paris ♔ tried to save myself but myself keeps slipping away

[necessaryevil]

♬ Facade (reprise) - Jekyll & Hyde

WHO || Faith Lehane, Max Rast, Lissa Dragomir, Helen Magnus
WHAT || The Knights investigate a string of vampire attacks in France
WHERE ||Paris, France
WHEN || April 11th, 2015 [backdated].
HOW || Actionspam. Single thread.

One vampire attack is cause for worry enough, but when bodies are found with telltale puncture wounds and heavy loss of blood become a recurring nightmare across any city, alarm bells are raised.  Such is the case recently in Paris, where Wynn suspects that either a careless clan has moved in, or some lone vamps are stirring up trouble.  With the locations of the bodies marked out in the eight block radius where the deaths have been occurring, the team arrives in the late evening, staring at the rows of apartment blocks, small businesses, and pubs that comprise this section of town.

Comments

[lastdragomir]

[ who wants to go home? lissa wants to go home. instead, she rubs her arms swiftly to try and dispel some of her nerves, making her messenger bag of potions clink softly in the night. her jade green eyes look around carefully, but she's the crappy kind of vampire who can't actually see in the dark so she really just squints into the twilight before looking to helen for orders or instructions or... something. ]

[msattentionspan]

[Faith is pretty much chill with this whole thing. She's used to vampires and she's used to patrols. Working in a group is a new thing, but she's been doing pretty good with that recently too. Mostly, Faith is just ready to put the hurt on some vamps and then head back home. It has crossed her mind that Quinn had mentioned having a job in France, but she's pretty sure the timing probably put him in the city a while back.]

[necessaryevil]

[ max walks behind lissa's shoulder, gnawing on his nails as they look around the streets. something has him on edge already, something more than just the promise of facing down a potential coven of vampires. ] We should take a look at one of the places they found a body. [ he shifts uncomfortably, tearing off a cuticle ] I'll be able to tell us more.

[lastdragomir]

[ okay. if she weren't already stressed, she is way beyond stressed now. this mission is going to be the death of her. while she doesn't say anything to bring more attention to it, she turns to curl her fingers against the familiar leather of max's sleeve, careful to keep from touching him, eyes wide and concerned. r u sure, bro???? ]

[daredtobelieve]

[Helen nods at Max's suggestion, a bit curious what he means, but willing to go with it. This is what happens after you work with Will Graham. You just let things happen.] This way. [She'll lead them to the closest murder scene and let the gang have a look around.]

[necessaryevil]

[ ♬ if i had a heart - fever ray

the bar in question is called Le Vin Café, and it's a hole in the wall whose entire back section is shrouded with cigarette smoke around the pool tables and vinyl booths back there. it's pretty crowded - there's only two seats available at the bar, and one booth open, only because someone is vacating it just as they walk in. there seems to be a definite goth aesthetic to the patrons here in general: pale makeup, red lips, black leather, corsets, collars, zippers and buckles feature prominently. a tv plays loudly over the bar, where a heavily tattooed skinhead is serving. a lot of eyes turn towards them as they come in, gazes not really friendly, but also not really invested, quickly turning back to their own business and ignoring them. ]

[daredtobelieve]

[Well... this is not going to be Helen's scene at all. She doubts her diplomacy skills will work out so great around this place. Glancing around, she gestures towards the booth that's opening up.]

We can keep an eye out from there. Faith, you might have some luck at the bar.

[She's the toughest looking of all of them, okay.]

[lastdragomir]

[ lissa shrinks against max because wow she does not look like she fits into this place, nose wrinkling delicately against the smoke, eyes watering. absently she wonders if they cater to vampires, gums tingling from having smelled the remains of whomever was in the trunk of lillian's car. her eyes sweep around the bar (spot 21), but she only nods in agreement with helen's assessment. ]

[necessaryevil]

[ max seems tense as well as he looks around. there's the cracking noise of a pool cue striking in the back, and lissa would notice a few pointed teeth here and there as she looks around: it's hard to tell if that means they're vampires or tieflings or one of a number of other races that might have sharpened canines - or if they just made it cosmetic. max's unease, however, would seem to indicate that at least some people here are violent enough to give him pause. ]

[lastdragomir]

[ as lissa looks around, she tries to see if she can read some auras of the pointy toothed patrons. she's still not incredibly good at it, but maybe she'll be able to find some similarities that could sort them into groups? it probably would have helped if she'd ever spent any time with the other vampires in the castle. whoops. (concentration 22 idek) ]

meanwhile...

[behindcloseddoors]

[ as faith breaks towards the bar, the vampire pursues, and is unfortunately faster than she is, quickly closing on her. he tries to slam her against the wall, but she's too fast and avoids his hand (atk 22). ]

[msattentionspan]

[She knows that she needs more distance between her and that building, but she also doesn't need him following her all the way back to the bar if there's already trouble there. This is one of those moments where she really wishes she had just stuck with the bar and tried to just get info on site, instead of leaving. She has trouble with that whole 'part of a team' thing even after Andres and she's worried that it's going to cost them.

Since he's already trying to attack, she'll just turn and strike back with a blow to his jaw (atk 35 / dmg 19 ) and then one to his side ( atk 32 | dmg 17 ). She's hoping to just slow him down so she can start running again.]

[behindcloseddoors]

[ both of faith's jabs land, apparently taking the vampire well and truly by surprise, judging by the expression on his face. still, he takes them in stride, letting out a hiss as he opens his mouth to reveal his fangs, a red miasma seeming to run into the irises of his eyes. he tries to grab her again, but lmao he is the slowest vampire ever (atk 20) so nope. ]

[msattentionspan]

[TIME FOR WITTY SLAYER BANTER!!]

You should really get that looked at. [AND NOW TIME FOR kicking vampire butt. She gives him another blow to the face (atk 40 / dmg 16 ) and then knees him in the groin. (atk NAT 20. sorry for your junk dude. / dmg 32 though if I wasn't supposed to double it, then it's just 16] It could be pink eye... Get some Visine at the very least.

[AND SHE WILL TRY TO RUN AGAIN unless he hasn't learned his lesson....]

[roams]

[ dizzy - goo goo dolls

that's actually enough to knock him right the fuck out, which is hilarious because its the knee to the groin that is too much for him. he clutches his nads, sinking to his knees, and as she's about to turn and book it, she'd see that someone has stepped out of another bar a few doors down, cigarette unlit in hand, and is staring at her with one eyebrow raised, looking surprised, incredibly amused, and probably a little bit turned on as he looks between the guy collapsing on the sidewalk and her. he quickly schools his surprise at seeing her though, so that he can say casually: ]

... I know they say the French are notoriously rude, but that seems a bit extreme. I'm going to guess whatever that was about, he deserved it.

Rose & Dean (Flight Home)

[littledhampir]

[Rose has been quieter than usual since Helen and the remaining Knights parted ways. Determined it seems to show how supposedly unaffected she is by the other woman's decision to not return with them. She's been trying to explain it away in her mind. To tell herself that if Helen had only known about the bond she'd shared with the blonde Vampire, then perhaps she would have chosen differently but a fear that she might not have is what had made her choose silence.

Now that she doesn't have to try and put on a front of indifference for Helen, the mask that she had put in place slips, as if just being with Dean means she no longer feels that she has to pretend. (WS 12. Of course I rolled a 2.)]

I feel like we didn't achieve anything... [Voice pitched low, drained of any real emotion as she rests her forehead against the cool glass of the plane window.]

[likedillinger]

[ dean looks over at her, his own forehead furrowed with his clear frustration over all this too. ] I can't believe we just let 'em all go.

[littledhampir]

[As much as it pains her to admit this. (Wis ... Nat 20).] They're no good to us dead.

[Glancing back at Dean.] Not that I think they knew anything.

[likedillinger]

We know they were killing before we got there. Whether they killed our people or someone else, the point is they got a taste for it once.

[littledhampir]

And do you think I'm happy we let them go?! It was Helen's call, not mine.

Quinn & Faith | closed

[roams]

[ the bodies are recovered and prepared for transport, rose and dean have boarded the Knight's plane, and helen's off... wherever, which just leaves quinn hovering outside the plane, waiting for faith as she comes to board. he finishes off a cigarette, dropping it and crushing it with the toe of his shoe, exhaling a stream of smoke to the side. ] So. Back to England, huh.

[msattentionspan]

[Something still doesn't feel right about just leaving Helen behind, but she isn't the team leader and after everything else she doesn't feel like she's in any place to question it. Her hand rubs at the back of her neck as she moves toward Quinn. Everything feels half done and with the lives lost she knows regrouping is the better option, but she also still carries the blame for the two lives lost.]

Yeah... Seems so. [She isn't sure what to say, because she's positive he has even more questions than he did before and she's flying back off without answering half of them.]

I'm gonna be taking some time off, though, from all [She gestures vaguely.] this.

Not sure Paris is the best spot for a vacation, but if you have suggestions... I'd be open to them.

[roams]

[ he searches her face for a moment, as if making sure she's saying what he thinks she's saying. ] ... I hear Monaco's nice this time of year.

[msattentionspan]

[She nods, trying to make it seem like she's being chill about this, mostly because she has zero experience in this department. This is like the third time she's run into him. Clearly this is a pattern that hasn't been repeated before.]

I don't even know where that is. [Truth.]

[roams]

Right on the Mediterranean. You'd love it.