Brief Title:
We Are a Team? Really?
Characters:
Suzanne Endo, Sally Blevins, Amora the Enchantress
Scene Runner/Watcher:
IC Date:
07/18/12 16:00
Location:
Hellfire Club
Summary:
Suzanne wants to meet with Amora to figure out what is going on with these crazy people. Still crazy.
Social or Plot:
TS:
No
Log:
A study in contrasts, the two women stand inside Suzanne Endo's penthouse condo, waiting for the signal that the limo is at hand in the basement before taking the express elevator down. Where Sally is largely concealed - if in revealing ways - in fitted white leathers, Suzanne is pretty exposed, if tastefully so, in a strappy black confection of silk that owes more to a bikini than anything, with an ankle-length skirt slit to the hip on either side to expose her toned, golden legs at the slighest movement. And both are perched on high heels suited to their outfits.
"I realize I cannot know everything that is going on, Sally. That goes rather without saying, no matter how frustrating it may be. But her actions yesterday were ... completely unexpected and perplexing." Not at all what Suzanne had been led to expect from the blonde and beautiful magical mystery that is 'Amora'. Even more confounding are the results of the data search queries she has done since learning that name. None of it changes how she feels about their prior encounters. But it may change the context. Possibly. "I need to talk to her. And the only place I know to find her is at the Club. So thank you for this." Time to heft up the large leather-wrapped metal case and catch their elevator. Soon enough they'll reach the basement and the limo, and the adventure begins.
The club was the only logical choice, if Suzi wanted to speak with Amora, there was only that one place. She would have dressed differently, she considered it, but this, she felt was the right thing to wear. Adjusting the leather pants, hiding that still new to her tattoo. She hefts up case in her left hand, "Like I said, she does, because she can. I've not asked how or why, I don't think I should, but I trust her." she says during the quick elevator ride. A small smile as she steps from the elevator, checking the basement parking area, before giving Suzi the go ahead to move free of the elevator and into the white Limousine chartered. White with black edging leather interior. She enters and slides in after Suzi enters, "In due time, if you're accepted for membership, alot of things will become clearer." Sally says, a small little smile on her features. Setting the case down on the seat along the length of the limo she settles back.
Amora awaits. How did she know? Perhaps she did not. Perhaps she just chose to lounge in the inner circle's meeting room. Dressed in a perfectly tailored, dark pinstripe suit and fedora and a pair of killer black heels. Smoking a very expensive and very illegal cigar. Perhaps she chose to lounge, her feet up on the meeting table, enjoying the benefits of vice. Or perhaps she did know. Perhaps she knows everything. She is a goddess, after all.
"Suzi. Sally. You both look ravishing tonight." Amora purrs. "Ready for a night on the town, are we?"
Suzi pays a bit more attention this time when she is led through the Club to this meeting space, enough that she is reasonably certain this room is not nearly so far away from the 'dungeon' where she ended up that first night after the attack as she had thought. She lets Sally lead the way, acting as her bodyguard because the other woman has continued to earn that trust, even with the added challenges of previous nights and previous problems.
When Sally and Suzi finally arrive, Suzi lets the blonde woman lead, and follows slowly, her gaze sweeping the room and then zeroing in on Amora and her attire. T'would seem their positions are a bit reversed, now. Suzi is the one tarted up, and Amora is more than fully clothed, looking quite professional and still unfairly beautiful. The Chinese woman doesn't bother trying to hide the moment of sheer jealousy at that. "Ready for a night here at the Club, hopefully to meet you." Suzanne responds to Amora. Somehow, denying it just would seem petty. And pointless.
A smile as she lays her eyes upon the Asgardian beauty. "Amora, always and forever a pleasure." she says in greeting to the beauty. She moves to greet the woman with a hug, a one armed hugtruthfully. Still with case in hand, "Suzi was hoping to spend some time getting to know you, here, if that's alright." she says in a gentle tone to Amora, quietly during that embrace. Sally all smiles though, "Suzi, sit, relax, you are amongst friends." she says with a smile, moving to sit near Amora, leaving a chair empty between her and the other room. Case tucked next to her leg.
Amora allows herself to be hugged. Always nice. She watches as both women settle down. Or Sally does, in any event. She does not take her feet off the table. Instead she draws a long breath in, toking off her cigar, and then blows out the smoke. "Mmmmmm...." She sighs. "Mortals do know how to do a few things right."
Mortals. And there it is. Hard as it may be to believe, to wrap her mind around it, it certainly would seem to confirm what Suzi found when searching on the name 'Amora'. It had meant nothing to her until then. Now? Now she's not sure what it is supposed to mean. Take a seat? Suzanne moves to the table and takes a seat, facing the redolantly smoking blonde, waiting almost for the other shoe to drop. "I have no idea, honestly. Maybe you'll decide my questions are impertinent. But I cannot help it. Did you know about the explosive charges in the case? Were you /trying/ to set them off? Or to force me to disarm them?" Yes. That's where she starts with her questions. There are a half-dozen more. But she starts there.
A smile as she quiets, letting the pair begin. She sits back, looking from one woman to the other, Sally not yet injecting herself in the conversation.
Amora stubs her cigar out in the ashtray and pushes it aside. Slowly, she draws her feet from the table. "Does anyone want something to drink?" She asks, snapping her fingers. An elf... an honest to goodness female elf... appears, dressed in a French Maid's outfit. She bears a tray containing three tumblers and a decanter of very fine whiskey.
"If you're taking requests, a white wine would be nice." White wine. Black outift. Suzanne has asked her question, at least her first, and she'll wait for her answer. That doesn't mean she can't be sociable in the meantime. The elf thing seems almost blase, really. Given what - who? - she thinks Amora must be. There will be ibuprophen in Suzanne's near future.
"The last time I had something from your...bar, I don't remember my evening, i'm fine for now Amora, Thank you." Sally says, leaning back in her chair slightly.
Amora snaps her fingers and one of two of the tumblers vanish in a green flash, only to be replaced by a single glass of white wine. "Very well." She says. The elven maid offers a tumbler to Amora and fills it. Then gives the wine to Suzi. "The answer is, of course I knew. Really, I used to work with Baron Zemo who is, believe it or not, more paranoid than even you, Suzi." She smiles knowingly. "I performed a basic scan and analyze spell when you entered the room. Had you not disarmed your little traps I would have shielded us from the blast. After all, you're not good to anyone dead."
"Thank you." Suzanne offers to Amora at the replacement, and to the elf maid when the drink is actually given to her hand. She sips slowly, considering Amora's comments. Zemo? That checks with what she found. This must really be /that/ Amora. "Which means that you did exactly what you did to /intentionally/ push my buttons, despite the fact you had to know I had every intention of exhibiting the suit and explaining its capabilities to Shaw when the time was right." Another thing she and Zemo have in common? Neither has the slightest appreciation for being made to look the fool. "So ... what price did my workers have to pay, for you saving them yesterday? Because to be honest, that price isn't theirs to pay. It's mine. They and their safety are my responsibility." And Suzi takes her responsibilities /very/ seriously.
"Push your buttons. Yes. That's what I did." Amora say, absently. "After all, we need to know how you perform under pressure." She sips her whiskey and mmms, softly. "Absolutely no kick but the taste is adorable. As for your workers... no. I'm afraid it doesn't work that way. They were the ones transported to safety. They were the ones praying for help. Not to me, mind, but I exercised some initiative and intercepted the prayers. Therefore, they paid. Magic has rules."
"How I perform under pressure? I'm pretty sure Shaw already knows. He has seen it first- and second- hand." It irks Suzanne, that Amora would toy with her like that. But she can still understand the motivation, the choice. Doesn't have to like it. "I still need to know what price you've made them pay. They are /still/ my responsibility, even if you will not allow me to pay their price for them." She clearly feels Amora should reconsider, but she won't push. Not just yet.
"A year of each of their lives. Nothing they will notice, really." Amora offers an eloquent shrug of her shoulders. "It gave me enough energy to teleport them immediately to a place where they could find aid and treatment as needed. Consider it to be something like your laws of conservation. Not created or destroyed. It had to be transfered instead."
Suzanne coughs momentarily at that. A year of each of their lives? "I'd still pay it." she admits. It would /double/ her age, and still she doesn't flinch. She's quite serious. But she also won't argue. She feels /she/ should pay, but it's not as if she can /make/ Amora do it her way. "I was getting them out. But you did it faster, and got them to help sooner. I appreciate that. Thank you." But the kiss was /weird/. More games?
"The benefits of teamwork." Amora says with a faint smile. She finishes her whiskey and sets the tumbler down on the tray the elven maid holds. "Nothing more. Nothing less." Of course Suzi would pay it. But it won't do to have her turn sixty something in the blink of an eye, will it?
"Teamwork?" Suzi inquires, honestly perplexed by that. When did she join a team? So far, she's just hiring mercenaries - wanted criminals - to help her protect herself and her company from a psychopath. She knows there's something more that Shaw has been leading up to, but 'team' was never mentioned. "I always say thank you to those who help me." She also always repays those who betray or hurt her. Go figure.
"You are quite welcome." Amora rises to her feet. The blonde hair bounces around her shoulders as perfectly curled and shining as if she were making a commercial for conditioner. "Now, if you will excuse me, I have business to attend to." It is time for her to kiss each of her little slaves and ensure they remain loyal to her. After all, we wouldn't want all those baby CEOs and CFOs getting their free will back. Amora raises her hand into the air and then lowers it. She... and the elven maid... vanish in a arcane whirl of green smoke.
A smile, Sally sits up a little more in her chair, leaning over just a touch to grab one of the gold chalices, and one of the decanters, pouring herself a drink, just as Amora taes her leave. She doesn't look too shocked at the exit. Sitting back, a sip taken, she looks to Suzi, "I hope that helped answer some of your questions, Suzi." she says, breaking her silence.
"Some of them, yes." Suzanne offers, sipping her wine. She doesn't know where Amora is off to, or what it's about. But she doesn't try to interrupt her. That's enough answers for now. Until the next time she corners Shaw, anyway. "So, Sally. Since I have commandeered you to watch over me, what am I keeping /you/ from?" If it's supposed to be a team, she should know what she's costing others when she needs them. She owes it back to them in recompense, after all.
"Very little." she says. "Since I am not a student, and not on any of the teams, I don't really have much but the work I do for the firm Shaw represents...which I do at my desk in your office, and spending my nights in the club. The occasional visit to mutant town, but with school not starting up for another month and a half, I don't have much on my plate...which is partly why I was tasked with your well being." Sally smiling, turning to face the other woman, she takes a sip from the chalice.
"You have something to do with a school, then?" She can guess - perhaps incorrectly - why Sally would be visiting Mutant Town, so she won't ask. Instead, Suzi just considers it all and nods, sipping her wine. "Well, thank you for your time." What more is there to say?
"I did." she says with a smile, "I'm planning to start at one of the community colleges in the fall semester." she says, another sip, Sally sets the chalice down. "It got me out of a cubicle in a boring law firm." she says with a smile, "I would say thanks, but having a homicidal techno-espionage guy after you, really nothing to be thankful for there."
Suzanne is nosey. She immediately starts wondering why it is that Sally would be planning on community college instead of NYU or Columbia or a dozen other upscale schools with better academic programs. "What course of study are you looking to pursue?" she asks, instead. She'll be looking into the rest. After what Sally has done for her, perhaps a method of repayment might be proper mentorship. The enlightened self-interest of other parties gave Suzanne the opportunities she is still pursuing to this day. No reason not to pass it on. Pay it forward. Whatever. "It's true. I know the danger of the Ghost is nothing to be thankful for. But I really do appreciate the help."
"Mmm, I haven't decided, biology maybe, I...had a knack for the sciences in school, biology and chemistry over physics." she says with a pleasant little smile. Ah, 'fun' times. Sitting on the edge of 'her' chair, she sips, "It's all right, a convergence of incidents brought us all together." she says with a slightly warmer smile, a touch of flushing to her cheeks, "As grim they may be, it's been a nice outcome."
"I am glad that the task has not been too onerous for you." Suzanne offers. "Biology is not really my specialty, but I had to know the basics, to know how to help systems interface with biologies." She's offering to help, as best she can.
A smile, Sally looking more to Suzi, regarding her for a long moment, "Thank you." she says lightly. The blonde rising, a touch unsteadily, "I think i'll be able to manage my classes, when I start, though." she says, taking a bit of time to get through her words, she reaches for that chalice, tipping back the last of it's contents, "If I do need your help, I will be sure to ask you, if it won't be too much trouble." She is a do'er it seems.
"Naturally, you'll want to do it yourself when and as you can. But if you need the help, ask." Suzanne finds no weakness in asking for help when it is needed. She certainly came to Shaw after the attack of the Ghost, and asked him for help. And she has been getting just that help. "Perhaps, Sally, you should sit? You're looking a mite unsteady on your feet."
Curse her height and weight. Curse the tolerance too. "I'll be fine in a moment, Suzi." she says. The blonde easing her seat backwards, "Was there more you wished to do at the club tonight, or was meeting with Amora all you have planned?" she asks.
"Meeting with Amora was the only definite plan I made." Suzi answers, smiling ruefully. "It seemed woefully presumptuous to make any further plans for afterwards. I might have been a toad or something at that point."
She smirks, "I highly doubt you'd have been a toad, they're not pretty, a cat maybe...you'd be a tonkinese." she says playfully. Shifting to perch against the table, "Well, do you have any plans, something you want to do tonight?"
Suzi chuckles softly and shakes her head. "I don't think I would do well as a cat." She wouldn't do well as a toad either, so what does it matter? "Well, if we're done with Amora, I suppose we should go eat. Then perhaps we can look about and find a few dance partners. It's not that I believe the Ghost couldn't attack here, but I doubt he could be bothered. It would be more trouble than it would be worth to him." So why not relax and enjoy the surroundings.
"Well, I should match you on some level, how about, I go back up stairs to my room and change, i'll meet you up stairs in about 10 minutes or so?" she says with a grin, "I am sure I can find something in my wardrobe to compliment you."
"I think you compliment just fine as you are, Sally. But the choice is yours, dear. If you wish to change, go. I will wait ten minutes and then head upstairs to meet you in the library." Suzanne offers, with a smile.
She picks up the case, smiling and sauntering away. The blonde giving Suzi a little wink as she exits themeeting room. She does return. A black evening dress with a low. very low V-neckling, slightly ruffled, a pair of matching heels 2 inch heels. (http://www.wickedtemptations.com/scart/public/database/product/images_sets/pr168406img3sma.jpg) Smiling, case in hand, she pauses in the library, standing in the entrance, Sally looking for her...protectee.
Suzanne is standing in the library, having reached there only a little bit ago, and having turned towards the elevator when it arrived and started to open. She smiles warmly and glides over to join Sally, making a circle around the other woman before falling in at her side to proceed out to the rest of the club. "That is very pretty. But you could have stayed with white, you know. I would not have minded in the slightest." That said, the two - one blonde, one raven-haired Chinese - exit and make their way towards the maitre'd to get a table for dinner.
It is a nice table. Near where Mr. Shaw's and Ms. Frost's tables are. The Maitre'd removing a 'reserved' place-card from the table, "Mmmm, there's something to be said for basic black, Suzi, the white, is something I wear around the club alot." she smiles. The blonde making sure her guest is seated first, and then she, acrtoss from the woman. "Besides, after seeing what I saw the other day, I figured I could return the favor."
Suzi follows Sally, and notices the reservation marker with the other woman's name on it as the maitre'd removes it, proving that Sally is a member here, and one of high standing it would seem. Higher, perhaps, than some might suppose. "I rather enjoy basic blank." Suzi offers, smiling. Proof enough of that would be both tonight's dress, and the dress she wore the night she and Sally came to see Shaw and Amora. "The white reminds me of Ms. Frost, really. Her affectation for white is quite pronounced, and even legendary. I was surprised that it doesn't make her look washed out." But Suzi seems a tad non-plussed by Suzi's last statement. "Seeing what you saw the other day? Returning the favor? I'm not sure I understand."
