Hedgewick v. Dupree
Goldina Hedgewick, prostitute and madam, filed claims against the son of an influencial politician, Calder Dupree, for allegedly refusing payment for services rendered and physical abuse.
Submitted for Summer Camp but still very much a WIP.
As the son of an influencial politician the accused was accustomed to getting his way and having his significant character flaws overlooked due to his social and political ties. This attitude of entitlement led to a violent altercation with Goldina Hedgewick during one of his many visits to The Graceful Bloom.
According to the hostess and later corroborated by the guards, Calder arrived at the club with a large entourage shortly after dark. He already seemed intoxicated and members of his party immediately riled up numerous other patrons with rude and aggressive behavior.
Calder and Killian, his brother, were regular clients and the staff were all familiar with how petulent and entitled they could be. Despite generally disliking the young man, the staff of the Graceful Bloom usually tried to accomodated their boorish behavior since they also tended to spend a small fortune in lats every time they'd come in.
During this time, the Mistress of Grace and recent inheritor of the Graceful Bloom, Goldina identified Calder as tonights instigator and attempted to diffuse the rising tension by tempting him with the potential 'bounty' before him. After barely more than a few words and sideways smile Goldina was leading Calder away from his table full of drinks and towards the private rooms upstairs.
The victim, Goldina Hedgewick, states that Calder agreed to their services and initially left payment on the usual table. During their forplay Calder started to 'get rough' and tried to force Goldina's movements to a painful and unnecessary extreme. When Goldina resisted and insisted he stop, Calder became violent, holding Goldina down and assaulting them. He then bludgeoned Goldina across the head with a metal statuette before fleeing the building.
When the crime was reported, which it almost wasn't, Goldina was dismissed out-of-hand by the sargeant taking their statement. The officer seemed to believe that no crime had occurred and it would be futile to try proving it had since Calder would likely be untouchable regardless of his culpability.
Knowing that the legal or financial repurcussions of such actions would be of little consequence to Calder even if his actions became public knowledge, Goldina invoked an old and largely forgotten law to challenge him in ritual combat; a duel.
This time, Goldina was prepared to face Calder and bested him in close-quarters combat after letting him exhaust himself against their fluid and evasive fighting style. During the fight Goldina acted with honor and took no easy hits, which presented themselves with increasing frequency as Calder wore himself out swinging the traditional dueling blade that was used specifically for this ritual. Goldinas' behavior actually shamed Calder more than if they had simply humiliated him and as Calder grew more tired, he also became angier. After nearly a full day, exhausted and nearly insane, he collapsed without landing a single stroke against his opponent.
Goldina's victory was so complete in the face of overwhelming predjudice that the Mansa herself granded Goldina full ownership of the young noble - one of the only remaining ways to legally own a slave in Allegri. Along with his immediate loss of all status and belongings, Calder was tattooed with arcana-infused dyes that are fully under Goldina's control which can be used for any purpose ink-to-skin could be used for.
Characters:Calder Dupree Locations: Clavier
Conflict Type
Duel
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