584/A Private Dinner with the Queens

A Private Dinner with the Queens
Date of Scene:	17 March 2020
Location:	The Victorian, Hellfire Club, NYC
Synopsis:	Queen Lorna gains another ally; does the White Queen gain another pawn?
Cast of Characters:	Emma Frost, Lorna Dane

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Emma Frost has posed:
It's evening, and the Victorian, the five-star, Michelin starred, world-class restaurant on the fourteeth floor of the Hellfire Club building in Manhattan has opened for dinner.

Standing at the coat check, politely awaiting her dinner companion for the evening, Emma Frost idly glances over the bustling servers and hosts in their corsets and tails. Emma herself is dressed quite poshly, as is her tendency, for dinner at the Victorian-- though not as scantily clad as some of the staff. White high heels, long shimmery white slacks, a form-fitting white corset with a platinum basque and a glimmering white ribbon draw in the back, with a sheer shimmering shawl edged in white fur over her shoulders. Her blonde hair is clipped back from her face, but down in the back; and her makeup is professionally done with glittering white diamond lipstick and shimmery white eyeshadow.

In short, she looks like the perfect ice queen that fits the Victorian's motif quite well.

The restaurant itself has a commanding view of Central Park from its floor to ceiling windows. The tables are spaced out, and the entire place intimately designed so that conversations do not carry from table to table. Only a very low buzz from the other patrons and workers can be heard. Her table is ready, of course, whenever her guest arrives, but it would be rude to let the Queen of Genosha navigate the Victorian on her own, her first time here.

Lorna Dane has posed:
Lorna had a limited wardrobe living out the Mansion in Westchester. She no longer had a palace filled with servants, and clothes for every occasion. The other limiting factor was to put it simply: she didn't care. She was in mourning and the grief still overwhelmed the young queen to the point that she had panic attacks that made her physically ill.

So she wore a simple black dress again, but this time at least had made some small effort with her accessories. Over the same black dress she'd worn previously, she had donned a loose fitting cardigan. The material was gauzy, and likely silk. And made by mutant hands. The material appeared to be a soft teal color at first glance and shifted to a softer green as the light it it. Gold colored the cuffs and embroidery made out the royal seal of Genosha. A stylized 'M' on the back, in gold as well.

It was quite possibly, the only piece of clothing from Genosha that the Queen had still.

Her short locks were left to freely hang about her face, and her make up was still the smokey, smeared appearance from when Emma saw her last. Clearly, effort had only gone so far.

Lorna entered the restaurant with a warily glance, her gaze searching for a familiar face when she spotted Emma decked out in all white. She nodded to the blonde woman, striding forward. "I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long."

Emma Frost has posed:
"Not at all," Emma reassures her. She glances to one of the hostesses, who gives both women a bright smile. "Please, come with me," she says, leading them towards a table near the windows.

Emma waits for Lorna to take her seat, then settles down in her own chair, idly glancing at the wine list laying in front of her. "Something light, please. Surprise me." she says to the server, who nods and looks to Lorna for her drink order.

Once that has been handled, and the young lady has bustled off to acquire their drinks, Emma turns to the bereaved Queen of the former mutant homeland. "I'm glad you accepted my invitation, your majesty. I know times are trying and you likely have more things to do than you have time to do them, so I do appreciate you meeting with me this evening for dinner."

Lorna Dane has posed:
Lorna smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. She trailed along, casting her gaze out to the view beyond and back to inspect her surroundings. The green haired mutant looked vaguely wary at being in public again, but the lack of any immediate whispers or even side eyes did much to assuage her nerves. Every other time she'd made a public appearance, people had either avoided her, or clustered about her in awe. It was rare these days that people treated her any differently.

Still, she slid into her chair, and tucked her feet beneath her, crossing them at the ankle and glancing at the menu briefly. "Just a water for me right now, thank you." She murmured, distracted as she glanced down at the menu again and briefly felt overwhelmed by the simple choices on offer.

Emma's words instead caught attention, and she looked up. "Thank you for the invitation. Most of my meetings and pressures on my time are.. exhausting to put it lightly, and emotionally taxing in the extreme."

Emma Frost has posed:
"I do hope tonight is neither, or if so, only minimally," Emma says in response. "And know, as your father was, you are quite welcome here, both in the club in general and as a VIP. The lounge is yours when you need to find a place to get away from..." Emma gestures vaguely, "Well, everything, really."

She glances over the dinner menu for the evening idly, considering her options for a moment before returning her attention to Lorna. "I would like, I think, to see Genosha for myself, and perhaps speak with the survivors if I may. I don't know if I can be of much help, but perhaps I may be able to glean something of your attackers. And even if not, I would much want to see where I, Frost International, and the club itself may be of assistance to you and your people." She pauses. "Sebastian and Lex have decided our annual Spring Charity Gala will be in honor of Genosha: both honoring the fallen and with the goal of helping rebuild the kingdom for the survivors. We would be honored if you would accept our invitation as our guest of honor, Ms. Dane." A little less formal, more familiar, but still polite and kindly meant.

Lorna Dane has posed:
Lorna blinked, setting the menu aside for the moment as she turned her fully attention over to Emma as the icy blonde spoke. She settled her fingertips atop the smooth cover of the menu thoughtfully, and shifted backward in her seat. "My father never spoke of any time spent here, and he never shared with me his tied to this place." She paused, considering her next words with care. While part of her clearly wanted to accept the offers of aid, the shrewder part of her made her question it.

There was steel in the young queen, and it mostly centered around her people. The few that remained that is.

"But he didn't share everything with me either. I would very much like to support your charity event. I cannot make appearances at all of them these days, as there are quite a few." She murmured, folding her hands together lightly as she paused again in thought. "I'm not against anyone visiting Genosha, but I will warn you that it is not pleasant. To put it politely. It's a wasteland. My people were slaughtered there, and very little has happened in terms of clean up. More people are interested in investigating what happened than in helping me to bury the dead."

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma's lips purse for a moment. Then, her voice comes clearly in Lorna's head, //I am certainly not adverse to sending what resources I have that can be of service to assist in the cleanup. I do not expect either Genosha or any refugee areas to be pleasant-- let's just say I have a vested interest in getting my hands dirty here. Genosha meant hope, even to those of us who did not hold residency.//

Of course, no one else "heard" her. To anyone watching the table, it seems Emma remained perfectly silent. The server returns with Emma's wine, and Lorna's water, placing them on the table. "The baked brie Calinda, I think. And the Eggplant Caponata, to start." She smiles at Lorna. "And any other appetizers you'd like, if those do not suit."

Lorna Dane has posed:
Lorna's eyes went wide as the telepathic voice echoed in her mind. She stared openly at Emma like a deer caught in the headlights. She didn't scream or show anything further, nor was surprise one of outrage. Just simple.. shock. She hadn't registered that those in power might be mutants, nor that their interest in her country were based on anything beyond self interest. She stared, and as the waitress brought over the glasses, Lorna blinked repeatedly, and reached for her glass to take a sip. Her mind a whirl with questions and interest.

Still, she certainly made the attempt to order her thoughts better.. She was used to working with telepaths after all.

"No, the brie is fine." She murmured, "Thank you." She pushed her hair back from her face, and took a minute to collect herself.

"I still believe that we need a home.. I just.. I hesitate to rebuild without taking measures to prevent it from happening again. I do not wish to lead my people down yet another path that leads to destruction. We cannot afford that again." She murmured, green eyes alighting on Emma's figure again.

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma nods in agreement. "Of course. Burying the dead is a priority-- to mourn, to make Genosha at least somewhat secure for enough habitation to rebuild again, if nothing else. But that is why I-- we-- want to know who did this. Some of us have a vested interest in this not happening again. Especially if it was... as suspected... targeted because of who and what your people are." Beyond her telepathic commentary earlier, there is no indication that Emma herself is a mutant, in her commentary or expression. "It would do no good if you stand back up only to be knocked down again. We have... extensive networks of information, goods, services. We want to see you stand tall again... and bury those who knocked you down in the first place."

Lorna Dane has posed:
Lorna seemed less invested in the menu or the food now that Emma had entirely gained her attention. She folded her hands and inclined her head once, now that she'd had a minute to process what all of this meant.. she realized that everything made far, far more sense in regards to the Club's interest in Genosha and her. Much of her unease dissipated now, and she looked far more animated in her expression and far less guarded.

Emma wasn't a random human anymore. Now she was a random mutant, and that made all the difference.

"My father's old network connections have already made inquiries. Wakanda, and Latveria have come to me as well and started investigations. The X-men." She shifted in her seat and she sipped at her water. "But so far all the results are that we don't know. We can't find anything. My sister and brother in the Avengers haven't found anything that I know of either." She tapped in fingers against the glass of water and set it back down.

"If you find anything, I would be deeply interested to hear it. But at the moment, I think the lack of information of more information in and of itself."

Emma Frost has posed:
"That's strange to me," Emma says with a frown. "Who could do this without any trace?" She shakes her head, musing for a few moments.

In the silence, the appetizers arrive, along with small plates and utensils. As the food is left for them and they are left alone again, Emma idly tears a chunk of bread and spreads it with the brie and tops it with a little of the eggplant. "Still, if there is something specific you need, just ask. Even if it's not pretty or pleasant. If I cannot handle it directly, I know I have someone who can that will. I do still want to see the ground level damage and people for myself-- as unpleasant as it may be."

Lorna Dane has posed:
Lorna exhaled a breath nodded, "If it was just hate, don't you think someone would be claiming credit for that? If it was just hatred.. wouldn't there be more attacks all over? Bragging? They killed Magneto, and a whole country. Whoever did this didn't say a word so far. There are plenty of people looking, and yet there's nothing. No one claims any of it. Sure, it could be the US government. The certainly had access to Sentinels.. but someone should've found that already, right?" She shook her head, pursing her lips together as she helped herself to some of the brie.

"I need someone to get into Trask's facilities and see if he even made those Sentinels, some of them, I bet were made by him.. But others? The giant ones? They didn't look like normal ones. They were... cobbled together. And they were very much made of metal." She reached for her glass of water and sipped at it.

"None of it makes sense."

Lorna Dane has posed:
"As far as visiting Genosha? I see nothing wrong with bringing you there. You at least asked.. Latveria just showed up. So did SHIELD.. And who knows how many others. I can't keep track of all the would be heroes. But the survivors might be more inclined to be useful with me there." She murmured, tapping her fingers against the cold glass.

"The ones that remain on Genosha are the most loyal, and the most broken too. Mentally. They didn't want to go to Wakanda."

Emma Frost has posed:
"Broken mentally doesn't scare me," Emma's smile tugs at the corner of her lips, even if her expression is a bit dark for a moment. "Perhaps I may be of help to them, after all. I would never presume to simply show up, unasked for. That might cause more harm than good, after all." She sips her wine. "Trask." Emma practically spits the name. "You don't have to worry about running into him. Even if he deigned to show up to the club, he is //persona non gratia// here. Him and Stryker." She sips again. "Pro-Humana scum don't seem to know why, but they don't feel a warm fuzzy when they walk in the doors of our club." She shrugs innocently. "Can't guess what might cause that."

Lorna Dane has posed:
Lorna inclined her head, "Just so, I figured you might wished to be forewarned. Simply let me know when works for you. I am always going between here and there it seems. And just outside of Wakanda too." She mused, and exhaled a breath as Emma continued to speak of Trask and the alike of the pro-human ilk. She made a face.

"I have tried to be polite to people that have asked my stances on humans and mutants. I have always tried.." She exhaled a breath. "But I do not think that I can or will be going forward. Humans died on Genosha, yes. But humans made those machines that slaughtered us in our beds, and destroyed the only country on Earth built for us. They killed my people. They murdered my father.. And I don't think I can forgive them as a species for that. Not truly." She sipped at her water.

"People are quick to tell survivors of horrendous things that they need to forgive.. But my father never forgave what the Nazis did to him. And I don't think I can forgive humanity at large either."

Emma Frost has posed:
"Perhaps they can never be forgiven," Emma replies nonchalantly. "But they can be used as needed. At least for now. They cannot help what they are. I feel many of them, however, can help how they display and abuse their jealousy." She shrugs. "Something stronger than a water, Ms. Dane?"

Lorna Dane has posed:
Lorna's expression twisted briefly, and in her mind's eye there was no shortage of horrors to be seen. She had been safe behind her protective forefield.. but others had not. Genosha's burning flickered in mind's eye. She still nodded again, and she set her glass of water down with a soft sigh. "Perhaps some wine. I could use a glass I guess." She smiled weakly, and glanced down at her menu again.

"Some humans are alright, but by far their species has issues.." To put it lightly, her mind finished. And she tapped the menu, finally more focused or at least less weary to finally glance and think about solid food. "The filet mignon sounds good." She murmured.

Emma Frost has posed:
"It is," Emma replies matter-of-factly. "Though the only thing I've not liked coming out of the kitchens was one of the calamari dishes a couple of months ago-- not that it was bad, exactly, but it wasn't my thing." She gestures towards the waitress, who comes over and quickly takes their orders before departing.

If she idly brushed Lorna's mind to "see" the horrors herself, she did not make any facial indication of such. "Some are. But that they allow their Pro-Humana group to flourish and have political say bodes ill for those who do not move to shut them down. Just my thoughts on the matter. A great man once said, all it takes for evil to rise is for good people to stand by and do nothing."

Lorna Dane has posed:
"Elie Wiesel said 'We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.'" She quoted smoothly, and she handed the menu off to be taken away by the waitress as the woman came by to set the wine order down before the green haired woman.

Lorna folded her hands in front of her, and she inclined her head toward Emma. "I have spent a good amount of time finding comfort in the literature of people that suffered before me. I think it brings me closer to my father in some regards. Helps me understand him and his position. I never understood him the same way when he was alive. I didn't get it. I thought that he needed to get over it. That the Shoah happened over seventy years ago. That he was being paranoid.." She shook her head, and regret trickled into expression.

Emma Frost has posed:
"I'm sorry I didn't have the chance to get to know him," Emma replies. "He was a complex person, though. As are you." She lifts her glass slightly. "I know it may be hard for you now, but take time when you can, to breathe and to grieve."

She pauses. "And no matter what else you may think... in no way was this your fault. You did what you could."

Lorna Dane has posed:
Lorna hung her head at Emma's words, and she bit her lower lip. Few people had just accepted her grief, and hadn't pushed beyond that. Many had started to come to her and demand she act. Demand her anger. Demand that she stop feeling the grief that overwhelmed her and shut her down. The blonde's further comments earned a full on freezing of Lorna's figure and she shut her eyes against the torrent that threatened to pull her under yet again. She swallowed a lump at the back of her throat and slowed her breathing.

Suffice to say, Emma's words cut a bit too close to the quick for her just then.

When she opened her eyes, they were thick with emotion, and her mind was buzzing with near panic as it shied away from those memories. "I would have to disagree with you there. I didn't act. But that's not something I'm willing to discuss just now." She murmured softly.

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma smiles at Lorna soothingly, and reaches out, mentally tugging at the sharp edges of Lorna's mind, soothing the pain and the grief without removing it entirely, tamping down the guilt-- both the guilt of surviving and the guilt of not doing what she felt she should have. It's not exactly an alteration of memories: they are still there, and whole. But it, at least for a few days, will make those memories less painful, even if they still drive Lorna. Other than that, she says nothing, simply taking a sip of her wine.

Lorna Dane has posed:
Lorna's quieted slightly, her mind carefully sorting through memories.. just as Emma went through them and soothed over the worst of it. The terrors, the guilt, the memories that clung so close to her mind's eye and haunted her sleep. That had been a secondary effect of it all, a lack of sleep. The young woman hadn't been sleeping well if at all, and the dark smears of makeup were her attempts to hide and mask it.

Perhaps with Emma's mental touch, skilled as it was to avoid the trap of her magnetic fields, and gentle enough to not alert her.. perhaps Lorna would sleep that night yet.

Still, she exhaled a breath, reaching for her wine glass and seeming to shift her shoulders back. The mental touch had done enough to raise the weight that rolled her shoulders down and had nearly caused a panic attack. She took a sip of the wine again.

"Did you have any other questions regarding Genosha, Ms. Frost?"

Emma Frost has posed:
"Not right now. Besides, you deserve at least some time enjoying a good meal and not having to completely worry about things. And please," she says with a grin, "call me Emma." She takes another sip of her wine. "I'm quite content to have just a normal, allegedly boring conversation about anything but your current stressors."