new orleans ♔ some people they call me monster | some people they call me saint

[romanticidal]

♬ Opera Singer - Cake

WHO || Rafael, Buffy, Spike, Des, Jack, Thomas, Myri, Finnick, Elena, Gar, Kat, Burt [closed]
WHAT || The Knights infiltrate NOVA to try to locate the experiments and relics mentioned by Chad & company. Shenanigans ensue.
WHERE || NOVA HQ, New Orleans
WHEN || Sunday, Nov 18th, 2012
HOW || Actionspam, don't sweat tag order! Keep it a rollin'.

Months ago, Finnick learned from Burt Becksworth about a number of construction projects Chad had contracted on the building. At the time of discovering the occult room, it was assumed the construction was to create the secret areas behind the auditorium, however, Kat's finally managed to hack into NOVA financial records and trace the contracts down.

It seems there was another, much more expensive, project, adding restructuring to the locked off basement level, to which there is no access through the public elevators. Schematics show that there is one accessible elevator shaft that goes to the lobby, which requires a key to activate the lower floor. Thomas considers it a better bet, however, to use the nearby quarry underground entrance through which construction trucks used to reach the site. Thomas will be leading a team through the underground tunnel in hopes of finding a space large enough to host the 'experiments' that Chad and company were afraid of the Knights discovering while nosing around the building.

Meanwhile, Jack wishes to discover if there are any remaining 'relics' in the building, and if so, to confiscate or document them. The heightened security within the building has made access much more problematic, and its taken awhile for him to acquire the security protocols necessary to be able to create a looped camera feed. Now that's everything's in place, he'll be infiltrating the building to override the cams, allowing Buffy, Elena, and Rafael to join him on the fourteenth floor for one last sweep of the occult room.

The situation has also grown more complicated in other ways since eavesdropping on Chad's cabal. In a gutsy move, Burt Becksworth has created an inescapable situation for Rafael and Finnick, forcing them to comply in preparing for an album and tour, lest they destroy their own reputations and become infamous in the business for backing out of their 'contracts' and letting down legion of NOVA fans. Finnick is an ideal situation to try and discover more about Burt's plans, however, and perhaps to find out incidental information concerning Chad's "Back the Fans" tour.

Comments

Relics | Raf, Jack, Buffy, Elena

[romanticidal]

[ jack's already made his way inside, and rafael's been at nova all day recording with burt. even on sunday, because as burt likes to say "on the seventh day, God rested, and that's why I sold more records than He ever did". buffy and elena are on orders to mingle in the lobby area until they spot rafael, who will come down only once jack has signaled that the 14th floor, lobby, and elevator cams are effectively on loop. they're to make eye contact, wait for him to take the elevator up, and take a separate elevator to meet him and jack above.

the girls would spy him shortly, seated in one of the lobby cafe chairs a short distance from the elevator bank. he's all suited up, and looking stupidly attractive, though he looks a bit solemn as he scans the lobby with a practiced 'casual' gaze. ]

[slay]

Hey. [ buffy nudges elena, spotting rafael (28) over to the side. ] I think we've got a message from upstairs. [ she watches him, waiting for him to head for the elevators. ]

[notaroundme]

[She spots him as well (21) just as Buffy is nudging her, and she nods, looking off a bit so that she isn't caught staring, and wait for him to glance over at them so they can continue to follow orders.]

[judaspriest]

[ rafael spots them in his sweep of the room, granting them the tiniest nod before getting up and heading to the elevator. the doors ding open and he steps inside.

♬ taiseidou no basatsu - yasushi ishii ft. tabei tatsuo

the front desk is nearby, between the girls and the elevator bank, and as the doors close on raf, a tall, blonde man with short, spiky hair approaches the secretary. a very tall man. in fact, a towering man, of a height with Wynn, likely 6'7", dressed in gray priest's vestments. a spot check of 14 or higher would note a large, wedge-shaped scar on his left cheek. a silver cross dangles at his chest.

the secretary starts to say "Can I help you" before looking up, and adding "... Father" with a note of complete surprise as she takes in his ensemble.

he offers her a pleasant smile, drawing a piece of paper out of his cassock to hold up in front of her. he speaks in a heavy scottish brogue, and there's writing visible on the back of the glove he holds aloft (a 16+ spot can read the words "Speak with dead" emblazoned over a drawing of a cross). ] I certainly hope so, child. Maybe ye can tell me if you've seen this man.

[ she only glances at the picture for a moment, before giving him a quizzical nod. "That's Rafael Giovanni, one of Mr. Beckworth's artists." she glances over her shoulder towards the seat raf recently vacated. "...He was just down here."

the priest follows her gaze, eyes lighting as they land on the empty chair, as if the news immensely pleases him. ] ... Was he now.

[ without looking away from the spot, he adds: ]

An' where might he have gone?

[slay]

Uh-oh. [ buffy's spot of 18 means she notices all of these things. the scar, the words on his gloves. it doesn't mean anything to her - not yet - but the religiosity of it all does remind her of something she'd spoken to jack about (nat 20 wis). catholic. things that mark him as a religious man. he'd asked those about mr. gray, but now she was on the alert for it. especially considering how many demons had been prowling around. there have been ... run-ins as such, when their mission paths cross with ours, he'd said.

even if it was coincidence, it meant someone was trying to follow rafael, which meant someone was going to get in the way of them finding relics. if it wasn't coincidence, it could mean drawing attention to rafael's connections to them.

she worries at her lip, glancing between the priest and the elevator that rafael just disappeared into. then she looks at elena. ]

Go after him. I'm gonna keep this guy from following. I'll catch up if I can shake him. [ her willingness to be decoy had nothing to do, of course, with the hope that he might be connected with what jack mentioned. escargot?

she makes a small but urgent gesture towards the elevator, then turns and makes her way to the desk. ]

[notaroundme]

[Elena quickly memorizes the man's appearance and special features (spot 23) during the time that Buffy is formulating her plan. This man is obviously formidable, and though she's had no idea who he might be or why he's looking for Rafael, the point is that he is.

She wants to protest, to tell Buffy that it's dangerous, but she can tell that she's already made up her mind as she gestures and then starts to walk away.

So Elena only hesitates for a moment before she makes a soft, frustrated noise, and turns to head towards the elevators, one of them opening as she makes her approach.]

[slay]

Hi!

[ buffy approaches the desk, and smiles at both the father and the desk attendant. ]

I'm sorry, I don't mean to interrupt, did you say you were looking for Mr. Giovanni? I'm his assistant. [ bluff 11 ] Maybe I could help. What do you need?

[judaspriest]

[ wow a whole eleven, huh

yeahhhhhhh no.

the priest turns slowly to look down at her, sliding the picture away into his coat as he affixes her with a hard gaze. ]

There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination t'him: and a false witness who breathes out lies is one of 'em. Mind yerself, child, lest such wickedness turn to mortal sin. [ he's so good with people. ]

[notaroundme]

[Elena catches this entire portion of their conversation as she steps into the elevator (listen: nat 20), though the rest is cut off as the doors close and it starts to move upward.

An elevator moving up 14 floors has never felt so slow in her life.]

Experiments | Thomas, Gar, Kat, Des, Spike

[bancroft]

[ when the other knights arrive at the quarry, thomas is pleased to find no one around. kat quickly does a sweep and announces the area to be surveillance free, and thomas nods towards an archway cut into the stone, wide enough for two trucks to drive through side by side. a couple road blockade signs are erected in front of it, but otherwise there doesn't appear to be anything blocking entrance. ]

A promising start, I would say.

[bigbad]

Yeah, we haven't even had to kill anyone yet. [He might not have been on team morality in the debate, but he's still not okay with killing people needlessly. Spike starts towards it slowly.]

[shootfirst]

Maybe there'll be some nasty goons on the inside. I take it we're hoofing it?

[nothingsodivine]

If I get through this without any of you chuckleheads shooting me, I'll be a happy bastard. [He looks at Kat.] See any cars we can hijack, Tex?

[shootfirst]

We should've brought yours.

[bigbad]

Yeah, why didn't you? [Spike's a little jealous of Des' car. Just a little.]

[nothingsodivine]

[Des gives them both a "ur dumb" look.] Because it's the least conspicuous car on the planet. Also it has no backseat, so unless you wanted to ride in the trunk and the girls wanted to ride in the big guy's lap, it wouldn't do us any damn good.

[bancroft]

As cozy as that sounds, I think we're going to have to stick to the hard way. Come along, gentlemen. Ladies. [ he hops down over the ridge and starts his way toward the entrance ]

myri & finnick | closed

[starfucker]

[ finnick, in the meantime, can't afford to miss his recording studio session today without raising flags of suspicion. he'll have to make a perform (singing) check to see how well he did. burt said he wanted to talk to him before he checked out for the day, claiming he had too many meetings to supervise recording all morning. after a long day in the studio, he & myri can head on up to the floor of burt's office... and make listen checks as they get off the elevator. strangely, burt's secretary is nowhere to be seen. ]

[65]

[with a perform check of 17, finnick is doing a decent-ish job. of being an artiste. annnnd with a listen check of 3, he doesn't notice shit i guess. ALL THE SINGING AND MUSIC MADE HIS EARS TIRED.]

[witchwoman]

[Myri hears a bit better (listen 12) but might be too distracted by mooning over Finnick. This is why it's easier for her to play groupie/eye candy. She gets stars in her eyes around him even when she isn't acting. Whoops.

At some point, does notice that the secretary that normally greets them is missing.]

Burt did say to meet in his office, didn't he?

[starfucker]

[ it's myri who hears voices through a crack in the door of burt's office. two voices, notably raised in anger. ]

[witchwoman]

[She grabs onto Finnick's arm once she hears the voices. With her free hand, she motions for him to be quiet to try to make out the voices better (Listen 17).

At the very least, she doesn't want to just walk into that office when there's an argument going on.]

[65]

[ o-oh. at myri's gesturing, he also ... pulls her a little closer to the wall. he's listening now, ok. (listen 19). he's a spying on people professional.]

1/-

[starfucker]

[ Head Like a Hole - Nine Inch Nails

it's impossible not to hear burt, clear as a bell, with the decibels he's rocking. ]

Oh, shove it up your fucking asshole, you cock-sucking prick. If you think you've got the balls to take my company out from under me, I will destroy you. This is bull-fucking-shit.

2/-

[fleecing]

[ chad, on the other hand, is much more composed. ] It's too late for your empty threats, brother. Whatever you might want to yell and stamp your feet about your company, it's ours, and in a matter of months, it will be mine and mine alone. The board is not going to bend. Your figures are too low, the extravagant spending was bound to catch up to you.

It's painfully simple. If you don't turn at least two platinum artists in the next six months, you lose ten percent of your shares. Tipping the balance towards me enough that executive decisions will be entirely out of your hands. [ his voice drops a bit, more menacing ] And I suppose you can imagine what my first order of personnel business will be. Dropping my deadbeat brother once and for all.