mission ♔ and the rest is history

[borrowedheaven]

♬ Firefly - Over the Rhine

WHO || Des, Jade & later: Gar, Kat, Spike, Buffy, Myri [Closed]
WHAT || Des takes Jade home; the Knights attempt to unlock the mystery of the stone Gar discovered...
WHERE || The Hoffman Institute > Nightscape
WHEN || Backdated to Thurs, March 22nd
HOW || Actionspam

[ She lets herself out when Des pulls up, shoving open the front doors of the Institute with a certain degree of attitude that makes it clear how fed up she is with all this. But there's something much more subdued in her demeanor too, and a strange pallor to her cheeks that makes her skin look almost gray as she moves closer, taking the steps two at a time. Someone must have provided her with new clothes, as she's not dressed like a hooker today, but rather wears a dark green loose Bohemian looking shirt that's slightly ruffled, with two ties dangling in the front, and a pair of khakis with a number of funky pockets all over them. She wears less makeup than she had on the other night, but she looks no less striking for it - maybe even more so given that so much of her strange beauty is apparently all natural.

She tosses open the passenger door and sits down hard, hardly seeming concerned with being graceful as she digs a cigarette out of a pack. ]

Please tell me you brought a light.

Comments

[bigbad]

[Spike already noticed the not exactly human thing! He notices it again now, apparently. But he gets distracted from that quickly by the exciting glowing image that's just shown up.]

...might not be yours, but seems like someone wants you to have it.

[witchwoman]

[Myri's never seen anything non-human until she got to this world, so she's just not used to looking for those sort of signs. SHUT UP GUYS. SHE'S TOTALLY PERCEPTIVE. Sometimes...

When the stone glows, shifts, and projects an image, Myri takes a step back, accidentally bumping into Spike's arm. She glances up at him briefly, an apology flashing in her eyes. Quickly, she focuses back on the task at hand.]

[borrowedheaven]

[ The image changes abruptly, before they get to comfortable with that one. To this, which a spot check of 14 or above can notice the writing on the building. ... Or a 10 for Des I guess since it's two inches in front of his face. ]

I don't understand.

[witchwoman]

[Hey Myri's spot check is 17 so she sees that one! But... it's words and words are hard for her. Her Int check of 14 would cause her to be able to sound it out, even if she has no idea what those words mean...

She is the most helpful, really.]

[nothingsodivine]

[13, baby. And Des is just horrified, gaping, and then rubbing his jaw like the entirety of New Orleans just socked him there.]

Well, shit.

[bigbad]

[15. Spike's all over seeing that text.] ...do you recognise it?

[slay]

... Huh? [ Buffy squints, but from her angle with her spot check of 8, this just ... isn't happening. ] I'm with Jade on the serious not understanding. What is that?

[borrowedheaven]

[ And just like that it switches again to a brief view of a skyscraper, although this one has no visible exterior markings to explain what it is. ]

Where did you get this?

[shootfirst]

[ Matter-of-factly ] Stole it from the Hoffman Institute. [ SMARTASS SMILE AT DES ]

[nothingsodivine]

Yeah, I hear they got a new secretary without running a background check first. Shit like that happens. [POINTED GLARE AT GAR.]

[rationalizes]

Well, you must admit, it certainly wasn't doing anyone much good trapped in that locked case in the basement.

[slay]

So, if said new secretary happened to go bargain-hunting in the basement, who's to blame her? [ Buffy cranes her head to look at the skyscraper from all sides, awed. ] So, Gar, what do you think? Helpful? What is all this stuff?

[rationalizes]

[ An excited light shines in her eyes as the image cycles back to the talisman symbol. ]

If my theory is correct, and it's used for the same reasons as the last such stone I encountered... then it's a map.

[shootfirst]

It's going to take a little while to place that whole 'unmarked building' thing. Not very convenient map-making, if you ask me.

[rationalizes]

It's rather unlikely that it was meant to be convenient. [ She whips out her Knight's cell and begins to take pictures of each image as it cycles through. ]

[slay]

Someone really needs to update your people about latitude and longitude. [ It's said offhandedly to Jade. ]

[borrowedheaven]

I'm not sure this has anything to do with "my people". I still don't remember a thing, and I'm not chasing down something that's probably better left buried.

I've got enough to deal with. [ A spot check of 16 or above can notice that the placement of the people outside the museum has shifted this time, as if it were a picture taken at a different moment. ]

[nothingsodivine]

[Des got a thirteen, so he's just too consumed with frustration to care.] It's like I told you- that thing only brings trouble. The really not-fun kind.

[witchwoman]

[Myri's spot of 18 will make it! She squints and clears her throat.]

Uhm... is that..? It's different.

[slay]

[ Spot check 22. Buffy leans in more, getting a better look and narrowing her gaze, because she notices Myri's right. ]

Yeah, it is. The people, they moved. [ Translation: no1curr, Des, shut up. ]

[bigbad]

[Spot check 22 here too. Spike squints at the people who have moved, then back up at Des.] You don't have to come along. [To... wherever this is. Spike assumes they're going.]

[shootfirst]

You really don't. We can handle it from here. We're the professionals. [She glances over at Buffy, then at the stone.]

... Maybe it's like satellite images. Updated live.

[borrowedheaven]

[ Jade deposits the stone decisively into Des' hand, and immediately it kills the feed, either way. She fixes him with a stare.] You're not going to just let them run off after this alone, are you?

[slay]

Of course he's going to let us. [ There's a sneer to the words and Buffy looks offended by Jade's life. ] He's not coming with. [ SHE REALLY DOESN'T LIKE YOU, DES. ]

[nothingsodivine]

Well, how can I refuse an offer like that. [He grins at Jade and sticks the stone in his jacket pocket. If they're going to go walk into death, he's not going to lose one of the few allies he has over not helping out his damn kids when they get into trouble.] I'm the only one here who knows what happens when you fuck with the Talisman. I also know the places in New Orleans where you'll need to go like the back of my hand.

Call Wynn if you want. Ten to one, he'll vouch for what I can offer. You don't have to like me, but damned if I don't do my job well.