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]

[ lissa holds the woman's gaze, jade eyes unflinching, but in an effort to keep her spying on the down low, her lips lift in a small, coy smile. maybe she's just flirting with you, pale and scary woman.

after a moment, she shifts her gaze back to max. ] Someone is hustling people out of their money at the pool table. Wanna play?

[ people like that, she learned from her time gallivanting away from school with rose, tend to know things. things they probably shouldn't know, fonts of shady information. ]

[necessaryevil]

We could give it a shot.

[ getting away with murder - papa roach

it's as they're sliding out of the booth that something comes on the television behind the bar: keijen blade enters onto the set of an interview show to a great deal of applause from the audience, casting smug smirks at them all as he moves to be seated. ]

[lastdragomir]

[ lissa stands, gaze turning to faith briefly to check on her -- as if lissa can help, ha! -- and that's when she catches sight of the television. her hand snaps out to grab max's arm. ]

Max. Isn't that -- [ she knows enough about failboat's missions from castle gossip and because she may unintentionally seek out where rose's missions take place out of habit alone. it didn't hurt that she became friends with elena and that her mentor was in new york when the debacle with the hudson went down. word spreads. word to not listen to keijen blade's band spreads. vi telling the rest of the dragon's light wing not to listen to heatless passion spread loudly. (knowledge local 20 total)

her eyes widen, head tipping the tiniest bit. ]

Another platform for his revolution?

[ yes, she watched the grammy's. probably made max watch the show too, the dresses are so pretty! ]

[msattentionspan]

[Faith catches that glimpse, but she's still cool as a cucumber (will save 27) and barely even makes her recognition known. Instead, she just smiles back at the guy, leaning in closer (she doesn't want to yell) to answer him.]

Curiosity. [She answers with honesty. Really, she was super curious about just how many vampires were out here. Turns out -- a lot, apparently.] I've never done much traveling and when I had the chance I figured why not hit up the big name cities. [She offers a casual shrug as she pulls back.] It'll give me a story to tell back home.

[daredtobelieve]

[Helen has been trying to just keep an eye on her team during all of this, but at the sight of Blade, her attention is a bit diverted. Her brows furrows as she pays closer attention to what's happening on the television.]

[necessaryevil]

[ max nods, immediately on edge as he keeps one eye on the tv.

"What kind of story is it you're hoping for?" the potential vamp asks faith, as on the screen the interviewer speaks to keijen. the program is in french, so only those who understand it know what's being said. at this point, he's basically introducing blade, although he makes a point of saying he probably requires no introduction, and is listing statistics of his very successful tour while keijen listens with glittering eyes. ]

Are we safe, listening to this?

[daredtobelieve]

[Oh, that's a really good point. Helen drags her eyes away from the television and glances from Max and Lissa, back over to Faith at the bar, trying to make eye contact with her like girl maybe we should jet. Turning her attention back to Max and Lissa, she leans in and lowers her voice.]

I'd like to stay, to hear what he has to say. [Since she understands French, and she sure doesn't want to have Lissa stay. She'd feel terrible if something happened to her.] But you're right. It's likely too risky for the entire group to stay and risk some strange effect. Perhaps you and Lissa should wait outside until we know just what this stunt will entail.

[lastdragomir]

[ lissa nods. as much as she is unwilling to leave when helen and faith could be in danger, she can't help imagining what happened at the hudson river happening again. she and max aren't exactly human... ]

His interview shouldn't last long at least. [ she tugs on max's arm. ] We'll be just outside.

[necessaryevil]

[ max's eyes rivet to where that girl lis'sa had been staring at is slipping out the back door with some guy, and he nods to lis and helen ] Why don't we go keep an eye on that situation while we're out there?

[msattentionspan]

[Faith catches Helen's glance as she scans the room again (spot 18), but she's not going to bail just yet. Considering the bar they're in, she's pretty sure that they're going to find what they're looking for here.]

I'm thinking... [She makes a thoughtful face.] something that when I tell it to my friends back home they think I'm lying -- but it's too crazy not to be true. [She smirks and will sip this drink too. No sense in letting it go to waste.]

[lastdragomir]

Sounds like a plan. [ she nods and turns to leave. ]

[behindcloseddoors]

[ faith's drinking partner leans a little closer to her, dropping his voice a bit as he says: "You feeling adventurous tonight? Because I might know just where you can find that kind of story."

on the screen above them, the interviewer asks, "You have drawn a lot of attention with these claims of yours about a, what was it? 'Musical revolution'?"

keijen's smirk grows, as he leans back in his seat, and drawls: "A revolution. Music is merely a way to bring it about, but it is not the musical scene I seek to alter." ]

[msattentionspan]

[Faith is going to need to get her merit badge in fishing pinned to her sash when she gets back.

When he leans in, she glances to check for Helen (spot 23) but she probably notices that her party is a bit light at the moment??? Whatever, she can handle herself? Maybe.

Still, she leans toward her purchaser or drinks and plays up that curious hot girl vibe (charm 19) and brushes her hand against his back as she keeps sipping her drink.]

Adventurous? [She feigns to think it over.] I didn't come all this way to just sip a free drink at a bar, right?

[behindcloseddoors]

Of course not. [ the predatory gleam in his eyes looks pretty pleased with itself right now. ] Come. There are much better things to drink in Paris.

[daredtobelieve]

[Helen splits her attention between the television and keeping an eye on Faith. Talk of a revolution has her nervous but she's committed herself to seeing this viewing through.]

[narcosynthesis]

[ "No?" asks the interviewer. "If not the musical scene, then what, if I may ask?"

a knowing light dances through keijen's eyes as he responds. ] This world is ripe for change. It has grown fatted on its own egotism, and it is only when those who listen to my call find their eyes truly opened that a culling will occur. A true change will arrive.

[ the interviewer smiles along, clearly oblivious as to what this means, but trying to pretend like he understands. "A more peaceful world, is that what you mean?"

keijen looks wickedly amused, almost chuckling as he says: ] A peaceful world would not be very interesting, would it?

[daredtobelieve]

[Swallowing hard, Helen sets her mouth in a thin line. While the interviewer may now know what this asshole means, she sure does.]

[narcosynthesis]

[ the interviewer looks a little more discomforted by that response, swallowing visibly. "And what is the alternative?" ]

A world that does not take itself for granted.

[msattentionspan]

[Sliding away from the bar, she takes her jacket to fold back over her arm. As she does so, Faith reaches into the pocket of her jacket (sleight of hand 18) and manages to place a call to Helen - trying to keep the line open at the very least, before she gestures out at the guy. She can't be sure if Helen will pick up the call, but at the very least it'll have one long voicemail for her to listen to.]

I'm in. Lead the way. [and the party splits... again]

[behindcloseddoors]

I was hoping you'd say that. [ he slides silently off his stool, heading for the front door this time, whereas max and lissa went out the back.

as he does, the interviewer nods along and then announces that blade is going to perform a number, at which point, he goes to join his band on the set. ]

[daredtobelieve]

[Helen does pick up, holding the phone casually to her ear while she still half watches Blade on the screen. Part of her is morbidly curious if he plans to try to pull another mind control stunt. Plus, she can't follow Faith too close so she needs to wait that out before she heads outside.]

[msattentionspan]

[Faith follows him, staying close and glancing to Helen as she passes. She sees that she's listening in on her phone (spot 15) and that's good as golden for her.

Outside, she takes a deep breath trying to clear her lungs of the stagnant air that had been in the club. Glancing to this COMPLETE STRANGER she grins.]

I'm Faith, by the way. [Because, names are polite and helpful or some shit.]

[narcosynthesis]

[ faith's new complete stranger-friend doesn't answer for a moment, and it seems like maybe he's just not going to even give his name, but in the end, he offers: "Tristan." he glances casually down the road, where a few people are walking along the other side of the street. "Faith, hmm?" he starts heading slowly down the sidewalk. "Do you consider the name well-suited?"

meanwhile, back in the bar, blade wraps his hand around the mic, smirks into the camera with that sinister egotistical way of his, as they launch into a number. his performance is hard to look away from, his voice haunting (even if the lyrics seem like an over-wrought angsty teenager's). time to make a will save, helen.

everything i've known - korn ]

Away, I see it's going down
Today, Hoping in time,
Will bury all this pain
And will awake something inside

We pushed our buttons far inside
We tear our hearts out
then we fight

Hey, I know feels like I lost everything
That I've known, I cannot survive alone
It feels like I lost everything that I've known

Our lives, were good in everyway
Too late, time after time
Our love just turned to hate
but we stayed by each others side

[daredtobelieve]

[Knowing the risk, Helen watches the performance, jaw tense as she listens to Faith's conversation. Splitting her attention was likely not her best work. The words and music begin to wash over her (will save...10 hahahaha...)]

[narcosynthesis]

[ while helen would feel the magnetic draw of the music, find herself entranced by it and drawn in, unable to stop listening - something that seems to be sweeping the bar, judging by the many pale faces turned that way, and the manner in which even the bartender's hand stills in cleaning the mug he's holding - she wouldn't feel any sort of compulsion beyond a sort of worshipful euphoria that seems to rise in her chest in spite of herself. ]

We pushed our buttons far inside
We tear our hearts out
then we fight

Hey, I know feels like I lost everything
That I've known, I cannot survive alone
It feels like I lost everything that I've known

I keep holding on, I feel I'm where I belong
Everytime we fight, it feels so wrong
I feel so enslaved by my pride
Then we meet again

We pushed our buttons far inside
We tear our hearts out
then we fight

Hey, I know feels like I lost everything
That I've known, I cannot survive alone
It feels like I lost everything that I've known

[ when the number ends, the announcer, looking awestruck himself, cuts them to commercial as blade casts entertained glances at the studio crowd, and then an advertisement for a french perfume comes on and the momentary spell would be broken ]