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

[graveflowers]

[ ugh does that mean she has to get up again? she assumes it does, so she does, using the back of the seat to heft herself up. ]

I do strive to always give you something to push towards.

[doubletake]

[More like she was whining that she has to get up, so she presses a hand gently into her breastbone, pushing her back into her seat before she insanely gracefully gets up and easily contortions herself over her belly and into the wide aisle (dex nat 20 okok).]

Just give me a second. This one might take a little bit to figure out.

[But she ends up not having much trouble at all. Doppel!preggers is in full effect (disguise 46). She's getting damn good at this.]

[graveflowers]

[ sweet, sitting. she watches elena do her thing with the same awe and delight as always, tinged with pride that she's gotten so accomplished at it. it's incredible, elena's power, and vi loves it. but she probably loves it because of the woman who wields it, not the power itself. (which is admittedly cool.)

speaking of. this exercise was a good plan because vi finds it exceptionally hard to be unkind to her family and although she can look at herself in the mirror and pick out every flaw and every minor detail to blow out of proportion, she can't do that when she knows it's elena.

so while she looks in the mirror and sees a whale, when she looks at elena, she finally sees what she actually looks like; which is a still svelte woman with a basketball shoved up her shirt. probably what happens when you're underweight to begin with, but the difference in size had been so mind boggling to vi it distorted her entire image of herself.

her jaw slackens, mouth forming a small 'o', and she looks at elena with confusion all over her pale face. ]

That's what I look like? Are you sure? 'cause you're so cute. [ the unspoken part is that, clearly, violet is not. ]

[doubletake]

If you're asking if I adjusted anything to make you feel better, you better rethink that in a hurry.

[She does a slow turn, makes a couple attractive poses because why the hell not, before she leans against the side of one of the seats, a hand on one hip.]

I don't know if you've realized this, but baby bumps are freaking adorable. If anything, gaining a little weight made you hotter, considering you probably needed it.

[She's being honest because she knows that Vi would probably want it, not to mention it's completely true.]

I bet 90 percent of the time, you're looking at yourself by looking down, and that's no way to judge your appearance, alright?

[graveflowers]

[ she chews on her lip, looking down, a pose that makes her look like a chastised child. you bet that's what she was thinking. and while she doesn't think elena would lie to her -- their entire relationship has been built on honesty, even it it's sometimes blunt -- her brain is stupid and really can't fathom that she isn't a disgusting pile of hormones and undesireable ick.

but really she's curvy and has boobs finally, where did those come from??, and she looks like she has a little muscle on her now, like if she hugs someone she won't puncture a lung with her elbow or something. she looks pretty and warm and, though the advent of winter has taken away any kind of ~glow she could have, she doesn't look sick.

which is new. ]

Oh.

[ she's still working on it, but oh is progress. ]

[doubletake]

I take a lot of pride in my accuracy, thank you very much.

[She's just glad that it looks like Vi actually believes her. Despite very much telling the truth, when you've told yourself a million times that you're something else, it's hard for anyone to change their mind. Another point of view never hurts, though, especially through her own eyes apparently.]

I hope I pull off being preggers half as well as you do if I ever have kids.

[graveflowers]

[ that actually makes her snort out a laugh, pushing aside some of her introspection for a smile. ]

I'm barely pulling this off. I have no idea what my body is doing anymore. The What to Expect When Your Expecting book is so weird, I want to set it on fire. Like, wow, none of this is helpful and most of it is super gross. I think I might literally be growing a kidney right now and she's literally kicking me in the ribs right now because she's a butthead.

Can you ground someone right out of the womb? 'cause I might.

[doubletake]

[She laughs.]

I meant look good, at least. I dunno, maybe dealing with the rest won't be so bad for me, if only because I make my insides move on a daily basis. A foot in my ribs can't hurt worse than every bone in my body grinding together.

[Speaking of gross.]

You can try, but what are you going to do? Say she can't leave the house?

[graveflowers]

Yes. I'm going to put her in one of those baby playpen prisons. No toys. If babies can even have toys.

[ HOW CHILD??? ]

Also, for the record, because I know you won't let me suffer -- drugs. I want so many drugs when this goes down.

[doubletake]

Something tells me you're just going to want to hold her. A lot.

[But she could be wrong. She's guessing probably not, though.]

Of course not, are you kidding me? I will be your best advocate for a drug-filled birth. Doula Elena is on the job.

[graveflowers]

[ vi actually isn't super into babies. they're weird and sticky and smell and they're all breakable and tiny. she's pretty sure they smell feel, like dogs and bees. so she's not too sure elena is right, but just lets herself accept it for now. ]

You're the best, Elena. [ so many drugs please. ]

[doubletake]

[She slips easily back into her normal form, which is probably even creepier(?) than normal thanks to a rapidly shrinking fake baby bump so that she can give her a proper Elena smile as she leans forward and kisses her on the cheek.]

I know. And you're welcome in advance.

[graveflowers]

I will be sure to send you a fruit basket. One of those big ass ones with the chocolate covered strawberries.

[doubletake]

You're only allowed to do that if you share them with me. Since I'm pretty sure I'm supposed to be the one that owes you a "you pushed out a watermelon" gift.

[graveflowers]

Isn't the baby supposed to be a gift? [ she knows nothing. dummy. ]

[doubletake]

Well, sure. But that baby needs things like...clothes. Diapers. And since you'll probably feel like crap physically, you get them as gifts instead.

[graveflowers]

Ah. Yeah, see, I never really learned how to equip myself with baby shit because we had a tendency to die before it became a thing.

[doubletake]

Well, we're gonna make sure that doesn't happen, so gifts it is. After the Grammy's, we should go make you a baby registry. Myri should come too.

[graveflowers]

Yes ma'am. [ she flashes elena a grateful smile. it's nice knowing someone has her back. ]