chicago ♔ people say that you'll die faster than without water

[socialgraces]

WHO || Failboat + Francesca [Closed]
WHAT || After spider fights and cleric visits...
WHERE || Back at the hotel, Chicago, IL
WHEN || July 11, 2013, late night (backdated)
HOW || Actionspam

[ Jaka agrees to go to the police himself to report the spider attack, and after the group makes a much-needed cleric visit, they can (and will) return to the hotel. Francesca’s anxiously waiting for them, because she doesn’t trust Jaka in the least, and was obviously concerned for what they may have found or encountered while out. Speaking of which, she also has some recently acquired information she’d like to share.

She’s working on her computer in the suite living room, but stands when they file in, giving them each a once-over to ensure everyone’s in one piece.]

Well? What happened?

Comments

[slay]

Can I just be the one to ask: what the hell is it with these people and giant bugs?

[ buffy's stretching and rotating her shoulder as she walks in, as if regaining the last of her mobility and health from the cleric visit. ]

[graveflowers]

Archer tried to feed a spider his gun. [That is what happened, that is all that happened. She flops on one of the couches, kicking her flip flops off.] It was surprisingly effective.

[witchwoman]

[Despite being healed, the majority of the group has to look like a hot mess- because this isn't charmed, so we can't just heal our clothes and clean up the blood with whitelighter magic. Myri's got her own blood and Buffy's caked on a good portion of her. As the others pipe up, she shakes her head wearily.]

Soul spider. [That says it all, as far as she's concerned.]

[socialgraces]

[ With an 18 arcane lore check she can probably piece together that's definitely not a good thing, even if she doesn't know all the specifics. She visibly tenses even more, looking past them towards the door, as if expecting Jaka to be following and clearly relieved he's not ] A spider? Seems awfully... coincidental.

[slay]

Lawyer-guy said something about a drow house that was keeping it as a pet. House ... Bane? Bantha? Look, there was a poison thing, it could've been House Babaganoush for all I know. [ she looks expectantly to their company except myri who was ... also poisoned and she doesn't expect to remember any better. ]

[graveflowers]

House Baenre. It was branded with their symbol or something. He seemed pleased.

[socialgraces]

Did he say why it would be following him?

[witchwoman]

I believe he thinks it was following us...

[bigbad]

[Spike is lurking around behind people and shooting furtive looks at Buffy. She's better, and she's strong, and she's not going to collapse but he came really close to losing her and he's still fretting.]

Probably pals with our mate Chad. Or fake-Chad, as the case may be.

[isisagent]

[Yay Clerics! Tinnitus is 100% better. Archer wastes no time, however, as soon as they get back.]
[He cuts past the "interrogation", though does pause when Violet mentions him feeding his gun to the spider, interrupting with a boisterous "Woo!" before continuing on to the bar to start mixing himself up a few Martinis. It's been a stressful night...]

Well it's dead now, what's the problem? Spiders hunt in packs here, or something?
[He jests, clearly unconcerned, and missing all the context from his deaf moments.]

[slay]

The problem is the people who sent it after us probably have more where that came from - maybe not more spiders, but more something.

[65]

[he calls over to archer:] Make one for me, too.

[that's finnick's contribution to the conversation. alcoholism. alcoholism and manpained expressions while sitting next to myri.]

[socialgraces]

[ She looks between them all before pointedly moving her attention to the hourglass still carefully encased on the table. ] Well, I don't know how you all became entangled in House politics, but it might have something to do with that.

Either way, I doubt that lawyer is entirely innocent. If House Baenre is interested in you or Chad or any of this, then House Teken'duis is as well, if only for the purpose of thwarting the other House.

[graveflowers]

[Hold up, Vi is going to derail from house politics as she has just seen the hourglass again and it looks pretty still and can she have it. Please.]

What is that exactly? Has that been discovered?

[socialgraces]

Insanely dangerous. [ As is her tone, because really, no touching. ] I have it on expert opinion that it's a way to commune with a god, and given the inscriptions and Luthir's insight into the situation, an evil dark elf deity, at that.

That is, if it's real, but I think this goes without saying - we shouldn't take any chances. [ She'll diplomacy check this if she needs to... ]

[bigbad]

Talking to an evil god? [Oh good, something that stops Spike from lurking all over Buffy. He goes over to look at the hour glass more carefully, though he's not dumb enough to touch it.] So what, should we destroy it?

[graveflowers]

No!

[Whoa there, Violet. Horses, rein 'em in. She fails miserably at brushing that off like no biggie. It's a cosmic iPhone, that would be incredibly handy.] It could be a good bargaining chip...?

[socialgraces]

[ She's just eyeing Vi incredulously now as she answers Spike. ] Destroying magical artifacts, especially one so powerful, isn't something easily done. As in, all that magic has to go somewhere, and that usually causes quite an explosion.

That is, if we could even find a tool powerful enough to affect it.

[slay]

[ vi that was super fucking suspicious and buffy is side-eyeing her like hell for it. she steps forward with spike. ]

Only an evil dark elf deity? It couldn't be ... I don't know. A nice deity? You don't ... think there's any chance it could accidentally turn on, right? 'Cause somehow, I doubt they'd come down on our side.

[graveflowers]

[Wow guys, she is being harrassed by one, she kind of has a vested interest in the idea of having a nice chat with a god.]

There's only one good drow goddess, odds are in favor of the not nice ones.

[socialgraces]

It's not just about the odds... It's the spider webs decorating the thing. [ she looks back to Vi ] This god haunting your nightmares doesn't happen to be the King of Spiders, does he?

[graveflowers]

Yeah, that would be him. And that -- [She points to the hourglass.] -- is pretty much a collect call to my creepy stalker, I'm guessing? [Wisdom 17] So you can see why I would prefer destroying it to be a last resort for the time being or until the nightmares go away.

[nothingsodivine]

[Des has been lurking in the back as he's wont to do, because he is the worst team player. He still has the lockbox and he moves away from holding up the wall to put it down on the coffee table.

INTERRUPTING COW TIME.]

All right, all right. Let's get all this straight here. We have a collection of pop stars that have divine bloodlines, a woman with freaky mind powers who is practically the Mother Goddess to a collection of snakebloods as far as they care, a cult determined to eliminate Shadowkind, a doppelganger that may or may not be pretending to be Chad Becksworth, a bunch of wacky experiments, an hourglass that lets people commune with a drow god that has a thing for Violet, a drow House testing our mettle with their giant pet spiders, a frame-job to get Rafael out of the picture, and one unkillable Paladin who wants him to fry.

And somehow all of this ties back to some spiel with the Lazarus Talisman, which is currently in the hands of some dictator from some island no one gives a damn about.

[slay]

Yeah, I'm actually kinda with Des on this one, assuming "with Des" involves being on Team Really Confused. If I hadn't been here the past 18 months, I wouldn't believe any of this even connected. So how does it?

[witchwoman]

[Myri worries her lip, sitting quietly beside Finnick and picking restlessly at a spot where the spider tore her shirt.]

Pieces fit- or can be made to fit, but I don't believe any amount of talking will knit it all together. The hourglass is likely connected to Chad, as well as Vi's nightmares- of which the latter should be our immediate concern.

[Mama Myri is not letting anyone forget that, folks. No way in hell is she letting Vi end up targeted like Jade was.]