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

[coldheritage]

♬ The Truth - Nonpoint

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.  ]

Comments

[romanticidal]

[ 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.

[slay]

[ 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. ]

[witchwoman]

[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?

[coldheritage]

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.

[littledhampir]

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.

[coldheritage]

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.

[bigbad]

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.

[witchwoman]

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

[coldheritage]

[ 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.

[littledhampir]

[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?

[coldheritage]

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

[bigbad]

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.

[littledhampir]

[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.

[coldheritage]

[ 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 ]

[bigbad]

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.

[coldheritage]

It's cute that you think he'd figure you worth fighting one on one. He could kill you with his brain before you even blinked, and he was about to. I did what I had to do.

[bigbad]

Not sure whether I should be touched or insulted.

[He loves fighting. Even (especially?) when he's outmatched. Between Anderson and Keijen, seems a lot like no one wants to give him the opportunity.]

[littledhampir]

Wait - why doesn't he? Not... Spike I mean, any of us? If he's as powerful as you say then he's letting us live and that makes, all sorts of no sense.

[coldheritage]

He's a showman.

There's no point to all this if he doesn't have an audience. [ she looks across them with a frown ] Breaking your spirits is better entertainment to him than the temporary joy of killing you off. Not that he wouldn't, if you pushed him. But while he can get away with playing with his food, he intends to do just that.

[bigbad]

[Spike smiles suddenly.] Well, that's handy. That sounds to me like a bloody weakness. All we've got to do is keep him toying with us long enough to get through his defenses.

[He grimaces.]

Though it probably means feeding his ego a bit, too. That won't be fun.

[littledhampir]

[Spike had Rose right up until the 'feeding his ego' remark.] Don't mind me. Just... gagging...

[She glances back to the door where Raf and Buffy had disappeared, eyes skirting across Isa as she she refocuses on Nadia again.]

Is there, anything else? Obsessions or... I don't know, places he always returns to? Anywhere none of you are allowed to go?

[rationalizes]

I think she's given us a great deal of information, at a great deal of risk. For which we are very grateful.

[ it's at that point that alainn's eyes glaze over, as fede relays an image of approaching vehicles - multiple cars as well as another helicopter incoming from up the block ]

[attollores]

[her breath is a sharp inhale as Fede takes her over, head whipping towards the others in the milliseconds it takes to process what she is being shown. Fingers to lips she releases a sharp whistle to get their attention, eyes blind to the group as she tries counting the number of cars coming their way, saying quickly-] We've company comin' from up the block! Several cars and another helicopter!

[rationalizes]

[ gar steps aside, drawing out her phone, which only has to ring once before she's relaying that info to jack ] They're coming.

[savemyself]

[ isabella mutters to herself over here, and on the off chance anyone knows spanish in the room, it's about how of course this happens the moment rafael goes missing and a few choice swear words regarding his intelligence. she's just going to go for the back door to warn him, unaware that they got archer's amazing rock signal. ]