mission ♔ all those arrows you threw you threw them away

[everyredcent]

♬ Please Don't Go - Barcelona

WHO || Francesca, Christos, Katniss [closed]
WHAT || Francesca attempts to spy on the humans' secret meeting; a concerned Christos follows
WHERE || The Municipal Building, Magadan, Russia
WHEN || Night of April 7th
HOW || Actionspam

The Russians were nothing if not subtle. Luckily, with three of them living in the Municipal Building, and two of the Knights specifically on watch for it, it became clear that they weren't the only guests here anymore, and that a pattern was emerging. Slowly, other officials from nearby cities, as well as high ranking military personnel were gathering, often ostensibly for other purposes, but so many at one time made it remarkably suspicious.

Especially when Francesca had been prepared to look for exactly these signs.

The most difficult aspect was getting out from under the watchful eye of the guard, but she also had a great deal of experience with that kind of thing as well, which is how she managed to secure herself an ideal place for spying on the proceedings.

Most of it was exactly what Wynn and Luthir had both feared for: some sides arguing for a military mobilization against the dark elves, or in other cases, both the drow and the sun elves, others arguing for trying to make another attempt at forging peace with the elves.

And of course, the prominent conversation topic of what role the Knights meant to play in this, and whether the drow ambassador could even be trusted.

** **
Meanwhile, the other end of the mission had finally reached fruition, with Christos, Thomas, and the squires collapsing in the tunnels at enough points to effectively cut off drow movements - hopefully right on time, as Thomas had also managed to "intercept" drow plans to invade the sun elf and human territories that night. While he planned to stay behind with Merlin and monitor things on the battle end of things, Christos slipped away, heading into the city, his squire at his heels.

After all, he'd made Francesca a promise, even if the tunnel process had taken more than the 'one day' he'd theorized.

[ooc;; please wait for the two threads to be up below. if anyone is not comfortable with where I've put their character in all this, please tell me and I will be more than willing to adjust/talk things out withyou! (I know I've talked to some of you, and figured those who haven't tagged the other mission posts yet might just want their bits handwaved, so we can move to the mission end)]

Comments

[befree]

[Katniss watches Francesca fall, and her brain instantly registers this as something she isn't fully capable of dealing with on top of everything else that she has stored away in there. She feels dizzy and chill spreads across her body, and she doesn't realize that she's screamed out in anger until the final syllable of her drawn out "No!" is pulled from her.

From that point on she isn't thinking clearly, is acting purely out of emotion. She doesn't care who she's shooting at, as long as someone pays for this loss.

As she takes aim at whichever is closest to her, she's pulled into her mind and an image of a dark skinned girl with a spear through her midsection plays for her. All Katniss can feel in that moment is overwhelming grief and anger, and she has no real way to separate if what she's feeling is toward Francesca or this nameless little girl.

She tries to shake the image out of her head in order to focus, but finds that it's near impossible to do. She drops to her knees and her bow falls to the ground before her, just as immobile and usless as its owner. Unfortunately for Christos, Katniss is stuck in the middle of a crazy attack and is now entirely useless to this entire situation. ]

[everyredcent]

[ ♬ Somewhat Damaged - Nine Inch Nails

It probably doesn't help matters for Katniss that the scene around here dissolves into a frenzy of bloodied chaos only seconds later. Another dagger whizzes through the air, striking the drow priestess directly in the chest - and then the drow warriors are falling upon them, and with a violent swishing of his cape, Christos is in front of her, blocking her view even if she does look up.

There's the sound of metal on metal, grunts of pain and hate filled shouts in other language. But more than anything there's blood. Blood spurts down over her, onto the floor, across the corpses of those already dead. More bodies thump down to join them, sometimes complete, sometimes in pieces.

Something explodes - a light maybe, as there's sparking, and a high pitched female scream, the sound of someone begging. Christos isn't in front of her anymore, maybe he hasn't been for some time now. She's surrounded by bodies instead.

The doors slam open, and he whirls to face them. His face is contorted into something savage, alien, as if he's riding on a whistling high of vengeance that's drained everything recognizable out of him and turned him into a merciless machine.

It's Thomas standing there, one hand on each side of the doors, holding them open. His voice is the first human sound, natural sound, to break the cacophony.] ... Gods.