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

[witchwoman]

[As Buffy approaches and Alainn finishes with cooking, Myri just turns and finds a spot to sit, preferably somewhere with a line of sight on the bathroom door. She's not hungry. She's not anything. She just wants her husband back.]

[slay]

Got anything to pack it to go? I'm kinda on my way out.

[ Which brings her around to the point. Smoothly, she slides onto the couch beside Myri, raising one hand to settle on her shoulder, all gentle concern. ]

How is he? [ Because she knows Myri well enough to know that 'how are you' will be entirely dependent on how someone else is, particularly when that someone else is her husband. ]

[witchwoman]

He-- [There's a brief moment where the reality of how much she's hurting is plain as day in her expression. Nothing short of anguish twists her features, but as quick as it comes, she takes a breath and pushes down the pain to hide behind that mask again (will 35).]

He thinks that all of this is a dream. That he'll wake up any moment into the world he left behind. [She shakes her head and looks at the closed door.]

He told me once what it was like there. The horrors he was forced into as a child and all the pain that came after. And now he thinks that I'm-- that we're all just something he created as an escape from that, that we've never been real. And I think he's afraid to say or do anything, for fear that it will wake him up and tear him away.

[slay]

[ Jesus christ. Myri might be stone-faced, but sorrow and loss grip Buffy tightly as she explains, and her expression falls into something overwhelmed with sympathetic heartache. Without hesitation, she sits forward to pull Myri into a hug, smoothing one hand over her hair. ]

We'll find a way to fix this. [ She sounds so certain (bluff 26), but over Myri's shoulder, her eyes search the wall in lingering doubt. ] We have to. [ She doesn't let up on the hug right away, figuring she'll wait for Myri to be the one to draw out of it when she's done. For as long as Myri needs her, Buffy's here. ]

[witchwoman]

[Even if she won't let herself cry, she clings to Buffy for several long moments, letting her eyes fall closed as she whispers another prayer to the Stargods to bring him back to her. Slowly, reluctantly, she draws from the hug and takes a steadying breath.]

Where are you going? [She had mentioned food to go. It's taking her a bit longer to process that, but she's catching up now.]

[slay]

[ The weight of apology is heavy in her eyes as Myri draws back; she can't reconcile that there's nothing for her to do personally in this. Nothing that she can fight and punch and subdue to protect Myri from what she's being forced to face.

(The Mind Master, she thinks, will do.)

But even that wouldn't bring Finnick back. Not now. She can't be certain that such a way exists, but she knows that she needs to do everything she can to help Myri find it. After all, Myri won't give up, so Buffy can't either. She cups one hand against her cheek, her strained smile sad and tired and reassuring all at once. ]

I just need to get out for a bit. [ She doesn't want to lie, but she does anyway. And it's not entirely untrue: she certainly doesn't mind escaping from the crowd, given how she's feeling, how she's still trying to process what she's done (bluff 25). Either way, she has to take the onus for leaving entirely onto herself because she refuses to put herself in a position where someone might intuit Rafael's discomfort or demand she share his suffering. ]

Don't worry: I'll be back by morning. [ Her hand drops and she pats Myri's thigh, leaning in to impress, ] You should rest. Let Vi watch over Finnick for a while. You've been through enough for one night.

[witchwoman]

[Her brow creases, eyes searching Buffy's face, because something's not right with what she's saying-- or rather what she's not saying (sense motive nat 20). She knows her friend too well. They've been through so much together and she knows...she knows Buffy, knows what the very short list of things entail that would give her reason to leave tonight.

The confusion leaves her expression slowly as she realizes exactly where Buffy will be going and who might keep her company (wisdom 20 total). There's no judgment in her expression, though. Now of all times? She understands wanting to be close to someone. She doesn't know exactly what Buffy and Rafael have talked about, but she's just glad that the aftermath has left them in a place where they can still take comfort in one another.

Carefully, she lifts her hand to place it over Buffy's where it rests on her thigh. She nods in the smallest way.]

It's alright. [She doesn't want Buffy to leave her with any lingering guilt. Honestly, she doesn't know how much she'll talk or rest or eat tonight. She may just sit here. She may just watch that door as if it holds the key to her happiness. But she doesn't need anyone at her side to do that. And she would never ask Buffy to stay, when she could be with the man she so obviously cared for.]

[slay]

It's not yet.

[ That much, Buffy will stand firm on. Nothing about this is alright. None of them, for their resilience, are alright. They've lost people, killed people, learned new horrors about one another and about the enormity of what they now face, and none of it is (by any stretch of the word) alright. ]

But it will be.

[ The certainty settles back in, and she holds Myri's gaze, a warm appreciation for the understanding that she finds there. For all Rafael's fear that the others would assume the worst of them, she can see that even if Myri does (she hopes she doesn't), she passes no judgment for it. It's a profound thing, to be so fully understood. ]

And we don't have to face this alone. [ She turns her hand over to squeeze Myri's. Even if it may feel like that to her now, losing the person she'd come to depend on most, she must know that she's never alone. Her eyes glance past Myri then, finally, as she realizes that the assurance loses some of its weight when it looks as though almost everyone has tapered off. Her brow furrows as she takes stock. ] Did everyone else go to sleep already?

[attollores]

[Alainn isn't trying to butt in on their conversation, but she does catch Buffy's question because she just so happens to be bringing her a few containers full of the food she just finished.] Aye, most everyone else did, except for Fred, Rose and meself. I doubt any of us will be goin' to bed anytime soon.

[i.e. Myri won't be left alone anytime soon. She gestures with the food before setting it on a side table for Buffy to take when she's ready. She goes back and grabs a plate for herself, coming back around to sit in one of the chairs next to the couch.]

[nepotism]

Someone's gotta keep watch anyway. [ fred takes the food gratefully and flops back on the couch, digging in ]

[slay]

[ Buffy sits forward to take the containers, stacking them on her lap and holding them steady with both hands. She seems to collect herself before looking over to Alainn, a weary but grateful smile on her lips. ]

Thank you.

[ And she seems to be saying that for more than just the food. The heaviness of her moment with Myri is broken, and she uses that as the onus to push to her feet. She steps away from the couch and turns back towards them. ] Try to at least get a little sleep? [ Flicking her eyes between each, she directs the comment to all of them in turn, then slips out the door of the hotel room and into the hall. ]

[littledhampir]

[Rose doesn't need to be asked twice, not when food is involved and Buffy's appearance helps her to feel guilt free about leaving Myri long enough to load up a plate or two.]

You know I do... [Prepare to be out-eaten by a twenty - never mind. Fred is dating Kat. Kat could probably give Rose a run for her money.

While Buffy and Myri talk, Rose loads up not one but two plates, Myri getting one whether hungry or not that gets laid on the coffee table as Rose returns and pulls both feet up, sitting cross legged on the couch, still in formal-wear with her plate in her lap. As you do.]

And if you're not going to sleep - [Because she understands that at least. If it were Dean in that bathroom, Rose wouldn't be able to.] You should at least try and eat something.

[witchwoman]

[She nods and takes the plate but doesn't move to eat any of it yet. She just stares at the food. She's not hungry but she isn't just caring for herself right now. She has a child to think of, so she picks at a few bites, forcing them down. With Buffy gone, it's harder to keep herself together. It's not that the others aren't a comfort. But Buffy had been with her from the very start of this mission, arguably her oldest friend here. And despite how very different they were in terms of skills, they shared so many similarities.

Quietly, a few tears slip down Myri's cheeks. She brushes them away quickly, as if she can outrun a complete breakdown if she's quick enough.]

[littledhampir]

[Rose feels an ache in her chest as the emotion that starts to overwhelm Myri makes the food turn to ash in her mouth, Rose having to force herself to swallow as lines crease her forehead, pushing the food around on her plate as she struggles for words or whether she should just say nothing at all.]

She's powerful... the Mind Master. [Rose cringing inwardly at how not comforting that sounded.] We've, seen what she can do... [With Elena for one.] But just the mention of you? It made him fight it and you made him snap out of her control.

[Rose watches Myri for a long, painful moment, thinking about how it really wasn't that long ago that they held hands at her wedding and talked about how happy she was. She would have given almost anything to let her have that moment again.]

He's still in there Myri... He just, needs your help finding his way back.

[witchwoman]

[She whispers something, barely audible, as if she's testing the words to decide if she wants to actually say them. Glancing to Rose, she repeats it, only loud enough to be heard, her voice shaking from the effort.]

She told me this is just the start. What if the next step is so much worse? What if trying to undo it only causes him more pain?

[She has no idea what to do. Her presence sure doesn't seem like it's helping him now, considering he flinched away when she touched him and told her to leave him alone barely five minutes into a conversation. She wants him to come back to her, but has no idea if what she's doing is helping or hurting, honestly.]

[littledhampir]

Then you'll face it. [Though her words sound simple, there's nothing in her tone to suggest she believes it's going to be easy. She's not so naive as to think that in a day or two, everything will be back to normal. If being with the Knights had taught her anything, it's that even happiness comes with a price.]

But you won't have to do it alone.

[witchwoman]

[She knows that it's meant to be a comfort. And a part of her appreciates it, but it's hard to take any solace in the words. She just nods and picks at her food again, her gaze drifting back to the door every few seconds.]

[littledhampir]

[Rose watches Myri in silence for a long moment, resisting the urge to fill it with words (WS 23). If she really thought there was anything she could say to make this better, she'd let them rush out but as Myris gaze drifts back to the door that conceals Finnick, Rose lets her gaze drop away, as if trying to allow Myri a moment to worry without feeling like she was in a fish bowl, Rose reaching for her plate and trying to force another mouthful of food down.]