Lara's First Favor [PT Spoilers]

[ClintACK]

Any good speculation on what Lara's first favor from Mab might have been?

A few:

• Upgraded magical defenses at Raith Chateau
• An introduction to Vadderung, resulting in the hiring of Freydis
• A dopplegänger for Thomas (who is actually hanging out at the Chateau, safe behind the upgraded magical defenses)
• Sanctuary in Winter territory for the White Court, should Chicago fall to the fomor
• Forgiveness for the capture of the little folk back in White Night
• A supply of sidhe bedmates to feed on
• Help narrowing down possible sources of the leak in her organization
• Something relevant to the Oblivion War

Others?

[Mira]

   I'd say she just had number one, the Winter Knight just sprung her brother from the custody..  Granted not the way she planned.. So her second favor might be to demand that the Winter Knight/Warden of Demonreach release her brother.

[Grifter]

Squaring Thomas with Winter?

He owed Cat Sith for an offense in Cold Days. With Sith dead or on the outs with the Court, and having been on the job for Mab at the time, then the debt might have passed to her. 

And Lara wouldn't want Thomas on Mab's bad side if he was going to be put on trial under her accords.

(Or as others have speculated, his debt to Sith for a guest law offense was claimed to make a guest law offense against Etri. But I'm not a fan of that one.)

[Mira]

Squaring Thomas with Winter?

He owed Cat Sith for an offense in Cold Days. With Sith dead or on the outs with the Court, and having been on the job for Mab at the time, then the debt might have passed to her. 

And Lara wouldn't want Thomas on Mab's bad side if he was going to be put on trial under her accords.

(Or as others have speculated, his debt to Sith for a guest law offense was claimed to make a guest law offense against Etri. But I'm not a fan of that one.)

I think you have to cast the net a little wider.  Think back to Skin Game, Mab used Nic's desire to get the Grail and more likely the Spear by using her Winter Knight to "pay the favor."  With Marcone's cooperation, the bank vault was broken into, Harry and company went into Hades and her Winter Knight gained the weapons.. Giving Nic the Grail was a small sacrifice to gain the other weapons, and she knew her Knight could do it with a little help, so did Vadderung for that matter.

This time around, just before hell breaks loose at the embassy, Mab appears with Lara in the Monstermobile.. Mab tells Harry that the Winter Court owes the White Court three favors..  Harry
returns home, finds the place on fire, learns that Thomas is in very deep s--t!  Suddenly he is planning an escape for him with Lara..

Then we learn that Thomas has been transferred to the basement where the talks are to be held.
He is under relatively light guard, oh this castle belongs to Marcone..  Last but not least, Mab and Vadderung both seem very aware that a jail break is going on and ignore it..  One wonders what would have gone down, what were they really up to if the Fomor hadn't made such a dramatic entrance? 

1] Once again the stage is set on property owned by Marcone, Skin Game, the bank, Peace Talks, the castle.
2] Given the crime he is accused of you'd think there would be just a little more security around the prisoner.  There wasn't, it was very light... In fact, stranger still that Thomas was being kept in Harry's old lab, that though stripped, still had an intact summoning circle..  It might not mean anything, but then again it might be significant that that little detail was mentioned.
3] Skin Game, Mab used a favor owed to Nic to gain access to weapons she knew her Knight wouldn't pass up.  In Peace Talks, Mab once again is pulling Harry in to pay Lara of the White Court three favors the Winter Court owes..  Then all hell breaks loose.. Oh and in both Skin Game and Peace Talks Vadderung is also in on it... The guards in the castle guarding Thomas, are his.

[Dina]

   I'd say she just had number one, the Winter Knight just sprung her brother from the custody..  Granted not the way she planned.. So her second favor might be to demand that the Winter Knight/Warden of Demonreach release her brother.

But Lara already used her three favors.

I think her first favor have something to do with information, but I am not sure the details.

[Mira]

But Lara already used her three favors.

I think her first favor have something to do with information, but I am not sure the details.

There are no details. Mab just tells Harry that Lara is owed three favors and when asked for he should carry them out.

[Dina]

I understand the book does not show any detail. I meant that I am speculating that the first favor, the one Lara already had received from Mab, was about information. And that is all the length of my speculation, that is what I intended to say with "I am not sure about the details"

[vultur]

I notice that Mab's specific words are “I have already agreed to one. I place the responsibility for providing the substance of the remaining two.”

So that favor hasn't necessarily actually been performed yet; just Mab and Lara agreed what it was going to be.

[Mira]

I notice that Mab's specific words are “I have already agreed to one. I place the responsibility for providing the substance of the remaining two.”

So that favor hasn't necessarily actually been performed yet; just Mab and Lara agreed what it was going to be.

As in look the other way while Lara and her Winter Knight spring Thomas? That is the obvious one considering the evidence that Mab seemingly knew very well what he and Lara were up to during the talks.

[vultur]

As in look the other way while Lara and her Winter Knight spring Thomas? That is the obvious one considering the evidence that Mab seemingly knew very well what he and Lara were up to during the talks.

Well, probably not that specifically; I don't think it would cost another favor to keep Mab from interfering in what Lara had already spent a favor on getting Harry to do. I think it would actually be against Faerie rules for Mab to intervene, once she'd agreed to pass Harry over to Lara to pay off the favors.

I think Mab knew Lara would use the favors to break Thomas out, anyway. And I think Mab benefits from it ... now it looks like Harry is influenced by Lara, which will sour the Council on him further, reducing Harry's resources away from Winter and giving Mab more control.

[Dina]

I notice that Mab's specific words are “I have already agreed to one. I place the responsibility for providing the substance of the remaining two.”

So that favor hasn't necessarily actually been performed yet; just Mab and Lara agreed what it was going to be.

Yes, you are right.

[Mira]

Well, probably not that specifically; I don't think it would cost another favor to keep Mab from interfering in what Lara had already spent a favor on getting Harry to do. I think it would actually be against Faerie rules for Mab to intervene, once she'd agreed to pass Harry over to Lara to pay off the favors.

Which was favor number one, looking the other way when they freed Thomas.. Something that puts her precious alliance at risk.

[vultur]

Which was favor number one, looking the other way when they freed Thomas..

I don't think so. Favors 2 and 3 were giving Lara the authority to ask two favors of the Winter Knight.

Once Mab had agreed to that, I don't think she could - by Faerie rules - intervene to stop Harry from doing what Lara's told him to do*. She's essentially already agreed to do it -- Harry is acting as Mab's proxy to fulfill that favor -- and the Sidhe can't go back on their word.

So it shouldn't "cost" another favor.

*At least within the limitations agreed upon; Mab emphasizes that Harry is a member of her House, and that she expects Lara to "show respect for my Court and my resources". So Lara couldn't use her favor to tell Harry to allow her to eat his life-energy, and presumably couldn't use it to tell Harry to assassinate Mab.

Something that puts her precious alliance at risk.

I don't think it meaningfully does. For one, I'm pretty sure Mab knows Lara is going to break Thomas out, and is OK with that.

And I just don't think the svartalves are actually important to holding the Accords together. If they walk out, or even declare war on the White Court, does Mab really care?

[Bad Alias]

Once Mab had agreed to that, I don't think she could - by Faerie rules - intervene to stop Harry from doing what Lara's told him to do*. She's essentially already agreed to do it -- Harry is acting as Mab's proxy to fulfill that favor -- and the Sidhe can't go back on their word.

It's implied that it would be within the rules for Titania to help people track Morgan through the oak leaf after he used his favor to be concealed.

[vultur]

It's implied that it would be within the rules for Titania to help people track Morgan through the oak leaf after he used his favor to be concealed.

Hmm, true.

I'm still not sure it's really comparable (maybe an issue of the wording of Morgan's bargain), but it's possible.

Storywise, I still think the other favor will be something much more interesting.