CLOSED ♔ knighting ceremony

[koraith]

WHO || Wynn, Elena Gilbert, Koraith, Myri, Colin Banks, Dumage, Andie, Finnick, Buffy, Spike, Vi, Luthir, Francesca, Archer, Des, Mark, Kat, Gar, Rose, Alaric, Klaus, Dawn, various other members of the Dragon's Tongue [closed]
WHAT || Elena's full Knighting ceremony; induction into the Dragon's Tongue
WHERE || Knight's Headquarters, the Great Hall
WHEN || Tues May 27th, evening FORWARD DATED
HOW || Actionspam

Unlike the grandiose nature of the squiring ceremony each Knight undergoes upon their initial entrance into the Knighthood, the graduation to Full Knight status takes place in a much more intimate affair, between the Knight, their mentor, invited friends, and the members of the sect to which they will be inducted. There's no pompous music, no stolid rank and file, no elaborate march.

Myri, Wynn, and Koraith wait up at the front of the room for Elena to approach them, but the attitude of the ceremony is much more relaxed, full of smiles and light conversation on all sides. Of course, when Wynn speaks, people still hush. It's just how he rolls.

"Sir Elena Gilbert, please kneel."

Comments

[imposturing]

[ ♬ the pretender - foo fighters

kyp is requisitely terrified of wynn yep. it does not, however, stop his gaze from seeking out elena as he says: ]

You hear them, don't you, Elena? "That"? "It"?

This is what they think of us.

You don't belong with them. You know what's always felt right. As a matter of fact, you said it yourself.

[graveflowers]

[ vi is appropriately intimidated by wynn, but she always has been, so. regardless, her fingers clench into fists at kyp's words and the vines and roots may tighten in response to her general upset. he made elena cry. he broke myri. he upset finnick. three for three on her favorite people. fuck no, this is why you don't make flower power angry. ]

Excuse you, dickhead, that isn't a team sponsored opinion. Elena is a person. A good person. And, might I add, fuck you.

[notaroundme]

[Of course he hits all the points that she's caught herself, the words she's flinched against in the last few moments.

But it's what he says after that that makes her stomach twist over inside her, and it's only a large effort of will that keeps her from screaming, or throwing up.

But no matter how much courage she's trying to muster up from nowhere, her voice is cracked and shaking.]

You don't know anything about me.

[nothingsodivine]

[Des rolled a nat 20 to not be intimidated by Wynn, but as he was not planning on shooting Kyp anymore, it doesn't matter. His finger is off the trigger in compliance with the order, but the gun is still up.]

Less posturing, more talking. Or the only shape you're gonna shift into is a bloodsplatter on the floor.

[(intimidate 34) Wynn is not the only person in this room who is terrifying as shit, boys and girls.] What was your boss doing to them and why?

[imposturing]

[ yeah y'all have his attention now. he's afraid to not answer so instead the TRUTH COMES BURBLING OUT ]

They don't tell me everything. Why do you think they would? I'd be a helluva liability if you ever learned to look past your noses.

They were after the thing in Spike's head that keeps him from hurting humans. And Myri, well...

She was getting too close to Nadia, from what I heard. And they were both ideal marks. Who wouldn't trust them?

[witchwoman]

What you are doesn't determine who you are. [She says it quietly, privately. Myri's hand goes to Elena's back, protective of her even through all of this. Something terrible happened while she was gone, that much is certain. But she won't stand for Kyp to make Elena think that they put her in the same category as him. It's important to her to say, even in the middle of everything.

Kyp talking at all makes her eyes flash with anger.]

They wanted to learn about my empathy, how it was that I felt other's pain. They wanted to replicate it, make it into a weapon. That's all they want- to control Shadowkind, find ways to hurt them. But it's not over. We have to go back. [Her eyes lift to Wynn.] They have Thomas. [And then her gaze drops, her voice going quieter.] And Amaranth. [She had to leave him behind. There hadn't been time.]

[littledhampir]

[If Elena's tears weren't enough to enrage Rose to the point of being immune to Wynn's scary as fuck presence (Nat 20), Kyp's words sealed the deal, the brunette spinning on the imposter with one hand clenched at her side, the other gripping Elena's a little too tightly.]

You so much as look at her again and I will stab you through the eye. [(Intimidation 29.) When Rose grows up she wants to be as scary as Wynn okay.

Lets just say that the only reason Rose wasn't crossing the room to introduce her three inch heels to Uncle Jesse's face was Elena. (Will Save 21).

For now.

In the meantime she's going to let the Exposition Fairies do their magic cause boy does she have no idea who any of these people are.]

[ex_ric243]

[Alaric has been doing his best to follow along, but for someone outside of the loop most of this shit has gone right over his head. He knows one thing for sure, Elena is hurting and Uncle Jesse is the reason. If so many people hadn't spoken up on Elena's behalf already, he'd be asking why they weren't killing this guy yet. It was probably better to let the people in the know do the talking anyway. For now, Ric opts to place his hand on Elena's shoulder from where he stands beside her in show of his support. Fuck the haters tbh.]

[slay]

[ all this time. all this time and none of them had ever noticed. they had picked her friends apart like lab rats and if she hadn't been so wrapped up in her own fear, she might have noticed. she pushes down the consuming guilt and directs her attention into the entanglement, walking towards it but staying on the edge of the spell so that she doesn't get slowed down and dragged in. ]

You're going to tell us everything you reported back to them, and then you're going to tell us what they want with Thomas, and how we can get him back. You're going to tell us because otherwise there are a dozen people here who would happily do to you exactly what you helped them do to our friends.

[ nat 20 intimidate ??? (30 total) ]

[socialgraces]

[ wait, what? ] Thomas. They have Thomas. [ it's said more to herself than anyone else, but she is moving toward the group now, heading to wynn himself, looking even more horrified, and now twice as determined.

she speaks up a little more loudly now: ] I think we all know what they want with Thomas. [ and wynn, you better be ready to do shit about it... this time. ]

[chessing]

[ jack pipes up finally, staggering forward with as much dignity as he can manage which is a lot b/c he's so british ]

The doppelganger won't have anything to tell you about that.

But I do. [ his tone is still grim as hell, and his eyes seek out wynn's ] Thomas and I had been circling things on the island for over a year, knowing that any breach of the facility was likely to make our presence immediately known, and perhaps lead to a relocation of the Talisman before we could secure it.

We overheard names mentioned, however, in our espionage that we couldn't ignore: Spike and Myrilandel. We had to see. We found them in the midst of conducting surgery on Sir Spike, and managed to get them both out to the roof by staying to ward off Sarandis' pets. [ the word is said with a sneer for the use of the term. ] But they overwhelmed us and Dimitris took us both captive.

He did, however, let me go. To deliver a message.

[graveflowers]

[ vi is barely paying attention anymore, half her attention is on slowly crushing kyp's spleen with her vines, but the rest of it drifts back to myri, cursing herself for not knowing. she's so broken, vi can't help moving over to her sister, fingers fluttering against her shoulder, though her eyes stray up to jack imploringly. ] Sir Chessing, are you hurt? [ because myri (and amaranth, sob) had faith in vi's healing abilities from the start, she might as well put them to fucking use when her sister might need it. and jack by default. because lbr she's going to heal myri by default, it's an instinctive action. ]

[65]

[during this exposition party, finnick is moving. moving to ... stand next to and be protective of myri. he holds her close to his chest, delicately, as if he were afraid she might break. he is about ready to set all of andres island on fire for her tbh. (yeah even the civilians fuck them no1curr.) he whispers in her ear, because he doesn't want to detract from the ~message~ jack may be about to deliver.] We'll go back. [for thomas. and her cat. and to set that shit on fire.]

[witchwoman]

[It's too much. First Vi coming to her side, then Finnick pulling her close. She hasn't had comfort in so long, hasn't known a touch that wasn't meant to hurt her in so long that it's all she can remember. She hesitates, not wanting to remove her hand from Elena, trying desperately to be strong for her squire (who isn't really a squire anymore, but she certainly doesn't know that she's missed that, hasn't put that together yet...). She turns into Finnick's embrace and clings weakly to him, muffling a sob against his chest. She's home. She's found them. But it's not over, and that's the most terrifying part of it.]

1/idk

[wynn]

[ wynn turns to listen to jack, ignoring the doppelganger for now, his expression darkening more and more until it looks like he's ready to murder something. he even manages to look slightly angry at jack. but he says simply, with growing impatience: ]

The message, Sir Chessing.

2/-

[dragonsclaw]

[ jack actually looks down, as if he's carrying a heavy burden of guilt over all this, made worse by wynn's stare. ]

Sarandis says he will not tolerate any further interference from our Knighthood. If a Dragon's Claw - or any Knight - steps foot on the island, their life is forfeit to whatever torment he can devise.

... Except for those who were involved in the Talisman mission. He wants to speak to them, to have them come to his castle to discuss his terms for... future entanglements between us.

If we don't comply, [ he finally looks up to look around the room sorrowfully ] he intends to kill Thomas.

[ a moment of hesitance, and then he adds, finally looking up to meet wynn's eyes dead on ] And he said... "It would be such a shame to lose another Claw so soon, would it not?"

3/-

[koraith]

[ at the mention, it's possible to notice koraith's eyes skate around to meet those of any other knight who's been here a long time, such a francesca. he dips his head with the pain of some apparently terrible - and still relatively fresh for him - memory. ]

4/-

[luthir]

[ luthir is one of those who meets his gaze. his expression is stoic as always but anyone who's known him for awhile can sense the undercurrent of righteous anger and pain at the mention. ]

5/-

[diplomatics]

[ sir banks will say it if no one else will. he speaks in a flat, pained voice, glancing to mark beside him with a deep frown. ] Sir Byron Ellison.

[ he looks back to jack, shaking his head sadly. ] Two Dragon's Claws lost to Andres. We won't stand for it.

5/5

[shootfirst]

Dimitris wants to let us waltz right in his front door to broil him alive, I say he's signing his own death warrant. [ and she sounds very on board with the prospect tbh ] Let's take this asshole down.

[nothingsodivine]

About fucking time. [He finally lowers his gun, grinning like someone who has definitely found the softer side of crazy.] That's the whole reason I'm here.

[slay]

If he wanted to discuss, maybe he should have thought of that before he kidnapped our friends and sent in his lackey to replace them. [ she casts a sorrowful gaze in myri and spike's direction, gut clenching. ] I'm through talking. I say we cut the head off this snake.

[bigbad]

[Spike suddenly grins, and though his fangs aren't out, it's clear that they may as well be.]

Brilliant. I'd love a chance to repay his hospitality.

[wynn]

Enough.

[ it's one word, but it carries a lot of weight, and it's designed to address a number of things really. ]

Sir Chessing, Sir de Tanos, Sir Spike: we will speak more on this in private. Someone see them to the Cleric's ward for now. Your friends may speak to you there.

[ his gaze moves across the crowd meaningfully ] No one will make any decisions on what action is to be taken until your mission is assigned. [ his eyes come to rest on kyp, who he looks at with open disdain ] Bring the intruder to the dungeon.

[notaroundme]

Wait.

[She finally finds her voice again. She's worried about Thomas, and Myri, and Spike. She wants revenge too, feels the guilt of the idea that this is her fault, but she has to get this out before they take him away and she might never see him again.

She finally levels her gaze at Kyp, pressing her lips together before she finally asks.]

Why did you do this? What was it? Money? Boredom? Why?

[There's a lot of weight behind that why, more than just taking people's places. It's more personal than that, and even if she thinks she might hate the answer, she has to know.]