"So you really are THAT keen to play the arrogant young master role?" I asked, only to chuckle, genuinely amused for the moment before I quickly recalled how he dared to try to put his filthy hands on my woman. "What next, are you going to ask if I'm courting death, then try to fight me, only to have your face slapped and start a chain of escalation that will end with this whole side of the world turning into a nuclear wasteland?"
What I suggested wasn't just a story I conceived on the go but an actual scenario I could see happening.
First, the issue would escalate locally, with the two of us coming to blows. Then, regardless of who would win the fight, the other party would explode with a thirst for revenge, holding nothing back on their path to reclaim whatever they lost in that duel. For me, it would be an obvious reaction to this man kidnapping Claire, while for this idiot, it would be all about regaining his face.