Lord Magneto's Office

[Magneto]

Magnus' office is furnished entirely in metal furniture, softened by black and purple cushions with a stylized dark red M pattern embroidered into them. His desk his a huge blackened steel affair, witha state of the art computer atop it, along with a telephone and a portrait of each oft his three living children. A highbacked metal chair of the same design sits behind the desk, in front of an enormous window that overlooks Magda Square. Seated before his desk are two metal chairs, their backs lower and with smallers armrests.

Against on wall, near the double doors, is a loveseat of the same blackened metal with the same cushions as the rest of the room. On one wall hangs a portrait of Magneto and his children, painted about the time he took power. There was also painting of Magda and Anya, based off memories its telepathic artist had plucked from his memories and a portrait of Anne, with the children before she died, painted from a family picture Erik had taken long ago.

[Magneto]

[ Magneto enter from the Garden]

Magnus settled down at his desk, eschewing the coffee one of his assisstants offered him. Picking up the telephone, he dialed the number of Mystique's personal office at Triskellion.

While Erik waited for her to answer, he decided he would invite Raven and her children to supper that evening, so tahttehy could discuss this impromptu weekend holdiday and make certain everything was decided.

Besides, it had been ages since Mystique had come to the palace for anything but business. It bothered Magneto a bit, as Raven was his oldest ally and one of his most trusted advisors. The closest thing he had to a friend. It would not do if he had alienated her somehow.

[Mystique]

((crossposted from Mystique's office))

The phone picked up after a few rings, and a distinctly not Mystique's natural voice came over the line, "Herro, China Hot Hot. Today special for Ruler of World- General Tso Chicken five dolla."

[Magneto]

Magnus had to chuckle a bit at Mystique's rather obvious joke. The woman could do amazing things with her mutation. And obviously still had retained her sense of humor, even after a decade of dealing with the bureaucracy of running a military organization.

"Good afternoon Raven," he greeted, trying to fight another chuckle. "I unfortunately have some business with you. Somehow Lorna talked me into taking a weekend holiday somewhere and of course, Exodus will be accompanying us. I have not idea where we are going, I've left it up to them to decide. Perhaps you should come by later and we will hash put the details? Please, bring Kurt and Anna-Marie if they're free. I know work keeps us both well occupied, but it has been far too long since we've spoken in person. Come for supper if you like."

It seemed just strange, him, the ruler of the world, inviting one of his powerful generals to supper. The thing was, of course, was that he had never felt superior to Mystique. She was an intelligent, capable woman, which is why she was in an active field command position. And she was his oldest ally.

"Oh yes, Lorna said to send you her love," he teased as an after thought. "I believe she misses your company as well."

[Mystique]

((crossposted over the phone from Mystique's office))

She considered his offer for all of half a second before replying, "That sounds nice. I'll track them down." Erik's comments about Lorna made her smile, the kind of smile that is undoubtedly audible over the phone. "That goes both ways, Erik."

"Care to mention what exactly the House of Magnus will be wearing? I'd hate to show up and not match the color scheme." They'd all arrive in uniform, of course, but it was nice to know whether or not they were expected to remain in uniform.

[Magneto]

Erik shook his head at her question. "Wear what you will, Mystique," he assured her. "If you'd like, I can have Exodus teleport you here, so the press doesn't even know you are here."

It would be nice, having dinner with the Darkholmes without opening up the paper the next morning and seeing speculation from everything to civil unrest to rampant affairs. Living in the public eye was a necessary evil, but Magnus sometimes needed his privacy. And the company of possibly the only person he trusted will keeping an eye on the governors and making command decisions in his steed.

"How does eight sound?" he asked, continuing their planning. "Will that give enough time to locate your children? If not, I am not opposed to private dinner. I believe Lorna said something about going out with some friends this evening anyway. You company alone suits me just as well."

His own children kept themselves busy. Pietro by nature was perpetually immersed in multiple tasks, Lorna had her active social life and Wanda her charity work. The weekend holiday would give his family a rare chance to spend some time together, hopefully sans press for the majority of it.

[Mystique]

((Crossposted from Mystique's office))

"That won't be necessary. I'm sure Bennet has a lot on his plate, what with keeping up with Lorna and all."

She looked at the clock and nodded. "Eight should be fine. I'll see if I can't round up the two of them and get them ready. I'm sure at least one of them will be joining." She paused, collecting her thoughts. "Eight, then?"

[Magneto]

"Just between you and me, Raven, Bennet is in over his head," Erik joked lightly. "And Lorna's had him wrapped about her finger for years. Poor man."

Actually Lorna had her entire family and great many of Magneto's associates wrapped around her finger. She was absolutely spoiled rotten by those around her, and he himself was likely the most guilty of indulging her. Perhaps it was his way for trying to make up for her losing her mother in such a horrific way, and for him having spent so much time away afterwards. It had been worth it, the war he had waged to free mutants and set them in their rightful place in the world, but it had caused a chasm between Lorna and himself that had taken years to close.

Erik realized he was letting his mind wandered and pulled his attention back to the conversation at hand. Raven confirmed the time, Magnus nodded, then agreed. "Eight then. See you and hopefully your children then. Good bye."

Magneto hung up the phone, activating the call button for his valet. When the man appeared, Erik addressed him. "Please go inform Lady Wanda and Lord Pietro that the Darkholmes are joining us for dinner. It will be small and private, in the family dining room. Inform the staff as well. Thank you."

After the man had departed to fulfill Magnus' wishes, Erik worked on some of his paperwork before departing to his room to get ready for supper. It would be pleasant to set aside all the pomp and circumstance for an evening and merely have a pleasant meal with an old ally and her family.

[[Exit Magneto]]

[Mystique]

((crossposted from Mystique's office))

She laughed. "Lorna is quite good at that."

After the brief pause and comfirmation of the time, she simply replied, "Goodbye, Erik" before hanging up the phone.

[Magneto]

[[OOC: Continued from Private Family Dining Room]]

Magneto relaxed a great when he shut the door of his office behind Raven, leaving their flirting and likely soon to be squabbling children to their own devices. They were supposed to be adults and as long as they didn't start physically attacking each other, he no intentions of interfering further in their evening. He had work to do.

Pulling a bottle of wine he knew Raven favored from the rack in his office, Erik removed two glasses from the shelf nearby and poured one for each of the, offering one to Mystique as he levitated over his telephone. "Please make yourself comfortable," he invited. "Emma will most likely refuse to allow the Hellions to accompany you without seeing information first herself. So, we'll be waiting for her to arrive, I would expect."

Magnus paced as he spoke to Emma's secretary, informing her that Ms. Frost was need in his office as soon as possible. He sent a mental command to Exodus to go fetch the headmistress of the Royal Academy, to expidiate things. That task finished, he moved onto to contacting Tom. He activated the signal magnetically, which was the only way it was possible and only Erik himself knew which strength to use to activate it.

Calmly, he turned his attention back to Mystique. "It will be few moments before Tom replies and Ms. Frost arrives," he told her. "Shall we start our torrid love affair now, or wait for Emma and see if she is open for a menage a trois?"

Erik was in fact completely jesting. Raven was one of the few people actually aware that Lord Magneto had a sense of humor and she generally appreciated it. Although tonight, considering what her son and his youngest daughter were probably doing as they spoke, they needed some humor.

He snorted slightly, then sipped his wine. "You son takes after his father too much I think, Raven," he observed wryly. "His seems to have inherited the man's penchant for dangerous women. Not a healthy trait." He chuckled dryly and sipped his wine, waiting for Tom's reply and Emma's arrival.

[marvelgirl]

Emma had been much closer than Magnus had expected when he spoke to her secretary. A quick cell phone call and Emma was on her way. Emma spoke coldly into her cell phone. “No, there’s no need to inform them, that I’m almost there. Lord Magneto will be pleased to see me sooner than expected.”

Emma closed the case with a sharp click and slid it into her purse before continuing down the hallway. Having never had any real training in the use of her powers, other than learning how to get what she wanted with them, Emma never learned some of the self-restraint that other telepaths possess.

Over the years it had become a force of habit for her to perform a surface scan of everyone in the room, before entering. One great fear of Emma’s was to enter a conversation midway and not know what was being discussed, in essence making a fool of herself. She has always ensured that such things would never happen.

One of her usual precautions is to scan at the very least the number of people in a room and their sexes. Her scan revealed two persons inside one male, one female. The male possessed of vast psionic defenses. Emma could only assume it was Lord Magneto and Raven. Emma knocked upon the door to announce her arrival.

[Mystique]

Erik relaxed noticeably as they entered the room, and she couldn't help but smile. The dinner had been interesting, to say the least. Though it would be far more interesting to see whether or not her son made it back to the base in one piece. Or at all, for that matter. "Please make yourself comfortable," he invited. "Emma will most likely refuse to allow the Hellions to accompany you without seeing information first herself. So, we'll be waiting for her to arrive, I would expect."

She took the offered wine, settling into one of the seats in front of his desk and raising it to her lips. As usual, he had excellent taste. Only difference from the old days was that now distilleries and suppliers were just jumping at the chance to provide him with their products.

As he placed a phone call to Emma and did... whatever the hell it was that he did to contact Tom, she did just what he'd suggested and made herself comfortable, morphing into a bathrobe and bunny slippers as his back was turned, propping her feet up on the desk.

"It will be few moments before Tom replies and Ms. Frost arrives," he told her. "Shall we start our torrid love affair now, or wait for Emma and see if she is open for a menage a trois?" She raised an eyebrow, playing along. "Can't we do both?"

"You son takes after his father too much I think, Raven. His seems to have inherited the man's penchant for dangerous women. Not a healthy trait." She frowned slightly. Azazel was one of many things that she preferred not to be reminded of. Of course, Erik was one one of the few people who knew the full story, and possibly the only one who could get away with bringing it up. "It'll be the death of him. Quite possibly tonight."

She took another sip of her drink and added, "And Azazel can go to hell." Frowning, she reconsidered her statement. "Or... whatever the equivalent of hell is for him."

She turned a bit as someone knocked on the door. Morphing into her Guard uniform, she crooked her head toward it. "That was fast."

[Magneto]

Magnus had to chuckle as Raven transformed herself, wearing a bathrobe and bedroom slippers. As his jest, she quirked a brow. "Can't we do both?"

Erik shook his head and took another sip of his wine. "I'm afraid not, my dear," he replied wryly. "I'm not as young as I used to be."

Raven sobered at his mention of Kurt's father. He'd not meant to offend her, but the creature had been a fool to cross Mystique. "It'll be the death of him. Quite possibly tonight."

Not likely. He imagined Lorna would find Kurt more amusing than that. Besides, Nightcrawler was a teleporter. Even Pietro wasn't that fast. "He'll be fine. He has his mother's charm. And instincts."

He made no comment when she cursed Azazel to hell. Magneto had never met the creature himself, but it was obvious if it ever showed itself around their world, it's days would be numbered. And Erik would be the first one to assist Raven in disposing of it.

A knock quickly interrupted their conversation. "That was fast." Mystique immediately morphed back into her uniform. Magnus was inclined to agree. Especially since there was no way she was reading his mind and to his knowledge, Raven was exceeding hard to utilize telepathy on.

"Come in, Ms. Frost." Magneto retrieved another wine glass and poured it a drink for the headmistress of the Royal Academy. He held out the glass as she entered. "Drink?"

[marvelgirl]

Emma heard the sound of footsteps coming toward the door and took a small step back. The door slowly swung open to reveal the two people she had already assumed were waiting within. "Come in, Ms. Frost." Emma took a slow step inside as Magneto produced a third glass for her. "Drink?" Emma smiled at him. "Thank you, you really needn't even ask, I drink wine like most do coffee."

Emma took a seat near Mystique and crossed her legs placing her hands on her knees. She turned to Raven parting her lips slightly with a smile. "Hello Raven, I hope I'm not being too forward, but you are looking quite exquisite today." Emma became lost in the moment and in her own thoughts as she stared intently at Raven. I've always been attracted to exotic women and one has to admit you don't get more exotic than blue skin. Emma became suddenly aware of her wondering eyes and quickly focused them elsewhere.

[Mystique]

"He'll be fine. He has his mother's charm. And instincts." She smiled, raising an eyebrow. "That's what worries me."

Their conversation was cut short by a knock at the door. Moments later, Emma Frost was striding into the room, taking a drink, and... hitting on her? "Hello Raven, I hope I'm not being too forward, but you are looking quite exquisite today." Well, that was unexpected, to say the least. Not entirely unwelcome, but unexpected nonetheless. Glancing up at Erik with a small smile on her face, she shot him a look that suggested that perhaps she shouldn't have changed back into uniform after all. Because Emma appeared to be up for option number two.

Looking back at Emma, still highly amused by the entire situation (and noticing the other woman actually checking her out, which only amused her further), she bowed her head. "Thank you, Emma. You're looking rather good yourself."

Allowing herself to linger on Emma for a few moments longer, she gradually turned back to Erik. As interesting as Emma's new opinion of her was, they were there to discuss something else entirely. "So, to business?"