chicago ♔ beside you in time

[romanticidal]

♬ Right Where It Belongs - Nine Inch Nails

WHO || Buffy, Spike, Finnick, Myri, Dawn, Archer, Elena, Kat, Gar, Mark, Isabella, Burt, Des, Rafael, Violet, Francesca, Luthir. [closed]
WHAT || The events directly following the day of Jade's death
WHERE ||Various, Chicago
WHEN || July 5th, 2013 to the funeral
HOW || Actionspam

[ Following a long night after returning from the hospital where Jade finally passed away, there remains a lot to be said and done.

As Burt struggles to deal with the legal side of things, Francesca begins to head that way across the ocean in order to help the Knights do the same, and to help Finnick leave his celebrity life behind somehow. Violet takes the full weight of responsibility for planning the funeral into her hands, and the others continue to try to cope with what's occurred, and slowly put the pieces of information that they have together.

But many of them are still reeling from the revelations of the last few days, or carrying their own emotional burdens. Des continues to keep the truth about Jade's last words to himself as he deals with losing a woman he'd come to love, and faces up to a now uncertain future, thanks to a deal struck with Iscariot. Myri worries deeply about the potential fate of Violet, who's been considering hunting down Keijen Blade on her own, and her concern causes another small rift in her relationship with Finnick. Buffy finally reaches a point of breaking down over her conflicted feelings for Rafael, as Elena assists Archer in completing a giant fireworks bomb for reasons unknown.

This log covers the events leading up to the funeral, which means it will most likely cover a day or two or three. We will use it to make threads for any and all events occurring during this time. ]

Comments

[isisagent]

WHAT?! [Archer sputters out, breaking off mid-gulp from his Glengoolie Blue]

Why the shit not?
How do you quit being an assassin?!

[Yeah... Archer was too drunk and/or intimidated by Finnick to pay attention to Rafael talk...]

[shootfirst]

[ she furrows her brow a little as she seems to mull over whether to be offended or take that as a compliment. in the end, she looks satisfied with the description. ] I think you just answered your own question.

[isisagent]

[He grins, as he takes a bite of his "Eggs Woodhouse"]

Fair enough... [He eyes her a little suspiciously] You know... you were an awfully good and/or lucky shot, to be able to disarm Double D from that kind of range.

And... I don't know you, so you didn't train with ISIS.

Are you like... Ex-KGB? Former Stasi?

[shootfirst]

[ she looks kinda super proud of being suspected of being ex-kgb, actually. ] Community college, actually. That's all the training I had before the Knights.

[ she takes a gulp of her "breakfast drink" ] I put a spell on the bullet. I'm a mage.

[isisagent]

[Archer stares at her, as though she's mocking him.]

Wait. You mean... like a Magician?

[shootfirst]

Not if you mean the David Copperfield kind that makes the Statue of Liberty disappear.

I'm talking about real magic. Witchcraft stuff.

[isisagent]

[I'm reminded of how ignorant Archer is of Kat helping him get past security...]

So... You're a... witch?

[shootfirst]

I like mage better.

[socialgraces]

[ that awkward moment when archer tactlessly voices francesca's own thoughts. ] Even so, I doubt a jury would find much sympathy for an assassin, recovering or not.

[nothingsodivine]

That's why we're not gonna tell them.

[DUH. He plunks some ice into his whiskey.]

[socialgraces]

Yet we have reason to believe both Iscariot and the Church of the Lord's Humanity, with their vast political influence and connections, have some grudge against him and/or Jade, partly, or totally, due to his work as an assassin.

I don't think they're going to need us to tell them.

[nothingsodivine]

Their word means jack shit without evidence. They could say Rafael killed Mussolini, but unless they've got some proof to back it up, they can't do anything. All they've got is their word. [He smirks, stepping back towards the rest of the group.] You bury the evidence deep enough and it looks like a hate crime. Makes sense, right? Big, intolerant religious order, fighting tooth and nail to destroy a couple of kids who represent everything their religion hates? It's one for the books.

[(diplomacy 23) This is why you keep him around, okay.]

[socialgraces]

[ (will save 26) you can't bullshit a bullshitter, des ] The problem is they have ways to plant or uncover evidence that will never be linked back to them. We probably won't even be able to prove any of them hired Roger James, assuming they did.

I agree we should try to bury as much evidence as we can, as long as we can do so discreetly. They're not going to risk exposing their own motivations to the public, so that grants us a little leeway on what we have to be prepared to divulge. But we should really focus on the parts of the story that the jury will sympathize with.

[graveflowers]

It can't be just their word, either. Burt said Italia is down for first degree murder. And whatever anonymous tip swayed them to that also implicated Burt for conspiracy. They have to already have something if they could get both. [She is... completely unsure of that though because why did they both have to make so much sense?] Right?

[65]

[sheepishly] I didn't read the contract as thoroughly as I should have.

[65]

[finnick's face is fairy well-lit, too. no really though, he's touched, after swallowing down the cotton candy, he asks]

You remembered my story, then?

[socialgraces]

Well it probably wouldn't have meant much to you, unless you're well-versed in contract lingo. [ she gives him a reassuring smile and reaches over to squeeze his hand ] But we'll figure it out, I promise. I won't leave you until we do.

[ she lets go of his hand, retreating back to her corner of the bed. ] It's only so complicated because of all these recent developments. Do you think you've made any new enemies that we should take into account?

[witchwoman]

[As Vi pulls out the plump hedgehog plush, Myri beams.] Well you mentioned them when we talked about you getting a friend for Amaranth. And I thought it might be nice to have at night. [To help with the nightmares but she won't say it specifically. Little does she know that she'll have something much more elf shaped to hold onto soon...

Her attention shifts when Finnck pulls out the sea turtle toy]

Of course I did. [Her smile for him is less of a grin, more private and you may as well see little hearts forming in her eyes. But she stops long enough to explain it to Vi.]

Some time ago, the group split up. Buffy, Kat, Gar, and I went to Italy. It's when we met Rafael and learned more about he and Jade, but... Finnick had to stay behind with some of the others to continue his work with NOVA. I called him to make certain that he had kept a promise we had made and while we talked, he told me about a time in his childhood where a sea turtle stole his hat.

[notaroundme]

[She shrugs her shoulders.]

He just needs someone to tell him when he's being an idiot. And to remind him to leave the shotguns at home.

[65]

Not unless you count Taylor Swift. [he gives a short laugh to indicate that he sure doesn't.]

[graveflowers]

[That is adorable. They are adorable. Sea turles are adorable. Everything is adorable and Vi hugs her stuffed animal happily. The only reason she doesn't vomit rainbows and glitter is because a. it is physically impossible and b. she is not Ke$ha.

God they are just the cutest though.]

That is... adorable.

[65]

It wasn't to me! [he takes his sea turtle and looks it over, laughing.] I really liked that hat.

[witchwoman]

[She blushes slightly at Vi's words, finding it all a bit silly.]

We never did find you another one, did we?

[graveflowers]

[All this gross happiness and smiling, ugh, she can't handle it and spontaneously reaches forward to hug Myri.]

Thanks.

[You guys, she really needed all this.]

[65]

You know, I don't think we did. [NOPE NOW IT IS A GROUP HUG. because he needed this too, tbh.]