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

[rationalizes]

None of them came after us - none that could catch us at least. The plan worked. [ she casts a grateful look at jack, and then looks past him at kat and alainn. even healed, their clothes still show signs of the blast, and fred and buffy are probably still caked in blood too, hooray. FRETS. ]

[coldheritage]

Vladislov said he'd meet me at 3am at an address not far from here. I'm going to ... try to get some sleep before then.

[slay]

[ With Myri's healing, aside from a second ruined dress and bloodstains, Buffy's looking good as new again but for some lasting scrapes. When Nadia makes her presence impossible to ignore, Buffy turns to Jack. ]

Can I talk to you for a minute?

[ Concern is written all over her expression, tense and ill at ease. ]

[graveflowers]

[ now with her tea held between her hands, vi leans against the opening to the bathroom area. ]

Nadia. [ she doesn't really know the woman, but she can't deny she feels something for her, some sort of sad familiarity, and that bleeds into her name as vi says it. she knows that there is a loop and that she is miles out of it so the question may have been asked already, but she can't help voicing it herself. ] Do you know if Dumage is okay?

1/2

[coldheritage]

[ nadia pauses from where she was moving towards an empty room, one hand on the door, and looks back at them. ]

If there's one thing I've picked up about Dumage... [ she diverts her gaze again ] -- it's that she's a survivor. [ she shrugs slightly ] The fact that you're asking after she claims to have abandoned you all tells me that she's playing a very dangerous game with him.

I just hope she knows what she's doing. [ with that, she heads into the room and the door closes softly behind her ]

[dragonsclaw]

[ jack nods to buffy, indicating the balcony after he pauses to hear what nadia has to say about dumage. he doesn't comment on that, but he does glance at gar for a moment, and they share a concerned silent stare, before he goes out. ]

[nothingsodivine]

[Des twists his wedding ring around his finger, eyes glued to the floor, only sparing a glance up when Buffy asks to speak with Jack. Only after they've left does he manage to find his voice and it's a little strained.]

We're all playing a dangerous game. We're in so deep.

[witchwoman]

[With one spell done and out of the way, Myri scans the room, trying to pick out who need additional healing (and by that I mean hey guys, come tell me if you do???). She keeps her gaze moving until she spots Vi, guarding the bathroom door. She knows the woman well enough (and remembers what happened at the last concert) to guess just what's on the other side of that door (wis 22).]

Is he..? [Truthfully, she doesn't know what the rest of that question is going to be. Any hope for additional words choke on the lump that's quickly formed in her throat.]

[littledhampir]

[I'm thinking even with all the healing, Alainn will look like she's been left in the oven for too long, Rose finally stepping into the room now that Nadia has safely tucked herself away to survey her friend.

Despite the sight she'd see, visible relief etches its way across her features because no matter how bad it is, at least she isn't dead.]

D'you pick a fight with a Molotov cocktail? [That's Rose for; I'm really glad you're not dead.]

[bigbad]

[Spike's sobered at the mention of Dumage. It's good that she's surviving. He's not sure he wants to think about how far she'll go to stay that way. He glances up at Gar.]

I could go with her, you know. Not a one of the rest of you'd be able to pass for groupies of her kind of music. [He nods to Elena.] Except Elena, of course.

[graveflowers]

No.

[ her head shakes the tiniest bit and any resolve she had in keeping her composure is lost, eyes dropping to her tea, unable to look myri in the eye as her own well up with familiar tears. her knuckles turn white around the mug, grip crushing as she struggles to get a grip on her emotions as well. after a moment of indecision, she steps back, turning to step over the teapot (she should pick that up probably) and knock lightly on the door. ]

Finnick, it's me. Can you unlock the door again?

[65]

[it's not like he hasn't been listening; he already knows what's waiting for him on the other side of the door. at least in the sense that the rest of the party is back at the hotel and he's going to have to talk to them and the entire thing just makes him want to throw up. good thing he's already ... here in the bathroom. he just can't live the lie anymore, he can't go along with the dream when it feels like the capitol is in his head, picking apart every single detail. planting things to make him feel safe and comfortable and then twisting it around to be anything but. ]

Why?

[graveflowers]

[ her eyes close and her forehead drops against the door. all she wants is for finnick to feel safe and she knows this is the last place for that. ]

Myri wants to see you. It's just Myri. And, well, me, I'm here, obviously. I'll keep everyone else away, I promise. But Myri needs to see you.

[ (diplomacy 20 total) she feels so bad, like she's forcing this upon him, but her heart is hurting for myri at the same time and it's impossible to not at least try. ]

[65]

[his will save was a crit fail :( even though he thinks myri is just a construct of lies, he can't turn her away. so the door makes a small clicking noise as he unlocks it.]

[nothingsodivine]

[As Des watches the scene unfolding in front of the bathroom, Des's expression falters even more and his hands stop fidgeting. For a second, he's eerily still and when the door clicks shut behind Myri, he flinches.]

I think... I think I'm gonna go back to Manhattan. Not forever. Just until we move forward again. This mission... It's not what it started out as. It's so much bigger than... [his tongue catches on the words he's about to say] ...than some dream I once had.

[♫ this beggar's heart- amy bishop]

A few years ago, I would've left it alone, felt like I'd lost something because I'd been chasing ghosts all this time, but I... can't let this one go. But it can't be my whole life, anymore. I look around and I see everything this whole clusterfuck has done to everyone and it kills me. And sometimes I think it honestly will, now that it can. [He holds up his hand, displaying his ring finger.] Isabella's right. I'm not one of you. And I owe him so much more than what I've given him, while I'm off trying to fix things that I can't fix. And I'm honestly sorry I can't.

[shootfirst]

Are you really pulling that 'not one of us' shit out again, now? [ so much sympathy, young samcelot ] Now's when we need to stick together more than ever.

[nothingsodivine]

Still got a husband in Manhattan who doesn't wanna hear about my untimely death on the news. [dramatic speeching or not... there is that.] I said it wasn't forever. I meant it. But I can't live at the Holly House forever.

[savemyself]

[ ♬ i can't make you love me - alex g

any further arguments are cut off as the door to side room opens and isabella comes sweeping out. she pulls up short when she sees just how full the room is now, every eye turning towards her just out of the sense of interruption.

she looks pale, clearly upset, but there's no touch of anger to it. she does lift her chin as they stare, her usual pride evident as she glances around the room and clearly marks buffy's absence from it. she brushes forward, directly for the door, voice tense as she says curtly: ] I am going to call Burt.

[graveflowers]

[ with her face still mostly pressed into the pillow and still tucked against the wall, vi comes to des' defense. it surprises her too, don't worry. ]

Come on, Kat. Any one of us can take a break if we need it, that includes Des, even if he keeps claiming he's not a part of this team. We can't keep up this fight if our hearts aren't in it. He deserves to have a marriage and, I don't know if you've been paying much attention, but we don't have the best luck with those in this group. He deserves to give it his best shot and have a life. Even if it's in that cesspool of death and bacteria he calls an apartment.

[doubletake]

[Something seems to snap Elena out of being lost in her own thoughts because she finally moves from where she's standing.]

I need some air.

[And then she just...walks out of the room. Is there a balcony? That's probably where she'll go. If not, time to stand outside in an alley for awhile.]

[littledhampir]

[Rose's face is like... wait when did you get married?! At Des for a moment but, she's not about to weigh in on the should he shouldn't he go, instead talk of relationships prompting her to whip out her phone as she flops into a seat beside Alainn and fires off the text she promised to send to Dean;

Back at the hotel. Things got interesting but everyones alright. Mostly.]

[nothingsodivine]

[Isabella's return is met with a pained look from Des that makes him almost miss Vi's back-up. It's only when Elena steps out that he musters up his voice again.]

And on that note, I have had enough fun for one evening. If something pressing comes up... it can wait until the morning.

[he is falling into bed now. goodnight moon. LOOK AT LEAST HE ISN'T OLLYING OUT RIGHT THIS SECOND. he does stop, halfway to his room.]

And Spike has a point about Nadia. [AND NOW HE'S GONNA GO BED.]

[attollores]

[meanwhile, during the Big Discussion, Alainn would have hobbled into the room with the rest of her team, still using her shiny staff to support herself. When Vi heals her some she smiles and whispers a grateful thank you to her, shoulders slumping in relief.

When Rose and her team enter the room more of her tension seeps away at seeing them whole and unharmed. Myri's healing does a lot to fix the really bad burns, the flesh knitting up tidily fresh and pink. There are still some very obvious burns present, but at least now she's able sit comfortably without wanting to throw up with the pain.

She takes a seat on the couch, answering Roses question with a wry chuckle-] Rocket launcher, actually. Damn nearly had me done for. Ye look like ye got nary a scratch.

1/idk 4?

[savemyself]

[ if you think isabella didn't react to walking out right into a speech about people deserving to have a marriage and a life and this team having no luck with that YOU WERE WRONG. she paused at the door, hand on the handle, shoulders tight, at the words, finally slipping out without looking back. ]

2/-

[rationalizes]

I hate to think what else they might have access to, if they were able to get their hands on that much of an arsenal so quickly. [ she moves to stand beside the couch, looking at kat and alainn with concern ] I'm just... relieved we all made it back here alive.