knightsoflegend | closed ♔ and when we collide

[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.

Oh bloody hell.

[Spike rolls his eyes, standing up.]

No, I don't have to realize that, because nobody will give me an actual reason for that past they're with hell. So bloody what? If the bible says it's bad, it is? Last I checked, touching a cross hurts me just as bad as any demon. So you'll forgive me if I need more than that before I start turning on my friends! No one has to trust them. I certainly don't. But I'm going to at least hear them out.

[Diplomacy nat 20 (24 total). He turns towards Rose, then past her to Vi and frowns a little harder.]

How many people have known all this time and never thought it was something it was worth sharing with the class?

All due respect, Spike, we tried hearing them out. They didn't want to talk.

[She takes a deep breath as she tries to phrase this in a way that isn't attacking him. She doesn't disagree that he shouldn't have to turn his back on his friends. But if she's picking up on what Jack was putting down with her earlier, she may be the public face of this mission for a bit. And if she's going to be trusting people to have her back as she does this, she wants a little transparency.]

I don't care about Hell. I don't. I have no stake in that argument whatsoever, though I know some people in this room do. I care about transparency, and so far, they haven't seemed willing to give it. If they do, I'll reassess, but until then my vote is no.

Turning on them isn't exactly a fair thing to call it when they've gone out of their way to hide things from us for all this time, things they knew would create this tension. They made a choice, and each of us has the choice to make as well, to determine how we feel about it. And what it means for our friendships with them. How I feel about Elena or Des as a friend holds no bearing on this, though.

[She takes a breath and looks around the room.]

If they were siding with the Mind Master, we'd be dead by now. I think we can all agree on that. Whatever their agenda may or may not be, it seems to coincide with our own for now. I'm not saying anyone has to trust them, but the only thing I care about right now, is making sure all of you make it out of this alive, and the best way to accomplish that is by calling in every ally we have.

There are countless villagers who lost their lives because they thought my magic made me a demon, evil to the core, meant to trap their souls to use for my own bidding. I offered help and they chose to chase me out with torches and pitchforks, tried to burn me alive more times than I want to think about. I am not saying that Des and Elena are on the side of good. But I am saying that good is not always so easily defined. And sometimes the person you fear the most is only trying to save your life. [Diplomacy 37]

[Rose is about two years too far gone for any diplomacy check regarding Hell, Des or Elena to ever have a hope of working on her and that was one hellova (ba doom ching) will save. The careful control she's managed to exert over her emotions is quickly slipping away as every fear she's harbored for years, feels like they're coming to pass here and now.]

And what about when they're using your life to bargain for their own protection! [Incredulous at the idea that she even has to defend her stance on this. (This Will Save not so much).]

This isn't some, misunderstanding. There aren't shades of grey here. Even if they do seem to want the same thing right now... The fact is? If hell change their mind?! Then Elena and Des will fuck us over. They aren't loyal to us. Not the Knights and certainly not the people in this room. They're loyal, to their Masters and themselves. How many times do they have to keep proving that before people accept it?!

[Gesturing at Spike.]

And if you wanna sulk because you weren't brought in on something because we were trying to save your life, then fine. But I will not work with them unless we absolutely have to and we are nowhere near that desperate yet.

We have accepted it, Rose, don't worry. [ vi still loves elena, vi will defend elena to the ends of the earth, but vi will not bring elena into this until the last possible second, not until they have to. and it's not just for their safety, it's for elena's. why would she ever willingly bring her into a team where more then one want her dead? ]

We will bring Elena in when we have to and not a moment before, that is just how this shit is going to go. For everyone's safety. [ the last which is directed with a level gaze at spike. if he is thinking of his friends then he has to accept he is foolishly trying to invite them to a bloodbath. she reaches out to squeeze myri's fingers, assuring her that she isn't going to give up on either their friend or their chances, she just knows they can't do it like this. ]

We are not refusing their help, we can't if we hope to take down the Mind Master for good, but we will not invite them to any planning sessions before it is absolutely necessary. This isn't an argument, this is a fact. We don't have the luxury of years of group therapy to figure out all of our shit, we have to be decisive and smart, we can't spend every meeting arguing with each other like we used to. It's a waste of time now and we don't have time anymore.

[ jack watches this heated debate break out with a stoic expression, but at violet's words, he nods and jumps back in ] Sir Reedhym is correct - there's no reason to invite them in for anything other than an actual attempt on the Mind Master, should we deem that necessary. And for the moment, we have other concerns that must come first. I don't believe it is wise to tell them anymore than we must, under any circumstances. We don't know what their motives are anymore, and it's foolish to think that just because they might not be in line with Blade and his ilk, that they are necessarily beneficial to us.

Let's let that be a conversation for another day. For now, we run short on time. If they learn what we intend to do, they may fear that we are compromised, that we intend to interfere with their plans.

Stopping them is pointless, and unfortunately, unwise. Someone has to be on the front lines, preventing this from spreading while we race against the clock. But the longer we take, the more Knights may pay the ultimate price to do so. We don't have the time to turn on one another. Those who intend to come must recognize this.

You're assuming all of us intend to go on this insane suicide mission of yours. [ dumage sits up, gently pushing lucia back towards her mother ] I don't remember everyone agreeing to it yet.

I, for one, am going nowhere. And I think the rest of you would be smart to consider doing the same.

I can't. [ fred speaks up suddenly, his expression fixed ] You've heard the way they're talking. They don't trust Wynn.

I believe he's alive. He's out there, waiting for us to come help him. He's done so much for all of us, for the whole world. I'm not going to leave him out in the cold. And I don't trust Hasmed and Solace to have his best interests in mind, at the moment.

And you shouldn't. Hasmed has been whispering in Solace's ears for years, and the old sorcerer has been questioning Wynn now for much longer in our private meetings with him. I think he truly believes that Wynn was past his prime, that someone else needed to take control of the Knights. I think he's been waiting for this.

Maybe I'm wrong. [ she glances at jack ] I hope to God I am. But I have to go with my gut. I don't sense anything strange psionically about any of you, Jack included. If they won't even take my word on it because they're so afraid of being betrayed, then their power has begun to mean more to them than their peers.

We have to take a chance on trusting each other. The more we let them divide us, the more they've won.

Edited 2017-10-15 12:56 (UTC)

[ Rose at least appears to relax a little - as much as anyone can - when it seems that at least for now there's a general consensus on Elena and Des. She glances at Dean, some silent apology shining in her eyes but otherwise backs down from the fight that she was willing to wage on this point. She had lost too much to those people. She wasn't willing to risk anything more unless she had no other choice.]

You're not. Wrong, I mean. [Rose lifting her gaze to Tia.] After we brought back Gar... Solace tried to suggest that I couldn't trust Wynn.

[There's a flash of something caught between anger and regret, Rose shaking her head.]

Wynn knew.

[finnick doesn't stomp off when jack speaks because, unlike fucking rose and dean, jack appears to have put some actual thought into breaking away and what it would mean. and then the fighting about des and elena starts and finnick just stares dead-eyed like really. really fam. okay. except for myri. he'll squeeze her hand when she speaks.]

I heard them. Years ago. When I was still a squire. Hasmed was my mentor, you know. And when I went to his office to meet him, he and Solace were talking about … well, I don't suppose it matters anymore. But they made it clear they don't trust Wynn.

That said, I know some of us want to do the brave thing, going out guns blazing, but … what chance do we really have? I said it earlier, I'll say it again. Our track record is abysmal. I'm all for fighting, if I thought I would be making a difference, but how is this any different from throwing ourselves at a wall?

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