nyc --> london ♔ and as the vision fades | i'll say i was blinded by your eyes

[postergirl]

♬ It Happens All the Time - Depeche Mode

WHO || Failboat, Des, Rafael, Isabella, Burt, and more~ [closed]
WHAT || The Knights finally say their goodbyes and head back to the castle
WHERE || NYC hotel; flight to London; London, England
WHEN || March 16th
HOW || Actionspam or prose

What was supposed to be a night to unwind wound up with a confrontation between Failboat and Keijen Blade that didn't exactly go the way the team was hoping for. However, in the process, they at least managed to get Isabella back and extract Dumage from her long term undercover assignment.

The remainder of the night is spent back at the hotel, recuperating, in order to catch the flight back to London the next morning. This also means saying goodbye to those who will be going back to Chicago: Isabella, Burt, and Rafael.

Comments

[romanticidal]

You have a squire? [ he casts her an amused glance, obviously entertained by the word. ]

[slay]

What? [ there's the grin again. she elbows him lightly. ] Oh, come on, like I can't mentor. [ and gut defensive reaction. ] For your information, I am totally wise beyond my years and - and a beacon of knightly guidance.

[romanticidal]

Does your squire shoe your horse and fetch your sword, then?

[slay]

Be a long way to bring a sword. [ she sits up straighter to look ~dignified~ ] But if I wanted her to - yes. Yes, she would.

[romanticidal]

Well, there you have one good thing in going back. She will have less far to travel to do as you tell her.

[slay]

Unless I tell her to kidnap someone I miss.

[ in case you thought we were past that part of the conversation: we aren't. she makes it sound jokey, but there's a softness in her gaze that tells how genuine she is about missing him. :'( ]

[romanticidal]

Do I need to worry about kidnappers now, lurking around the corners, instead of just Iscariot agents? [ he sneaks a teasing glance at her, because THEY CAN JOKE ABOUT ISCARIOT NOW RIGHT. THE NIGHTMARE IS OVER??? ]

[slay]

Objectively speaking, Jaina's probably scarier.

[romanticidal]

I imagine she would be, if she learned from you.

[slay]

From you, I'm calling that a compliment. Which, hey, get 'em in while you can. [ she certainly won't complain, even though her nose does crinkle a bit at the notion of being ~scary ok. ]

[romanticidal]

I meant it as one. [ and he grins, as if to reinforce that in his book, scary is something to appreciate. ]

I have never met a woman quite like you, carina.

[slay]

The super strength catches most people off guard. Don't worry about it.

[ she's still on the 'scary' page, ok. what page are you on ???? ]

[romanticidal]

It is much more than the way you could rip a grown man in two pieces.

[slay]

[ she ducks her chin, hiding a shy smile. ]

So, it's not just the thing with your goddess electing me her good right arm. [ she makes it sound like a tease, but there's some legitimacy to that worry. she doesn't want rafael to care for her because she's ~special~ or not like anyone else in those stupid destiny ways. she wants him to care because of who she is. and it's hard to convince herself that, strength and ability aside, she's all that special. especially when he's loved a woman like jade. #italianpopstarboyfriendproblems. ]

[romanticidal]

That would not make much sense as a reason, given I only learned of this less than twenty-four hours ago. [ he sounds amused, but he does cut her a longer glance, obviously thinking again about the significance of ... that. ] How are you feeling about that?

[slay]

I dunno.

[ a noncommittal shrug hides a look of conflict. she takes a beat before relenting and adding; ] I spent two years desperate for anything that could tell me why I'm ... why I can do what I do. I always figured everything would make sense if I could just get an answer; I didn't expect it to be that ... big.

[romanticidal]

I did not find it so surprising, perhaps. I would expect nothing from you but great things.

[slay]

I just wish I'd had more time with her. I have so many questions still - what it means, where she got me from. [ she hunches her shoulders, disentangling from him to sit forward a little, legs crossing. ] I mean, are there more people like me out there with the same questions that I had, not knowing that they've got this mission?

[romanticidal]

Does it truly change so much? The mission seems to have been something you came to even without knowing it. Perhaps it is merely who you are - and that is what makes you the right person for the job. Because it is the job you would always choose to do, destiny or no.

[slay]

Maybe. [ she hunches her shoulders. ] Makes it harder to walk away from, though. [ she couldn't have beforehand, but at least it felt like her choice. ]

[romanticidal]

I think we have both seen that you are not the person who walks away from something they consider their responsibility. [ there's a sad twist to it, but he sounds like he admires it. ] That is strength, carina.

[slay]

Maybe I don't wanna be strong. Maybe I'm tired of it, and I just wanna be happy instead.

[romanticidal]

[ ♬ give you back - vertical horizon

he reaches over and puts his hand on top of hers, squeezing it. ] What you deserve is both. You should not have to give up who you are, to be happy.

[slay]

[ she looks up when he touches her hand, and a surprised look morphs steadily into an appreciative one. ]

Yes, because happy endings so often come via riding off into the sunset firing crossbow bolts at big scary monsters. [ she tilts her head, considering. ] Maybe I shouldn't have to, but we all know how life and fairness get along.

[romanticidal]

Si, but... I retain the right to pray that the rules get bent this time, for you.