The Hellfire Club, Emma's New York, Friday Evening.

[icecoldfrost]

The message had only said that Jack required distraction, and so Emma had gotten them seats for the most distracting thing available: The Annual New York After-Dark Burlesque Review, hosted at - of course - The Hellfire Club. Because if you were going for decadence, you needed the perfect backdrop.

This wasn't the usual 'gentleman's club' section of the Club, either. New York's finest burlesque artists (and visual artists) were the ones throwing this party; meaning it was utterly gorgeous and equal oggle-tunity for everyone, no matter your personal tastes.

[OOC: For one & SP]

Comments

[icecoldfrost]

Emma made a face and shook her head. "I can manage ballroom dancing because it's set-steps, similar to fencing, and was beaten into my head as a child," she answered wryly. "Something like this? I'd have to telepathically convince everyone watching that I don't have two left feet."

.....

"...Now I'm wondering if I could..."

[bitten_notshy]

Jack considered it. "See, I almost want give you the 'buck up, try harder, anyone can dance,' speech," he said. "But ... maybe I'd rather not share you with the rest of the room."

[icecoldfrost]

"A private dance later, to judge my talent, before I go out for one of the local burlesque troops, then?" Emma asked. "Although I can just see how that extracurricular activity would go over on a resume. I'd have to come up with some brilliant stage-name to disguise my secret life."

[bitten_notshy]

"Isn't there some formula?" Jack wondered aloud. "First pet's name and the street you grew up in, or something like that?"

[icecoldfrost]

"Never had a pet," Emma pointed out, "--and no street, really. I'm sure there may have been an actual street address, but most things just came addressed to 'Frost House.'"

[bitten_notshy]

Jack eyed her. "So perhaps you're too terribly posh for burlesque," he said, his accent crisping into something more distinctly upper-class. "Or you could call yourself Fifi."

[icecoldfrost]

"Fifi la Rue? That sounds drag," she mused. "I could just do 'Grace Snow,' or something horribly pun-y. To de-posh."

"Or I become the posh-est, most expensive purveyor of burlesque in town." Emma was going to consider this seriously as she watched the girl on the trapeze. "You did suggest dominatrix at one point, too."

It was entirely possible Emma was a bad person and enjoyed putting these images in Jack's head.

[bitten_notshy]

"Flip it and say part of it in another language," Jack advised. "Winter Charis, something like that."

He looked sheepish. "Er. I promise, I don't spend all my time thinking of types of sex work you could go into. It's just, there are only so many ways to make money off the books and I don't see you selling drugs."

[icecoldfrost]

"And selling drugs is for losers," Emma agreed. "I'm just teasing you, darling. I did put out applications for actual, 'honest' work."

And gotten fired on her second day as a restaurant hostess for throwing out people wearing flip-flops to a black-tie event, but details. Jack didn't need to know that.

[bitten_notshy]

"What happened with those?" Jack asked vaguely, as he tried to see if there was some trick to it or if the dancer currently performing really was putting her leg up at that angle.

[icecoldfrost]

"I'm too pretty for customer service, it makes the shoppers feel inferior," she deadpanned as the waiter came by to refill their drinks. "Or so I've been told."

[bitten_notshy]

"You could be the kind of salesgirl who makes the customers feel lucky you deign to wait on them," Jack suggested. "Or you could come back to Fandom for the summer, get Eric to overpay you, and come back to New York with enough savings to get you through the school year."

[icecoldfrost]

"Well, now that you mention it..." Smug Emma was smug, yes, and going to fish about in her tiny purse for a second to pull out a key with a paper tag saying "Dite's" on it. "I'll handwavily text Eric, too, but I've found someone to sublet the apartment for the summer."

"Of course, I'm charging her slightly more than what the rent actually is for the space, but I am leaving her all the pots & pans and such to use." Since Emma didn't need them. "Surprise?"

[bitten_notshy]

And that got Jack's attention away from Ms. Flexibility.

"Surprised," he confirmed. "And further proof you're my favorite."

[icecoldfrost]

"Considering that you'll be stuck with me under the same roof as you for a few months, I damn well better be your favorite," Emma pointed out, poking at his ribs. "I could have taken the apartment above Dite's, but, well, I don't want to live that close to work."

"Besides, the house needs a female influence around, to keep you all civilized."