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

[rationalizes]

It's not just our identities we're worried about being exposed. Mr. Giovanni has a... history of his own.

[witchwoman]

[Meanwhile, Myri eventually emerges from the bathroom with poor Vi in tow. She doesn't catch where they are in the conversation, but whatever, someone will fill them in. At least they are hopefully done talking about snake snacks.]

[socialgraces]

I figured anyone who went on a stage that heavily armed probably must. And him being a half-elf... from Italy.

Is there any way we'll be able to keep any of it from the authorities?

[shootfirst]

Isabella seems pretty confident it won't come out. But Iscariot thinks differently.

[socialgraces]

[ she opens her mouth to say... something, b/c it feels like she should, but then abruptly closes it again. yeah, it's gonna take her a moment to digest that. ] So you're telling me both the Church of the Lord's Humanity and Iscariot have vested interest in Mr. Giovanni's trial?

[nothingsodivine]

Because God is watching over 'em. [The atheist in the room who is overcompensating for the fact that failure to free Rafael from incarceration means he has to be Iscariot's bitch.] And will... [He coughs into his hand and does an accent that is closer to Sean Connery than Anderson.] "Smite the heretics."

[To Francesca, he just shrugs.] Iscariot hates Rafael.

[socialgraces]

I was under the impression Iscariot hates most people, but what did he personally do to piss them off?

[shootfirst]

Assassinated one of their members. And a whole lotta other people.

[slay]

Considering our run-ins plural with Alexander Anderson, I think "vested interest" might actually be understating it.

[luthir]

[ luthir glances to violet ] Giovanni is an assassin?

[graveflowers]

Yup. [She shrugs like its no biggie, what is some strategic murder amongst friends.] For the Resistance. Apparently pretty friggin' badass, too. Enough that his friends pitched a bitch fit when he wanted to retire.

[slay]

Was. He doesn't do that anymore.

[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...]

[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?