chicago ♔ but close my eyes for a while | and force from the world a patient smile

[shootfirst]

♬ Evil - Interpol

WHO || Spike, Francesca, Archer, Myri, Finnick, Elena, Buffy, Des, Gar, Mark, Kat, Rafael, Isabella, Jaka, Burt, Violet, Luthir, Val'drin, ??[Closed]
WHAT || The Knights prepare for the trial of Rafael Giovanni and face a few revelations along the way
WHERE || Various locations, Chicago
WHEN || July 17th - November 21st  [Back AND Forward dated]
HOW || Actionspam, don't sweat tag order!!


The trial of Rafael Giovanni looms on the horizon, as summer gives way to fall, the chill in the air creating a definite atmosphere of foreboding as the date grows closer. It's not merely Rafael's freedom on the line after all - but also Des', thanks to the deal he struck with Iscariot. While Francesca and Val'drin work to uncover the secret of the mysterious hourglass artifact, lawyer Jaka Teken'Duis uses his ... unique legal powers to work towards a "Temporary Insanity" case for Rafael. The Knights, unhappy about the potential ramifications of such a plea, continue to seek any evidence they can to show Rafael was actually innocent, and place conspiracy charges back on Chad Becksworth and his ilk for what transpired. Not everything they learn, however, is what they were hoping to find...

Others wage more personal battles, as the coming autumn signals the encroaching winter, and Luthir and Violet's time draws shorter to find a way to stop her nightmares, lest they kill her. Elena plays a dangerous game, working to uncover more of her nature by training her doppelganger powers - with the enemy.

This log covers any work and non-work related shenanigans the Knights have while staying in Chicago, immediately following the three mission logs and continuing for four months. This will be the Knight's last time in Chicago before the trial: after which they plan to return to the castle to fully Knight Violet and Dawn and decide where to head next.

Make your own threads, don't fuss about tag order, feel free to threadjack multiple people into one thread for hang-outs, ask me if you want a certain scene with an NPC, etc. forever whatever. There will be a few group scenes, which I'll alert everyone to on Plurk. They may not all be posted immediately, so keep an eye on this post for new threads as time goes by. Please wait to post social threads here until we reach a certain point in the top group thread. I will alert you all when you are free to post.

Comments

[nothingsodivine]

[The CD has just finished its second loop and clicked off when Spike arrives. Des looks up from where he appears to have been napping on the steering wheel and shoots Spike a dark look.]

Yeah, what can I say? I need to be wined and dined and impressed. What the hell are you doing? Following me?

[bigbad]

Yes.

[Whatever, if you're gonna skulk around, Spike's gonna follow you.]

Why're you avoiding us?

[nothingsodivine]

This may come as a shock to you, Big Guy, but I am not a dedicated member of this team. I offer my help, I contribute, and then I go off and do my own thing. And your pal Mark just gave me all the reason I could ever want to stay out of Wynn's bullshit.

[He slumps against the seat.] I've got my own baggage. I don't need anyone else's.

[bigbad]

Bollocks. [Sorry, Des, he ain't buying it.] You may not be a Knight, but you're as much a part of this team as anyone. Whether you like it or not. Or are you really going to pretend you don't care what happens to us past the mission?

[It's not that he particularly cares if Des cares about Spike. Spike doesn't much care what happens to himself, so long as Buffy and Myri are okay. But Spike's not an idiot. He knows that Des has bonded with... some of them. Buffy, at least.]

[nothingsodivine]

[He leans over and looks Spike dead in the eye.] I'm not gonna pretend anything. I'm not some stray you guys picked up off the side of the road. When this is over, we're gonna go our separate ways and no one's gonna be that broken up about it. So no. I don't care.

[(Bluff 30)... It helps that the first part of that is true. He just... will care. Maybe.

Except not really, because in an ideal world, he'll be dead.]

[bigbad]

[Sense motive 16. He buys it. Well, at least that Des won't be broken up about it. He knows for a fact that someone else sure will.]

Well, you'd better start to care. Just because you're a heartless, cowardly bastard who refuses to actually like people doesn't mean we all are. And there's no way I'm letting you hurt Buffy like that.

[Intimidate 23. He will threaten you into friendship X( just watch him.]

[nothingsodivine]

[wow his will save was shitty, so he automatically gets defensive.] She's better off without me.

[bigbad]

Yeah, she is. But if Buffy cared about that stuff, she'd probably only ever talk to Myri. [He looks away, lips twitching into something that's almost a smile. Buffy's probably better off without Spike and Rafael too, but she still cares about them. That's just who Buffy is. Far nicer than is good for her. Then he shoots another glare at Des.] So you can bugger off with your excuses, mate. It's not good enough.

[nothingsodivine]

Okay, fine. Great talk. [He leans forward.] Now get out of my car. I'll be up later to get my flower crown and we can do trust falls.

[bigbad]

I'll hold you to that. [HE DOESN'T CARE IF IT'S SARCASM. YOU WILL BE A FRIEND WHETHER OR NOT YOU WANT TO BE ONE.

But he slides out of the car anyway. He pauses though, leaning in the door.]

If you really don't want to be friends? At least say it to her face. You owe her that much.