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

[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.

[slay]

Yeah, I’ll get … right on that repenting. Believe me, I feel terrible for … existing.

[ her brow furrows like what ???? this doesn’t even make sense ??? LITERALLY ALL SHE DID WRONG WAS HAVE SUPERPOWERS WHY IS SHE HERE. like ok sure rafael and des whatever but. but. ]

Since we’re all gonna die anyway, you wanna tell me how you managed to pull that off? The declawing. Ignoring, of course, the ten different kind of sexism that come with calling it that—I mean, really? Claws? Yeah, I spend my nights cat fighting and hair pulling my way through demon flunkies. Ugh.

[judaspriest]

[ walking walking walking ] Th' Inquisitors o' Section One have been at this fer centuries. If ye think you're the first thing we've seen wi' supernatural strength, you underestimate who it 'tis ye stand against.

[nothingsodivine]

Terrific. [It's not clear if he's talking about the repenting or the fact that they can zap Buffy's juice. And God Des you cannot kill Anderson by staring at him. Stop. Focus on, you know, that lovely papal scenery... (unsure)] But unless you got something in that bag for someone like me, this is gonna be an awkward execution, you sanctimonious fuck.

[Never mind Isabella told him what they'd probably do to him and did he really roll a nat twenty to remember that. jesus christ. He's hoping she was wrong. Or maybe he's hoping they do. #suicidalpersonproblems.]

[slay]

Des.

[ you know they all might have lived longer aka had more time to get out of this if you hadn't spoiled the surprise. buffy just sounds pressed as fuck. ]

[trumpcard]

[ beside him, heinkel speaks up ] Oh, ve have somezink very special planned for you, Herr Descant. You vill have the chance to cleanse yourself of your crimes by serving the Lord God vith all your heart.

[nothingsodivine]

But I don't even like the guy that much. [There's a broken note in his sarcasm. As much as he's fronting to make up for his breakdown in the car, all that PTSD is still there. He finally spares a glance at Buffy for the first time since he woke up in the limo and the look he gives is fifty kicked puppies worth of apologetic.]

[slay]

[ hahahahahahahaa nope.

des is in some serious fucking doghouse level shit right now as far as buffy's concerned. not only was he too self-absorbed and panicky to participate in her own freakout, but he lied to her about azrael, and his lie is at least partially contributing to this very moment.

really. she thought they were past this.

but with heinkel's remark in mind, her evasion of his gaze is dual purpose. keeps her from being explicitly pissed at him, and also tries to search a way out of this. the last thing they need is to hand a fucking immortal to iscariot. so she'll just scan their surroundings as they enter, looking for weak points in security or anywhere she could pick up a weapon (spot 26). ]