new orleans ♔ for they have shed the blood of saints and prophets

[bancroft]

WHO || Thomas, Jack, Gar, Kat, Dumage, Mark, Myri, Buffy, Finnick, Spike, Rafael, Des, Elena, Chad Becksworth, The Mind Master, Decker Greenwall, Kitty Bonquas, Raoul Jacobson, Rynn, Devereaux, Keijen Blade [Closed]
WHAT || The Knights spy on an important meeting between Chad Becksworth and his compatriots... various downtime shenanigans ensue
WHERE || Various locations, New Orleans
WHEN || Friday, Oct 19th - November 12th [Backdated]
HOW || Actionspam, don't sweat tag order!!

[ Yesterday, members of team failboat went to the bayou hideout of the mysterious woman known only as "the Mind Master", on some intel from the captured Olean Gilbert. What they discovered was a very bizarre woman, who played mind games with them, and seemed to evince little concern for their interference. Another man, whom may have been Chad Becksworth entered, and told her that "Decker" was finished stalling and all was in readiness... The two of them fled before the Knights could get much information from either of them, and set a hideous creature to attack them: which appeared to be the result of a Frankenstein-like scientific process that sewed a human woman together with a giant snake.

The next day, another team of Knights infiltrated NOVA HQ to hack into appointment records and discover the names of those intended to meet with Chad Becksworth. Just as they downloaded the list, the scheduled meeting attendees arrived: it seemed they were meeting today, and the Dragon's Claws insisted that the younger Knights retire to the hotel, where all will be able to monitor the meeting onscreen as they spy on it and broadcast video. Knights' allies (Des, Rafael, Elena) are invited to watch as well. ]

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[ This log also covers any shenanigans the Knights have while staying in New Orleans, immediately following the last logs and extending over the next three weeks, when the next exciting shit go down.

Make your own threads, don't fuss about tag order, feel free to threadjack multiple people into one thread for hang-outs, ask me if you want a certain scene with an NPC, etc. forever whatever.]

Comments

[slay]

You gonna be okay over there? [ buffy's just ... watching all this happen with mild amusement, eyebrows raised. yeah if you were hoping she'd gingerly care for your chopstick wounds, you were wrong. ]

[bigbad]

I think I'll stick with forks. [Spike has no appreciation for cultures other than his own. He sticks his thumb in his mouth for a moment, scowling. Then he picks up his sushi with his fingers. Yeah, he's a classy dude.]

[slay]

Too bad. I was looking forward to dinner and a show. [ she smirks at him, and makes a point of using her chopsticks to eat another piece. ]

[bigbad]

[He smirks back and reaches across the table to steal one of her pieces (slight of hand 17).] We could catch a movie after this, if you'd like.

[slay]

[ she catches him easily with a sense motive of 20, so he gets a whack on his knuckles with her chopsticks as he draws it back. she doesn't wholly mind, though, so it's more playful than anything. ]

Mm, I don't know, s'anything good playing?

[bigbad]

[Yep, he's still taking the roll and looking all too smug about it.] No clue. I'm making this up as I go along. [He pops her sushi into his mouth.] Mmm. Good choice.

[slay]

Think Gar would be mad if we skipped out on researchpalooza to check the listings?

[bigbad]

I think it's better to apologise than ask permission. [He pulls out his phone and checks (research 20). He scrolls through the lists and then shows the phone to her.] What do you like?

[slay]

Looks like Looper's still on. That could be good.

[bigbad]

That's the one about time travel, right? [He takes his phone back and looks at it.] There's a showing near here at 9. Should give us plenty of time to finish dinner.

[slay]

Works for me. The less rush, the better. [ satisfied, she leans back in her seat, sipping at her drink. ] How'd you find this place, anyway?

[bigbad]

[He shrugs, picking up another piece of sushi with his fingers and regarding it.] Looked around online. Knew you'd want something non-Cajun, and this place was close. Seemed perfect. [He pops the roll into his mouth and grins at her.] How'd I do?

[slay]

You did good. Very very. [ she gives him a reluctant, but widening smile, and seems to catch herself because she takes a breath and straightens, looking down at her food. ] Sushi's definitely a win.

[bigbad]

[Success, and clearly it's time for him to steal another one of her pieces.] Good. Wanted you to have fun tonight.

[slay]

Why? I mean, I have fun. I have big fun! Maybe not lately, but ... But, I do. You didn't have to do this. The cheering me up thing.

[bigbad]

I know. But I wanted to. [THIS IS IT. HIS BIG MOMENT.] I was trying to find a way to tell you... [This is hard, but with a will save of 16, he doesn't chicken out.] I'm starting to fancy you.

[Or had started to fancy her months ago. At this point it had gone pretty far past that, but he didn't want to scare her off with immediate declarations of love. That seemed a bad idea all around.]

[slay]

[ the color drains from her face. the ease and comfort of the situation are gone, replaced by tension and awkwardness. there's a silence that's just a little too long before she responds blankly. ]

You what? [ she blinks hard, trying to dig up better words. she wets her lips in a thoughtful tic, making a few false starts at opening her mouth to speak before she finally gets more words out, brow furrowed. ] And ... when you say fancy, you mean ... Oh boy.

[bigbad]

[That's... not a good response. He puts down the piece of sushi he'd been about to eat.] You don't feel the same way, do you.

[slay]

[ the pause she gives is just a little too long to let her response be believable (bluff 9). her tone is soft and sympathetic, but the fact is, even if she wanted to, she couldn't allow herself to be with spike. everything about it felt wrong. he was a vampire. undead. she was a demon slayer, he was a demon. not exactly a match made in heaven. she cages the question. ]

No. No, I don't. [ beat. ] I'm sorry.

[bigbad]

[He looks up at that because that... doesn't sound remotely believable (sense motive 17). But what does that mean? She has feelings but still doesn't want to be with him? He meets her eyes, expression unreadable because he doesn't even know what he's feeling.]

...it's the vampire thing, isn't it. [He thought they were over that, but apparently she wasn't over it enough for this.]

[slay]

[ she doesn't answer it. she can't. buffy's not only lying to him, she's lying to herself. it may be growing harder to deny, but that doesn't stop her from doing it. it's better that way. she keeps her cool, keeps her words slow and purposeful, and evades a direct answer. ]

I don't want to be with you. If I'd known what this was, I wouldn't have - [ she takes a breath, realizing her speech is picking up as emotion creeps in, and then recenters herself. ] I'm sorry. If I did something, anything to make you think that ... But, that's not what this is.

[bigbad]

Forget it, then. [He glances away, waving a hand dismissively.] It's not a big deal, you know? Just thought I'd ask. I'm hardly in love with you. [He can't meet her eyes, can't so much as keep his voice entirely steady as he says it (bluff check 5).] It's fine.

[slay]

[ the wavering in his voice twists her stomach into a knot, but she forces herself to keep her expression neutral. the harsh truth that he loves her, though she wills herself to believe his cheap lie. she sits rigid in her seat, but doesn't say anything. she feels trapped and uncomfortable that he chose to do this in public - torn between leaving him in peace so he doesn't have to have his pain aggravated, and wanting to stay lest it become a scene. ]

[bigbad]

[The silence stretches on, horribly awkward, until he manages to more or less compose himself again and look up.]

I'll get over it. You're still my best friend. I don't want to lose that just because I'm a git who thinks with his prick. [Or his heart, but he thinks it's better he try and act like he was just attracted to her. He means it too. The thought of losing Buffy as a friend is far worse than any other potential outcome for all this. He's already worried he's said too much.]

[slay]

Hey, relax, it's - No one said anything about losing anybody. [ she definitely looks strained saying so, though. it's going to be awkward. but she did have the warnings of, well, just about everyone. ] I just ... I wish there was something I could do.