6548/Refugee blues

Refugee blues
Date of Scene:	17 February 2019
Location:	Unknown
Synopsis:	Arella gets a first day orientation for her arrangement at LexCorp... and some ground rules and intentions are given.
Cast of Characters:	Lex Luthor, Arella Despana

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Lex Luthor has posed:
It's been almost a day since Arella had been taken to LexCorp Tower and given time to 'settle in'. A couple Team Luthor security guards were kept at her doorway at all times, and there was a camera watching most of her apartment. Her apartment has almost all of what she might need, and she gets to choose from a selection of Earth based dresses to boot.

Morning the next day, she's requested up to Luthors office for 'discuss the future'.

Coming up, the two Team Luthor guards escort her -not because she needs the help, but because she's new to the Tower- and comes out into the Office floor checkpoint. After being checked, she's let into the office proper through a set of reinforced steel doors... and out into the 'throne' of Lex Luthor.

The first half coming into the gigantic office space is a state-of-the-art studio apartment. Modern and Sleek, it screams lavish with every square inch. The other half is away from the doors, with red carpeting under a massive black desk. Beyond the desk itself is a large glass pane with the highest view of Metropolis in the city. It's easy to get the impression of Lex Luthor seeing himself as the ruler of the city; a cut above the rest, as it were.

Lex Luthor himself sits behind that desk, with Mercy and Hope to either side of the desk as they keep watch. They're standing by the time Arella steps into the office. "Welcome to LexCorp Tower." Lex offers in greeting when Arella steps inside.

Arella Despana has posed:
Arella Despana wears the half smirk that she almost always does at rest on her face. The dress she has selected in line with business attire that she has seen on the television in her apartment. It is a smart fit. The Svartalfar has adapted fairly well to human attire - perhaps looking up a few videos online as to how to select a suit. She fills out said suit quite well.

She observes the view. For the most part Arella is cool as a cucumber reacting very little to the impressive environment. She smiles at Lex. "Quite an establishment," she remarks her accent is slightly nordic if one can characterise it at all. "I merit a personal orientation from the CEO himself?"

Lex Luthor has posed:
"I had to pull quite a few favors to make this arrangement work, and even then I've had LexCorp take a serious hit from the fallout." Lex points out, "I don't know if you know our broadcasts well enough to realize what just happened, but I need to make it clear what you're getting into with me." Lex stands, his hands clasping behind his back as he moves to the glass wall behind himself. There's a remote in his right hand that Arella can see now... and once he's up to the glass, he presses a button on it. A crystal clear video stream of the LexCorp News Network come up on it, muted. At the bottom are the public details surrounding the investigation from both countries. A blonde woman appears to be speaking... but again, muted. "They can't see the bigger picture when it comes to aliens from other worlds, but I do."

His left hand gestures across the glass, "I need to get you up to date with current news and events, and a few do and don'ts, before you start to go out into the world proper."

He turns back around, "I meant it when I said I want to integrate you into Earth society. Even the Canadians agreed that I'm probably one of the few on our planet who can keep up with you in the sciences, so I stand the best chance of evaluating you."

Arella Despana has posed:
"I have seen your company take a hit," Arella catches on fast apparently. "Such corporate structures are alien to my people but I have travelled around alot and even encountered entire civilisations that follow similar structures." Which naturally begs the question, "If I am such a risk why take it? Thor Odinson is fairly set on his opinion of me some of which is factual some of which is not but all of which is bad. And most here on 'Midgard' seem to trust the 'God of Thunder's' opinion. Why don't you? You must have heard of the Svartalfar before? We are a sort of Nordic boogeyman and not undeserving of that reputation."

As for the sciences, "I am flexible in this 'Applied science' field as you on Midgard have come to call it. I was heavily into cybernetics when I was at the end of my career. And used this for theoretical military augmentations." Arella gives a small display of her hand becoming gauntleted and then has the armor disappear. "In the end I had only myself as a test subject. So I was understandably more cautious about how I proceeded. But you wantt me as a chemist - a bio-chemist?"

Lex Luthor has posed:
"No risk, no reward." Lex points out, "I didn't get LexCorp to where it is today by playing it safe... and the superpowered groups opinions do not drive LexCorp policy." He unmutes, then, and gives a glance to Mercy and Hope... who both go and close the doorway. Another button is pressed, and suddenly the lights darken in the room just a bit.

"We can speak privately without worry of eavesdroppers now." He shrugs, then. "Most humans are shortsighted fools with no concept of the long term game. I see six steps ahead of everyone else, and without drastic measures, I don't Earth coming to it's potential."

Then, he brings his hands behind his back again as he watches her demonstration, "that seems like an interesting disappearance. I can see the appeal of it. Does the material fold into it's own dimensional space, or are you the host carrier?"

Arella Despana has posed:
"I do not mean to sound offensive Mr. Luthor but I have heard the sort of rhetoric you espouse before. My conflict back on my homeworld that escalated and fortuitously blasted me into exile. He was more dogmatic and suicidal in his committment to the worst traditions than I could ever accuse you of. But what does this realisation of potential refer to? Who are the winners and the losers? I note your antipathy to this Superman character - a powerful being dropped on your head and amongst the last of his kind. How am I any diffferent? I'm amongst the last of my kind. I'm powerful - perhaps not in an immediately world cracking sense. I could never stand Kryptonians myself. All good looking and obscenely poerful without any work."

As for the cybernetics Arella summons a flail then a blade in her hand without adopting a threatening posture. "I am the host. Although I do use some space-time bending methods to access a large bank of materials that I use for repairs and augmentation of devices. A private bank of materials I can conjure at will a few times over a day cycle roughly in earth time. But as I said I am the host and I am still organic enough to bear children and do anything else a normal Svartalfar woman might even with the invasive procedure I underwent."

Lex Luthor has posed:
"The Alien is very different from you. You came to us an official refugee and was willing to work within our society. The Alien pretends that he cares, but it's all a cover so people don't look at the rot in the story he gives us." Lex has a subtle rage to him as Superman is brought up, "He came to us in hiding, and when he's not flying around in a red cape, he's hiding somewhere. What's he doing during that time? When he's not pretending to care about the worlds problems, something is going on in that head of his." Lex, even as the master manipulator, still has a raw edge when he's talking about Superman... and it shows easily.

"I want to hold you up as a prime example of how integration with Earth /should/ be handled. I'm absolutely certain The Alien is using his 'benevolent' personality as a cover to get the world to love him, even while he stagnates our planet."

Arella Despana has posed:
"So it is my honesty? Despite my horribly chequered past? And that attracts you?" Arella cants her head as she says, "A very silly gamble. In my case I suspect it will 'pay off' by your own definition of that reward punishment matrix. As I am by my own impeccably correct measure correct - I am not likely to betray you or your trust. But that again is a gamble that pays off without any rational reason for it to. Which seems like foolishness. Who will you trust wrongly given the loose parameters around who you trust rightly? Empirically you shouldn't trust me. I am flattered by trust but do not understand it."

"I am not sure I am a prime example of anything - yet. Let alone integration. I can adapt. Not sure about integrste. Maladaptively systems have a haabit of integrating to me. As a 'strong' personality I am sure you can relate to that at least?"

Lex Luthor has posed:
"If you betray me, I'm responsible for overseeing you, not for your actions." Lex points out, "my arrangement is to see if you're capable of joining us on our planet. If you are not, I imagine Canada will revoke the privilege and the US will happily agree to handling your case." He shrugs, "Thor will also be overjoyed, I suspect."

He walks back to his desk, and sits behind it, "LexCorp is simply the best place where your talents can shine, with a CEO that can adapt quickly to what you bring to the table."

Arella Despana has posed:
"Oh we can't have Thor being happy. His hate aroussal for me I fear will leave him terribly disappointed. My bad Elf days are behind me." She crossses her legs, "I suppose I should say thank you for the opportunity then?"