CLOSED ♔ don't know what the country's coming to

[behindcloseddoors]

♬ on an evening in roma - dean martin

WHO || Rafael, Des, Buffy, their best pal in the world
WHAT || An unexpected incident
WHERE || Rome
WHEN || June 7th, 2014
HOW || Actionspam. Single thread.

Who knows how long unconsciousness has them all swallowed in its grip. But when it finally allows them to resurface, they'd notice the smooth motion of a car indicating they're... still riding in a vehicle. A wis check of 14+ might recognize it's a different limo, however, and it doesn't take a wisdom check to recognize that they are all crammed together on the same side of the seat now. With... hands cuffed to the seat between their legs.

Across from them, a large figure sits grinning manically... wearing a familiar gray cassock. Oh hi. :)

A single glance out the window at the bustling city outside is enough to recognize that is sure as shit ain't London. And Anderson will be quick to clear that up for y'all, waving one hand at the view.

"Well, now. I hope you all enjoyed your rest. Let me be the first t'bid ye welcome... to Rome."

Comments

1/2

[romanticidal]

[ RAFAEL REALLY DOES NOT WANT TO BE IN THIS CAR RN

ANDERSON REASONS ASIDE ]

[judaspriest]

Your disgusting sinful habits aside, ye can't hide your true nature from th' eyes of God.

[ ♬ beat the devil's tattoo - black rebel motorcycle club

he starts chanting some kind of mantra in what is latin for those who paid attention in class. i'm not going to go figure out what he says. fuck you. LATIN LATIN LATIN. the cross on one glove gleams golden suddenly... and then abruptly a searing pain courses through des' palm, and a sigil rises there all in red welts, stinging like a bitch.

anderson looks smug as fuck. ] Or from His true servants.

[nothingsodivine]

[FUCK. FUCK. Des grits his teeth and jerks upwards, wrist twisting painfully in the handcuffs.]

You said, the Devil. [He pants, shoulders slumping in defeat.] Don't get me wrong, Andy. He's a sweetheart and I like him much better than you, but you're a little off.

[slay]

[ buffy, meanwhile, has a creeping look of horror dawning in her expression.

don’t take it the wrong way. she’s always known des is down and dirty with some ugly forces. linda isn’t exactly a spring day. but she recognizes the burning sigil on his hand, and her gaze steadily shifts up towards his expression in a way that says how long have you been hiding this? ]

I’ve seen that before. I’ve seen that, that’s—[ she hastens her speech, then stops abruptly to identify it solemnly. ] The Angel of Death. [ OFFENDED!! ] Azrael.

1/2

[romanticidal]

The Angel of Death? [ raf turns to stare at des but his... slow drugged brain does not even put together des' UNFORTUNATE RELATIONSHIP WITH DEATH and... that. sob his wisdom checks. to anderson: ] You said a devil, not an angel. [ although rafael sounds like he thinks both those things are crazy talk /elven pantheon 4 lyf ]

[judaspriest]

"An' another angel, a third, followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, he also will drink the wine of God's wrath, poured full strength into the cup of his anger, an' he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in th' presence of the holy angels and in the presence of th' Lamb. And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest, day or night, these worshipers o' the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name.” Amen. [ oh hey that's

the vatican outside ]

[nothingsodivine]

Don't say her name. [Des shoots Buffy a panicked look underneath Anderson's chanting, but that's all he can muster.] Please.

[He glances up at the building looming outside and all that fear comes slamming back into him.]

[slay]

[ goddamn. she bites down, teeth grinding, and —

well they sure are out of fucking time. buffy spots the enormous white building rolling up outside (and takes note of the fact that it’s now evening, putting them several hours out from the airport). they’ll talk about this later. right now, they’ve gotta go.

buffy gives her binds another yank.

str check … 3. ]

[romanticidal]

Why are you so afraid of her? [ DES ISN'T AFRAID OF ANYTHING. except... anderson. and azrael. i guess. he finally looks over and notices buffy struggle bussin' ] Carina... are you--

[nothingsodivine]

You should all be afraid of her. [He buries his face in his shackled hands, apparently oblivious to Buffy's struggle. He has his own struggle. He looks up to meet Anderson's face again.] And when I choke the fucking life out of that smug-ass bitch face of yours, you better realize it won't be God I'll be sending you to.

[slay]

[ she jerks again on the chains, useless, panic rising in her throat as she realizes what’s not going to change no matter how hard she pulls. her hands open in her lap, eyes wide, staring at the manacles. the syringe. oh god. oh god, no. ]

… I … Rafael, I can’t—[ she chokes out the words, pulling again. ] Guys, we have to go. [ they have to get out of here. she has to get them out of here, but she can’t. she doesn’t have the strength. she should be able to rip these handcuffs clear out of the floor but she can’t, and not only is trying bruising her wrists, but it’s kind of bruising her ego too.

she’s powerless. (wis 21) the female pronoun, meanwhile, clues her in that azrael and linda are one in the same, which ONLY MAKES THINGS TEN TIMES WORSE RIGHT NOW (wis 23). she doesn’t start crying. she fights that fear and hopelessness and defeat back and she swallows it, but the distress is plain in her face (will 18). ]

1/2

[judaspriest]

Now, now lass. We've only just arrived. And we have all manner o' entertainment lined up for the lot of you. [ they head up the ramp that the popemobile usually comes out of and head into some kind of private garage. ] Ye might notice that you're not quite feeling up to yer monstrous strength. [ he holds the syringe aloft menacingly ] We don't know what sinister pact ye might have struck to gain it, but the Lord provides means to cast down His enemies. What you feel now, girl, is the weakness of yer spirit echoed in the sinews of your body. [ the car pulls to a stop, and outside of it several figures in similar priestly vestments to anderson's loom ]

[romanticidal]

[ rafael's expression manages to darken further, and he glares at anderson with nothing less than murderous intent ] She is anything but weak. And that lies far beyond what you can take from her.

[nothingsodivine]

[man des just really can't care about the rest of his threesome right now. he's still looking at anderson like he can melt his face off out of sheer spite.]

Entertainment? [FUCK YOU, ANDERSON. YOU DID NOT KIDNAP THEM TO TAKE THEM TO THE ITALIAN CIRCUS. He is just so offended.]

[slay]

No. [ she shifts in her seat as the limousine pulls to a stop, giving the chains another yank and trying to shut anderson’s words out. they’re impossible to stomach because it’s everything she’s always feared. she is a monster, and there’s something wrong with her, and this isn’t a good thing to be. whatever she is, it’s wrong.

rationality doesn’t factor into the equation to remind her of a sehanine, and even if it did, mental gymnastics would easily give her cause to doubt sehanine before they defended her against the word monster when she’s spent so long feeling like one. ]

No, we’re not— [ she pulls again, focusing on getting out rather than on him. despite everything rafael says, she feels pretty weak right now. ]

[trumpcard]

[ the door is thrown open by one of the agents outside, who has neck-length , straw-colored hair, gray-green eyes, and looks in her late 20s or early 30s. she sticks her head in and looks between them, before clucking her tongue and then nodding her head at more of the paladins. they move to open the opposite door and start undoing the locks holding the handcuffs to the seats, as she calmly pulls out a pistol and holds it to the side of rafael's head. ]

Vat do you say I just kill him now, and save us all this trouble?

[nothingsodivine]

You get blood on my jacket, Helga, and trouble's gonna be your middle name.

[Look at that lackluster snark. Des has lost all ability to can. Rebooting. Fucks to be given eventually. Maybe he'll even stop looking at Anderson like he's the middle distance.]

[slay]

[ powers or no powers, buffy’s self preservation goes to shit when it comes to some people. she tries to stand, yanking on the cuffs just as hers are loosened and trying to move to put herself between rafael and the woman. or maybe just trying to charge her because she's pissed. it's hard to tell when you're crouching in a limo ok there's really no possibility for menace. ]

Don’t touch him!

1/-

[sisteract]

[ behind her stands a black robed nun with long black hair hidden beneath her cowl, and big glasses. she peers around her shoulder, eyes widening, and then she gets a very out-of-place seeming smile for this whole situation as she looks at anderson. ]

You brought all three of them! [ and then she seems to realize she's like... hanging on heinkel's gun arm to look around them, and cringes back a bit. ] Heinkel, I think Father Maxwell won't be happy if we don't bring them in one piece...

2/-

[trumpcard]

[ heinkel keeps her gun trained on rafael's head for a count of about 5, oblivious to buffy's struggles, just staring at him with a half-sneer...

but then tilts it upward and proceeds to take a step back, gesturing with the gun for the others to start hauling them out of there. ]

Yes, Yumiko. Ve would hate to disappoint him.

3/4

[judaspriest]

[ she steps back as anderson unfolds his gigantic body out of the limo while des is roughly pulled out the far side. ]

The Black Scourge spilled Catholic blood o' the cloth in his heretical rampage, an' for that, Maxwell deserves t'look him in the eye before he's executed once and fer all.

[romanticidal]

[ rafael climbs out himself b/c he has too much pride to be jerked around, and he jerks his cuffs away from the priest who tries to grab him. he'll walk himself, thanks. he glares over at anderson. ] I killed an evil man, who was as far from just as they come. If you wish to seek out heretics, perhaps you best look within your own church first.

[nothingsodivine]

[des also jerks away violently from being manhandled, scowling and idk. hoping maybe his crazy eyes will put the fear of satan in them if THAT'S WHAT THEY WANT.]

Keep your paws off me.

[slay]

Take one more step and we're all gonna be spilling a lot more Catholic blood.

[ she complains as she too ... gets out of the car herself. look it just seems like the right thing to do to offer them one last chance to stop this fuckery before it gets violent ok. no one can say she didn't give them a chance this way. ]

[judaspriest]

Now, now, none o' that. [ heinkel keeps one gun casually lowered at them however, as anderson indicates for them to follow. ] Without your claws, ye won't make much of a scratch. It's best if ye come quietly, an' think on yer sins. Take this chance t'repent th' crimes what have brought ye here today.