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]

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 ]

[msattentionspan]

[MEANWHILE...]

What you mean - do I think I have a lot of Faith? I'm not so big into churches if that's what you're getting at. But I've heard that sort of line before, so I'm sure you've gotta expect that it's not gonna launch me into some big thing about God and whatever.

[aka most men are uncreative slobs.]

[behindcloseddoors]

Belief doesn't only lie in churches. People believe all kinds of things. [ he stuffs his hands into his pockets, glancing up at the rooftops ] What do you believe in?

[msattentionspan]

What like some deeper meaning or something? [She shrugs.] I don't think I have beliefs that match to that sort of thing. I mean, I'm wandering the streets of a country where I don't speak the language, with a guy I just met. I trust myself.

[behindcloseddoors]

Belief in the self. The noblest kind there is, if you ask me. [ he nods at a set of steps that lead up into what might be an apartment building ]

[daredtobelieve]

[As the song ends and Helen comes to, she slowly stands and makes her way for the door. That's enough of that tbh. She tries to listen to the phone to see if she hears anything that gives her an indication of where Faith might be. Like idk train sounds or someone shouting an address. But barring anything obvious, she moves outside and looks for Max and Lissa. (Search 17)]

[behindcloseddoors]

[ ♬ does it - tricky (ft. francesca belamonte)

the alley behind the bar is dimly lit, brick buildings rising up high enough to block out more than just glimpses of the streets in the distance. a few dumpsters line the alley here and there but it's otherwise quiet and abandoned.

helen hasn't gone too far down, however, before she sees something that will send a chill right up her spine: a leg sticking out at an odd angle on the ground from an alcove cut into one of the buildings to the left ahead. a familiar looking leg, wearing max's jeans. ]

[daredtobelieve]

Dear god. [Helen mutters to herself before running towards the leg to confirm her horrifying suspicions.]

[behindcloseddoors]

[ ♬ if you can't sleep - she & him

the scene is indeed horrific.

max lies limp and pale against the doors in the small nook, eyes rolled back in his head, clearly no signs of life remaining. two neat puncture wounds are visible in his neck.

lissa is worse. her neck has been ravaged, messily, and the blood that's made it to the ground here is most certainly hers.

she lies across max's knee, staring lifelessly aside, and the morbid tableau of dead lovers seems almost to have been arranged as such.

make a listen check, helen. ]

[daredtobelieve]

[Coming to a halt a few feet away from the pair of them, Helen's free hand reaches to cover her mouth, desperately trying to keep a shocked gasp or a sob from escaping. She was responsible for them, tried to keep them safe from Keijen's influence and yet...

She swallows hard and tries to remember how to breathe. The danger here is still very real. (listen 18)]

[behindcloseddoors]

[ very very real. so real, in fact, that it wraps a hand around her throat from behind abruptly, the woman approaching behind her entirely unheard (stealth 30). i assume a 29 grapple probably will beat her, but go for the opposed roll anyway. a female voice hisses beside her ear - the pale vampiress from inside the bar that they followed out here. ] Oh look.

Dessert.