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

Des | OTA

[nothingsodivine]

[well, des has been strangely distant since the whole reveal about Jade's father and all that it implies. His initial anger has ebbed away and he's left contemplative, sitting near the back of the plane and twisting his wedding ring around his finger idly.

This hasn't been easy on anyone. He'd hardly say the revelation hits him any harder than it did anyone else, but there's more than just Jade for him. It's a lot to take in and think about.]

[doubletake]

[Elena slips into the seat next to him at some point during the flight, leaning her head back against the headrest before she lets it loll to the side so she can look at him.]

You alright?

[She knows the answer, but she asks anyway.]

[nothingsodivine]

Y'know, a friend of mine died over the Talisman... or at least what I thought it was. He never believed the rumors.

But I did. And I dedicated so much of my life to finding it either to destroy it or hope it could be used to reverse my curse. And so many people got hurt. [he lays his head against the back of his chair, not looking at her.] After Jade died, it became a symbol of my failures. And now... Now it's not even that. And all I can think is that if I hadn't decided some things are better than chasing ghosts, I'd be lost right now.

But that don't change how many people died for no reason before I got here.

[doubletake]

People die for no reason all the time, Des. Hell, I walked headfirst onto Andres Isle hoping to save Thomas and he was already dead.

[And look what happened there.]

Even if he didn't believe the rumors, he still agreed to do whatever it is you guys did. I know that probably doesn't make it better, but it is what it is. All we can do is just keep going and do what we can.

[nothingsodivine]

Yeah.

[He closes his eyes for a moment, opening them again as a thought strikes him.] You ever stop to wonder how your life would be different if you did something different. Just go through the whole thing, bit by bit, to see if you'd be better off.

I don't think I could have changed any of this, knowing what was coming. I wish the road had been easier, but... It was never going to be. [he opens his mouth to add something to that, but ends up just shaking his head, brushing the thought aside.] It's all just fucked up. And we just keep going and doing what we can.

[he repeats her words back to her, smiling weakly.]

[doubletake]

Sure, all the time. Anyone who says they never have is lying to themselves. Even if they claim they live with no regrets, they've always at least thought about it.

[They means her too, btw.]

Nothing worth having is easy. Hell, nothing is easy, period. If anyone knows that, it's us.

[Every single damn person on that plane can relate to that at this point.]

[nothingsodivine]

[He sticks his tongue in his cheek and makes a face that's pained and angry.]

I hate that mentality. And I hate that it's true.

[doubletake]

At least we have bigger things to worry about. Like saving the world.

[No fucking pressure, right?]

[nothingsodivine]

[his laugh comes out a little strangled.] Yeah, there's a twist, now that we're all too far in to turn back.

[doubletake]

Fate sure left things in the hands of a pretty ragtag team, I gotta say.

[Ha. Fate. Fate can go suck it, really.]

[nothingsodivine]

That seems to be the way it goes. [Huff.] We've come too far on dumb luck to fail now.

[doubletake]

True enough. We're not dead yet.

[And a few select people had to eat bullets before that could happen, alright. She demands it.]

[nothingsodivine]

And we ain't gonna die in fucking LA, that's for sure.

[dragonsclaw]

[ jack actually comes to take a seat beside des at some point, probably while gar is talking to somebody else. ] Considering your unique position, I thought perhaps we might have a word regarding your role in this mission. [ he half smiles ] You're not a Knight, so I don't intend to give you orders in the field. But I would like to know what to expect.

[nothingsodivine]

My role in this mission. [des is slow blinking so hard right now. it's not like he's not questioning if there was ever any business here to finish. that his whole reason for being here is moot. that revenge means little to something this huge.] Fuck if I know, Jack. I just plan to lie my ass off and hope we succeed and don't get murdered.

[dragonsclaw]

I meant more where you intended to assist, in the plans we've laid.

[nothingsodivine]

The parts of the mission best suited to lying my ass off and trying not to get murdered?

[now you see why gar never asks these things.]

I know how to run a con, all right? And I can probably organize the amount of cons required for this to go smoothly better than anyone.

[Be grateful, Anya. He normally goes into everything half-cocked. At least he knows what he's doing and how he's doing it.]

[chessing]

[ he simply nods, accepting ] Then I'll leave the fine art of distracting the guards from reaching the comm room before Jeanne and Kat have exited in your hands.

[nothingsodivine]

[staring intensifies.]

It's so strange that we actually have a cohesive plan.

[dragonsclaw]

You'll have to forgive me if with the stakes spelled out as they are, I'm not of the mind to leave any of this to chance.

[nothingsodivine]

Me either. [He exhales, sharply.] Is that it?

[chessing]

I suppose it could be. [ since you clearly AREN'T IN THE MOOD TO SOCIALIZE w/e fine he's british he can dig it ] If you've no questions for me.

[nothingsodivine]

[Des sizes him up for a moment.] Wait. I got one. How are you and Gar?

[he's gotta follow up on his ship, okay.]

[chessing]

[ that seems to surprise him for a moment, but he recovers well enough, although his tone is cautious as he replies. ] Quite well. Wynn, it seems, has agreed to relax his stance in the future. We should be free to continue our work, and wed within a year or two. Jeanne feels she's enough to worry about with this mission still looming over our heads, and she would prefer for our marriage to be a celebration of it finally being over.

[nothingsodivine]

Yeah, I guess that makes sense. [he chuckles dryly.] I'm glad Wynn saw sense about the whole thing.