open ♔ fall/winter socialization log

[wynn]

  

WHO || Everyone! [ota]
WHAT || Shenanigans.  Sorry that it's covering like half a year.  Forgive me.  Let us never speak of it again.    
WHERE || Anywhere in the castle, surrounding environs, London, Andres, etc!
WHEN || Any time in Fall/Winter 2016
HOW || Actionspam

[ The castle can be a happening place, even on more mundane days. This log is for random interactions over the course of these few months. Because not everyone is into parties, ok. Characters who are not currently squired in may also post, as their characters are living in the castle awaiting their ceremonies.  This takes place after the Knights have returned from rescuing Gar in New York City, but before the planned Keijen Blade concert at the beginning of 2017.

You are encouraged to start your own threads and tag around, and feel free to threadjack into any on-going threads that aren't specified as 'closed' in the subject lines since people can enter into rooms even in the middle of what's going on. WE ARE BIG ON THREAD-JACKING HERE. You can also specify 'single thread', meaning you want only one response for all participants, rather than multi-thread, where a number of different scenes/threads can be done as replies to the top prompt.]

On this log:

Section Heads
Failboat Return from NYC | multiple threads
Lance Sweets | Light wing appointments/training area/kitchen/movie rooms
Felicity Braddock | The bar/London/training room/shooting range/library
Kevin Beckman | Front desk
Sark & Sydney | closed
Wynn | everywhere
Jack & Buffy | closed
Hasmed & Solas | closed
Lis'sa (& Gar) | Hoard lab/library
Koraith | common rooms
Christos & Sylar & Katniss | closed
Mark/Alainn/Dana/Michael/Gar | garden
Logan & Scott | TV room
Belle & Gold | closed
Constantine & Zatanna | front lobby
Dante Wilder | Old man bar/training room
Darth Vane | Dungeon
Helen Magnus | Hoard lab/library/bedroom
Jade | Kitchen/training room
Myri | Light wing/training rooms
Lois Lane | London
Alainn O'Rourke | castle

Comments

[undealt]

Belle. [He can't intervene. The dagger changing hands doesn't do much but confuse whatever thrall it has on him- that in combination with the cold realization that this was a trap holds him still. If he could take advantage of this lull between control, he'd only risk hurting Belle by trying to get at Gaston.

So it's for the best that it's over quickly. He limps his way across the gap between them, close by, but not quite touching her. He can't think of anything to say that isn't astoundingly cruel, so he keeps his mouth shut, hovering close by in stunned silence.]

[untethered]

[ the devil within - digital daggers

belle's hand quakes as she releases the dagger, gaston dropping to his knees, his hand dropping to the wound. blood oozes out between his fingers, and he raises his head once more to look at her in shock and horror, her name falling off his lips once more before he slumps to the ground.

she takes a few steps back, staring down at him helplessly, her hands finally jerking upwards to cover her mouth as though she thinks she'll be sick ] What have I done?

Auric, what have I --

[undealt]

[He finally reaches out to grab her shoulder, tearing his eyes away from the man on the floor. If there's one thing he's good at, it's self-justification.] You saved my life, Belle.

[you could argue whether or not Gaston would have killed her, but there's no denying that he had meant, with no pretense, to kill him.]

[untethered]

[ the tears flow over as she abruptly wraps her arms around him tightly, burying her face against his shoulder ] I didn't mean for any of this to happen. I believed him - I wanted to believe him.

I'm sorry.

[undealt]

[He's only surprised for a moment, but quickly returns the embrace.] It's all right. [he shushes her gently, trying to do whatever he can to calm her. nothing about this is okay and it's going to be a mess to sort through, but she's safe, and Gaston didn't actually do what he set out to do.] I was willing to believe it too.

[He hadn't really expected this, anyway. He figured Gaston would just be insufferable.]

[untethered]

What are we going to do? [ her voice catches, the realization sinking in that they have to deal with this somehow ]

[undealt]

We can't bring him back to the castle. I'm certain they'll believe it was self-defense, but... They might still resurrect him.

[which is a terrible idea.]

[untethered]

[ his words drive her stiff, as if she's only just realizing that the weight falls on them to decide whether he deserves a second chance or not. ] I ... I don't know what would happen. This isn't right.

[undealt]

If he did it once, he'll most certainly do it again. And who knows what he might do to you, Belle? [he reaches over to grip her shoulders, offering some form of security, even if he's as desperate as she is.

but it would be so simple to make this go away.]

[untethered]

[ wow what a shitty will save, nice job gold. she just... leans into him. ] No, I know that. I just-- [ she takes a deep breath to steady herself ] You're right. We can't let them know.

[undealt]

I can take care of this. [he gives a slight nod to the corpse.] It will be as if it didn't even happen.

[untethered]

Except that it did. [ the look she casts him is full of shame, and speaks to the weight this is going to place on her, perhaps forever ] I have to live with this.

[undealt]

I know. [There's really nothing he can say. Killing comes easy to some- maybe for him it comes a bit too easy. But Belle is different.] These things... They happen on missions. They aren't supposed to happen when we're only meant to be minding our own business... But the world's far more dangerous than we ever really anticipated it being, isn't it? Were that not true, the Knights wouldn't even exist.

Sometimes the monsters are just people like we are.

[untethered]

[ her fingers bury themselves into his shoulder more tightly as she looks back at the body ] I'm sorry I put you in danger.

[undealt]

It's all right, sweetheart. [She couldn't have known, and he isn't going to blame her for it, even if he had his protestations about it. In the end they were trying to do the right thing, and it's this kind of situation that reminds him that the right thing doesn't always work the way you want it to.] You tried to make things right, and he took advantage of that.

[Which disgusts him, honestly. He knows he has darkness in him, and he knows he'll be combating that darkness forever. It would have been nothing if he had killed Gaston for trying to hurt Belle, but because it was Belle who killed him, it's now far worse. Bastard.]

[untethered]

[ without drawing away, she finally says: ] Let's get this over with.

[undealt]

[He keeps his arms around here so she doesn't have to look at what he's about to, shielding her as best he can, and casts Trial of Fire and Acid on Gaston's corpse, which is like super unnecessary, but I mean do you really want him to throw a burning arc at a corpse...

And since corpses get no fort save, that's a whole minute of casual burning and acid. (it's a total of 41 fire damage and 45 acid damage but since that's WAY OVERKILL ON A CORPSE, Gold can cast Drench on it once THERE IS NO MORE CORPSE.)

He's probably never destroyed a corpse with magic before. Probably.]

[untethered]

[ she waits a long time before drawing away to look back at what is no longer even a recognizable body. the smell, however, was inescapable. ] They'll be questions. His... his landlord.

[undealt]

We live in tumultuous times. I doubt it's going to do much for the Shadowkind population, but people are very quick to jump to conclusions these days.

[untethered]

You think we should just... leave everything?

[undealt]

As opposed to burning the entire house down?

[....I mean.

Not a bad idea.]

[untethered]

No, you're right. That's not... that's not an option.

[undealt]

[all those horrible deer heads would be so flammable, though...

okay, fine.]

Come then. We should get back before anyone comes to investigate.

[untethered]

[ she nods once, looking back at the spot uncertainly, but then wresting her eyes away and letting him draw her towards the door.

/scene?? ]