Owner Pose
Sebastian Shaw A message had been sent to the Black Queen, requesting her presence within the Inner Circle chambers for a discussion of high import. As such, Sebastian Shaw expected it to be attended to with a certain degree of alacrity. Shortly after dispatching the message, he was seated upon the Black Throne, awaiting Selene's arrival. He was decked out in greater finery than usual - a purple jacket with golden inlaid thread and fanciful design, over his usual white puffy lace shirt spilling out at the neck and sleeves. Tight black pants and calf hide black boots complete the outfit. He waits, ponderously, looking to the door.
Selene Gallio Despite her personal feelings about the man upon the throne, as Black Queen Selene had a great deal of respect for the position. And so upon receiving the summons, she made her way with great haste - particularly if it was an important issue. Granted, great haste simply meant not stopping for a meal along the way. She still walked in her languid pace. But unlike the others who eschewed the Hellfire Club's unique dress code, Selene embraced it not only within but without, so she need waste no time preparing herself for the meeting.

She strides in within short order, wearing a tightly fitting black leather corset, the black leather thing, the impossibly tall boots, with her cape flowing behind her.

"This better not be another erection emergency that needs be attended to, Sebastian. I grow tired of your feeble attempts to get inside of my pants." If she wore pants, of course.
Sebastian Shaw There is a certain roll of his eyes as Shaw regards Selene. "Not every emergency is about my sexual proclivities," he replies, with a smirk. "And I apologize that I have never shown an interest in getting into your ancient..." He waves his hand in annoyance. "Let us dispense with the repartee. I have an actual matter of importance to discuss." He settles back onto the throne, watching her.

"I should ask, however, how you have been. It has been some time since our last discussion. I trust your pursuits go well?"
Selene Gallio An elaborate sigh as the Black Queen makes her way towards her throne. "True, there is no court here to be amused by my verbal assaults on your virility, so it is hardly fun." A slight shrug as she moves to ascend to her seat. "I have been continuing my various pursuits. They go well. I have actually found a delightfully interesting specimen that bears further study. I shall let you know if I find anything worthy of our interests." She drops down into the throne unceremoniously. "So what is your important discussion about?"
Sebastian Shaw In the interest of efficiency and drawing Selene's presence to a close, Shaw moves straight into business. He points across the room, to the White side. "I have grown tired of seeing the two largest seats there gaze back at us empty." He taps at the side of his chair. "I have spoken with many within, and there are not many among our council whom I feel to be worthy of ascent to that role." A pause. "Which tells me we need to be recruiting at our base level, as well." A long sigh slips out. "So I have been thinking outside of the box, and I believe I may have found us an incredibly potent White Queen. But it would be unorthodox, particularly as she has yet to formally join us as a Pawn." He leans back, turning his gaze towards Selene. "She is also globally known as a paragon of good, her darker side suppressed from public view." He regards Selene. "Would any of that concern you, were we to advance her to a post? Rebellion from the masses if a newcomer were to sit upon it?"
Selene Gallio There is nothing that Selene would like better than to be done with this meeting as well. She is already bored. She listens to Shaw, face twisting in an inscrutable away. She has but one response following his litany of explanations. "Who?"
Sebastian Shaw Shaw regards Selene evenly. One thing he appreciated about her despite their differences - she was never one to draw anything out. Unless it was pleasure. Not that he knew, of course. But there were stories. "Susan Richards."
Selene Gallio Of the many names that Selene might have expected to hear of 'paragons of good' willing to set foot in their chamber, the matriarch of the Fantastic Four was not one of them. Her eyes go slightly wide, which for her, may as well have been a dramatic performance worthy of Broadway scenery chewing. "The very idea that you could pull something like that off fascinates me, Sebastian." She regards him cooly. "Are you fucking her?"
Sebastian Shaw There is a smirk that appears on Sebastian's face. "Would it matter if I was?" He sighs softly. "Her public face is just that - a face. She has grown frustrated with the way that the world does not deliver upon its promise, and has come to realize that her husband's ideality and impractical solutions lack the pragmatism necessary to succeed." He watches Selene carefully. "She has volunteered, as her contribution, to provide us with all of the intelligence on the starport, including the manifests and details of every vessel which uses the FTL transport. Since it is managed by the Fantastic Four, she will be able to grant us back door access to their systems." A pause. "And she has already demonstrated to me that she has the fortitude necessary to do what we need."
Selene Gallio "Only that I would be happy for you that you had finally moved past vulnerable girls who can barely purchase alcohol." A slight smile from Selene. "I am proud of you, Sebastian." Dripping with sarcasm, whether that is for her assumption that he is in fact hiding himself within the Invisible Woman or the promise of her aid is unclear. But Selene nods. "That would be of considerable value to us, and represents a tremendous gift." She leans forward, peering into Sebastian's eyes. "Do you trust her?" A tilt of her head. "Because she could be bringing this all down upon our heads, if we are not careful. And I will not stand idly by if anyone, even our Black King, jeopardizes our society."
Sebastian Shaw A slow smile creeps over Sebastian's face. His eyes flicker towards the center of the room. "She murdered a man in cold blood right over there, to prove her willingness." A pause. "Something which of course I have a rather clear recording of, should we ever require a guarantee of her loyalty." He shakes his head. "But no, I do not believe she would betray us. She is earnest, and she is willing to join us in what we need to pursue. You may have cause to dislike me for many reasons, but surely you must agree that my judgement of people is impeccable."
Selene Gallio Glancing to the White Throne, and then back to Sebastian, Selene nods. "It is your head if not," she murmurs. "But if you are right, having her sit on the throne would send a powerful message to all that our ways are not so unreasonable." She nods slowly. "You have my blessing, My King." A pause. "But heaven help you if you are wrong."
Sebastian Shaw A soft laugh. "Heavy is the head that wears the crown." Sebastian murmurs. "I am clearly prepared to stake my life on it. I have seen what happens to Kings and Queens when they misjudge." He need look only to his own ascension. "Thank you, My Queen, for your counsel. I intend to announce her ascent at our next court. I do hope you can make it."
Selene Gallio Selene smiles back at Sebastian. "I would not miss /that/ for the world." She flashes a toothy grin, and slowly rises from her seat. "I do so appreciate our audiences, Sebastian, but I have more enjoyable tasks to see to today." She slowly makes her way down from the dias. "Like a trip to the dentist." She bows her head briefly to him, and then saunters towards the exit.
Sebastian Shaw Watching Selene depart, Shaw chuckles softly. "Warn them not to take out your fangs. It would be a shame to lose your most redeeming quality." He leans back in his seat as she leaves, and nods slowly to himself. His gaze slips over towards the White Throne.