9605/Business with Betsy

Business with Betsy
Date of Scene:	13 January 2022
Location:	Sion - Nightclub
Synopsis:	In which the telepaths catch up and Emma makes Betsy a proposition.
Cast of Characters:	Betsy Braddock, Emma Frost

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Betsy Braddock has posed:
Betsy's business, and that of the nightclub "SION," is passion. Intrigue. Perhaps a whiff of debauchery. And business...

IS A JERK!

Manhattan is in crisis. The world outside of the nightclub is bad enough that Sion's event site has cancelled everything with a promise to 'return...' that, perhaps, is generated by a fine web team somewhere, and is not hand written at all by the proprietress, BETSY BRADDOCK, who is...

At the bar.

Elizabeth Braddock's psychic abilities are formidable and she is, in particular, talented at hiding from other telepaths. She is NOT hiding right now. If telepathic powers work on God, she'll find out later. She is seated in front of the bar, near the little nook where one can step behind, and to her credit she is actually eating food... after a fashion. There is a wine glass out, and a largely emptied bottle of white wine, but she is EATING, damn it, she thinks to herself, muzzily.

The front door is not locked, though it is firmly shut. With no noise, the entire place has a faintly tomb-like ambiance, though it is sound-absorbent enough that Betsy's supper (some kind of chicken/salmon caesar salad? maybe?) is not echoing throughout the halls.

Betsy is also wearing an untucked blouse in pale puce, a pair of gray sweatpants, and has tied her hair back in a sloppy ponytail. Tres declasse, but perhaps you dress for the moment (solitary drinking).

Emma Frost has posed:
Manhattan is in crisis, under lockdown and evacuation, and likely anyone or anything in the area is being attacked on sight by angels if they so much as glare. Which make sit no one's business to go in or out of it if they don't want to risk their livelihoods.

Betsy is at least an associate of Emma's, and the lack of response of the woman coming over to the Mansion has at least had Emma go and look into her. The two might nto be friends but Betsy was one of the few people on the team that Emma considered as an equal; with the same life experiences and story.

So, having made her way through the area and going to approach, she goes to casually open the front door. There's a click of her heels then as she would send a telepathic broadcast of her presence to the proprietess. It was polite after all. "I'm aware that you're closed for business hours but I thought since I was an investor I could get my way to the front of the line."

Betsy Braddock has posed:
Betsy turns her head, and blinks once.

Emma can feel, quite clearly, the wave of telepathic inspection and query, the psychic level of 'what the fudge' and the metaphorical equivalent of reaching for one's trusty all-American gun. However, there is no resultant totality of psionic Glock afterwards. "Oh!" Betsy says. "Goodness me. Did you shut the door behind you? I'd hate to have foot traffic, right now." She spears some fish and salad, sliding it in her mouth as Emma clicks her way nearer. After a swig of the wine, Betsy continues, with a more brittle smile, "You seem well, or at least upright. Unfortunately all the people are gone, but we make do; I've been camping out a bit, for lack of a better plan. Would you care for a salad? The greens are still pleasant enough, so I'm eating them first."

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma Frost would go to move to slide the door shut over. "I do love the atmosphere you have here, Elizabeth. You just need some candles and some wax to draw on the ground like you're having a seance. Given the theatrics outside, you should at least attempt to match the decor to current events." She would close the door and go to wander in. "And better to take teh fresh things first. You still have power and a generator?" Her going to walk on in. "And I've already eaten darling. I will have whatever you have on tap that's of decent quality."

Betsy Braddock has posed:
Betsy gestures around herself with a fork. "More or less," she states. "I told Ruth and - ah, you wouldn't know them,;the employees who came the last time to take what they can. I imagine the freezer will stay cold even if it fails."

"How are you doing? Other than the apocalypse and everything," Betsy continues, rising upwards and taking her wine glass with her. "As for your drink order, just say the word. There's even ice, though it's hardly in perfect condition... can't run everything for long, you understand how it is, I'm certain."

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma Frost would sigh, "Which is why I suppose I"ll have a red instead of a white. I hope that you know the proper way to store things and keep them sealed." She's lightly teasing Betsy, if only a little bit. "I'll accept what you have. And I am fine. The instutite.. Operates as it should in the circumstances. The Brotherhood is being cooperative in matters, which was my worry. WIthin the Club Selene is up to something which I'm not privvy to the particulars of but I've passed along."

Betsy Braddock has posed:
"You needn't remind me, I was in the Girlguides," says Betsy as she walks down the long, empty bar, pausing to bend over to examine what must be a wine collection. She scoffs aloud. "ARE they! They haven't been capturing refugees or anything? That's interesting, though. Is she going to ask the Archangel which religion is real?"

Betsy resurfaces with a bottle of red wine, which she turns to present with an unnecessary and moderately intoxicated flourish. "Chateau Canon, 2016. Does this satisfy madame?"

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma Frost would shake her head, "no, they're even assisting non mutant sin evacuating from the city and seem to be so far holding up their end of the bargain. I'm quite impressed." While also no doubt paying attention for the other shoe to fall. "They've.. Followed their end of the truce and trust established."

She would take a seat and consider. "I find it acceptable given the circumstances and the quality of this establishment. By all means."

Betsy Braddock has posed:
Bang! Down comes a glass. It doesn't shatter. The wine cork is drawn out with a gentle effort of telekinesis. Betsy swirls it.

"Are they staying in town?" Betsy asks. "Seems to be tempting fate even if the personnel's doing pleasant things for a bit."

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma Frost would shake ehr head, "You're one of the only ones I konw that's staying in the area. They've put their operations where they're based out of normally. I presume that they're spread throughout Asteroid M, Genosha, and some at the Institute to be available." her taking the goblet over.

Betsy Braddock has posed:
The wine is poured, though only half full.

"Maybe I can claim the place as my demesne if this all blows over," Betsy muses.

Then the brightness returns. "So! Are you just passing through? Is this a wellness check, dear Emma? If they need me, of course, I'll come running as best I can. But," Betsy says while looking at the wine bottle - momentarily, visibly tempted to just take a swig from it, "I..."

"Hm," she says. Then she puts the bottle down.

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma Frost would lean back, "A wellness check and something of a personal request in a matter related to business, which falls within your field that I thought I would offer a job to someone I work wtih before I start to contract out to others." She would casually cross her arms.

"And this vintage is acceptable, if not exceptional. When this end of the world theatrics is done with, I'll have to show you a proper supplier."

Betsy Braddock has posed:
Betsy's brow furrows slightly.

"Business?" she says. "NOW?"

She takes a moment to walk over to her end of the bar, and more moments to walk back, now carrying her own glass. This is wholly unnecessary. Maybe she wants the theatricality. "What would this be, exactly? Are you going to be manufacturing habits for the new crop of nuns?"

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma Frost would go to lean back, "Oh, hardly dear. I'm sure any nuns here are of the warrior princess type and probably wear something far more scandalous anyways." She would hold her hand out theatrically.

"But, given present circumstances I suppose you could leave it that I'm putting a team together."

Betsy Braddock has posed:
Betsy doesn't take the hand, not straight away.

"You're probably right about the nuns," she admits, "but a *team*? To do what? Are you still in the evacuation business, or is this something else?"

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma Frost would lean, "Oh, the borough's been evacuated and whomever is dealing with this current catastrophy is doing so. I've decided that I'm looking for some employees that I can subcontract things to for the sake of expediency. Not necessarily in this region."

Betsy Braddock has posed:
"Are you offering a dental plan? I'm told that's traditional," says Betsy, taking another swig of her wine in the process.

"To answer you, about the wine: This is the best we've got laying about out here. I'll confess that we didn't have a *thorough* merchandising plan, just yet."

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma Frost would mm, "Well, those are the risks. When this bar is -properly- established.. Or it burns down and you get the insurance payout and can set it up properly, I'll ensure that you have access to something better than adequate. And of ~course~ there are bneefits, darling. What do you take me for, a monologuer?"

Betsy Braddock has posed:
Betsy sips her wine, silently, for long enough to be an answer in its own right.

"Then you're just speaking of after all of this, then. What sort of a team is this? If you need something flown, I'm not too rusty, obviously, but I suspect you aren't looking for just a charter pilot, somehow."

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma Frost would lean in, "Oh, some mercenaries darling. At least one of whom so far that I think is a bit of a project and needs some guidance that I'm hoping with some general fieldwork where she could be some muscle might help her find some more focus."

Betsy Braddock has posed:
Betsy swirls what remains of her mine. Her bottle starts to gently slide along the bar. It's quite a distance.

As a butterfly shape limns her face, Betsy says, "This all sounds frightfully dubious. You're not overthrowing a government, are you?"

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma Frost would laugh, "Oh no darling. If I'm going to overthrow a government why would I use raw force? When I can bribe and create scandals to take control? And I want to have some heavy hitters on hand for when this situation inevitably escalates. But given it's to help protect my own assets proactively it's not something fair to ask of the team."

Betsy Braddock has posed:
"I feel like you're making a bond issue pitch to me," Betsy says, a little breezily. "Regardless, I suppose I should be on the inside, rather than the outside, shouldn't I? Keep me informed of the situation, I suppose."

She looks at the glass. "They say in Persia that they would discuss such matters twice, once when drunk and once when sober. I always wondered how they were sure to remember."

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma Frost would smile, "I'm sure they had their ways. And Elizabeth, if you're drunk already to the point you'd be at risk of forgetting that we had this talk on me paying you to kill people for me, your family's reputation would be in tatters and they would disown you. Here you are, royalty and not able to handle your liquer?"

Betsy Braddock has posed:
"I am sustaining, thank you very much; it was a thought borne of meditative relaxation in my cups," Betsy says, complete with an arch of her eyebrow. "Not everything's a one to one correspondence, you know. You'd be an awful film critic, with that sort of an attitude."

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma Frost would nod, "Oh.. I prefer being direct, darling. With how much money I have if I don't like a film, then I can just buy the studio that produced it, fire everyone who worked on it, and have them blacklisted from the business. Why waste the effort?"

Betsy Braddock has posed:
"But that has nothing to do with understanding the film, does it?" Betsy says, as her wine reaches her. "Raw power is all well and good, but there's no need to be *uncouth*, Emma."

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma Frost would smile, "Oh Betsy, all art has a meaning personal. To the artist, to the creator.. Wea ll find our own meaning in it. We understand anything and interpret it in our own lens. And no.. There's no need to be uncouth. I'll be in touch."