CHAPTER FINALE ♔ cause it's always raining in my head

[narcosynthesis]

♬ oceano - josh groban

WHO || Keijen Blade, Nadia Reichenov, Rafael Giovanni, Buffy Summers, Alainn O'Rourke, Myrilandel Odair, Finnick Odair, Desmond Descant, Elena Gilbert, Rose Hathaway, Fredrick Jr., Jack Chessing, Kat Samcelot, Jeanne Gar, Spike, Sterling Archer, Violet Reedhym, Burt Becksworth, Isabella Alessandro
WHAT || Failboat does the Grammy's, tries to stop Keijen Blade's performance from reaching the masses, and aspires to save Nadia
WHERE || Staples Center, Los Angeles
WHEN || Feb 8th, 2015
HOW || Actionspam. Single thread.

The day has finally arrived: the 2015 Grammy's gather together musical talent at the top of the food chain, which means that NOVA Records will be well represented at this year's ceremony. Unfortunately, this includes performances from Keijen Blade's band, Heatless Passion, and Nadia Reichenov's, Derere, both of whom are working for "Chad Becksworth", aka Draken Crombe, head of the Shadowkind-hating cult, the Church of the Lord's Humanity.  Equipped with some sort of ability to hypnotize large crowds with subliminal messages, Wynn fears what lies beneath Keijen's intended performance, and is sending his Knights to shut down the broadcast, to prevent that message from being spread to millions of viewers worldwide.

Meanwhile, the gang finally has a chance to see Rafael Giovanni again - but what he's been up to in the months since they last saw him, and how his reunion with Buffy will go, remains to be seen.

Several of the Knights have decided that this is their last chance as well to try and break Nadia free from Keijen's influence, now that they've learned the truth about him - that Keijen is in fact Kel'in'hrae, sadistic son of the Nightmare God Malaak'a, likely working to free his father from the prison Sehanine had created for him.  The prison sealed by the relic that the team has been chasing for years, believing it to be an immortality-granting talisman of great power.

The truth, it seems, was worse than they could have imagined.  

One step at a time, however, and stopping the signal is first priority on Failboat's to do list for now.  With an actual plan under their belts this time, maybe this is the turning point they've been waiting for...    

Comments

[witchwoman]

[Early during the flight, Myri finds Buffy in her seat. She doesn't say anything, doesn't quite know what to say. She knows that things with Rafael must not be great at least, since there's been a distinct lack of talk about him. So Myri just sits in the seat beside Buffy's and reaches out to take her hand. There's no requirement to talk, but she wants Buffy to know that she's there if need be.]

[slay]

[ She squeezes Myri's hand in answer, leaning over the armrest to settle her head on the other woman's shoulder. With a sigh, Buffy shuts her eyes and relaxes against her. A moment later, eyes still closed, she questions, ] How are you feeling?

[witchwoman]

[Myri's head leans against Buffy's resting her cheek against the top of the woman's head.]

Good. A little tired, but that's normal.

[slay]

Drooping eyelids regardless of noise level tired, or achey, breaky bone-tired?

[witchwoman]

The first one. I'm fine, Buffy. Really. I wouldn't have come if it wasn't safe. [Probably a lie. She's terrible about looking after herself.]

[slay]

Liar.

[ She bumps her knee sideways into Myri's. ]

Takes more than a baby and a couple sideways looks to keep you from looking out for us. I get it. But while you worry about us, someone has to worry about you.

[witchwoman]

Which is why I'm so lucky to have you. And why I knew it would be alright for me to come on this mission. We'll look out for one another.

[slay]

We don't have a stellar track record for keeping an eye out for one another, Myr.

[ Someone has to say it. They didn't get out of Andres unscathed, not exactly. ]

[witchwoman]

There's a first time for everything. [She says with a smile, knowing that it's not exactly comforting.]

I know it's dangerous. But I needed to be here.

[slay]

I know. [ She understands. ] I'm glad you are.

[witchwoman]

Good. [She gives Buffy's hand a squeeze.]

Are you going to be alright? Seeing him again?

[She doesn't know everything that's gone down with Raf but she knows Buffy well enough to figure out that things aren't....great on that front.]

[slay]

I don't know.

[ She shakes her head. For a moment, she looks ready to withdraw into herself, but then she reaches to pull her phone out instead. She thumbs through messages, then hands over a string of emails. ] I really messed up, Myr.

[witchwoman]

[Myri reads the emails quietly, carefully looking over each word and making sure she doesn't miss anything in the exchange. Because this is clearly very important.]

It seems to me that he thinks he's the one who's messed up.

[slay]

And that's exactly how I know I did. Instead of being there to help him, thinking about what he must be going through, I was too caught up in my own— [ Pain? Drama? Self-loathing? D.) All of the above? She shakes her head, sighing. ] I'm worried about him. About what he might have done ...

[witchwoman]

His choices are his own, Buffy. You told me as much when I had concerns about what would happen between me and Finnick. [She knows that it's harder to see when it's happening to you- to someone you care about so strongly.]

You can't save him from himself. And if he's going to be a man who has the chance to slip every time you look away, is that really something you want to worry about for the rest of your life?

[slay]

It's not about slipping when I look away. I've been looking away for five months. Anyone could lose themselves if they were going through something and—and didn't have anyone there to help.

[ Isabella and Burt are chopped liver, yes. Her brow furrows, dissatisfied. It sits wrong with her, to equate this to holding herself responsible for his goodness in some way. Rather, she's worried she's let him down in their friendship, the very same way she'd let Myri down when Kyp had replaced her. ]

[witchwoman]

If he was able to reach out to you to write these? Then it's likely he could have done so before, if he needed someone to be there for him. [It's not the same as being kidnapped to torture island. As far as they know, Raf could have called or emailed at literally any time.]

Believe me- I'm not going to tell you that you shouldn't worry, and I know that guilt goes hand in hand with that so easily. But whatever has happened to him isn't your fault. And if he needs help? We'll do everything we can to help him. [She takes Buffy's hand and gives it a squeeze.] Together.