CHAPTER TWO ♔ a sigh escapes from heaven and worlds end

[savemyself]

♬ The Dream Within - Lara Fabian

WHO || Rafael Giovanni, Burt Becksworth, Isabella Alessandro, Finnick Odair, Myrilandel de Tanos, Buffy Summers, Spike, Elena Gilbert, Dawn Summers, Desmond Descant, Jeanne Gar, Kat Samcelot, Mark Sandazhard, Violet Fiore, Sterling Archer
WHAT || CHAPTER TWO: Following the traumatic and tragic events of Finnick and Rafael's concert, our heroes are taken to be interrogated at the police station
WHERE || Concert Hall > Chicago Police Department, Chicago, IL
WHEN || July 3rd, 2013 [ forward dated]
HOW || Actionspam

Nothing is okay.

What was meant to be the Knights' triumphant collaborative effort to cut off Chad Becksworth's bid for total control of NOVA Records, allowing them to follow the trail elsewhere, has descended into chaos. Rafael's songs triggered some kind of reaction in Jade that allowed her to regain her lost memories, only to have their reunion cut tragically short by the actions of a hitman who took her hostage on stage, demanding her necklace. While Myri and Violet attempted to convince him that the necklace did not lie with her, Jade signaled to Rafael that she meant to utilize the distraction to break free - but things went out of control and Rafael's bullets struck Jade instead. The Knights felled the hitman, as the world watched, and Rafael begged a distraught and enraged Des to end his life. Meanwhile, a mysterious figure that only Buffy & Spike could see assisted Myrilandel in healing Jade enough to hang on for a little time more...

Time for people to say goodbye.

In the meantime, the police have arrived, arresting Rafael, Archer, and Des (or attempting to), and preparing Jade to be taken to the hospital. Everyone else is being ordered to head outside to be taken down to the station for questioning. It's a hectic scene, but people can finally snatch a few moments amid the chaos to try to make sense of what just happened...

Comments

[nothingsodivine]

[And Des just has no sympathy.]

Let's go, Fluffy. The taxpayers don't wanna fund your crisis. And there's a hooker in the lobby who needs that seat.

[romanticidal]

[ and still nothing. The guard rolls his eyes. "Like that all night. Not a wink of sleep." ]

[nothingsodivine]

Yeah, it's a tortured artist thing. [he shoots raf a look.] We can talk outside.

[romanticidal]

[ he still doesn't get up, or even look up, but he at least responds dully: ]

What is left to talk about.

[nothingsodivine]

Unfinished business, mostly. [he'll just let raf think that means he intends to kill him.]

[romanticidal]

[ wow, guess what finally made his head come up. the dice know his death wish life. he looks at des as if finally being able to see something through a fog, and the he nods once, sternly, and gets to his feet mechanically. ]

[nothingsodivine]

[This pleases Des, which is pretty grim from any perspective. He nods at the guard.] That it?

[romanticidal]

[ "That's it." He motions for them to head out of there, and rafael walks past them both this time, going right out the door. ]

[nothingsodivine]

[Des lets Rafael lead until they're out onto the street and then he overtakes him, leading him across the street to where he parked the 'vette. It's not so much in an alley as it is inconspicuously parked away from view of the police station and the second he's in front of it, he glances over Rafael's shoulder.] Think they're watching? No? Good.

[And that's when Des punches him in the face (atk 22, dmg 6)]

[romanticidal]

[ denial thing - amanda palmer & the grand theft orchestra

rafael fixes him with a blank look, moments before des' fist connects with his face. his head snaps to the side at the impact, as he doesn't so much as try to dodge it, and he lingers there for a moment as he cracks his jaw around slowly.

and then he looks back over at des, not a trace of fury in his eyes and says, very matter-of-factly. ] You're going to need to hit harder than that.

[nothingsodivine]

[Des, meanwhile, is shaking out his punching hand.] Trust me, Fluffy, if I was trying to hurt you, you'd know. I would have popped you back onstage.

[romanticidal]

But you did not. [ and he sounds somewhat legitimately disappointed ]

[nothingsodivine]

A lady once told me that living is the worst punishment and death's just cheating the system. I think she's full of shit, but it's a nice sentiment, huh? [He bares his teeth in a grin.] This is how it's gonna be. You fucked up- you fucked up real bad. And you owe it to her to make it right again.

[romanticidal]

[ love is blindness - jack white

a spark of something akin to actual life enters his eyes at des' words - a sort of simmering anger with nowhere to go that abruptly surfaces from his previously numb state ] To make it right again? [ his words are incredulous, as he repeats the words with disdain ] There is no making it right.

What does that mean to you? Hunting them down, making them bleed? Making them pay? Looking for the satisfaction of knowing they will never do the same to anyone else again? [ that haunted rage in his eyes would be pretty telling, even if des hadn't just gotten a big chunk of the story, and he actually takes a step closer, almost all up in des' grill. ] Let me tell you something: there is no solace in it.

[nothingsodivine]

[Des promptly gets in his face and pokes him in the chest.] Don't talk to me like I haven't seen enough. I don't care how sparkly your heritage is or how much older than you look you are, because there's few things around older than me. I ain't talking about killing Chad- she wouldn't want you to keep killing. She'd want you to figure out when to stop. When it comes down to it, you're gonna walk into that last dance one day, look Chad in the eye, let him know the Italia Grazie, or whatever the hell your badass mafia nickname is, could've ended him and then you're gonna walk away. [He punctuates the last few words with more pointed prods at Rafael's chest.] But you have to live long enough to see yourself become the man she wanted you to be. That is the only way you're gonna forgive yourself. Do what you weren't man enough to do all those years ago when it would have mattered to her. [(Diplomacy 17)]

[romanticidal]

[ whoa there doggie. his eyes search des' with sudden suspicious bewilderment ] ... What do you know about that?

[nothingsodivine]

I'm a friggin' genius. [:|] Little Orphan Spanish Harlem told us the whole story.

[romanticidal]

Isabella? [ he sounds so shocked by the idea of isabella spilling any of his secrets ever, so entirely taken off guard, that it's almost humorous. almost. ] She would never.

[nothingsodivine]

She didn't have a choice. Someone made you at the concert. Tipped off the cops to make 'em think that you killed Jade on purpose. If we didn't hear the whole story, we'd have no way of preempting them from using the gory details in your trial.

[romanticidal]

[ he absorbs that for a second, looking down. ] ... Did any of you stop to think that maybe that's no more than I deserve? To have it all out now, to pay for all I have done?

How you say, karma.

[nothingsodivine]

[And that was when Des nat 20'ed to punch Rafael in the stomach. (10 dmg)] I dunno. How's karma feel?

[judaspriest]

[ be careful what you plurk joke about.

a thick brogue speaks up from the other side of des' car before rafael can get his wind enough to answer ] 'Woe to the wicked! It shall be ill with him, for what his hands have dealt out shall be done t'him.'

[ anderson's wide grin breaks across his face, all madness and expection ] Though I can see you're already gettin' a taste o' that. You've got a real way of makin' friends, heretic.

[nothingsodivine]

[Des jerks his head up and just stares, because wow. Really. Is this a thing. Okay, guess it is.

Never let it be said that Des doesn't laugh in the face of danger. He grips Rafael's collar like he's holding the leash of a dog with an inclination to lunge and breaks out in a wide grin.]

And that would make you Buttinsky McJackass of the Clan McJackass, then.

1/2

[romanticidal]

[ rafael looks over, not even resisting des' grip, just affixing anderson with a casual gaze. in some weird way, he almost looks pleased to see him. ] I should have guessed you would be along.

[judaspriest]

I had hoped we might pick up where we left off after that little show of yers. But it seems Providence had other things in mind.