[OPEN] SOUTHWARK TERRITORY CLAIM

[baisant]

It should never be said that Jean-Claude does anything halfway. So too might be true of the claim to try and regain Southwark for Islington.

And so he sends out a proverbial white glove to Daybreak. A formal challenge, detailing what Islington is after, how they believe they have been wronged, and how they would like to take it back. Naming a time and place where the two parties should meet (a quiet area, after the sun has set), where Jean-Claude and those who will join him for his cause shall be waiting. To fight for what is theirs.

It's all very romantic, if he says so himself. Brings him back to an era where such a thing was more commonplace. A time and place that he rather misses, all things considered.

He sends out a call to arms amongst the vampires as well. Letting them know his intentions. Letting them know that he has specified there will be no cheating in this match-up, no silver bullets, no fairy aid. No teeth. An honest match, between the vampires of Islington and the witches of Daybreak. And may the winner reap the riches. It's pretty clear what sort of a stand he's trying to make, a stark contrast to the latest brutality. He can only wait and see what sort of a statement it makes. Regardless of the outcome.

So Jean-Claude plans. And thus they assemble, at the appointed place, at the appointed time. And so do Daybreak and Islington come together in their first honorable battle in decades. As honorable as a battle gets, of course...

((ooc: come tag in and fight alongside your fellow witch/vampire, discuss amongst each other the strategy and your opinion of it before going in, OR react together to how it was handled and the fact that they lost afterwards -- have at it! c: there are not that many daybreaks involved/signed up, as a note, so please team up with each other and feel free to NPC daybreak opponents for yourselves! ))

Comments

[dredefulchilde]

Joscelin nods. "I would," he says, switching back to English now that he is certain none of the others are listening. Jean-Claude has amassed a fair number of vampires to his cause, none of whom Joss actually trusts. "Raymond's favor isn't worth this fight; he may be an opportunist but he's barely more than a child. You don't need to prove your allegiance to him like this. He will not repay you in kind." Three hundred years at Millicent's side and not a tear shed for his old mistress before stepping into her place. Not that Joscelin would have been much better. They all would have seized power in just such a way. Jean-Claude is a rarity amongst his kind. An honorable vampire. Who could have fathomed such a thing?

He watches his Gameboy's load screen with a frown on his face. He hasn't looked his friend--because he supposes that's what they are, after all these years--in the eye once today. The memory of the night in the alleyway, of his weakness, is still too raw for that.

"Don't let yourself be killed tonight. You're the only one in this lot I can tolerate."

That's the closest to genuine affection Joscelin has come in a very long time.

[baisant]

Jean-Claude shrugs slightly. "It is not his allegiance I seek, nor mine I seek to prove," he replies. "But I will not be made to be a doormat by the likes of yet another poorly chosen master of the city," he continues. "If I have a say in the matter, by the time he works himself into a corner that he cannot work himself out of, I would at least find myself in the right position for the change."

He shakes his head. "Millicent was not keen on me. I do not care one way or the other of this Raymond. But I would not like to have a second leader of the vampires in a row think so little of me as to rake me across the stones." He shrugs. "It's beginning to get a little old, if nothing else."

He flickers a smile at the other vampires words and the admission that he knows is there, beyond the bravado of the child vampire himself. "I will do my best to see that I return to you in one piece, mon ami," he promises. "This fight may be worth a great deal, but it is not worth my life."

[dredefulchilde]

"Good. There are too few of our generation left in London as it is. Your death would deprive me of the only conversation worth having."

A series of beeps from the machine in his hands takes Joscelin's attention away for a moment; it isn't until he spends several seconds pressing the right buttons in the right sequence (the attack is super effective, by the way) that he comes back to more immediate concerns.

"You must, of course, do whatever you think best. Far be it from me to tell you otherwise. I would be a terrible nihilist if I started caring now." Is that a joke? It must be.

[baisant]

Jean-Claude lets out something of a laugh at that, shaking his head as he does. He appreciates Joscelin's humor for what it is, of course. And appreciates the sentiment in turn.

"I promise you I will not deprive you of that, then," he says. "But I did not live six hundred years just to be killed in a duel that is more to make a statement than it is to win back the territory itself." It is an admission that he likely would not have made to much of the others who have joined him there. But he knows that Joscelin understands where he is coming from on this. They are of a similar age, after all. They have been through may similar things, the pair of them.

[dredefulchilde]

Joss shakes his head at that. "A duel," he echoes, a bit disgustingly. "How very French of you. If this 'sense of honor' of yours is a particularly Gallic sensibility, I'm rather glad I inherited my father's English practicality." And ruthlessness.

"Only you would call a duel with a mortal over territory you don't even want. And before you smirk at me, sirrah, that wasn't meant as a compliment."

[baisant]

Jean-Claude finds himself smirking anyway, although he inclines his head at the other vampire as well. "Perhaps you are right, mon ami," he replies. "As I have said, I am out to set an example. And perhaps... In doing so, it would not be a bad thing to gain the favor of some others as well. Those who are not satisfied with the way that things have been handled in the past few weeks, perhaps."

Another thing that he would not have admitted to anyone else than the vampire across from him, for that matter. He is trusting you not to tell his secrets, Joscelin. Though of course in truth he has secrets of the other vampire himself in turn, should things turn that way. He's hoping for all involved that they continue to remain friends, though. As close as either of them can to friendship, at any rate.

[dredefulchilde]

"Are you saying...?" Is that what he's hearing? Just in case, Joscelin drops his voice and switches languages again, his game forgotten. This is far more interesting than anything Nintendo can come up with. "If you mean to take power for yourself, I advise extreme caution. Trust no one."

He grins. "Except, perhaps, me."

[baisant]

Jean-Claude shrugs one shoulder at the other vampire, but he offers him a half smile in response as well. "I have considered it. Given our present state of affairs... It is perhaps not as far-fetched as one might think. I would also like to think that I would not get it half as wrong as our most recent options have done."

"Of course..." he trails off, tilting his head at the other vampire. "I would not tell you such things if I did not trust you to hold my confidence in them. And if I did not value your opinion in the matter as well..."

[dredefulchilde]

So it's true.

Joscelin is stunned, though he knows better than to let his face reveal it. He hadn't planned for this. Jean-Claude is a romantic, prone to showy fits of sentimentality (as evidenced by their current situation). A powerful romantic, certainly, and one who's been quietly growing his influence within the Nest for quite some time, but not one who could be considered a serious threat to the status quo. How long has this been in the works? Has he been moving to consolidate his power for some time, or is this purely opportunistic, a better way to fill the void left by Millicent than their current leader?

"You really are a fool." There is a hint of admiration in the boy's voice. "I must admit, I'm impressed. I hadn't thought you had the motivation for such a move."

[baisant]

Jean-Claude hazards a smile at the other vampire, inclining his head at him. In truth, he's a bit relieved to hear that Joscelin is impressed by the idea of it. That he hasn't told him off right from the start for the terrible idea that it is. It certainly wouldn't have been Jean-Claude's first choice, but faced with the other possibilities.

"Perhaps I am a fool indeed," he agrees. "But, and you must correct me if I am mistaken in this. I do not hear you complaining." He quirks a crooked smile at that. "Would you support me in such an endeavor, my friend?"

[dredefulchilde]

"Not openly." Joscelin is blunt, but he doesn't think Jean-Claude would expect any less. Theirs is not a relationship built on bullshit or pretty niceties. "You would not thank me if I did. I am not so popular as all that; I'd only drag you down. But I will kill any man who tries to stop you."

[baisant]

Jean-Claude lets out a soft laugh in response to the other vampire's words, but of course he is appreciative of them nonetheless. "Well, then. I shall appreciate your support even in such a way as that," he replies. "And appreciate the fact that you have not yet told me that you think I am making a mistake in the attempt. It is not exactly what I had imagined for myself, but..."

He sobers slightly, trailing off for a moment before shrugging and continuing, "I suppose it is better not to want the position, considering how all those who did want it have ended up..."