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

[nothingsodivine]

No one asked you, Scotty. [Grumbled petulantly.]

Just one more thing- both of you. If you're wrong, Blondie.. if we don't. If this is the end. Even though He doesn't deserve it... Try to forgive Him. [He looks up at the ceiling, indicating, you know. That Guy.] He's a dick and half of everything both of you have gone through is crap, but if there's a chance... Just try to realize it wasn't all shit.

[He swallows again and nods at Rafael.] I couldn't keep that one damn promise to her. [he laughs, painfully.] Figures, right? All I ever do is lie. [He takes a shuddering breath.] I love you both. I loved all of you. [another breath.] Except Archer. [annnd here come the waterworks.] And maybe you're right. Maybe this'll work out, but on the off-chance it don't... that's one thing I'll be honest about. Maybe it's too little, too late. I just don't know.

[he turns away, sniffing, but he manages to get some force in his tone when he addresses Anderson.] Let's get this over with before I decide to spew pea soup all over you, you miserable sonuvabitch.

1/2

[romanticidal]

[ ♬ from my hands - vnv nation

rafael manages to drag his eyes from the ground to affix des with a pained, hurt, emotional look of his own, although it's clear as he speaks that his own pain comes from his own sense of fraternity to the man. ]

Des... [ wow words are hard. ] Whatever it is they make of you, whatever they should try to turn you into...

That is not who you are. Neither are these lies, whatever you would believe about yourself. We have seen glimpses of the better man inside of you.

That is the man Eterna saw.

[judaspriest]

Tha's enough o' that. [ he puts a hand on des' shoulder and turns him down the opposite corridor from the way heinkel indicates for raf and buffy to go. ] Time t'face God, Desmond Descant.

[slay]

I’m pretty sure He isn’t the god any of us should be praying to right now.

[ y’feel? buffy’s just saying there are others who are pretty damn invested in these three, so it might not be such a bad plan to … hope for a favor at this point. but she doesn’t expect to get more than that in, so she just backs off, turning to follow the direction of heinkel.

she keeps step close to rafael. ]

We need a plan.

[ she shoots heinkel a sidelong, suspicious look. maybe she could still take her ??? but … then they have to get out. ]

1/2

[romanticidal]

[ rafael only nods very tightly, eyeing her up from behind as they walk. yumiko keeps several paces behind them, as they head through the hallways of the basilica. ]

[trumpcard]

His Holiness himself should be here to see this, but Father Maxwell does not vish to give you another chance to slip out of our hands, Herr Giovanni.

I cannot say I disagree vith him.

[slay]

Who knew the Vatican was so sloppy? Rushing out executions just because you don't have faith that you can hold onto your prisoners. No wonder you needed to recruit Des.

[ she'll just be here making snide comments. ]

You know, in America, where the civilized people live, we give inmates a decent meal and a good night's rest before murdering them.

[trumpcard]

You've had your nights of sleeping on silk sheets bought vith your blood money. [ yeah she probably... assumes you're an assassin too buffy. this is a beautiful pile of assumptions building up. ] Tonight, you sup with the Devil. I hope you haf brought a long spoon.

[slay]

Oh, we're—we're not actually ... [ she looks awkwardly over at rafael. this is 100% the time/place. ] I—I mean they're different silk sheets. Because we're not ... sleeping in them ... together. [ ANYWAY. ] Did I mention the demon-slaying thing? I don't think the Devil's really gonna pull out the good china for this one. I'm sure there's some understanding we can come to and avoid this whole messy execution altogether. [ diplomacy 31??? ]

1/2

[romanticidal]

[ ♬ fragile tension (peter bjorn & john remix) - depeche mode

rafael looks right over at her at ... her rambles about their sex life or lack thereof. his expression is somewhat difficult to read, but he does just sort of stare at her. it might be a lot wtf tho. ]

Perhaps we can speak to this Maxwell. He is in charge of Iscariot?

[sisteract]

Father Maxwell is the head of Section I, yes. It was under his orders that you were brought here. I doubt he will care what you might have to say.

[slay]

Okay, I'm vibing a lot of doubt and negative energy off of you right now, and I thought this was supposed to be a religious thing. Holy place. Whatever. If you're sure so sure he won't care, what's the harm in a little sit-down?

[trumpcard]

Zat is for him to decide. [ they emerge into the main floor of st. peter's through the left transept, and it's easy to see that the nave is completely empty of its usual tourists. the papal altar ahead is massive, and pacing upon it is a very tall, slim man with a white ponytail to rival wynn's. ] Your Grace.

Ve have the prisoners here.

[slay]

Yeah, and feeling severely imprisoned. Thanks for that, by the way.

[ she scowls, but the chatter is mostly to distract from her getting a good look at how far away yumiko is with that samurai sword and if there are any handy dandy windows nearby if they decide to run for it. stained glass isn't really ideal, but in a pinch ... (spot 25). ]

[zealotry]

[ sever gunfight at the hill of casualties - yasushi ishii

yumiko is about 5 feet behind her, but there's not a lot in the way of escape routes. as in any, beyond the doors of the place, which are... probably guarded, and also like a football field away. the only windows in the place are at the opposite end of the doors, but also ridiculously high up. most of the light filters in from the dome.

maxwell turns to face them with a slowly growing smirk, a look in his eyes that hints at the sort of unhinged that only true zealots can possess. but when he speaks, he sounds distinguished, with a slight italian accent of his own. his eyes light up as he looks at rafael, but her comment draws his attention to buffy. ]

Why, hello, hello. I trust you have not been, how to say, mishandled at least, in your delivery to us? Anderson can be quite over-exuberant at times, in carrying out His Holiness' orders.

[slay]

[ so basically, they’re fucked. the color drains a little further out of buffy’s face.

no weapons. no powers. no exit. no reason.

it’s becoming even more difficult to see the way out that she’d promised des. now is a good time to at least try to start slipping her handcuffs but no that escape artist check of 10 is just not going to happen. so she’s mostly just fidgeting impotently with them. #superhero. ]

If you’re gonna kill us anyway, what does it matter how Anderson roughed us up en route? [ she looks to rafael. ] I’m beginning to regret the talking thing. Like, do we really need to suffer first? [ her attempts to keep her cool are creeping away, and the dread is apparent in her eyes as she meets her hubby's gaze. ]

1/4

[zealotry]

[ his polite smile twists at her words into a ... much crazier one, as his eyes tighten. an undisguised hatred slips into his voice as he says: ] If you are so eager to die, you godless dog, we certainly shall not keep you waiting. [ he nods to heinkel ] Wake Yumie.

[trumpcard]

[ heinkel turns to yumiko, whose eyes widen as she stutters: "I didn't think I -- I thought-- weren't you going to execute them?" she sounds a little bit terrified at the idea of having to participate herself, but heinkel slaps her on the back, knocking off her glasses, which skid to the floor at rafael's feet. ] Vake up, Yumie! Ve have verk to do.

[sisteract]

[ 'yumiko's expression seems to shift entirely, and when she raises her eyes, there is nothing of hesitation within them - only an eager, crazed light that's nothing short of homicidal. she grins terribly at them, reaching up to draw the katana from her back and hold it in a dangerous pose. her cowl falls loose, letting her long black hair swing free and her eyes narrow. even her voice sounds different as she gleefully cries: ] Has the time come to smite these heretics at last, Heinkel?

[trumpcard]

[ heinkel nods once. ] Da, Yumie. It ist time. [ she places one hand on rafael's shoulder and shoves him down. ] On your knees, mongrel. [ raf is busy staring at something maxwell has drawn out from behind his back - a black, leather scourge - and is so intent on this that he crit fails and crashes painfully to his knees with a wince beneath her grip. she pulls up one gun and points it aside at buffy, gesturing to the floor with it. ] You too.

[slay]

No!

[ this isn’t how it ends: it can’t be. and if it is, she sure as hell isn’t going to just kneel down and accept it. she moves for rafael, trying to pull him back to his feet. ]

Get up. [ she’s not exactly winning any strength check contests here but she’s more trying to wake him the fuck up to not juST ACCEPTING THIS? why are the people she loves most suicidal. ] Rafael, get up.

[ she looks back up at the iscariot agents, mind and heart both racing. there has to be something. ]

You can’t kill us! [ she’ll … decide on why in a moment. ]

1/2

[trumpcard]

[ ♬ fortuna imperatrix mundi fortune plango vulnera - carmina burana

wow, that was a bad call. when buffy doesn't follow orders and tries to move towards raf, heinkel takes that attack of opportunity and shoots her in the leg. (atk 28, dmg ... 46. that was some unfortunate penetration damage. on top of her bullseye ability. luckily buffy's fort save was killer, so she's... awake, just you know. massive blood loss damage. ) ]

I said on your knees, scum.

i lied 2/3

[romanticidal]

Buffy! [ rafael struggles against his cuffs... and actually manages to get them free jfc (escape artist 21). i guess he is related to houdini. we just don't know. but of course EVERYONE CAN SEE HIM DO IT b/c it's clearly just crazy reaction to buffy getting shot in front of him, so yumie will put her sword right to the back of his neck. ]

[zealotry]

Now, now. [ maxwell begins descending the steps towards them, slapping the body of the scourge against his palm. ] Let us not get ahead of ourselves.

Tell me, Il Volpe, did you flay your victims after you killed them... or before?

"Thou shalt give life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burning for burning, wound for wound..."

[ he stops a few feet away, grinning down at them both as he lets the thick rope-knotted tendrils of the scourge dangle in front of raf's face. ]

"Stripe for stripe."

[slay]

[ she lets out a shout of pain and hits her hands and knees, landing in her own blood. because this is the hellsing anime episode so there is just an unnecessary amount of blood everywhere. she has to take a shaky, deep breath to push back the pain and keep from passing out. goddamn.

weakly, she protests— ] Stop.

[ she pushes herself up off her hands to look at maxwell approach, blood running cold at the sight of the scourge. or maybe it’s just at the severe blood loss. who knows. ]

Dimitris Sarandis is working with demons and dark gods, and you’re worried about us? If you really believe Rafael is who you say he is, then maybe you should consider that you need him to keep an entire country from turning away from your God under Sarandis. [ it’s desperate, spoken through gritted teeth. her hands ball tightly into fists. she can’t watch this, she can’t. she has to try everything. even entirely divorced from her tone, the approach is desperate. she'd need to be to even discuss the fact that rafael was a political assassin, a'ight. ]

You can't kill him. [ because she can't lose him. she's not even trying to twist it into protecting the both of them, it's just rafael. she cannot stand here (kneel here) and watch them whip him to death. ]