Acrobatic Pirouette off the Handle

[cullionfish]

Who: The Condesce, Rupert Giles
What: The Empress is slowly realizing just how little control she has over the Situation that is Mayfield.
Where: 724 Anderson Lane
When: Right now.
Warnings: Violence, possibly blood....probably blood.

[The punch to the wall hadn't done much to abate the Empress' fury. How dare that little lowblooded worm defy her like that? She wanted nothing more than to find that crossbow Giles owned, march out the door and plant an arrow in that filthy mutant's skull.

Psiioniic's words echoed as moved to tear the phone out of Giles' hands, not because she wanted to keep talking, but simply because she had nothing else to take her anger out on. Not long after, it would be followed by an attempt to rip the whole phone out of the wall and toss it across the room.]

Comments

[cullionfish]

[The second he tries to move past her, she's on him, looking to shove him straight into the wall. Her pupils are little pinpricks in this unnatural tyrian purple irises.]

Do not test me!

[watchher]

Then kindly refrain from murder.

[ He's struggling before she can get a good grip, not trying to harm her -- he knows what sort of disadvantage he's at without a weapon -- but to slip away and duck past her into the kitchen. This is a conversation he'd rather have with a knife in his hand. A sword, if at all possible. ]

[cullionfish]

[Condesce screeches again when Giles wriggles out of her grip, and suddenly her anger is renewed. Lucky for him, his smaller size makes it a lot easier to dart through the house. The Empress is forced to duck and squeeze her way through doorways.

If he happens to pick up a knife, it doesn't seem to phase her.]

If you get in my way, then you will join them!

[watchher]

[ Giles does, in fact, pick up a knife -- their best one, at that. He whirls to face her, backing up slowly with the blade held between them and an open doorway at his back. He's clearly on the defensive, not intending to make a move unless she does.

With a very deliberate, forced calm: ]

I will not stand by. But you do not want to kill me any more than I wish to fight you-- I will be back the next day, unharmed, and I will return the favor.

[cullionfish]

[Condesce scoffs harshly, an almost manic grin settling on her shark-like features.]

And so will begin the endless cycle...won't it?

[She doesn't stop her approach -- he's blocking her way to weaponry, so she's going to have to push him aside either way.]

Its charming, that you believe me to fear death.

[watchher]

It bothers you enough to kill me in retaliation. What on earth did he say to you?

[ Still between her and the knives, he braces himself, holding his ground. If she charges, he's prepared to slash for her arms and torso, more in an effort to drive her back than do actual damage.

Psii stabbed the woman and didn't earn this level of rage; Giles can't understand how all the babbling about blood set her off this way. ]

[cullionfish]

I would simply be...returning the favor, as you put it. That is, of course, assuming you could even manage to kill me.

[She ignores his question.]

Now. Stand aside.

[watchher]

No. You will stop this.

[ He could defeat her -- not easily, and probably not with a kitchen knife, but he could. Giles is, truthfully, quite confident in that. ]

I am quite interested as to what is it about blood, your blood or his, that will drive you to kill a man when you wouldn't before.

[cullionfish]

How quaint, to think you could command an Empress.

[That....actually causes her to pause and chuckle.]

What a shame. Nobody saw fit to educate you. This matter in particular has little to do with the hemospectrum.

[watchher]

I am deeply sorry if this comes as news to you, but you are not, in fact, my empress.

[ And then Giles looks... a little wary -- warier -- but is relieved to see her let up even for a moment, and intrigued despite himself. He doesn't lower the knife. ]

I've... heard it mentioned.

[ He knows 'maroon to purple', and that it somehow relates to lifespan.

... yeah that is pretty much it. ]

[cullionfish]

[She eyes the knife briefly before reaching out to swipe at his hand to force him to drop it, purposefully cutting herself in the process to reveal that rich tyrian hue once more.

After that, she doesn't seem very interested in the knife.]

In what context?

[watchher]

[ He startles, predictably, and is about to make some move of retaliation but falters when she fails to attack. Automatically, unintentionally, his gaze snaps to the splash of purple on her hand. In a careful tone: ]

There is some type of caste system based on color.

Purple denotes... a high rank. [ Royalty. Purple is the color of royalty, even among humans. ]

[cullionfish]

So you do know.

[She opens her palm for him with a very smug grin.]

One of the highest, yes. Beneath myself.