18523/Potential Equations

Potential Equations
Date of Scene:	06 July 2024
Location:	Lily Anne's Lounge - Hellfire Club
Synopsis:	Tessa meets Jennifer Stavros for a job interview. Nothing is thrown, dropped, or broken in the process.
Cast of Characters:	Tessa, Jennifer Stavros

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Tessa has posed:
Tessa arrives at Lily Anne's fifteen minutes early, as is her norm for interviews. It's early enough in the day that the speakeasy isn't in full swing, and the only thing Ms. Stavros will need to do to enter is give her name and appointment time. Her reasoning behind using Lily Anne's is part the privacy it offers and part the more laid-back nature. She thinks being in one of the environments the woman may come to work in will be more relaxing than in her office or a conference room, and it will also give people who may become her coworkers a chance to evaluate the woman. Those evaluations do not factor in as highly as her own, but they can be surprisingly useful. Who is polite, who is not, who shows up on time, early, late. Who asks for the facilities, their hygiene, any small talk they engage in. All of those lead to a fuller picture, if nothing else.

She stands as Ms. Stavros is brought in - a few minutes before their start time, but not unreasonably early. Good. "Jennifer Stavros. My name is Tessa Fox, and you may call me Tessa or Ms. Fox during your interview." She holds her hand out to shake. "Do you prefer to be called Jennifer or Ms. Stavros, or is there another name you prefer?"

Jennifer Stavros has posed:
Jen was taking this interview seriously. She showed up in an elegant pantsuit, reasonable conservative heels, hair done in a simple up-do. Tasteful makeup, nothing too extreme or outlandish. Very different from her usual look. She'd even showed up with a bag that she could carry copies of her resume - as sad as it was - for her consideration. Plus emergency supplies of makeup, hairbrush, hair ties, anything she might need. She'd also hit herself with a massive amount of good luck before the interview, enough in advance that she'd have time to mop away the sweat, re-apply her look, and get cleaned up. "You can call me Jen for the time being, Ms Fox." she said as she took Tessa's hand for a firm but not challenging handshake. Jen had heard of the fingertip-only female handshake and wanted nothing to do with it. She'd even make sure her nails were neutral and well-kept.

Clearly, Marie-Ange had spent a lot of time coaching her in how to dress and how to behave. Now it was on her to pull it off.

Tessa has posed:
A good handshake. Tessa approved of the woman for staying the middle ground on it, nice and solid. "Jen it is. Please, have a seat. I'm going to have our staff bring out a few small plates and beverages for us to sample as I interview you. Nothing alcoholic or messy, because this is one of the way I set my expectations early. Anyone I interview that might be working with our menu needs to have enough of an idea of both it and our seasonal beverage rotation to be able to make suggestions on choices and pairings when asked by our patrons." She takes a seat as she says all of this, waving a hand to the man behind the bar before shrugging her white blazer off. The blouse underneath is silk, silvery purple with black detailing at the neck and cuffs, and her skirt is also white.

"I have your profile of course, and our own dossier on you, so while I am aware of what's available about you on paper, I'd like to get to know the woman behind that a bit, and see if any of our openings would suit you. For example, paperwork doesn't tell me if you would be fit as part of the hosting staff, or if you've got a passion for food or beverage that would be best utilized back of house. Perhaps you enjoy dance, or being the person in charge of someone's more base comforts. My job is to put our staff in a place where they can thrive and - if not enjoy the job, then not dread coming to it more often than not. I pride myself on being part of why we are an excellent place to work, after all."

Tessa takes a sip from the water glass at her side, dossier still closed in front of her. "So, Jen. Tell me. Should we hire you, is there something you'd like to get out of your time working for some part of the Hellfire Club other than the pay?"

Jennifer Stavros has posed:
Jen took a moment to give the time the thought it deserved. "I've got a great deal of experience in dance. Years of lessons growing up. Part of the modeling circuit." she said, managing to not spit lava or bare her claws at the mention of her much-hated modeling career. "That doesn't necessarily means that I'm looking to be a dancer, but I'm also skilled in gymnastics and to a lesser extent choreagraphy of dance and presentation routines." she said calmly, although under the table one of her hands was clenched into a fist.

Luckily, it didn't show.

"And we can have conversations about mundane positions in the Club, but I think we should cut right to the meat of the matter, wouldn't you agree?" Jen said. "You have an extensive dossier on me, which means you know my background and the things I've done. Both that I'm proud of and that I'm not. But I have an ability nobody else can give you and I think that makes me very valuable indeed."

Tessa has posed:
Tessa does not raise an eyebrow, though part of her wants to. This is in Jennifer Stavros' dossier, too - cocky to a fault because she has an almost blind faith in her ability. She has seen it in others throughout her years. So certain that their skills or abilities are superior that they are shocked when they get beaten at their own games. She allows a sigh to slip past her teeth.

"Ms. Stavros, let me be very frank with you. Your absolute surety in your ability - magic, mutancy, luck, I honestly do not care which one or combination that it might be - is going to get you killed. It has already gotten you banned from multiple casinos and lotteries in just America and Monaco, and should you find some rich idiot wealthy enough to take you elsewhere, you will quickly find that your face and suspected abilities to game the system have been shared worldwide. You are very /lucky/ that you tipped your hands in America and Monaco, rather than someplace like Madripoor. Now. The two of us can pretend this little outburst of yours didn't happen and talk about positions you might be suited for at this establishment, or I can stop wasting my time and have you escorted out. Which option would you prefer?"

Jennifer Stavros has posed:
Jen smiled pleasantly, although it may have looked a little strained around the edges. "Oh, I'm not referring exclusively to my luck, Ms Fox." she said. "Probability manipulation is rare, as I'm sure you are aware. But do you know what's even rarer than that? Almost unprecedented, in fact? The ability to gift that luck, either good or bad, to someone _else_." she said. "And that is the gift that I bring to the table. You can point out my character flaws. I might even agree with you about some of then. But do you have anyone else, Ms Fox, that can make your people lucky? I don't know what shenanigans you get up to and I don't want to know. But the gift of luck can be extremely valuable in, let's see here, high finance? Law? Social dominance?" she said with a small smile. "That's what you ultimately want. Not to see if I know which wine pairs with the fish or how to teach your dancers how to entice."

Tessa has posed:
So cocky. She reminded Tessa faintly of others in her life. Could that cockiness be honed in this woman before she pissed off the wrong person and ended up dead or worse? She was incredibly luck-

Tessa's mind came to a perfect, clear halt. "How much luck did you boost yourself with before this meeting, and what are the consequences of it going to be? Nature abhors a vacuum, after all."

Jennifer Stavros has posed:
Jen just smiled at Ms Fox. "That's the other thing. Outside of some very specialized magicians - or myself - luck manipulation is almost impossible to detect directly. It can only be inferred." she said. "And to answer your question. yes, I enhanced my own good fortune before this meeting. I'd be a fool not to. As for repercussions, there's a certain degree of ... give, in probability. Push it too far and it absolutely will snap back, with disastrous consequences. Currently we're nowhere near that point." she said confidently. "It's not a matter of a vacumm, it's a matter of boundaries being stretched too far." she said. "I know I'm a poor personality fit for most of what you have going on here, Ms Fox. So let's take that as a given. I have a fairly unique gift, and I'm willing to sell it to you. If you can meet my price. But if you're not interested, then I don't believe we have much else to discuss." she added.

She was about to taunt Tessa about being able to find a buyer elsewhere but her luck snapped her mouth shut before she could speak the words.

Tessa has posed:
A part of Tessa that she rarely allowed out wanted to call the girl's bluff and let her come across the monsters on her own. Another part - also rare, but less than that - wanted to take her under wing to save her from her own fool self. As always, the rational part of her mind won out. Tessa shook her head, slipping the dossier on her table into a thin briefcase that had been at her side. "You could become an asset with time and training, but as you are... no, Ms. Stavros. You are far to certain in your own abilities to be a good bet as you are, and I am not the sort to enjoy an expensive high risk, low reward payout. I save that sort of gambling for scratch tickets and charity raffles."

She steeples her fingers over the now-empty tablecloth. "If, however, you would like to become the sort of asset that I cut favorable deals with in the future, then we can talk."

Jennifer Stavros has posed:
Jen was about to spit something back then remembered something Marie-Ange had said. About Tessa and how she did business. "You're testing me." she said with a slow smile. "To see if I'll give you an outburst, prove I am what you think I am." she said. "All of this has been a test." she said, coming to that much-belated realization. "Well then. I'm still in if you are." she said with a smug look.

Tests could and did run both ways.

"See, I'm not looking to risk my neck for you or for anyone, really. All I want is a comfortable life, lived on my terms. You think you can provide me the resources to do that, then we can continue to chat." she said. "I have an awareness of my own abilities and how I use them in my own life." she told Tessa. "I've been using them for over a decade now to make my own way. But luck only goes so far, as we're both aware, which would be why I'm willing to entertain a notion of an arrangement between the people you represent and myself." she said.

"As I'm sure you're aware, there are plenty of people out there that would love to get their hands on my gift and very few of them would have my best-interests in mind." she said. "Do you have my best interests in mind, Ms Fox, or should I look elsewhere?"

Tessa has posed:
She was grateful for her poker face, really. The woman hadn't just laid her cards on the table, she'd all but flung them in Tessa's face. Miss Stavros wouldn't last a single mission as a pawn, and on the board she'd be an active hindrance. Pity, that, because Marie's other friends seemed much more aware of the nuances in the world around them.

"Miss Stavros. You have already had your outbursts. We did not even get to the point of the interview before you had to toss a gauntlet you were woefully unprepared to throw." Tessa's voice is calm, bordering on placidity, and her posture is perfectly straight. Not rigid, but capable of passing the most stringent of etiquette tests. Her hands have disappeared from the table, and sit primly in her lap. "If this was a test - as indeed all interviews are, at some level - then you have most assuredly failed to scrape even the minimal marks necessary to pass. I am still entertaining you despite that for two reasons. One, your roommate is an intelligent young woman who sees something in you, and two, I would like to see exactly how far of a pit you dig before realizing you are in far over your head."

Jennifer Stavros has posed:
Jen took a deep breath and then released it. She stood up and took a moment to gather her things. "A pity we couldn't reach an accomodation. Good luck with finding someone - anyone - that can do what I do." she said, then turned on her heel and walked out of the interview and the building.

Tessa has posed:
"Probably best for now," Tessa murmurs to herself as the door closes behind Miss Stavros.

There was a difference between cocky and confident. Miss Stavros would learn the difference between the two at some point, and Tessa could only hope it wouldn't be too late for the woman by that point. "Jeremy? Let the kitchens know we will not need the interview tasting menu. If they're mostly finished making it, please let them know that all of you are welcome to divvy up portions for your breaks or meals, so long as they obey the food safety guidelines." With that she stood, sweeping gracefully out of the lounge and back to her quarters.