fork and knife and converses while she eats. She never speaks with her mouth full. Her manners and etiquette are immaculate.

"Don't bother," Tessa says. "Anyone who knows the value of a Rolex knows how to spot a fake." Not exactly true, but Tessa won't have Club staff wearing Folexes.

"How do you find the 'typical' Club activity, then?"

Nico Minoru has posed:
Nico's lips press into a thoughtful little line, "Well, that's true enough... the clientele here are..." She tilts her head thoughtfully, "Well, /mostly/ a cut above the rest of the clubs in the city."

She draws a slow breath, brow furrowing ever so slightly in genuine thought, "I mean, this is the first club I've ever actually officially worked at. I /do/ know firsthand that the Halloween galas are like... unrivalled. Beyond next level." She sighs out and shrugs her shoulders, "But I mean, I might be biased. The one I went to ended with me getting like... an actual demonic contract for my soul." She pauses again, "Oh, I didn't sign it though."

Tessa has posed:
Tessa listens as she eats. She seems unfazed by anything Nico says, though she does glance at the goth girl frequently. Tone of voice, body language, every last detail committed to memory, put aside to be analyzed as needed. "Why not?" Tessa asks, after a drink of water.

Nico Minoru has posed:
Nico seems to consider that question for a long moment, shoulders rising in a helpless shrug afterwards, "It wasn't really a good deal? It was /super vague/ about what I'd get to learn and what would be done with my soul." She quirks her lips slightly, "I mean, truthfully I kinda thought it was just some guy hitting on me. Like, why'd a /demon/ show up to a Halloween party dressed like a pirate? But then I showed it to... ah... a friend at the time, and he was /pretty/ clear signing it was a bad idea."

Tessa has posed:
Tessa seems satisfied with this answer. At least, as far as she's willing to broadcast. She gives Nico a single nod. "Good instincts, then," she says. "The pursuit of power is a trap into which many hurl themselves without consideration."

Tessa continues eating for a few beats, then speaks again. "With what you have experienced of the Club, and of Miss Gallio... If I was to ask you to encapsulate your impression of the Club into one word or phrase, Miss Minoru, what would that word or phrase be?"

Nico Minoru has posed:
Nico's eyebrows perk, the question seeming to knock her back a step as she hums softly. Less so the remark about people diving into pursuits of power without thinking... she /does/ get tangled up in magic shenanigans on the regular, and they /all/ seem to come down to that. Old hat for the goth, really.

But the Club is different, and Selene is... /very/ different than her usual acquaintances. She draws a slow, deep breath, really just buying time.

Her mind whirls through what she's experienced of Miss Gallio and the club, "I... well, 'hedonistic' doesn't seem to really... go far enough?" She screws her face up a little and murmurs out, "I mean, I met her at a store just..." She clears her throat, deadpanning, "Dressing as Miss Gallio dresses."

Tessa has posed:
"Ah, yes. Miss Gallio tends to set her own rules, so to speak, when outside of the Club." Tessa is making short work of her dinner.

"I would agree that 'hedonistic' is incorrect." Tessa looks Nico up and down. "It is a component to the Club, but truly not its purpose. Those who mistake it for such tend not to advance very far. Then again, perhaps they are content in seeking pleasure and nothing more."

Tessa finishes her meal. She sets her fork and knife down on the plate. "You seek more, do you not, Miss Minoru? Even if you do not yet know what 'more' is."

Nico Minoru has posed:
Nico's lips press in an even thinner line as she murmurs softly, voice suddenly serious, cool, and all too controlled. "Oh, yes. Well, secret societies that coalesce around the quest for more and more power do tend to take on... certain ritualistic trappings beyond hedonism. Though I'm sure someone somewhere's written some sort of paper about how often they involve some level of hedonism and what it means for society."

Those dark eyes are intent now, studying Tessa slowly, "But for all the cloak and dagger and hidden secrets of this place... well, you don't all strike me as a death cult trying to end the world." She shrugs her shoulders and puffs out a breath, "So, you know, you're hardly the worst organization I've ever had to deal with. And Ms. Gallio's tutoring is invaluable."

Tessa has posed:
"The word I would use to describe the Hellfire Club, Miss Minoru," Tessa says, "is 'opportunity.'"

Tessa looks at Nico for a long, long, silent moment. "Do you feel that the Hellfire Club is affording you every opportunity that it can?"

Nico Minoru has posed:
Nico lets out a low murmur, one eyebrow lifting slightly, "Well, it's certainly been... more of an opportunity than hitchhiking around the tristate area. But more?" That lifted eyebrow arches further and she lets out a slow breath.

"I'm sure there are more opportunities that I could avail myself of. I might need to think about it." She smirks lopsidedly, "I mean, aside from the hedonism and getting a ticket to the next big gala so I don't have to /sneak/ in."

Tessa has posed:
"Do you find that the work asked of you by the Club suits you?" Tessa asks. "Does it provide you the opportunity to make those choices about what to pursue, and what not to pursue?" Carting room service trays hither and yon...

Nico Minoru has posed:
Nico's eyebrows perk and she shrugs lightly, "I mean, it's a job, right? It's definitely probably better than working for another club. There's a good variety of customers, the different establishments all have their own style so things never really get boring." She gestures to the tray, "And, you know, if I'm feeling like working a little less in the public eye, there's these room service gigs." She smirks crookedly and sighs out, "I mean, getting involved in anything more... intense? That'd take some serious thought."

Tessa has posed:
"Then give it some serious thought," Tessa replies. "We have an opening for an ecdysiast. You strike me as someone who might be suited to the job, if you wished to try out for it." Tessa pauses, then explains, again like she thinks Nico might not get it: "A striptease artist."

"The schedule is not strenuous, so it should not interfere with your studies under Miss Gallio." Tessa quirks a brow. "It is also /very/ well compensated. And you would have the opportunity to spend more time in the... comparatively hidden side of the Club."

Nico Minoru has posed:
Nico clears her throat and mutters dryly, "Well, that /does/ seem like the kind of job I'd get offered after that Halloween party. Although /technically/ I didn't strip, I just... magically transformed my clothing in a suggestive manner." She pauses for another moment, "That... wouldn't be part of the act. The magic. It's a finite resource, and... well, it's a little complicated. But I imagine that wouldn't actually be a problem."

She bobs her head and chews her lower lip for a long moment, "But I could definitely increase my duties around here."