In adventure, how do you handle scenes where NPCs are talking to each other - providing exposition but not really giving the PKs an opportunity to do anything.

Maybe it's just me, but I seem to run into this a lot with court and feast scenes, where a conversation between two NPCs is going on - providing important information (I think) - but I realize I'm role playing at myself and my players are just sitting there (and at least one of them has gone back to her knitting).

Example (from my other recent thread, Consequences of Eloping), Sir Henry (an NPC) is telling his father, the baron (also an NPC), that he has married Lady Rosamund (a player lady) and the baron is yelling at Sir Henry, threatening all manner of dire consequences. My players are just standing there quietly while the two NPCs shout. Characterful, yes. Immersive, yes. Boring, oh yeah.

How do you handle this or how to do you avoid this?

One thing I do is ask the players "What does your character think about this? How is he feeling?" Gives them a chance to react, and might give you some direction for further action

I alsways try to ask them what they think about it (as Makofan also stated), but also give them a chance to get involved in the discussion. In your example the others may wish to speak on sir Henry's behalf. If they were present, maybe either party wishes to involve them? for instance the Baron could ask why they did nothing to stop it?

Also in such cases I do not always roleplay both roles in detail, but I usually describe what is happening.

In your example a solution can be to give one of the players the role of one of them. One of the PK could play sir Henry for a short while trying to explain the situation to his father.

Thanks, that helped a lot.

A side comment to Cornelius' post:

While the literature focuses on the named individuals holding an exchange in court, you can assume that on the sides there are many discrete whispers going on, ranging from the assistants to nobility (such as attending PKs) exercising their Recognize and Courtesy skills, to outright gossip (Intrigue).

And while things are kept to a quiet buzz out of respect for the King et al, these kinds of conversations are present while the expository text is taking place. That means your players may be engaged in all manner of quick role-playing exchanges while reacting to the scene and/or using the opportunity to pursue their interests while something distracting is occurring.

--Khanwulf

The PKs in my game are all of relatively high glory (4000+), and include one PK who is the nephew of the "Knight with the most glory" who knighted King Arthur back in the day, and two RTKs. At least 3 of them also have very good (15+) Orate skills.
We are just finishing the Conquest period.

I describe what the PKs are seeing hearing, ask what they are thinking, and then ask if they do anything.

I have *yet* to see at least one PK not ask for permission to speak.

And they *would* step in to speak when the Baron's son is getting dressed down. Doesn't mean there would not be consequences, but they would do it.