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

[slay]

Spot checks inside the room. Everyone sees Rafael push forward, staring at Nadia, livid. Buffy reaches out to grab his arm (diplomacy 32) because she recognizes the anger akin to when he attacked Des with her.

"You cannot trust her," Rafael says.
Buffy: (concerned) "What's going on? What do you know that we don't?"
Rafael: I cannot tell you here.
Buffy: Where can you tell me?

Nadia (in heads): Please. You must trust me.

Spike grabs something to buffer the necklace and takes it from them. Nadia looks up and stares at Rafael for a moment.

Nadia: I know. Believe me.
Spike: You guys better not have had a thing.
Buffy: Hey. Timing. Maybe wait 'til later.
Nadia: If you will listen to me … There is a warehouse. (Address.) I don't dare stay here much longer. They will be trying to find me after that. I have to go.
B & S: We can protect you.
Nadia: I will see you there. It's better if I go alone.
Spike: Do you want one of us to go with you?
Buffy: Spike. Stop.
Spike: (diplomacy 15) It doesn't have to be me.
Nadia: If they saw us leave together, it would be bad.
Myri: (sense motive 21).
Elena: I could go with you as whoever.
B: Not a bad idea. You wouldn't be going with us.
Myri: It's okay. We'll meet you there.

Nadia bails. Rose comes back in.

Buffy turns to Rafael, "What's going on?" And he just shuts down: "Let's go." Buffy and Izzy share a "this fucking guy" look. Buffy beelines after him. Myri stops with Izzy like ?? ? Have you seen them interact ever? ? They drop the fey wine in the dressing room with the Head of Security and dip out the back.

Myri announces, "More voices. Not Nadia. It sounds like a lady."
B: "What are they saying?"
M: "A warning that this isn't over, and what happened to 'him'—probably Finnick, I imagine—so I don't know if it's the Mind Master or what. But it's only the start. Far from over, and we should not mess with their affairs."
B: Maybe it's best if Finnick doesn't come to the warehouse with us… What happened to Finnick?
E: I opened up a bathroom door, and when I turned around, he was not okay. That's pretty much what happened.
M: Worse than how I saw him after the last concert.
B: He wasn't moving?
M: We were able to talk, though. And he— He barely wants to touch me. It's like he doesn't even know me.
Buffy reassuringly rubs her shoulder.
M: It's all connected. If we can get Nadia away from them, maybe that's part of figuring all of this out.
They put Nadia's necklace in Alainn's vault. Alainn takes this opportunity to show Kat and Fred the body.
A: You could bowl with this head.
B: Believe me. If you'd known the guy, you'd only be happier about it.