Green Flame Rising (Exalted vs Dresden Files)

13th of November 2006 A.D.

"What did you say to me girl," the Barrowill bites out, fixing your friend with a cold glare.

Though his eye is not on her Barrowill's mortal companion looks utterly frozen in terror at the scene unfolding before her, as a bird might at the slight of a cobra's hood opening., but Lydia is looking at you. There is a a question in those violet eyes. 'Should I?' maybe or 'Do you have my back?'

You nod. Always.

"I apologized," she chirps back leaning with one hand on the ebony wood of the bar, seeming all the younger with a backdrop of bottles, pints and of course red lighting, because even the actual vampires like to role-play vampires you guess. "My father always said that it is wise to treat those beneath you with respect else they will get their own back, in life or in death."

The silence that follows is so thick you could cut it with a knife and a lot of the finely dressed men and women are probably reaching for theirs. Few if any of them seem to be bothering to shelter their far more fragile human companions. No this is far too interesting, someone else is taking the plunge on testing out the newcomers.

Thus do you mark the pale elders, for though their clothes are for the most part in accord with modern fashions as befits predators for whim the teeming masses of mankind are camouflage, they cannot hide the cobwebs of ennui that shroud their eyes. They had seen it all before, a hundred times, a thousand.

"Your apology is insufficient, your words an insult!" the vampire snaps rising to his thoroughly average height, though six feet is still enough to have an advantage on Lydia for now. "Do not presume that either your sex or your invitation by the king shields you from the consequences of your impertinence." The smile that slides upon his face is a thing of distant cruelty. So you imagine some distant magistrate of Rome light have smiled as he proclaimed a child's hand cut off for the crime of stealing a loaf of bread, his cruelty, inhumanity and power all mixed in a dread concoction. "Again with feeling."

What happens next you doubt even the eldest most wise in wickedness of the White Court have ever seen. Light silver-pure spills outwards from Lydia in waves like water flooding though a broken dam. With that light there comes not a shout of anger, nor yet a proclamation of her own greatness, but a sigh. Lydia looks for all the world disappointment. "You lay claim lordship where you have none and mastery over others when you can master not even your own hunger."

Ouch... the words could be taken as a rebuke of his attempt to control Lydia herself, or they might be taken to mean that this vampire should not have been let out of the house unsupervised, as much a threat to the secrecy of the White Court as he is to mortals.

Charles Barrowill clearly takes it in the latter meaning, much as Lydia has intended. "Enough partle. I shall prove my mastery to you girl and to any here who might doubt it." he looks straight at you. "The elders say that the gods had a taste for hot blood upon the altars, Jupiter not least among them!"

A challenge, a duel to the death, though spoken with just enough leeway that Lydia could technically back down if she were willing to grovel excessively.

She is not, in fact she is not even looking at Charles. Instead she picks up the glass that started this all, wipes it with a handkerchief and hands to the the barkeeper who looks like he would rather be anywhere but here.

"I name the time here and now!" the vampire presses, he is starting to sound shrill to your. "By the eldest of ways..."

"Minerva and Mercury weeping above, what is going on here?" Lara's voice, in none too dulcet tones rings out.

The ruler in all but name of the White Court is glaring at Lydia and Barrowill, but the glances she is giving you seem far more chiding, almost disappointed. More than likely she had expected you do do something before it came to a duel challenge.

As you open your mouth to try to explain things somehow, Lydia cuts in and much to your surprise there is an edge of contrition to it. "I must confess I was distressed at the sight of the gentleman's lack of control, so much so that I spilled my drink in shock. I did apologize for the lapse fulsomely even sharing my father's advice in such matters, but he seemed to want something more, he sought to command me and, when I pointed out that was not his place, he offered the challenge which you now heard."

"Charles what were you doing?" Lara grinds out.

"Disciplining my property," he answers, once more cold, though not commanding, respectful of his liege lady.

"Badly, you knew not every guest was to be of the families, all of you did." The words are less moral condemnation and chiding over a faux pas as she looks over the red haired woman still pale as a sheet and looking like she's keeping her feet by a the fraying edges of willpower alone. She turns back to Lydia. "If he gives her to you are you willing to offer and un-barbed apology for your part in this misunderstanding?"

"Give her to me?" your friend sounds nonplussed as you feel, just as unused to think of humans as party favors.

"Yes as a bondsman, bondswoman, whatever you want to call it." Something tells you Lara Raith is not nearly as exasperated as she is trying to make herself sound. One has to admit it's impressive, she had managed to turn what might have been a major embarrassment into another opportunity to demonstrate her power and her skill at arbitration even while her manner serves to minimize the initial breach of order in retrospect.

On the other side if Lydia refuses what must now seem to every one watching as a ruling that favors her it would make her seem violent and uncouth. Judging from her expression she's probably going to take the deal and have to deal with a former vampire companion

What do you do?

[] Point out that the attempt to overawe Lydia is not addressed by the restitution proposed (Social Combat with Lara)
-[] Write in charms and Excellencies (Optional)

[] Let the judgement go through

[] Write in

OOC: If it comes to a duel Lydia is going to choose Flesh and try to beat this guy up with her bare hands.