knightsoflegend | CHAPTER FOUR ♔ does it run in your blood to betray the ones you love

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CHAPTER FOUR ♔ does it run in your blood to betray the ones you love

WHO || Failboat, Rafael, Isabella, Nadia [Closed]
WHAT || After an exciting Grammy night, the Knights meet up with Nadia to hear what she has to say
WHERE || Staples Center, LA --> Warehouse
WHEN || Feb 8th, 2015 [back dated]
HOW || Actionspam

[ The Knights' mission to stop the signal and prevent Draken's cult from spreading whatever subliminal message was lurking beneath Keijen Blade's performance was a success. It didn't come without its bumps in the road, however: Alexander Anderson showed up, and the Knights ran afoul of the Mind Master. Buffy nearly died fighting Anderson, but in the end, he was defeated, beheaded, and hopefully put to death forever. Finnick, though, found himself thrust into a mental illusion that convinced him he might still be in the Hunger Games, and left him uncertain about whether any of his life here was real.

Another surprise came in the form of an announcement by Nadia Reichenov, an artist working with Crombe and company, that she was changing her band name and taking things in a 'new direction'. This direction was perhaps revealed when after her performance, she approached the Knights in Rafael's dressing room - and handed them the necklace that connects her to the Nightmare God Malaak'a, saying she was willing to tell them everything. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I know what you are probably thinking. After we knew who he was to us, why would we stay when he ... did such things to us.

He is always quick to point out that our blood is the blood of the divine, and that the taboos that apply to mortals do not exist among our kind. Stories of gods are littered with examples - it is not as if he need look far to find them. For some, that was enough, because they wish to believe him. They crave all the power he has promised, and would do anything to achieve it.

I was... less convinced, but he has a way of turning the blame around on us, of pointing out that we desired him so much before we learned the truth, and making it sound like a shameful weakness of our character.

It took me a long time to see past that.

[ rafael looks down darkly again, conflicted ] It seems there is no end to how he will twist the truth as a weapon.

Do you... do you know what the others wished for, that the Nightmare Lord granted to them?

That I do not know. It's between each of us and the god himself.

And the Mind Master?

[ Not to derail all this Jade angst, but Buffy's still pretty concerned about the fact that (as someone presumably told her at some point) she just incapacitated Finnick, not to mention every other fucked up thing she's done. ]

Faking Draken and Dimitris out, I'm guessing. But then why pull Sarandis out of Andres? And where did she take him?

[ Because some people still have a bone to pick with that dickless wonder. ]

[ she shakes her head ] You probably know about as much as I do about her. She rarely talks to us, and when she does, she never reveals anything about herself. I think neither her nor Blade can read each other, but I am not certain what that means. She is... [ she folds her arms tightly around herself ] I do not know. There is something chilling about that woman. When she looks at you, it's like--- [ she all but shivers ] I do not know how to explain it. But I'm afraid I can tell you nothing about her for certain.

[With the mention of the Mind Master and Dimitris, Alainn's attention is brought sharply back into focus on the group and Nadia's next words. The fact that she had nothing more to contribute on that front than what they already knew disconcerted her beyond explanation. She says nothing still though, keeping herself out of the conversation.

/one more shit tag.]

Is she in on Keijen's little sideplan or is she Team Psycho-Church?

Like I said - I have no idea. If she was, I didn't know about it. But I wouldn't put that past Blade either.

Or she's out for her own completely separate agenda. [Now that they've discovered a secondary plan, Myri is starting to wonder if everyone on that side of things is out for themselves.]

Do you think we have any chance of bringing any of the others to break away from him? As you have?

Like I said, the rest of them have fully bought into his party line. None of them were all that interested in doing what was right before he came into their lives - they embrace their natures, as such. I don't believe there is such hope for any of them.

[ rafael takes a few steps away from them all, pausing there with his back to them. ] I-- [ isabella looks over at him, her every muscle tense. without looking back he says tightly: ] Buffy. May I have a word in private.

[ Buffy opens her mouth to unload another question on Nadia, not even noticing Rafael pace away, but his request interrupts her train of thought. She glances between them, briefly conflicted. Duty or … Well. She'd be lying if she said she didn't feel some sense of duty where Rafael was concerned as well, but that's not what has her pacing towards him now.

An apologetic look is offered to Myri, as if she knows this isn't the time, but given their conversation on the plane, Myri has to understand. Has to. Buried there is also the faith that Myri is better suited to getting information from Nadia anyway, and that this is better in her hands.

She moves to follow Rafael. ]

Yeah.

[ She agrees tacitly, dropping her gaze to deliberately avoid Isabella's eyes as she steps up shoulder-to-shoulder with Rafael.

In summary: Well, this has been fucking awkward. ]

Edited (s/v agreement) 2015-04-10 01:33 (UTC)

[Myri's eyes meet Buffy's and she gives the slightest nod of her head. They have plenty of people here. And while it isn't really the time to have a heart to heart, she could never deny Buffy the chance to speak to Rafael privately about... well, about anything. She can only hope that it will go better than she's sure Buffy is imagining it will.

As she watches them go, Myri turns back to Nadia.]

Is there anything else we should know?

The good news is that when you took the hourglass, it made it so that no other tieflings could take the deal. His resources are limited to the children he's already found - even if there are more of them out there, they can't help him without being able to travel to the Nightmare Lord's dimension.

Do you know how many have taken the deal? Cause I'm thinking it's not just Keijen we'll need to derail if we want your music heard over theirs.

They were looking to corner as many potential musical markets as posible, so there is myself and Keijen for the rock crowd, Rynn sings R&B, Devereaux for pop, Ted for country, and Natalia for latin music. Anything else they were hoping to establish was lost with the hourglass.

If they're listening to country willingly, it's too late to save 'em. [Spike, as always, has Opinions about music.] I mean, that's not even evil, that's just sad.

If we can't sway them to our side... can you at least give us any information on the best way to stop them?

[ she looks at them askance, frowning ] Well, the easiest way would be to kill them. That might be easier for some of them than others though.

[Rose's lips pull into a grim line but she nods, as if she understands that this might end up being the only choice.]

And Keijen? I don't care if his dad is a Nightmare God he has to have, some weakness? Mental if not physical. You've spent time with him, what... sets him off?

That's what makes him so terrifying. There's nothing he really cares about, beside himself.

Bollocks to that.

[Reflexive snark about country music aside, Spike's mostly just been listening. Taking all the horror in. It's the past, and it's awful, but it's not anything he can change. Not anything he can punch in the teeth. Keijen, on the other hand? He can punch. Might not be easy, but it's certainly possible, and there's no way he'll waste a single moment fearing him. He glances back at the rest of the crew. The ones that are still inside, anyway.]

That doesn't make him scary. That makes him a bloody coward. So, what, we can't dangle his secret puppy over a cliff and tell him to stop his evil ways? No one we can threaten to slow him down? [He shakes his head.] Caring about people, about anything isn't a weakness. It's a strength. [He looks back at Nadia.]

If he only cares about himself, then he's got bugger all to fight for. Having more than that on the line's what makes you really strong. In the ways that matter, anyway.

[There's a flash of surprise at Spike's immediate response but what comes next? All the worry that had been stirred up by the prospect of having somebody play with her memories fades away, back straightening as Spike's speech restores the confidence she'd been struggling to feel these last ten minutes.

He was right, not just because it was a pretty speech but they had tangible proof that he was right. She'd felt it in New York when Keijen had told her to kill herself. If she'd cared about nothing she wouldn't be standing here right now but she'd fought his control. She'd fought and won and that was proof that Keijen could be beaten.]

That's why he'll never be able to predict what we'll do or how far we'll go to stop him. [Her gaze shifts to Spike, a small smile gracing her lips, something caught between gratitude and respect in her eyes as she gives a short nod to his words.] That is his weakness.

[ nadia is just looking at them skeptically like IDK ABOUT THIS POWER OF LOVE THING BUT OK ] If you say so. I just hope you're right. But you need to be careful. [ she cuts spike a Look ] The first time you were dumb enough to charge at him, you're lucky I was there, or you wouldn't be alive. [ remember that time she romantically threw you off a balcony spike ]

Is that what the kids are calling it these days? [He looks amused. It's nice that throwing him off a balcony really was romantic.....] I'm not so easily killed as all that, you know. I can take a hit.

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