15150/A trip to the VIP room.

A trip to the VIP room.
Date of Scene:	15 June 2023
Location:	VIP Lounge - Hellfire Club
Synopsis:	Franklin has a talk with Selene, she tries to figure out what he wants, and Franklin just overshares.
Cast of Characters:	Franklin Richards, Selene Gallio

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Franklin Richards has posed:
Franklin smiles, and walks quietly into the VIP area quietly wearing a dark black hoodie, over his well-made relaxed black outfit. The hoodie is up, and yes he has been stopped multiple times as they check his age. He had been here... once long ago, and talked to someone calling themselves the Prince of Hell, but had not had reason to come back since. He needed a place to think, and consider his stance on things, and while he had surrounded himself with good guys with good morals, sometimes a change of scenery was worth it.

Most would know who he is once they saw his ID (From the carding earlier) and while he didn't have any 'rank' of course, he was allowed in with little issues as he had been invited before.

On his shoulder sat a Raven with a metal beak that stood stock still, and if asked he would tell them it was a fake bird to please not worry about it, adding a little influence when he needed to, so he had been allowed. If one stared at it long enough though it does blink now and then. If one is able to sense mental feelings they could tell the bird was afraid, it had heard of places like this but never has been in one. Franklin would make his way to the bar, and take a seat asking the bartender. "Water, or green tea if you have it." he says, and is stopped by the Bartender again asking his age. Not that he was getting alcohol, but this was a at least on the front a fine establishment that didn't just let kids come in.

Pulling back his Hoodie Franklin reveals himself, and shows an ID. His face is well known, so it isn't any real secret to who he is, but for what he can do someone needs to be well connected. Franklin is quiet again in his own world as he waits for his drink pondering what to do next, and how much he should do, as his experiment with Deadpool did not work out as expected.

Selene Gallio has posed:
The arrival of a being of such tremendous repute and power as Franklin Richards does not go unnoticed at the Hellfire Club. From the moment of his arrival, the Black Queen was made aware of their guest, such that by the time he has arrived at the VIP Lounge, Selene is able to walk in just after him. Trailed by a cape of black silk attached at the shoulder straps of her tighting fitting black leather corset, she is wearing little else, matching to an extent the attire of some of the other hosts of the Club. Long pale legs are mostly exposed aside from the high cut thong, and the nearly knee length black leather boots that sound a clacking on the floor audible even above the quiet din of conversations between the rich and powerful.

She floats up to find a spot to stand at the bar just to Franklin's side, her gaze upon the bartender. She need not speak, as with but a glance he hurries off to prepare a glass of pinot noir for her. When you are the Queen, it is easy for them to anticipate your needs.

Franklin Richards has posed:
Franklin doesn't sense her coming as he is lost in thought quietly he thinks about life in general, and considers. It is perhaps when the clacking sound stops again as Selene floats up to take a seat. Franklin glances over at her, and then the cape then glances up at her confused, "You must have practiced quite a bit not to trip over that," he mentions. Then glances at the Bartender, and sees his reaction stopping he thinks a bit about last time it was theoretically the prince of hell, and the bartender didn't act like that.

Franklin's eyes narrow, but not out of suspicion, more realizing that whoever this is might be more than they appear, and she appeared a lot with that outfit.

Franklin falls back into silence for a moment to consider if he continues talking to her. She did sit next to him, but people are rather touchy in here. A place full of possible villains, and they didn't get along well with others... Go figure! Though this thought makes him suddenly chuckle just a bit before he looks down, hoping he didn't just embarrass himself too much randomly chuckling at nothing.

For now, Franklin doesn't say anything else, watching her. He just reaches up and pets the crow, which if it could sweat, would be right now as unlike Franklin, it feels wrong around these two.

Selene Gallio has posed:
"Oh, it comes to you with time," replies Selene, her voice a velvet laid over steel, with an accent that does not quite match any that Franklin may have heard before. Once addressed she turns, resting her hip against the bar as she fully faces Franklin now. "It is mostly ornament, of course, although it certainly has its uses...from time to time." She holds out her hand as the pinot is placed within, and she brings it to her lips for a sip as she watches him over the glass. "Everything serves a purpose, of course." Black from her lips remains on the rim of her glass as she sets it back down on the counter.

"What is your purpose, I wonder," she muses, tilting her head so her long back tresses slide off to reveal one nearly bare shoulder, obscuring the other.

There is the barest of glances at the raven, a quick assessment, before her eyes return to Franklin's.

Franklin Richards has posed:
Franklin considers her words and nods, as he listens. It has been a while since he heard a dialect he had not yet covered, so it was a unique experience that made him happier. Though he doesn't ask where, as here those questions usually did not end with answers you wanted to hear, so he fought past his curiosity this time. He glances at the cloak again and sighs a bit at his meagerness next to her lavishness, but he never really liked the shiny things, as wealth really was not that important to him.

Franklin watches her and asks, "Is it really that good?" he asks seriously for a moment, the curiosity getting too much with both that and the other purposes. "I do not drink," he explains a bit. "Not that I can't, just too many responsibilities," he admits. He goes quiet again, unsure why he tells strangers the weirdest things, then tries again. "My purpose? Here or in general?" he then stops, rubbing his chin. "Though this time it might be the same thing," he sighs a bit. "I am rather dull... Other than being a terror on Dippin' Dots, I seem to be at a quandary on what I should do next," he admits... again. Franklin just sighs, as he has to stop being so honest with strangers.

He glances up at her and asks, "What about you? I mean, you have the riches, from how you're making my friend react, I am assuming you have the power. What is left? Don't tell me the world, trust me, you don't want it," he says with a chuckle. "It never goes the way you planned, and when you're done, you just think, 'Why did I waste my time doing this?'" The bartender returns with the water, and the bartender is holding it in a specific fashion with his hand over the top as he gives Selene a questioning look. Of course, a single nod, and he would unquestionably drop whatever it was into the water for her.

This whole time, the bird has entered pretend-to-be-fake mode and continues to be silent, just staring off away from both of them.

Selene Gallio has posed:
Watching Franklin's eyes move over her cape, Selene chuckles softly. "It /is/ a bit ostenatious for the day, is it not?" She reaches up with both hands, stretching her arms and bending them back to unleash the buckles at the top of the corset. Somehow, before the cape has a chance to drift too far from her shoulders on the of Hellfire Club's similarly clad hosts is on the scene, collecting the cape and disappearing with it. It is at that moment that she spots the bartender, and her eyes for a moment flash in fury. She turns and leans across the bar, a hand raised to draw the bartender closer. Her lips move to his ear, but even so the words of the whisper are audible.

"Do not mess with our young friend here. He is our guest." The bartender pales at her words and pulls back. The lean, now sans cape, exposes the fact that the corset, tight as it is, is barely a presence on her back, most of that pale skin revealed save for the cords and bindings that keep the corset affixed to her front. She turns her head to regard Franklin, the fire in her eyes fading as a smile slowly returns. "The only thing left for me is to see what enlightenment I can bring to others. I crave not power or riches for myself." She straightens, and looks into his eyes. "What is it that you truly crave?"

Franklin Richards has posed:
Franklin looks away out of embarrassment as Selene unbuckles the cape, though he chides himself again and realizes it really isn't anything to be ashamed of. He turns to see the others disappearing with a small nod. "That isn't bad. You just keep them to do that?" he considers. He doesn't have cloak people. Maybe that is something he should try. No, it would require a cloak, and unlike Selene, he doesn't look that good in one. He smiles as she talks to the bartender and nods to himself. Franklin isn't sure what's going on, but he's glad that whatever it is, the staff knows to stop messing with him. He grins and considers that maybe they will only card him a couple of times now.

He thinks about her words for a bit. "Being a muse is not bad. I tried the guru thing once, but the planet was eaten," he sighs, looking down. "What do I want?" He sighs again, thinking hard on it, and doesn't answer right away. It's a tough question for him, and his desires shift here and there as he tries to find his place. Finally, he says, "I want to feel something." Then he quickly raises a hand, "Hold on... not what I meant. I am not hitting on you," he says, smiling a bit, not wanting to offend her by coming across as some pickup guy. "I mean more than that. I mean..." He pauses, thinking about it. Eventually, he says, "I have seen many things. I have seen my whole family poof gone. I have seen the world taken over by Brood. But it means nothing, as it is no longer true. This place, and all that one has worked on, could be gone tomorrow like it never happened. Because if you don't... even worse things could happen." He frowns, looking at his water, lost in thought.

"Do you dream, Miss?" he suddenly asks, out of nowhere, curious as dreams are the one thing that ties us together. However, he quickly adds, "Oh... umm, I am sorry. I don't mean to pry." He glances around. "I know this place is big on its secrets," he chuckles a bit, raising his hands as a gesture of understanding. "Not judging, just saying."

Selene Gallio has posed:
There is a brief, secret smile on Selene's lips as Franklin looks away, but it is gone by the time he looks back. "No, but they happen to know how to be at the right spot at the right time." She leans back a bit, her hand stretching behind her to retrieve her glass of wine, as she continues to study him. An eyebrow arches when he says he is not hitting on her.

"It would not be a problem if you were. I am rather used to that." She takes another long sip of her wine, and makes a clear display of looking him top to bottom again with her eyes. "Sometimes I am rather pleased by it, if we are being honest." The glass is set back down on the counter, as she thinks on his question.

"I do, but rest assured, my dreams are of a sort that you would not want to venture into. Not if you want to keep your sanity."

Franklin Richards has posed:
Franklin blushes a bit and looks at his water. "Well, still, it wasn't my intention. You're a very pretty lady, but I would become more boring quickly, so I'm not really worth your time," he notes with a small grin as he rubs the back of his head. "Besides, I'm sure there are way better guys out there for you. I heard Lex is single? I mean, he is the president, right? Still wouldn't stand a chance," he chuckles a bit, turning away.

"But I am curious, if I said I could get you anything. Right here, right now... What would you ask for?" he smiles a bit but still looks down. "I know it's silly, but when I try to picture what it is for me, I just draw a blank anymore." He does smile warmly. "Though I'm glad you can be honest. It's kind of refreshing to drop the extra stuff sometimes, isn't it?"

He then thinks about dreams. "Interesting, which means either you've lost your sanity or have somehow retained it despite the severity," he notes a bit. He smiles. "Well, if you're crazy, you're highly functional, so I would say you handle it well."

Selene Gallio has posed:
"Who are you to say what is and is not worthy of my time?" Selene reaches out with a black lacquered fingernail, with an attempt to draw Franklin's face back to her by a touch to his chin, if she can. "I already said I am not interested in wealth or power, so why would I debase myself for someone like Luthor?"

She considers his question for a moment. "Satisfaction," she says, after a moment of thought. "No matter how much I have, I can never feel a sense of satisfaction." She smiles up at him. "Perhaps we should seek out something to fill that blank space in you, as well."

"Or perhaps I understand my dreams in a way no one else truly could, and so they pose no harm to me."

Franklin Richards has posed:
Franklin smiles and turns to face her. "True, I apologize. That was thoughtless of me," he says honestly, then ponders for a moment. He stops, trying to think of how to express himself. "If you wish to meet again after this, I would be happy to. There's a place I think you might enjoy, but fate has determined that this is neither the time nor the place for it to happen," he sighs and shrugs. "It's not my call on this one... I'm sorry," he genuinely apologizes, as if he had already known part of the outcome of the day.

"Regarding satisfaction... thought," he brings up, hoping to change the subject a little. He looks a bit braver when talking about abstract things. "There are many ways to find satisfaction. It depends on what you find fun," he muses for a moment. "When was the last time you did something just for the fun of it? I don't mean like slaughtering villages or anything like that. I mean... like turning half of a planet's people blue for a week," he chuckles.

While he does chuckle at her response to dreams, all he says is, "Interesting. Very good answer. I'll be sure to steer clear if I start heading that way," he grins a bit, indicating he might be joking.

Selene Gallio has posed:
Selene nods at the offer to meet again, her lips twisting into that smile once more. "I do so wish, yes." She listens as he speaks of fate, and then simply shrugs. "I have found that fate is what you make of it, but I shall not argue with you on that point, nor ask you to apologize. Come and retrieve me when the time and space are correct, and I will be happy to see what you wish to show me."

A slow shake of her head. "I would not do such things, of course. But I suppose it has been some time since I did something just for the fun of it." She nods, peering ino his eyes. "Yes, perhaps I should let you guide me to something fun to do." She taps her lips in thought.

Then, another laugh. "Yes, do steer clear." Does she imagine that he is earnest in saying he could navigate her dreams? Unclear.