icecoldfrost | The Hellfire Club's Yule Ball, Christmas Eve, New York City.

Entry tags:

The Hellfire Club's Yule Ball, Christmas Eve, New York City.

This year's Yule Ball at the Hellfire Club was even more exclusive than usual, and that was saying something. The fact that Emma had scored an invitation - and hadn't forged it, thank you very much - meant that when it had arrived in the mail, it had sealed which party she and Jack would be attending on Christmas Eve. You didn't get an invite to the Yule Ball and stand them up. She'd penned her regrets to the other invitations, and that was that.

And the Club itself was bursting with light and Christmas cheer. The tableau vivant from the charity ball were back, but this time they were scenes of Christmas and morality plays.

Well, as much a morality play as it could be, when the angels were practically wearing see-through gowns, but it was the Hellfire Club. The roaming carolers were dressed, mostly, the holly and the ivy were hung, and mistletoe was strategically placed about the building.

There was spiced cider, roasting meat, and networking with the city's elite, all within the traditional Victorian atmosphere that the Club boasted. Only the elite members wore traditional garb, as their guests dressed in their modern best.

Enter the Club, and do as ye will but harm none, on Christmas Eve.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Emma heard that, and was going to step on your toes - discreetly - each time you so much as thought of it, Jack.

"Don't forgive her, she's a hateful wench who keeps trying to get me into trouble," Emma retorted. "And set me up with frat boys with no more braincells than a butterfly."

"It's New York, and she's beautiful," Candy said, unrepentant. "Of course I tried to get her to dump you."

"So, where are you at? Ems usually says something about law and then changes the subject and won't tell me anything."

"Well, now I have to wonder if I'll get in trouble for answering questions," Jack said lightly, glancing to Candy under his lashes. "But if you'll protect me -- I'm prelaw at Johns Hopkins, and I live on the island where we went to school. I stumbled into a job helping to run a club there, and I haven't quite left yet."

Edited 2012-12-25 02:42 (UTC)

<<She doesn't know,>> Emma informed him silently. <<Candy's not anti-mutant, but she's not an advocate, either.>>

<<Old money, incredibly sharp, most likely to give me a run for my money out of my peer group.>>

"Johns Hopkins? And I haven't seen you up here in New York before? Seems a pity," Candy practically purred. "This island must be fascinating, if it keeps drawing you and Emma back so much. I can't even get her to pledge to a sorority."

Emma would detect the silent, but decisive, psychic equivalent of a nod. Jack understood, even if he wasn't comfortable enough in his skills to attempt two conversations at once.

"Funny, she ran one back in high school," Jack said mildly. "But we aren't always terribly social when I come up. We'll have to change that."

He was enjoying this.

"The island's -- an acquired taste, but a hard one to shake once you have it. And you, have you always lived in New York?"

"Claws in, Candy, he isn't for sharing," was what Emma said aloud, although there wasn't any rancor behind it. "I can stay in bed with Jack and be anti-social if I want, because I was never taught how to share as a little girl."

No, seriously, she hadn't been taught how to share.

"And I'm not pledging because unlike some people, I'm focused on school. You're starting year three, and I just got accepted to the MBA program." Smug Emma was Smug, yes.

"Oh. My. God. Not fair!"

Which part of that wasn't fair, Candy wasn't saying.

"I'm a year older and she's pulled ahead of me too," Jack volunteered. "I think she'll probably be on her third doctorate by the time I'm out of law school."

He said this with affection, and no small touch of awe.

"I've only got plans for one doctorate!" That's not the point, Emma, but she was going to pout at both of them prettily anyway.

"Don't be cross just because I'm better than you, Candy."

"You keep saying that, but I'm the one who scored the internship at Worthington Industries," Candy retorted smugly.

"As in Warren?" Jack asked, attention focused on Candy. "Congratulations. Doing what?"

"Well, it's easy to get the internship when you're stepping out with the owner's son on a semi-regular basis," Emma quipped. "I've told Jack quite a lot about the places on my wish-list, including the Worthingtons."

<<Not our Warren, alas. This one is still in the closet,>> Emma warned Jack while she beamed at prattled some nonsense about stocks at Candy. <<Although God knows how long that will last, since he's running around with the X-Men causing property damage and battling villains better left to the professionals, like the Fantastic Four.>>

Emma's opinion of Xavier's school hadn't changed a smidge since her days at Fandom, in case Jack hadn't noticed.

Edited 2012-12-26 02:04 (UTC)

"I've got a position as an intern of operations, mostly overseeing the R&D sections, what do I know about stock?" Candy was answering, laughing, in a manner that said she knew a lot about stocks. "Seriously, Frosty, I'll leave the brokerage to you, you leave the operations end to me, and we'll take over the world."

"How does that sound to you, Mr. Priest?" she continued, fluttering her lashes at Jack. "You can be our lawyer on retainer. I'm sure Emma will need you on-call."

Totally Dirty.

<<I'm not allowed to shock her, am I?>> Jack asked, real reluctance in his mental voice. If he wasn't firmly on Emma's territory, he would.

Aloud. he continued, "I'm afraid I wouldn't be of much use to you, Candy. I want to go into civil rights law. But I support any plan where Emma runs the world."

Edited 2012-12-26 02:23 (UTC)

"Jack's a bit of a bleeding heart when it comes to the rights of the downtrodden," Emma said, giving his arm a squeeze of thanks. "It's one of the things I adore about him, I'm afraid."

"Oh, so that's where the tin man got her heart." Candy nodded sagely. "We were all wondering how she keeps living without one."

"She lies," Jack said cheerily. "She's as squishy inside as anyone, if you get on her right side."

"I am not," Emma said sourly. "I don't even have a 'right side.'"

"I stand corrected," Jack said, voice casual though his muscles were tensing slightly.

He sipped his drink and told Emma, <<Be careful. Someone is watching us and knows you're psychic.>>

<<Considering at least one other telepath has been watching me at most of these functions for over a year? I'd hoped they'd figured it out,>> was Emma's calm response.

She...probably should have warned Jack about that sooner, huh?

"I'd do the correcting, but that's a private activity," she said teasingly. "Candy, how long are you going to ignore Tony trying to flag you down?"

Yes, Tony Stark, but a few years older than Emma than the one at Fandom.

"Great, now I can't pretend I didn't notice him. Thanks, Frosty," Candy grumbled, rolling her eyes. "If he looks down my shirt for more than five minutes solid, you have to come rescue me."

"We'll catch up with you later," Jack promised, eyes flickering toward Tony for the moment. "We need to make our rounds, anyhow."

Emma got a sulky <<They think I'm your boytoy.>>

Edited 2012-12-26 20:34 (UTC)

<<Of course they do, the last thing we want is them to think you're worth watching,>> Emma said, while making verbal goodbyes to Candy before waving her off. <<Let's go make-out somewhere discreet, and you can tell me who you're eavesdropping on, hrm?>>

"I love that you included the making out in that," Jack said softly, but obediently offered her his arm. "Lead the way, darling."

Edited 2012-12-26 21:58 (UTC)

Re: Mingling

Re: Mingling

Re: Mingling

Re: Mingling

Re: Mingling

Re: Mingling

Re: Mingling

Re: Mingling

Re: Mingling

Re: Mingling

Re: Mingling

Re: Mingling

Re: Mingling

Re: Mingling

Re: Mingling

Re: Mingling

Re: Mingling

Re: Mingling

Re: Mingling

Re: Mingling

Re: Mingling

Re: Mingling

Re: Mingling

Re: Mingling

Re: Mingling