2013.05.18 - A Royal Reconciliation

Life hadn't been majestic so far for the White Queen and King. The newly appointed kind was having some issues fitting in, and perhaps Emma was not on her best behavior. So one evening she cleared enough time in her schedule to invite Lex out for dinner.
The were at the White Lily, a relatively small but exclusive restaurant in Metropolis. Emma was addressing her tablet while she waited for Lex to arrive. She was dressed in a white draped dress with gold detailing, with her hair pushed to the side.
Walking into the club a few people did stand at attention for Lex who strides in wearing a white business suit with a matching vest over a black shirt that is slightly covered by a white time. Seeing Emma Frost Lex moves to her and when the woman rises he offers her a single white rose, "My apologies, My Queen. We did not get off on the right foot. I wanted to thank you for inviting me to dinner tonight." Lex even pulls out the chair a little for the woman. 
"It has been the latest project at the office, it has wound me a little tight I'm afraid to admit," Lex confesses as he sits down. Giving her his best smile he even adds, "Besides my mentioning of the project and you doing me a small favor, I don't intend on bringing up business this evening. I want to know more about you Miss Frost. If we are working together I want to know the woman behind the Academy of Tomorrow. What are her goals, her interests, anything you're willing to share," the words are honest, completely and utterly. "Tonight I insist that you let me take care of everything. I have not treated you properly these past few weeks. I want to make that up to you tenfold."
 
Emma allowed him to take out the chair for her and s. She smelled at the flower and then placed it gently onto the table. Her left eyebrow arched just slightly, as she returned his friendly smile, "Stress is something I know quite a bit about. The social circle we run in can beoff putting to many. And at the party I was not in my best temperament. Being kidnapped always ruins my mood."
She crossed her legs and made herself more comfortable as the waiter came over and took their drink orders. She allowed Lex to order for them, curious to see what he would order. She added, "And I would like to hear more about Lex Luthor. I've heard so much but little from your own perspective."
Smiling at the waiter Lex says simply, "I made special arrangements with the owner the establishment. What the lady and I will be having is waiting for me. An associate of mine brought it hours ago. It's the Romanee Conti from 1945," seeing the waiter's eyes go wide at the name just makes Lex fill with pride inwardly. A wine collector would know that vintage. "Do not open the bottle. Bring that and two glasses. The lady gets the privilege of opening something that's only one in five-hundred and seventy-two." Nothing but the best for the White Queen, and sure the bottle did send him back one-hundred and fifty thousand when purchased yet tonight it just felt right to finally open it. There's claims of six hundred bottles actually existing but he's figuring in amounts that have been drunken since a figure was given. 
When the waiter leaves Lex begins, "If we start with my small favor it will start the conversation as to what I do and why I do it." Sighing the man moves in close, "If you could just read my thoughts for a moment then we can move past the nasty business part of tonight. I don't want any papers on the project to be honest." Pushing all the memories of Project Sherman with a few bits left out he waits for Emma to push into his.
Emma was pleasantly surprised when he gave the drink order. Perhaps Lex really did realize how things weren't quite as they should be so far between the White King and Queen. Not that it suggests a certain marriage, but the entire club as a whole's intention is to be a kinship (and still often riddled with problems of course).
She chuckles and does roll her eyes as she reads his thoughts. Emma reaches out and takes a sip of water, while telepathically speaking to Lex <Well that was quite a lot to know. What is this favor you want done, I know you are a man who likes to get right to the point. Obviously.>
<I,> he pauses picking his words so very carefully, <I need them delivered to Mr. Shaw. You are neither a secretary nor anyone's errand girl. However, I don't trust what I just shared with you on paper due to their sensitivity. You I trust with them completely. Even if you didn't have the skills you do your intelligence is quite a marvel. Miss Frost, you I can imagine put many to shame throughout school and college because they underestimated you. Despite our rocky start I've never underestimated you and I never will. That's the respect your intelligence has earned from the entire world. A few are just too ignorant to realize this and you probably crush them when you exploit it.> 
Green eyes, the color of crisp dollar notes, look at Emma trying to show her he meant what was said. Well, thought. "Why I do what I do is because it's how I see the world. Problems riddle the world, top to bottom. And I like solving problems. To push the world forward all someone has to do is solve the problems. Look at the economy," he waves with a hand then pulls out a pen from his breast pocket along with a small reporter's notepad. Scribbling down a bunch of numbers, symbols and other mathematical terms and when he's done the paper is given to Emma, "This is a solution to the National Debt, a problem that plagues the country. Sadly those in power would take the equation too seriously and would bury it even though the President's Cabinet would have to figure out the right numbers to plug in. People want to be heroes without putting in any work. To me the world is a bunch of problems, what drives me is my love of solving them. It's always been like that for me. Often it would ostracize me in school but without this drive," he gestures to himself, "There would be no Lexcorp nor Lex Luthor."
Emma holds up her hand and stops him in the middle of his little rant as she puts her glass of water aside. As she speaks, her tone is flat, almost emotionless "Lex darling I am going to stop you right there. No, I am not Shaw's secretary, personal assistant, or anything of the sort. I'm not sure if you've /heard/ of me but I'm Emma Frost, I run Frost International AND somehow find the time out of my day to maintain the most prestigious school in Metropolis, the Academy of Tomorrow."
She leaned forward and let a small smile spread across her lips, "I am right here if you want to get to know me. But know /this/ I am no errand girl and only saying I'm not doesn't make it so. Find a way to deliver the package; you are a competent enough businessman to take care of this hm?"
As if on cue the drinks arrive, and the waiter hands Emma the wine opener, as her voice has it's usual charm once again "Oh Lex this is quite the selection, I must say."
Lex winces a little, "Let me apologize Miss Frost. I did not mean to imply that you were no less than the wonderful woman I've read so much about. You and Shaw are close. I need to share that information with him and wouldn't trust anyone else with it. My absence has caused some fear on his part and I wanted to assuage that part. To be honest I hate showing up with information on an unfinished product. I figured you could tell him enough that would leave my loyalties no longer in doubt." Sighing he's almost thankful for the drinks. When the bottle comes he passes it to her. 
"The lady gets the honor. And could I be given a mulligan for this part of the conversation? I meant to say you were strong and many other good qualities. It is why I trusted you and only you with the information to give to Shaw. Yet I just looked like an ass. My apologies," again he's really trying. Although Lex deals with women on a daily basis; most of the time it's business and only business, Emma is far from the average woman in so many ways. With her there would need to be even less business and more personal touches. He sees this now. Holding his glass up to her, "To the start of new beginnings," he toasts and hopes it's accepted. "What would you like to know about me, Miss Frost?"
There is a moment of silence as Emma thanks the waiter and takes a sip of the wine. Sure, it was a rare selection but the taste was impeccable. Emma considered herself well versed in wines, and also knew what she liked. And this she enjoyed.
As she finished her drink she brought her bright blue eyes back to Lex, "I'm certain I'm not like most women you deal with. I am the White Queen, have been for 10 years. And there is always one more layer to discover with me. Least importantly, I rarely sleep at the club."
She snapped her fingers to a young man who was finishing his shift busing tables and let Lex listen in on the telepathic command, <Go about your evening, and tomorrow morning you will hand these directly to the guards at the address I've just sent you to. Speak to no one about these documents, and do not remember this event or the delivery. Go.>
The boy immediately scurried away and Emma took a quick second sip, "Problem solved."
"If I were a lesser man I would be saying 'I love you' and staring at you wide-eyed for that," he gives a heartfelt smile. Deep down the man is quite jealous of that ability. "Again I ask, what do you wish to know about me" he pauses to take a drink. The familiar burn of alcohol mixed with a smoothness that would never be tasted again. "I mean it Emma. I'll talk about what you wish and I do apologize for the rudeness," the green eyes soften a little as he even address Emma by her first name, a rarity for him.
Emma let out a soft laugh as she re-crossed her legs, "It still tends to be flattering, in it's own way. Lex darling the goal of our little circle is to work together, utilize each others talents and similar goals. And more importantly, to /have fun/. I don't need to tell you the pressure we are all under. It's the tradition of the club through the centuries."
She tapped her long painted fingernail gently up against the glass and considered before speaking, "Let's play a question game. I'll go first, since you are in a sharing mood. Did you kill your father? I have a passing interest in patricide."
She laughed playfully, and pushed out an image of her own atrocious father at him.
"No. But tragedy happens," Lex says knowing that his father disappeared to the official record. IF one day Emma sours on him there would still be plausible deniability. Smiling he asks back, "Did you?" the question is firm and he expects a similar evasive answer. At least they have a unique common ground to reminisce about.
Emma ran her fingers along the stem of her glass, wondering when the first course might arrive. She let out a smile as he said his answer. She responded with her normal friendly demeanor, "Yes. He and my mother. Their private jet pilot had a brain aneurism, which I caused. I decided once my brother in a rehab magically had enough product to OD on. I had enough. It was time to finally move on."
She laughed as she glanced about the room, "And of course everyone here thinks we are talking about politics. My question then? Hmgirlfriend? Boyfriend? Both?"
Smirking he looks at her, "Girls but neither," and that is the honest truth. Despite all the wealth and power, Lex finds the swinging bachelor life, like one Mr. Wayne has, to be all that lucrative. "Love is caused by a chemical imbalance. Lust is an urge I can understand. Yet I'm just too busy to my work. Practically married to it," the smile stays on his face as he asks, "What attracts you to Mr. Shaw?" This would be an interesting answer as it could be for numerous reasons. Sometimes Emma is a complete mystery.
Emma Frost says, "Shaw saw my potential, and I achieved it. Anything else between he and I is a bonus. So there is no one I would consider my 'boyfriend' or 'girlfriend' presently. I swear I hear the terms all day at my school. They sound so silly." Emma looks back at the waiters and sends out a mental command to hurry up with their first course. She was growing hungry.
"And what made you take up his offer to join the Hellfire Club? You are a self-made man in every way. Perhaps deep down you were hoping there were others who are at least /similar/ to you.""
That is indeed a loaded question. Well, to be honest it is THE question. Sitting back Lex gives the answer some potential thought. A lesson from times passed runs through his mind over and over until he answers, "To prove that my father was a failure. Years ago he told me, 'Never fail Lex. A Luthor never fails. At least not in the end.' No matter how well I did in school he would always say that. Never any praise or congratulations were given to me while he allegedly was molding me in his image with other lessons. He failed the moment I took Luthor Incorporated and molded it into my image." Taking a good quick drink he set the wine down, "Petty? Yes but my Father didn't really do much in the club. Was he trusted with Mr. Shaw? Yes. Did he do much with the opportunity? God no. That's why I joined." 
Silence moved between them and an idle question comes out, "How long have you been in the country? Your accent sounds fresh, practically new to the States."
It was true. It was the most important question of the evening. Why WAS Lex there? And his answer was an interesting one. Perhaps the two of them had more in common than they didn't, that was becoming clear now. Their first course arrived, Emma chuckled and looked over the centerpiece, "Funnily enough it's a telepathic accident, that I decided to keep. I'm originally from Boston. And now my home is Metropolis."
She waved her hand away, "Temporary break from the question game, at least. I knew your father when he was in the club, he saw it as an excuse to party most do. And in fact we do it /well/. But I don't think he took most of the opportunity. Of course wasn't a part of the inner circle, like you are now."
"That's still not good enough for me," the words are firm and a little cold. He looks over Emma, "He can settle on mediocrity and being allowed to simply enter a place. I want to be successful at it. To be seen as an investment and a worthy one." And there is the reason why he stays on the team. It's all to prove to a man that's been dead and buried, by Lex's own hand no less, that he is indeed a failure even by his own standards. 
During the break Lex decides it's best to spring this news, "The details are still sketchy, but I will be sponsoring a charity event for Selina Kyle's, Bruce Wayne's latest piece of arm-candy, organization. Many will be there. If you and Mr. Shaw are interested I'll see that you get invited. To individuals like us it would be a good marketing opportunity. Justin Hammer wants to be there as well. The man has some interest in the Hellfire Club by my guess," his eyes soften a little after the event is pitched. All the talk about his father is bringing out the cold calculated nature that would be bad for business.
Emma could sense his thoughts about his father, her own family past troubles (and occasionally present) often soured her mood. She reached forward and gently placed her hand on Lex's, "I don't know who Kyle is but I will after this conversation. But Bruce Wayne I would /love/ to meet. And I've heard about Hammer. I can't speak for Shaw but I would be interested in attending."
She raised her glass before sipping "To perhaps a good party."
"To good company," he holds his glass up toasting to Emma this evening. "I'm happy you're my Queen, for whatever it's worth." Again the man is speaking earnestly. Emma Frost is a remarkable woman, indeed. She's earned Lex' respect.
Emma smiled and squeezed his hand gently, her eyes connected with his. "It is worth a great deal, actually. And the start in the right direction, White King."
Lex was a difficult man, but Emma always had a certain fondness for difficult men. They were as challenging as they were interesting, and Lex was indeed both. She was curious to see how this bond would develop in the future.
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