The Empire Club/Session 4

Fashion Night!
(Cassie shares a truly splendid vision board with the board members in attendance.)
*Cassie's husband shows up in a nice suit he found on the Jos. A. Bareths and/or Ma'cy's discount rack five years ago.
*Cassie knows you don't show up on time to the party: she makes a grand entrance.
*There's a selfie booth and a designated hashtag: #makingtheempireclubfunagain
* Cassie's friends are so envious they have to compliment her on "a lovely little night you've put together"
*Cassie gives a speech about the night: "Do what you will, and be fabulous while you do it."
**The niece of a Count shows up in a very fashionable and very large hoop skirt, and gets stuck in the door on the way in.
**Cassie seeks out fashion designers to do some urgent wardrobe revisions, and gets three: they begin loudly arguing. Cassie lures away two to consider other outfits that needed to be judged. She leads them to Heidegger Dawes.
**The remaining designer reshapes the skirt to mimic an elegant prowhead. The niece is pleased.
*The remaining fashionistas "compliment" Dawes's obvious indifference: why else would his coattails be so misshapen, and his hems frayed?
**Maggie comes down to Heidegger's interception: what were they asking about?
**Dawes claims they were complimenting his outfit. He doesn't lie very well. The fashionistas say they were here to protect him from judgment: colonial fashions don't quite match those on the mainworld, and people can be so cruel.
**Heidegger decides to permit Maggie to make the first move against the fashionistas, fulfilling Christophe's dream to spend a scene fighting with himself about fashion.
**Cassie invites Maggie to brunch with her (she said yes!), and the fashionistas call Cassie poor on the way out.
**Dawes offers them his connection at a wholesale fabric outlet on their way out
* Farandole works the room sharing news about his latest credential (D.O.) 
**Cassie's husband Carl Sorothin is relieved to meet "another medical man"
** Farandole shares that he collects teeth (animal and human), and uses them to interpret history. He hopes his dentistry credential will help him investigate the true history of his collection.
**Sorothin's history included analysis of organ transplants ("after the Second Coalition War, we had some demand and some supply")
**"Are you going to check new members' teeth?" "Their teeth are still in use."
**Dentures out of the tooth collection: allow people to take a bite out of history.
**Carl asked Farandole about his grandfather, and when Farandole said he doesn't think about him, Carl knocked back his drink and left
*Amani is trying to subtly look for blackmail material
**Amani goes around the room and are approached by some of the fashionistas that are seeking to learn about her culture and her fashion sense. None of them find her looks exciting, they are all very bored by it. "Cooperation between worlds is fine."
***Amani's response, "If you can't afford the new fashion, I suppose you must criticize those who can."
***Amani gets herself in Cassie's Burn Book — "I've seen great advancements while I've been in Aeldrum, but not in this conversation." (Cassie reads it as criticism of the whole evening)
**Serena, the Count's niece, is very happy to talk. She gives Amani some insights into what is in fashion (or what is fashion)
***Fashion is political in Aeldrum. The Conservative folk (e.g., the SNPs) dress in a very old-fashioned style, gilded suits and other Bareth styles. The Dalthadis have a lot of fashion that derives from armor (given their Fialtan inspiration)
*** If someone is mixing and matching styles then they are not subscribing to a particular design, but are motivated by aesthetics; if they are committed then they are committed to that point of view
*Cassie's grand exit
**She leaves early, to leave the crowds wanting more, and to get to the paparazzi first
** People who haven't been able to talk with her yet run after her, and she tells them it's delightful to be seen with them.
**Her husband leaves through the service entrance.
*What do the gossip rags say?
**The emotionally scarred fashionistas tried to find easier prey, causing a domino effect of viciousness throughout the rest of the party
**Sometimes grainy and cropped images of people placed next Society column about them
** Several wealthy Aeldmen are quite upset about the coverage, and there's some especially mean-spirited gossip at brunch that day.
** Cassie has done more than any one person in recent memory to undermine the social cohesion of "the Aeldrum irrelevant classes"
**Maggie brings Dawes a stack of society pages, three mentioning her name and one with a photo of her telling off the fashionistas. She has it framed in gold. She is also very excited about brunch—happy enough that she will probably pay for everyone's brunch.
**Jeremy serves Dawes an extra-strong drink today, because Maggie is not at the club. (His opening line is always, "what is the Missus up to today?") His heuristics are simple but effective. Dawes compliments him. 
*What are Dawes's rights as a Baron?
**On Liveth, he can't be tried except by someone very high-ranked; he can carry a weapon more places; he has diplomatic immunity as a member of the Livethan government
*Amani does not have diplomatic immunity, because Aeldrum does not yet recognize the Empire of Dar'Asmad. No Aeldman embassy in the Empire.
Category:Session Summaries