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

Rose ][ OTA

[littledhampir]

[Sleep is something that comes in fits and starts, Rose never one who can just pass out wherever she is and given what all went down the last time she'd encountered Keijen, it probably isn't much of a surprise that most of the flight is spent with her staring off into space.

Several miniature bottles of vodka lay untouched in her lap, Rose torn between her desire to mute the bond and one to remain level headed, rolling them around in her hands to give them something to do when she's not playing on her phone (probably texting Dean).]

[nepotism]

[ fred is sitting across the aisle from her, and while kat has tuned him out by putting in headphones and diving into research mode on her laptop, he glances over and comments: ] Vodka girl, huh?

[littledhampir]

[A wry half grin pulls at the corner of her mouth, head rolling to the side to look at Fred.] More like, last one to the minibar takes what they can get.

[Archer and Spike on board? Seems legit.]

It was this or Dry ver... mouth? [Yep. Totally pronounces that wrong.]

[nepotism]

Are these missions of theirs really so bad that people start drinking this early to get through 'em?

[littledhampir]

If the last one was anything to go by? [Eyebrows raised. Y e p.] This is more medicinal though. Shadowkissed thing.

[nepotism]

Right, you and your special lipgloss. [ j/k ] So that helps?

[littledhampir]

[A wry half grin pulls at the corner of her mouth, Rose nodding.]

That's the one. [Her eyes fall to the bottles and she lifts one shoulder in a shrug.] Yeah with some parts of it. It's better than when I don't anyway.

[nepotism]

I guess if anyone has a good excuse for drinking on the job, it's you.

[littledhampir]

Heh, yeah... I'm trying not to. Last thing I want is to be off my mental game with Keijen in the room.

[likedillinger]

[ text from deano: ] So, Wynn ix-nayed bringing a date, huh?

[littledhampir]

You really wanted to wear a tux and sit through an awards show?

[likedillinger]

I heard they give gift bags.

[littledhampir]

Will it make it better if I bring one home for you?

[likedillinger]

Depends on who you swipe it from.

[littledhampir]

You got any requests or should I surprise you?

[likedillinger]

I usually like your brand of surprise.

[littledhampir]

Maybe I'll swipe Taylor Swifts when Finnick introduces his pregnant wife.

(know castle gossip?! lol Nat 20)

That song, Old Song, oh yeah its about him.

[attollores]

[At some point during the flight, as Rose's stores of vodka have run dry, a very familiar voice would chime from just behind her-] How much do ye love me?

[She plops into a seat across the aisle from Rose, waggling her brows as she jingles four tiny unmarked bottles in the air from between her fingers, two in each hand.]

[littledhampir]

[It's the unmarked bottles that catch Rose's attention, suspicion causing a small grin to start creeping across her features as Alainn slides in across from her.]

I get the feeling it's about to be even more than I already do. [Just quietly, Alainn's presence on this mission? Rose is beyond happy to have her here.]

Is that - [Eyebrows raising.] What I think it is?

[attollores]

Oh, ye better believe it love. [She hands over two of the bottles with a gentle clink before tucking one of hers between her knees, unscrewing the first one and taking a small sip. She smacks her lips happily, her grin growing in pleasure.] Ahhh, it tastes like heaven. [and indeed, when Rose takes a drink it would go down smooth as honey, the flavor light and airy and just a little sweet.]

[Alainn is just as happy that Rose is along, so much more comfortable than she thought she would be. Especially now that they are drinking the good stuff.] So, how's the flight treatin' ye so far?

[littledhampir]

[Oh yeah. Fey Wine! You better believe Rose’s grin is stretching wide across her face, teeth grazing her lower lip as she more than happily accepts the two bottles. The vodka had done the job in muting the bond but this? This was purely for fun.]

This is going to ruin me for anything else, isn’t it? [And sure enough, when the lid comes off and Rose takes her first sip? A low hum vibrates against her lips as Rose discovers that despite what she’s come to believe, alcohol can actually taste good and not just serve a purpose.] Ungh – please tell me this is easier to get than I think it is?

[Knowing her luck, it would be unbelievably rare.]

Um… Not, terrible, considering? I hate long flights though. Too much sitting still. [She’d done a lot of pacing when it had been possible but she hadn’t been the only one who sucked at sitting still.] Not that I’m in any hurry to get there…

[attollores]

I'm afraid it really might. [A pause.] At least, I hope it ruins vodka for ye. And no, it's really not all that hard to find, if ye know where to look, that is. And I happen to have really good eyesight.

[She agrees with Rose on the whole restless while confined thing, thus part of the reason she was up here with Fey wine and an empty stomach.] I'm working through the stages of excitement to get there, meself. Excited that we're on a mission together, finally, [it really hasn't been that long, Alainn] nervous about what we'll be facing, and excited again that it's the freakin' Grammys!

[littledhampir]

Vodka ruins Vodka for me. [Cracking a grin as she takes another sip of wine, eyes closing for just a moment as she allows the honey like liquid to dance on her tongue before sliding down the back of her throat.] We should have this on girls night.

[Which will happen dammit, as soon as they get home, she’s determined it will.]

Excitement at being on a mission together aside? Yeah I’m mostly just dread and confusion. I’d never even heard of a Grammys before this and the last time I encountered Keijen? I took out a bouncer, stormed the stage and practically threw myself at him. [Nose wrinkling with her disgust.] In my defense, I was being brain raped at the time but still.

[attollores]

[Her eyes widen just a bit at that, brows crawling up a bit on her forehead. She had heard about some of Rose's last encounter with Keijen, but it was still surprising to hear about it, especially laid out like that. Her expression grows more somber as she cradles her bottles in her lap.]

Rose, I want ye to know that I will do everything in me power to make sure nothin' like that happens again. I promise ye. I don't want ye to think ye have to go into this alone. [It's perhaps a tad strange to hear such sober words coming from the normally cheerful half-elf, but her sincerity in her tone is unmistakable. After a moment another smile crawls up her lips, tiny but still there.] Besides, we've got our special-made earpieces from the Hoard that should stopper out any noise that Keijen will make.

[littledhampir]

[Short of her conversation with Sam, this is probably the closest Rose has come to admitting that she's concerned about how tonight will go. She wouldn't call it fear exactly; she's not afraid of Keijen and she's not afraid of dying, the latter a possibility she has always accepted, probably better than most. She was more concerned that Keijen could do something to use her as a weapon against her friends, that she could be turned into a liability rather than an aid and she knew that was at least possible because he'd done it once already.

Alainn's words, though unexpected, push down some of that concern, a slow smile touching her lips as she meets her gaze.] I know. [Said simply, as if Rose had absolute faith in Alainn's willingness and ability to have her back.]

And, yeah those, should definitely help. [Grin widening though there's perhaps just a flash of doubt in her eyes, Rose not entirely convinced they'll work until she's seen for herself that they work.] I mean it'll probably end up being a non-event I know. [But... The concert in New York was supposed to be that too.] Just, hope for the best, plan for the worst ya know?