[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

[loveconquersdinosaurs]

Thomas strode toward the other vampires with the smooth confidence of a runway model, his hair blowing slightly in the breeze. Hair that some who had seen him before might notice looked different than it had last time they'd seen him. It was similar, yes. It was still long and black, but if someone looked closely, they'd notice the texture and cut weren't exactly…identical to how his hair had been a few weeks ago. That was mostly because of the fact that, thanks to Cooper, he now was wearing a human hair and lace wig secured in place with a bit of wig glue that should keep him from losing it in the fight…so long as no one tried to yank his hair.

However, despite this, Thomas seemed to be doing his very best to distract anyone who might look at his hair, with tight leather pants, an open leather jacket, and no shirt. The better to show off his amazing abs with, of course. His sword could be seen hanging at his side, and at his other side, covered by his jacket, was his gun. A gun he wasn't sure if he'd be allowed to use, because if they couldn't use silver bullets on vampires…well, regular bullets could be just as deadly to witches. He'd just have to ask, and if he couldn't, then he wouldn't.

"I did have one question before all of this starts."

Before the Duel - locked to Jean-Claude

[dredefulchilde]

"You're either a mad fool or a foolish madman," Joscelin drawls in extremely outdated French, not looking up from his Gameboy. The whole world has gone tits up in the last two weeks, following Millicent's sudden and permanent departure from London--and Joss is still reeling from the news, still unaccountably angry when centuries of hatred told him he should be jubilant at the bitch's death--and Jean-Claude has made it worse by discarding his usually sensible nature and calling a duel, of all things.

What a ridiculous mess.

They're inside, for now; despite the fact that Islington is officially under new management, Joscelin FitzThomas still finds himself unaccountably (read: perfectly reasonably) without his confiscated Daylight ring and the sun has not yet set. He's elected himself Jean-Claude's second in all this mess. For all his derision, the part of him that is still a child is rather excited by the prospect of an old-fashioned fight, and the much more dominant part of him that is a monster is pleased at the prospect of a slaughter. Not that he will let Jean-Claude see that, of course.

Tinny victory music comes out of the speakers -- perfect score. He's played this particular game hundreds of times since it came out in the 1990s.

"It's a good thing I'm going to be there to keep your lunatic ass out of trouble."

[freelife]

This was not Evie's first territory claim. This was not her first "gang fight" as it would be described later, in mundane newspapers and on the telly. Once upon a time, this had been a completely common place thing for her and her brother, the two of them and their Rooks. The Rooks had been all Jacob's doing, and it had been a pity to have to disband them twenty years later.

But they weren't here. Just the vampires, just the witches, and, if Evie wasn't mistaken- "What are the chances none of them have even seen a real duel?" She says it mostly to herself, but if anyone's listening, by all means.

As far as weapons go, Evie's got a sword on her hip, a gun next to it, and quite a few hidden blades. She'll play this clean, however. Clean, civil- a perfect way to prove to the other factions that vampires could handle things without a massacre, and to prove to their new representative just how good she could be. There was no use getting on his bad side, after all.

IT'S TIME TO D-D-D-DUEL

[knightscode]

This is both aggravating and ridiculous.

Lancelot cannot believe that Jean-Claude is trying to take back a territory he encouraged him to take in the first place. He cannot believe that he is doing it in such a strangely old-fashioned way, either.

Well, no. He can. He's just oddly unsettled by it.

There's a lot of behind the scenes bickering that goes on. Norrell's coven, of course, incensed by the outrage and cheek of it all. Some people wary of what this means with the new head of Islington. All sorts of politics and shuffling of paper and tutting.

Yet Lancelot took this territory specifically to keep it safe, whatever the reason he was encouraged to might have been, and he intends to keep it that way.

So he strides out into Southwark to meet him, a vague collection of slightly uncertain witches lingering further back yet still managing to regard everyone with disgust and defiance. Just because they can.

Witches. Some of them, Lancelot finds, are just utterly infuriating. He supposes it comes with how big and powerful Daybreak is now. Ego.

"Jean-Claude!"

Lancelot doesn't want to wait around, doesn't want to go through all the chattering and bowing and scraping and formalities. He's dressed down in dark stonewash jeans and a white shirt he hasn't even buttoned all the way, rolled up at the sleeves. Something about it says he isn't too worried about this, or perhaps not taking it seriously.

In reality, it's that he was too angry to think about it all properly.

"Jean-Claude, you of all people have no right to be here."

It's half a challenge, half a warning. Lancelot knows that Jean-Claude must have been involved in toppling Millicent. He has no real proof, but he knows that the vampires encouragement and the timing of it all cannot have been a coincidence. He hasn't said anything, because he did not exactly like Millicent, but he hasn't forgotten. It isn't much leverage, perhaps, but he doubt it would be good for the man if he started yelling about it.

[emotioneater]

Before

Cooper is looking a little worse for the wear as he meets up with the other vampires. He's still physically recovering from his fight with Alex and mentally is still smarting at his failure to bring her in. Thus, he's much more likely to sulk and be much more of a snarky smartass than he usually is. He hangs back, looking over the others. What a motley crew they are.

He's got a gun with him, a small cannon that looks like it'll blow him straight back if he actually fires it. He hasn't had to use it in years, but he's kept it in good working order. Not that he plans to shoot anyone unless he has to. This all seems like a dreadfully civilized affair. Such a shame really. He's never really gotten over his youthful obsession with fighting tooth and nail for a cause.

After

And then they lose. Cooper can't believe it. His apartment is in Southwark and it's still in the hands of those bloody witches. And this all seemed like such a good plan at the start to take it back. Well, they've got no one to blame but themselves for their failure.

He is not a happy vampire and it definitely shows on his face. "Great. There goes the feckin' neighborhood," he grumbles to anyone within earshot.