knightsoflegend | closed ♔ and when we collide

Entry tags:

closed ♔ and when we collide | we'll see what gets left over

WHO || Failboat [closed]
WHAT || After the announcement, Jack calls a meeting
WHERE || Thomas Bancroft's room, the Castle
WHEN || 8am, the day after LA
HOW || Actionspam or prose

Solace's announcement makes the situation unfortunately plain - those who have worked to stop Blade and company for the last five years have been side-lined, and will be until this ends, one way or another. Jack has sent out a secret communication to all members of the team, asking them to gather in Thomas Bancroft's old room, which has stood empty since his death, and is usually locked.

When they make their way there before 8am, however, they will find the door unlatched. Jack is already inside, with Gar seated near him, one hand on his arm. Kat leans against the wall behind Fred, who is seated in a chair. Her arms are folded, and she's grinding her teeth back and forth.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

... Felicity?

[ the rough animosity with which she had estimated this stranger falls away. her expression softens. ]

You're ... alive?

[ for someone who has been beating herself up for the role she played in her death for the past 24 hours, this is great news. ]

What happened? How are ... Why ... [ how do you just ask someone why is your body new and different. ]

[ once dumage is sitting, lucia is distracted by her Best Friend Ever and scoots over to sit right next to her.

which is for the best because when felicity is revealed, vi rushes across the room to gather her up in an enormous hug. this explains why she couldn't see felicity last night. because felicity is... you know what, she doesn't need to know. ]

We're the same height now.

[Meanwhile, Rose's WTF face doesn't shift to relief, but rather uncertainty, shocking nobody by being the one to go in this direction.]

Uh... Hate to point out the painfully obvious here but... how do we know you're really Felicity.

[Glancing from Felicity, over to Mark with an unspoken question in her eyes.]

[Felicity leans into the hug with Vi and is going to ignore Rose and Buffy for a second, because Gus couldn't tell her anything about Vi. He knew that Myri was okay, but Vi was still unaccounted for and she was incredibly relieved when she walked in the door.]

I'm so glad you're okay.

[Then, to Buffy:]

The resurrection didn't work, and a friend of mine was really determined not to let me die, so he reincarnated me instead. That's what you can thank for my brand new look.

[There's a small flourish as she does, but once that's done, she'll turn back to Rose. She is trying to go for vague but specific references of their relationships here because while big friendship moments are easy for the Mind Master to pull on. But fortunately, she and Rose aren't friends necessarily, so she's not going to try and endear herself in anyway.]

And I've already told Jack that I wasn't sure, but the Psychopath Squad is more than welcome to test me however they want.

[#ThrowbackThursday Sorta.]

This friend of yours ... Have you already talked to him?

[ she looks to Jack. ]

I mean, the person who performed the spell should be able to vouch for where the soul went, right?

I had another idea, actually.

[ the door abruptly opens and kat startles a bit, seeing as how... everyone is here.

it's tia that pokes her head in. ] Sorry that I'm late. I tried to keep Hasmed busy in the Fire Wing.

You're quite alright, Sir Ellison. Please, shut the door. [ she does, slipping in all the way ]

Felicity... you don't mind if Sir Ellison...?

[She shakes her head and waves a hand as though to say "go right ahead."]

Please. By all means.

[The sooner they prove she's her, the sooner they can get on with this.]

[ tia moves towards her, reaching up to place her hands gently on either of felicity's temples, and closing her eyes for a few moments as they tensely watch.

finally, she opens them, searching felicity's gaze ] ... It's her. She's... she's Felicity.

[With a Wis check of 18, Rose at least recalls the reference that Felicity made but that still wasn't enough to convince her.

Tia's arrival at least distracts her long enough to stop before she can pull out a vial of holy water, Rose watching the two women with a cautious edge.

She appears to relax just a little at Tia's assertion but given, ya know. Everything.]

Mind touching this before I officially welcome you back to the land of the living? [So it's not holy water, but Rose is extending the handle of her silver stake.

What. It's Holy. IDK what you were expecting here. Hellsing wards or no, she's learned you can't be too careful.]

[She's going to have some questions for Tia later, when they have a minute to breathe, if they ever have a minute to breathe again, but for right now she'll settle for Tia confirming she's her.

When Rose asks her to touch the silver stake though she figures that at least she's not being stabbed with it.

She extends a hand, takes the handle in hers, and drums her fingers on the end for a moment, and when that's all done, she pulls back.]

All good?

[ vi rolls her eyes but whatever makes people less insane, more power to them. the extra assurances were probably necessary after the mind master and also good ol' kyp. ]

Awesome, cool. Now that we've settled that Felicity is Felicity and not, in fact, evil-- [ she claps felicity on the shoulder, before moving back to join her daughter again. ] Let's get on with this.

[ there's a visible exhale of relief from buffy. it shifts into a wary and uncertain but earnest smile. ]

Welcome back.

[ not exactly a time to beg forgiveness, but it bears saying. she'll leave it at that and turn her eyes towards jack, following vi's lead. ]

[ jack paces across the floor, stopping in front of the door and turning to look them over ] The meeting with the Section Heads was... illuminating, even beyond the segment to which some of you were party.

The short and long of it is that although most of them appear to have their hearts in the right place - most of them - they refuse to see past the traditions of this Knighthood and take the necessary risk of trusting us.

But they'll trust Hellsing.

Precisely.

[ he pinches the bridge of his nose a second, before meeting gar's eyes across the room. she nods at him slightly to continue ]

The Section Heads - and our self-proclaimed new Dragon's Claws - truly believe that our best chance to defeat Blade, or whatever he's become, is a full-on assault. To throw our Knights at whatever lies in their path, to treat this as any other mission.

I should hope most of you have realized by now that this is not true. [ gar looks down at her lap, pulling at a thread in the arm of her sweater ] The only way that we are going to defeat Blade is to unravel the mysteries left at the heart of what he's done, discover a weakness, and find a way, outside of the box, to approach this.

Anything less is nothing more than sending Knights to the slaughter.

[ dean looks at rose, locking his jaw ] Blade's dagger. The one he used to do it.

We find out what that thing is, we can learn what kind of powers he's got now.

[ how we operate - gomez

jack nods once solemnly, lips pressed together ]

It's certainly a start. But they have no interest in pursuing any more of these leads. They think we've wasted years doing as much, and they'll attempt to stymie any of our own moves.

They've told us that we can stay here in the castle, where I believe they intend to monitor our actions. We will not be treated as Knights, but rather as live-in prisoners.

But I, for one, cannot stand by when there is anything that we can yet do. [ he squares his shoulders, taking a breath ]

What the Section Heads have decided as a whole does not represent what many of them believe individually. [ he looks to tia ] There are those among them who agree with me - that our continued assistance on this mission is vital to our success.

Sir La Krail has offered us the use of his private jet. I know of a location that can serve as a viable base of operations - one that is difficult to locate, and not without its own... resources. [ for a moment, his eyes seem to skate towards finnick ] The Section Heads have made it clear that all missions will be placed on hold until this situation is resolved. They refuse to make an exception of that for anything - including the idea of rescuing Rafael Giovanni, a man who has fought beside us, and suffered long enough.

In the basement of the Knighthood, we hold a man whose mind may continue a clue to his whereabouts. One that could allow us to rescue him. Sir Ellison believes that she can retrieve that information, and intends to meet me - and anyone who will go with me - at this base of operations, to stage a retrieval. From there, we will continue the fight.

I know that many of you are tired, are worn down from all this mission has cost you. But I know as well that many of you are determined to continue the fight, and like myself, do not consider the acknowledgment of our peers as the only thing that makes them a member of this Knighthood.

Perhaps it will mean that we are never welcome back in these doors. Personally, that is a price I am willing to pay - if only because I firmly believe there may be no Knighthood to return to if we do not go on. And that I could not live with myself should I do anything less.

I'm in.

[ in fact, she smiles. as though she's s-so proud of jack for putting all this together. let's be honest no one thought she was going to stay at home and bake and make nicey nice with hellsing while rafael was still out there? please. he's alive, and he's waiting for her. it's time to bring him home. ]

I ... don't know how much help he'll be. They've done a real number on him. But if we're going to track Rafael down, we need to bring Isabella in. From the top this time. [ she reaches for her phone, then — ] And if they're really watching us like we're sleepers, then we should probably ditch our phones before doing any of that.

I'm in too. [He might not like Rafael much, but he was just about ready to leave the Knights anyway. This isn't what he signed up for.]

And... [He glances towards Rose, a hint of regret in his eyes. He knows she's not going to like the next thing he says. But he's gonna say it anyway.] We should bring in Des and Elena.

[Well this is why you keep a criminal around.]

I have burners. We'd have to activate them, but they'd be a way to communicate under the radar.

[However, Spike's inclusion makes her hesitate, and she raises her finger just slightly.]

That plan though, I'm a little less fond of. If what they say is true and we do actually need them to take down the Mind Master, that's fine, but I really think we should limit their involvement in the planning process, just to be on the safe side.

[There's a beat.]

I know I'm still the new kid on the block, but if they're going to continue to play why we need them so close to the vest, that doesn't exactly scream trustworthy to me. They're not being completely open with us, I say we should return the favor.

[But that's just her stance. She won't force everyone to follow her stance.]

[Just as things seemed to be going so well under the circumstances...

Rose misses half of what Felicity is saying as she stares at Spike with a look of wounded betrayal, her face a twisting with her hurt before the anger takes hold.

The hurt expression might have been easier to bear as her gaze turns to ice but of all the people she thought might have said that, Rose never in a million years would have believed it would have come from Spike.]

Next thing you'll be saying we should team up with the Mind Master to take down Blade.

[Her words hard, lacking any warmth that might have ever existed before as she pointedly looks away from Spike, like he's no longer there.]

I'm in for the rest of it. And if you need muscle to help get to this prisoner... I'm already packed.

I think it's already pretty clear that if Rose is going, we are too.

[He gestures between himself and his brother with a shake of his thumb.

He looks over at Spike.]

I know they were your friends, but as someone a little more removed from them personally, you're gonna have to realize that they're not anymore. If they want in on this, it's for a reason, and just because it might not stab you in the back right this second, even if it seems like they're on your side right now, it's only a matter of time.

[Diplomacy 26. He looks back at Jack.]

We might not be able to keep them from just showing up if that's what they feel like doing, but the less they know, the better off we're gonna be.

[A beat.]

I'm, uh, Sam, by the way. For those of you who don't know me.

[Way to somehow end that awkwardly, Sam.]

You don't have to be outside of this to have perspective, [ vi says, not condescendingly or combatively, looking at buffy with a wan smile. she's so tired. ]

There is a reason Des and Elena haven't been pulled in on the last few missions, and that was before we knew they were aligned with Hell. That was a calculated decision that... we made without the rest of you. [ she shrugs, not overly apologetic while lucia lays her head on dumage's leg and stretches out to rest the rest of herself on violet. ]

We're not going to throw precaution to the wind and call them in right now for a fireside chat, but if they have a way to stop the Mind Master for good, and that is subject to mucho scrutiny, we're going to have to pull them in eventually and everyone in this room is going to have to vag up and deal with it.

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