venice ♔ the piano keys are black & white but they sound like a million colors in your mind

[romanticidal]

♬ Spider's Web - Katie Melua

WHO || Rafael Giovanni, Isabella Alessandro, Hiro, Kat, Gar, Buffy, Myri [closed]
WHAT || Kat, Gar, Buffy, and Myri spend the night at Rafael's.   Nothing of consequence happens at all.
WHERE || Rafael's villa, an hour outside Venice, Italy
WHEN || July 6-7, late night.
HOW || Actionspam, NO TAG ORDER

After returning from her interrogation date? outing with Rafael, Buffy was ushered back into the girls' shared rooms, where Gar and Kat and Myri have set up shop. Myri and Gar both spent most of that time on the phone: Gar with Wynn and Myri with Finnick, and Rafael dropped by to wish all the girls a good night before retiring and leaving them alone with Buffy.

As the household settles into sleep, maybe now is the time they can get some serious snooping done... 

Comments

[slay]

What, at this time a night? How could we possibly? [ it drips sarcasm, but she quiets to listen in for sounds, because honestly she hopes they don't wind up jumping him in his pjs either. awkward much? listen 16. ]

[rationalizes]

[ ♬ Sleeping With Ghosts - Placebo

There's the unmistakable sound of piano music coming from one of the rooms way way up the hall. The same room Gar, Kat, and Myri had checked out earlier, actually. Gar doesn't seem to hear a thing. ]

[slay]

Gar. [ buffy tugs her shoulder. ] Come on. I hear something. [ she navigates the halls quietly (move silently 12), and pushes open the door to the room that the piano music seems to becoming from. it's gotta be him, of course. there's not a doubt in her mind for even a second that it might not be, because it's beautiful. ]

Rafael?

1/2

[rationalizes]

[ the music gets louder as she pushes the door open, to the point where the word is swallowed by the fact that he's starting to sing.

it's a large room and he's seated at the piano in the farthest corner of it with his back to them, apparently lost in his own little world.

♬ To Where You Are - Josh Groban

the music is arresting, hauntingly beautiful but with a sadness to it that seems so much more personal and intense than his performance before the crowded hall, or his jovial rendition of caruso in the gondola.

instinctively, gar puts a hand on buffy's wrist, as if to stop her for a moment, just so that they can listen.

something small sits on top of the piano as well, facing him. ]

[romanticidal]

Who can say for certain
Maybe you're still here
I feel you all around me
Your memories so clear

Deep in the stillness
I can hear you speak
You're still an inspiration
Can it be
That you are mine
Forever love
And you are watching over me from up above

Fly me up to where you are
Beyond the distant star
I wish upon tonight
To see you smile
If only for awhile to know you're there
A breath away's not far
To where you are

Are you gently sleeping
Here inside my dream
And isn't faith believing
All power can't be seen

As my heart holds you
Just one beat away
I cherish all you gave me everyday
'Cause you are mine
Forever love
Watching me from up above...

[slay]

[ buffy stills, listening to him, her expression softening and growing slack as she gets more enraptured in his voice. it takes her a moment after he finishes to recover and gather her wits about her, but when she does, she ventures inside the room, briefly distracted by the rapiers that look out of place to be sharing a room with a piano of all things, but steps near enough to reach out and brush her fingertips against his shoulder. ]

Rafael?

[romanticidal]

[ it's right as she does that and he turns to look at her in obvious surprise that the object in front of him becomes really clear since she's standing right in front of it too now.

it's a photo frame, sporting the image of a woman.

rafael looks almost pale for a moment, as if he were caught in a very private moment, but then recovers, glancing behind buffy to note that gar's there as well. ] I'm sorry. I didn't-- realize anyone was here. [ he flashes a smile, but it's strained, and he moves one hand out behind him to slyly lay the photo flat, and then puts the cover down over the keys. ]

[slay]

No, I'm the one that should apologize, I didn't mean to -- [ she stops, processing the photo. her brow furrows as she tries to sift through the implications. that wistful way he sang, the longing. ] Was that ... ? [ it was. she doesn't need to ask. they don't have time to ask. ] You know Jade.

1/-

[rationalizes]

He... what?

2/-

[romanticidal]

[ he does a bit of a double take, his tone cautious, but he doesn't seem to grasp all the implications of her question. his gaze darts to the downturned photo and then back to her, as if he's not sure how to answer that. he seems to settle on: ] ... I did, si. Were you --

3/-

[savemyself]

[ oh hey it's everyone's favorite party crasher. at least this is... good news for myri and kat right??

:|

she bursts in behind gar, holding the door open and glaring at them all in incredulous anger ] What are you all doing in here? Don't tell me you are still trying to talk Rafael into whatever foolish record deal someone sent you here to orchestra--

4/4

[romanticidal]

[ rafael rises, putting one hand gently on buffy's shoulder to push her aside as he crosses towards isabella. ] Bella, they do not need this. None of us do. It is late. Go back to bed. Please.

[slay]

This isn't about a record deal! You have no idea what we came here for, so how about you take your client's advice and shut the hell up for a second? I could care less who Rafael sings for, because he's going to be happy doing it anywhere. [ she snaps it much too harshly at isabella, but she can't help it. it's too important that they get whatever information they can here, because it's their last shot. there aren't going to be any fun do-overs with fancy dinners at rich singers' houses just because they couldn't get what they needed when they were supposed to.

she turns her attention, very seriously, on rafael. ] What I care about is her. [ she points at the photograph. ] Jade Eterna. Rafael, I understand this may seem crazy, but I need your help. And, she might, too. First, I need you to just tell me one thing: did you meet Jade here, or in the shadow world that you came from? [ because with longing like that, she has to wonder if he even knows she's through the veil, too. ]

1/--

[savemyself]

[ yeah do you know what happens when she does that

there's a tiny beat where the air seems full of shocked confusion from both of them.

and then suddenly isabella marches to the wall

and pulls one of those fucking swords down and points it straight at buffy.

if you thought you'd seen her looking pissed before, that was all charming and cutesy compared to the look in her eyes right now. it's downright murderous. She speaks with slow, deliberate words, that practically quiver with rage. ]

Get out. Of our house. Right now. Do not come back or I will gut you with no hesitation whatsoever. You can tell whoever sent you here the same.

2/--

[romanticidal]

[ Incantation - Quidam ]

Isabella! [ rafael's tone is snapped, pissed off, almost desperate. he moves between the sword and her and turns to buffy. his gaze is intense, and he asks this question as if his entire life hinges on her clearing up his confusion: ]

What are you talking about?

3/3

[rationalizes]

[ not that she isn't concerned for your life and stuff, buffy, but gar looks suddenly really really distracted, looking up. ]

... Please tell me someone else hears that. [ listen check time ]

[slay]

I am so tired of people waving swords at me today! [ she just huffs, disregarding isabella entirely because she doesn't doubt her own ability to disarm her if it comes to blows. but she's not going to be the first to strike one. not when this is all hitching on rafael's trust, and not when she knows how much he cares about isabella (for reasons buffy certainly doesn't understand). ]

I'm talking about the fact that you're Shadowkind. I'm talking about Eterna Jade, the girl in your photo, the girl who sings at Nightsca--[ she does't get to finish her sentence, because the roar of the helicopter (listen 21) distracts her and she's looking up with gar, flustered. ]

Oh, you can't be serious! [ fml rushing now because who knows who the fuck that might be. she looks back to rafael, desperate. ] Come with us. We'll go back to Chicago, we'll sit down with Jade, you can help us figure this out, maybe even help us protect her!

1/2

[savemyself]

[ rafael is staring at buffy like she is speaking tongues and if he stares long enough he can sort it out and transcend or something, but isabella lays a hand roughly on his arm, looking around him to say sharply: ] Eterna Jade is dead. And we're all about to be if we don't go now. [ he hesitates more and she yanks on his sleeve fiercely ] Rafael.

[romanticidal]

[ it's the sound of sudden gunfire that rocks him out of his vacillation. his head snaps back to isabella and he nods sharply, then he takes two steps towards buffy, grabbing her wrist and saying intensely: ] There is a cellar. Take your friends, get to safety.

[ he fixes her with a significant look, full of a fierce promise ] When this is over, we will talk. You have my word.

[ isabella looks dissatisfied with that, but like she doesn't have a choice, and the two of them head out the door, isabella still carrying the sword ]

[slay]

I trust you. [ the way she says it makes it sound like it almost surprises her that she's capable of it. she covers his hand with hers briefly, eyes intense, because there's so much more she wants to qualify that with but she doesn't have anywhere near the time. things about how he has no reason to do the same, but he does, and how much it means.

but there's time for that later, when they don't get killed by fucking swat team. she looks around in a hurry as she drops her hand, because it occurs to her that the house is kind of exploding around them. ] Our friends, we have to find Kat and Myri first. Where's the cellar entrance? We'll meet you down there.

1/2

[romanticidal]

The west side of the house. If you cannot get outside safely... wait until there is a path. [ without explaining that further, he backs out the door. ]

[rationalizes]

Just once it'd be bloody lovely for things to go right.

[slay]

[ buffy watches after him, bewildered, but then she grabs gar's hand soundlessly and tugs her back into the hallway they'd come through to charge towards the direction myri and kat had disappeared down. ]

Guess there's a reason this Talisman's been hidden so long after all. I'd like to see Wynn do better when his interrogations get interrupted by helicopters. [ now's not the time for pouting and grousing, she knows, but she can't help it. ]