Well, I normally just lurk, but here.
The problem with Plan Bii is that it's
slow. It relies upon the world around Theo moving at a rate which allows him to make his apologies for leaving to Vista, stroll to where Shadow Stalker is, extend a hand to Sabah and gently help her up, then use some verbose and circuitous words to express understanding of Shadow Stalker's position, make explanations for why she was in the wrong, and request an apology- offering her forgiveness if she does so.
None of those actions are necessarily individually bad ideas, but look at what's happening:
"Back the fuck up! She's straight!"
You whirl and see Sabah on her butt, clutching her chest, and Shadow Stalker standing menacingly over her. The redhead behind Stalker has a hurt and surprised look on her face before it morphs into one of feigned disgust.
"You were hitting on me? Ugh. I can't believe I let you touch me!"
Sabah was just subjected to physical violence and has been knocked to the floor. There is someone standing threateningly over her while she is being verbally abused, right now.
Why would we spend the three or four seconds that it will take to speak to Vista? Why would we
stroll to Sabah, and then rely on her- who was just assaulted physically and verbally- to take the initiative in being helped up? And why are we then so damn generous and polite to someone who just attacked our date? That's wasting time. That's giving Emma and Sophia the chance to keep talking shit and reinforce their claims to the crowd, and it's giving Sabah the time to process their abuse and potentially break down or strike back- the former of which would almost certainly ruin her evening and the latter of which would put her firmly in the wrong in the eyes of the public here, something which we absolutely cannot afford.
This situation doesn't call for a casually assured, polite response. It calls for drastic social action where we put our foot down and make it clear to all those people who have been subconsciously acknowledging us as a prince that you don't fuck with the Prince's people.
Not going to claim that my stunts are perfect, but something like this:
What do? Remember Vista is watching and will likely participate, as will Kid Win and Aegis. But you can score points with all of them. Even Stalker.
[X] Write in
-[X] Sabah is yours and she is under attack; in no way is this acceptable. All the networking you've done tonight has been the velvet glove, but smiles and charm mean nothing if not backed by the iron fist where appropriate. Hit back with maximum acceptable social force, and break the will of others before you.
-[X] Use personal motes for Scathing Cynic Attitude [3m], Exquisite Etiquette Style [1m], 2nd presence Excellency [6m], leaving you with 5 motes.
Even as the redhead speaks, you're moving. Shadow Stalker's posture is aggressive, threatening- and threats to Sabah are utterly unacceptable. Smooth as silk, you're between the two of them and Sabah is being pulled to her feet by your hand, gentle yet swift, as you turn and in a single motion are facing the Ward with Sabah just behind you and to your side- a classic posture of two against one. Better, while her costume may be intimidating, it's merely clothing. It doesn't change the fact that you're bigger than she is and more dangerous to boot, and your posture shows it.
You made a mistake to mess with me and mine, little girl, it says.
A quick lesson on which of you is the royal, and therefore in charge, is in order. "No,
you are going to back the fuck up. In fact, you're going to leave this party,
now, and not return for the rest of the evening." Your words are laden with detestation and certainty, making it clear to not only Shadow Stalker but all who are listening that your will shall be done.
Oh, you could bring up legal threats- physical violence is a serious issue, and you've got more than enough money to force the PRT to settle in your favor in any confrontation. You could bring up the fact that Sabah is a fashion designer and had done nothing but look at a model's lovely dress. You could defame Shadow Stalker as a homophobe or take a dozen other tacks. But you don't, and won't have to. You don't need to justify Sabah as in the right, or Shadow Stalker as in the wrong, with mere logic or persuasion; you are the Prince and you have declared it to be so, and thus it is. She has sinned against you and will leave in shame; so shall it be.
And in the unlikely case that your royal command is not enough, if Shadow Stalker is determined to be a detestable creature and ruin your evening, there were others here who could be drawn in onto your side without too much trouble. Her handlers in the PRT would never let a Ward create too large of a scandal without stepping in and smoothing everything over with endless apologies- they're far too keenly aware of the potential consequences of negative PR, and this situation would be far too easy to spin against them in all the worst ways. From the moment you turned on her, Shadow Stalker had already lost, and all she can do is manage how badly she gets hurt as she goes down.