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

[slay]

Well, that's a nice change of pace, at least.

[ She won't correct him beyond that, and his casual approach to the whole thing has her smiling with muted warmth. ]

This following, [ She waves a hand beyond the doorway, sighing. ] Burt and Des. Neither seems to be able to get enough detail. [ She approaches Spike, tucking her hands into her back pockets and settling on a comfortable conversation length, abandoning her packing task for the time being. ]

So are you here to collect the "told you so"? You earned it.

[bigbad]

Not quite. [He shifts a little, glancing away. Myri didn't take this well. Buffy... probably won't either. He wishes he didn't have to leave them all, but he wants to keep Nadia safe too. It only makes sense.] I have... news. Thought you should hear it from me first.

[slay]

"Well, that's ominous," she says, for the second time this morning.

[ Tension ramps up in Buffy's expression, and she searches Spike's face for some kind of indication of what's coming. Nothing good, to be sure. Dread wells up in her chest. No. No, she'd just got done talking to Des about how much she wasn't prepared to handle how fast everything was moving, still recovering from it all, and now—

Don't jump to conclusion. She draws in a breath, moving past him through the doorway. ] I definitely need coffee. [ Because she didn't get it before Des ran his mouth last time, and she regretted it. She moves to the kitchenette to find an empty pot and starts a new one. ]

[bigbad]

Can you get me some blood too? And coffee.

[How's Nadia going to react to needing to stock up on blood in the fridge? Will Spike need to carry around his own minifridge? He hasn't really thought out these logistics before.]

[slay]

[ Oh my god your brackets about Spadia domesticity are setting off Buffy's IC gag reflex STOP. She pulls open the fridge and fusses with a medical bag of blood, pouring it into an oversized mug before she looks back at him to size him up. ]

Are you married or pregnant?

[bigbad]

[Spike tilts his head without missing a beat.]

Both. Fred and I eloped last night. Think if I name the baby after Kat she won't set me on fire?

[slay]

Maybe she'll even send out your Facebook e-vite. [ She sticks the mug into the microwave and heats up the blood while she waits for the coffee to brew. ] What are you thinking for the ceremony: tasteful indoor on non-sacred ground, or Monster Mash?

[bigbad]

[He scoffs, leaning against the counter.] Come on, love, this is me. I'm not about to sink to tasteful levels.

[slay]

Good. If you'd opted for tasteful, I would have had to assume I was talking to Elena.

[ She leans back against the opposite counter, folding her arms over her chest. ]

[bigbad]

It's good to have these little tricks. [Apparently it's not too soon, but Spike's always been in favor of joking about the things that bother him. It's easier that way.]

We can't put off the real news forever, you know. And I promise, it's not that bad.

[slay]

You mean if I ignore it, it won't go away? [ Faux surprise. ] I had it on good authority that was a tried and true method.

[bigbad]

Tried, perhaps. True? Not so much. [He pulls his blood out of the microwave and nods at her.] I'm just gonna be away for a bit. Thought you should know.

[slay]

[ She falters, all humor gone. Breathy and disbelieving, she hurries to ask, ] Away? Where away?

[bigbad]

Nadia. The higher ups thought she could use some back-up. Makes the most sense if it's me. I'll be going as her bodyguard. [Not that Spike was volunteering before anyone suggested it or anything.....]

[slay]

[ The way that she blanches makes it easy to see how much Buffy hates this plan. No. Of all the places. Des leaving to spend time with Zarad, that she understands. Finnick's current state isn't his fault. Rafael has a tour to finish. But Spike, alone with Nadia? Her stomach turns, a visceral revulsion that threatens her gag reflex.

It's impossible to believe entirely in Nadia's flip-flop when she'd neglected to address what she'd done to manipulate and deceive them. ]

Spike, no. You can't. [ She draws in a worried breath, stepping forward, resolved to her opposition. ] Please. Just trust me on this, whatever your orders are, don't go with her.

[bigbad]

What? [He takes a step back, brow creasing.] Why not? You saw how hard they came after her. She needs us.

[slay]

Yeah.

[ Said in a slow voice, filled with heavy dread. ]

Funny, isn't it? How she told us where to meet her, and they showed up right there.

[ Not the best way to cast doubt, but the fact of the matter is that Rafael's pain isn't hers to share. Even now. She won't break his confidence like that, won't spread what she blames herself for to others when he's still trying to process, suffer, and deal with it. No, there are more reasons to doubt Nadia's intentions.

But honestly? That's chief among Buffy's. Knowing what she did to Rafael is bad enough, but fearing that every day until they reunited that she might do it to Spike? That's worse. Knowing that she will have to watch him walk right into it, wondering if anything she says can change his mind now, given his fixation. ]

I just ... [ She paces, turning away, raising one hand to her forehead. ] I have a bad feeling about this. About her. I don't trust her.

[bigbad]

After Isabella said bloody Voldemort's name right when we least needed to get the attention of gods? Yeah, somehow not blaming that one on her.

[Spike puts his mug down and gives her a reassuring smile.]

I'm not a complete fool, love. I know that anything that seems to good to be true very well might be. But isn't that all the more reason for me to go with her? [He shrugs a shoulder.] I want to protect her, yeah. But I'll also be right there if it turns out she's not on the level.

[Spike wants to trust Nadia. He really does. And he really does think she wants to atone for past mistakes, to become a better person. He can sympathize. Just because he's fortunate enough not to remember his bad past doesn't mean it doesn't exist. If that's what she's here for, if that's what she's doing, he's here to support and protect her.

But he's also very glad he'll be able to keep a close eye on her. He's been betrayed enough that he's not ready to go through it again.]

[slay]

I'm just saying. If it reads minds like a trap and shoots like a trap …

[ She won't back down off of it, not with what's on the line here. The shake of her head doesn't trust his wariness to be enough. Watching that woman destroy Rafael was hard enough; to see her do it to another one of her friends when she might be able to protect him from it? It might just break her. ]

If you think you can get the drop on a psion with powers from the king of "everything is spiders," then a fool is exactly what you are. What if having you close and alone is exactly what she's counting on? She can get close to you, use you, learn things about us and— [ She drops her gaze, stops pacing. Drawing in a breath, she steadies her gaze back on him, all imploring. ] Spike, please. I am asking you to just believe me; this is a bad idea. Don't go with her.

[bigbad]

[He watches her, frowning. He expected her not to like the idea. Not least because whatever else might have happened between them, they are close, and he doubts she'll be any more fond of him being away from the group than he is. But he wasn't expecting this much protestation.

He could point out that she doesn't have the spider king's powers anymore, but he's pretty sure that won't change Buffy's mind about Nadia. He could tell her that he has these doubts too, that even though he likes Nadia he's wondered, worried that he can't or shouldn't trust her. Worried that he's taking a dumb risk.

The other side won't play fair, she'd said, and there'll be a cost. Spike doesn't want to be that cost just because he's following his gut and trusting her rather than doubting because of his past. But he also doesn't want anyone else to be that cost either. And he does believe her. He just hopes he's right too.

He exhales--letting his shoulders slump a little. Arguing reason won't help, here. Buffy clearly feels as strongly as Spike does that he shouldn't go, so all he can do is try and make her see why he feels the way he does. Why he has to do it, even if it is a bad idea.]

Did I ever tell you about the first time I met Nadia?

[slay]

That wasn't really an opening for gooey-eyed reminiscing, Spike.

[ Said sharply, like she's digging her heels in. ]

[bigbad]

You're telling me why I can't.... sort of, mind you, since it hasn't really gone past you having a bad feeling about her. I'm going to tell you why I have to. And considering it starts with her brain-washing me, gooey-eyed isn't really the word I'd use.

[He may be a bit of a masochist, but that's still... not really his kink. At all.]

[slay]

And yet you're about to walk into a chance for her to do it again. Why?

[bigbad]

[Spike gives her an impatient look because that's what he's trying to tell her.]

We were at her concert, right? Well, hers and Blade's. Her set came on and I... sort of lost it, I guess. Brainwashing, you know. But my eyes still worked as well as ever, and I could see she wasn't... happy, you know? Not in the intense rockstar way, just in general. Keijen's music didn't really affect me in the same way so once her set was done I did what any obsessed fan would do and beat up the bouncers so I could get to her dressing room.

[slay]

[ Her eyebrows steadily raise on her forehead as he goes like wow yeah this makes it better please continue making your bad life choice. They widen at the end and it's a combination of genuine horror and disgust as well as do I really want to hear this ??? ]