knightsoflegend | chicago ♔ love only knows if we'll give into fear and choose life undercover

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chicago ♔ love only knows if we'll give into fear and choose life undercover

WHO || Rafael, Buffy, Myri, Des, Jade [closed]
WHAT || Buffy & Myri break orders and take Rafael to Chicago to reunite him with lost love Jade. Des comes too.
WHERE || Nightscape; Chicago
WHEN || July 7th, night.
HOW || Actionspam

Standing across the street from the nondescript looking building, Rafael frowns across at the line of people entering into the fruit stand canopy.

"You are certain this is the place?" he asks uncertainly, without looking at Buffy and Myri beside him.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Jade, how long have you had that necklace again? [Because it all keeps coming back around to that damn thing. If it's not the whole damn puzzle, it's a piece of it, anyway.] Out of curiosity.

[ jade's eyebrows draw together in confusion and frustration. it's clear that what he's telling her is putting cracks in her world view that she isn't exactly fond of. but she can't peel her eyes off him either. her fingers move to her necklace, winding around it. ] It came here with me. A gift from my mother. [ her eyes narrow slightly in rafael's direction. ] You have to be wrong. [ she shakes her head ] I came from the Shadow World, like hundreds of other people. Last summer. You have to have the wrong girl. [ she sounds like she's trying to convince herself something that she already doesn't believe. it's clear from the look in his eyes that he has the right freaking girl. ] You have to.

[Myri steps forward, forever cautious and the most nonthreatening ever.]

If you heard him speak about you, you'd never think he could be mistaken. And to his credit, it isn't as though your name is so common. We have come so far to bring him here. Please. Just... listen.

I'm listening. I just don't know what-- [ she catches his gaze again and seems to think twice about finishing that sentence. she sucks in a breath through her teeth and then turns to face him again, folding her arms across her chest, a tiny gesture of discomfort ]

Ok. So say you're right. What happened to me? Where did I go?

You told me-- [ he hesitates, clearly unsure of how to word this, glancing at the others ] that you had a way to leave this world. That was where I believed you to have gone all of these years. I thought I might never see you once more... to learn you were here...

Okay. So, wait. Five years ago you met, you lived together for years ... [ she looks at jade. ] But you got here last summer. [ her brow furrows. ] This isn't adding up, it's like -- ... Maybe. Maybe you did find a way to leave. And the veil went all memory-wipe-y on you again. It does that, I can't -- [ she shifts. ] I lost stuff when I got here. S-So, maybe you did go back, a-and it just pulled you through again, sans memories.

But, that's not -- Going back isn't supposed to be possible, is it?

[ jade's gaze turns internal, the implications sinking in ]

As far as I know, it's never happened before. Do you think--

This has something to do with this artifact everyone's so sure I know something about?

It is supposed to grant great power. [ of a non-specific sort, aside from the immortality clause. ] I'd say the ability to go backwards through the Veil qualifies as great. It's possible.

[Myri looks to Buffy] Perhaps coming here is like a doorway, but in order to access it from this side, we need the right key.

[And then back to Jade] It's possible that it's all connected. If you've lost memories of your time with Rafael, it's safe to say you could have also lost memories about the artifact.

More importantly... [Des digs in the pocket of his jacket and pulls out a slip of paper with the ouroboros that was painted on the alley drawn on it.] Does that mean anything to you? 'Cause it looks like we've got a lot of puzzle pieces to sort through with this mess and no idea what the picture on the box looks like

Edited 2012-09-20 05:54 (UTC)

[ rafael's over here looking like his entire life is meaningless, but he'll chime in. ] It is an ouroboros - the symbol for infinity. Where did you find this?

[ jade looks at it and gives a tiny shake of her head ] Doesn't mean anything to me beyond that. [ her teeth worry her lip ] If you're right and somehow I've gone there and back again...

I don't know how I can help you. [ her shoulders droop slightly and she casts a fleeting glance at rafael, her general words clearly holding a specific apology to him as she gently adds: ] I'm sorry.

Stop me if this suggestion gets to wild, but ... what if you came back with us? [ a sheepish glance around at all of them. ]

I- It's just. I mean, we don't have a way of connecting the puzzle pieces, but Jade, if you had your memories, you might know where they fit better. A-And, there are plenty of magicky types back at home base. They might be able to help. I mean, you're probably the most invested in getting them back of any of us.

[ she looks to myri. ] Unless you've got something ... ? [ but buffy figures if she did, she would have offered said spell up already. ]

[Myri shakes her head.]

If my magic could restore memories, I would have done that for all of us before now.

Buffy's right. The best chance we have to solving this mystery is to work together. Trying to move in so many directions, searching blindly for answers... it doesn't work.

[She looks to Jade.] Would you consider it? Would you come with us?

[Des glances at Buffy and Myri and then back at Jade.] Looks like they got you after all, assuming you wanna go.

[He pockets the paper.] But something's going down in New Orleans. I had a creepy guy tell me she's watching and another guy try to throw me out of the damn city for poking my nose where it doesn't belong. You guys are off the New Orleans case. [He points to Myri and Buffy.] I'm not. I can keep looking.

[He's got a personal stake in this now.]

I hate to say it, but have any of you considered that maybe it's better this way? [ her eyes flit to rafael for a moment, an apology hidden there as she glances back away ] Maybe that's one reason I left in the first place. Maybe whatever this thing is these people are all after should just... stay hidden.

But he loves you! [Myri exclaims without thinking or bothering to be her typically quiet self. Immediately, she covers her mouth with one hand and glances around at everyone.]

I mean... [She looks to Rafael.] You do, don't you? I've never heard a man talk about a woman like you talk about her.

Edited 2012-09-26 03:34 (UTC)

[ oh

well

that's out there now then

so rafael will just hesitate a second, then take another step forward ]

Si, she is not wrong. I wish you would consider--

I can't. [ the words seem to pain her slightly, but she takes an immediate step backward, voice firm as she looks over at him sharply. ] I'm sorry. I get it. I-- I'm very, very sorry. But it's not fair to ask this of me. I'm not the same girl you knew, and I'm not ready to have someone else's idea of who I am thrust onto me like this.

[ her eyes move to buffy and she shakes her head slightly ] I can't leave here. I won't.

[ buffy deflates. she gets it. she hates that she gets it because maybe if she didn't, she'd be a better knight. she'd push and she'd insist, but she's got a tug in her chest of sympathy that makes it impossible to push further, because jade just looks like she's in such pain from this. ]

... Okay. [ she looks down, fingers wringing. ] Then, this is ... [ she looks back up at her. ] This is probably the last time you'll hear from us. Or, uh, the knights you've met, anyway. [ she looks to myri, then back at jade. ]

Des was right. We're being taken off the case for not being able to get the job done. For not being able to find the talisman.

[ there's a beat. she steps forward to close the gap between them and puts a probably-out-of-line hand on jade's shoulder. ]

But, Jade -- ... Even if we don't see you again. Even if this is it. I hope you change your mind about leaving here. You're better than this place.

Hiding in here won't help you run away from whatever this is. But, maybe if you learn more, you can get some peace. [ she holds her hands up in surrender. ] I'm not saying you have to get your answers through us. Go with Des to New Orleans, or give Rafael a chance to get to know who you are now, or however you wanna do it. [ she drops her hands, stepping back. ] That's it for unsolicited Buffy advice for the evening. Promise.

[ ♬ Your Weak Hands - Azure Ray

jade's gaze scrapes the ground when buffy puts a hand on her shoulder, only shooting her one raised eyebrow when she makes her final suggestions as to what she should do next. ]

I'm sorry I couldn't help you more. If things change-- [ a quick glance between des and raf, almost hard to catch ] I'll find a way to get in touch.

Eterna-- [ the word falls off his lips weakly, the last plea of someone watching all of their dreams crack apart right in front of them. but he seems to recognize the resolution in her expression, and as much as it looks like he wants to move to her, touch her, comfort her, plead with her, he looks trapped in place, aware of the massive distance between them that he has no real way to cross. ]

[Myri looks between Rafael and Jade, her upset expression plainly written on her face. She wants to protest, but Buffy's already said her peace, and she knows it's the right thing to do, even if she hates to do it.

She wants to comfort Rafael, to apologize for all of this, because she feels like she failed him more than anyone else. The man saved their lives and THIS was how they repaid him? It made her nauseous.

So she just shrinks back beside Buffy. For now, there's nothing more they can do.]

[ that awkward moment when ...

buffy looks back at rafael, a little pained. because they did this. they brought him here, dragged him halfway around the world, and it was all for ... what. getting his heart stomped on repeatedly? guilt surges through her. but there's nothing to be done, and she's just left folding one of her hands around one of myri's and squeezing. ]

[ ♬ Vienna - The Fray

Something in his voice apparently strikes a chord, as abruptly Jade surges forward to place a hand on Rafael's forearm, rising on her toes to lightly brush a kiss on his cheek. His eyes widen and zone in on her, and the hope that rises in them only to fade as he realizes what she's doing is almost worse than the despair that was there moments ago. ]

The fact that you held onto this for so long, came all this way... What we had must have been... [ she stops herself with a sad little smile, drawing away again. ] I'm sorry I can't bring it back so easily.

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