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]

That's an awfully big presumption from a photograph.

[He's just saying, but he's calming his tits. He really is. Look at that wonderful force of will he's exuding to not keep screaming vitriol on the sidewalk. He learned at the wedding that he's going to get nowhere when it comes to this subject. He hates Blade too much.

He treats the photographs he's holding to his chest with the same compassion he treated the one under his boot and digs his fingers into them too, looking over at Rafael to see what he has to say about all this.]

[romanticidal]

[ Rafael's face had been a loading screen while they talk.

Processing...

Processing...

Suddenly he looks up past Buffy at Des, expression dark and incredulous. ]

You knew Eterna made a deal with Blade? That he was the one?

[nothingsodivine]

She didn't name any names, but when he started yapping at the funeral, I put two and two together. The thing with the necklace added up, but it wasn't enough to peg him. It wasn't until the wedding when Buffy explained how bad off Vi was that I realized it was all true and that it was happening again.

And if we hadn't gotten kidnapped, I would have laid my cards on the table when we talked to Vi. Until then? I had no proof. And I didn't want you going off the deep end until I had something more than our mutual disdain for Blade.

[slay]

[ wait. if that’s what was killing jade, if it was her deal with keijen, then des is right: telling vi can only help her. she’s been beating herself up about a battle that they all believed was over, but if they call this round two, maybe it’ll prompt her to—god only knows. something. ]

We need to get ahold of Vi. [ that’s her … begrudging acceptance that ok we’re moving on from the jade affair drama and des’ ranting is officially relevant and he’s not just making it about him. goddammit. ] She needs to know.

[romanticidal]

[ oh right, violet, more important than punching or not punching des. he looks back at buffy. ] ... Si. I do not know, however, if it will be safe for us to make a call until we are out of Italia.

[nothingsodivine]

Maybe we oughta reconvene at Rafael's house until we can get a flight back to London. [he rubs his forehead. this has been a very stressful couple of days and he would like to die now.] And hope Wynn, Zarad, and Burt haven't banded together to form a search party yet.

[slay]

Uh, hello, Thomas? I think Wynn's search party is a little busy elsewhere.

[ but she takes the point. zarad and burt would be unstoppable. she turns to look at rafael as she moves around the car. ]

Home sweet home, huh? [ she pulls open the passenger's side door of the car and rests one hand on the roof, deciding it's her turn to be in shotgun after six hours of being cramped in the back seat (despite being the shortest and therefore most sensible ... back seater ... ] You should probably drive.

[romanticidal]

[ rafael reaches out his hand to des. give him the keys, bitch. ] It will be easier, si.

[nothingsodivine]

[Des dejectedly drops the keys into his hands and awkwardly climbs into the backseat. It better be a short drive, Rafael.]

[slay]

[ INTO THE PASSENGER SEAT. ]

Did you ever get all that damage repaired from the last time we were here?

[romanticidal]

[ he nods as he starts up the car ] I certainly had the money, thanks to Burt. I hired contractors, but I have not yet been to see it. Hiro supervised the reconstruction.

[nothingsodivine]

Let's hope Iscariot doesn't expect you to go home after all that.

[SORRY TO BE A DEBBIE DOWNER, BUT IT'S REALLY THE SECOND PLACE THEY'D STAKE OUT AFTER THE AIRPORT. But he needs to sleep so badly, so he just can't be arsed to care right now.]

[slay]

They never hunted him there before he came back to the States with us. Maybe they don't know the address. [ buckling her seatbelt and getting cozy. adjusting air vents. that kind of thing. ] Or maybe it's against their religion to, like, drag somebody out of their home. [ her nose crinkles. ] Wish we were visiting under better circumstances. [ like marriage. ]

[romanticidal]

They'll be expecting us to get out of the country. Heading back to England, to assure the others we are alright.

It is doubtful they will think there is anything for us there.

[nothingsodivine]

Peachy. [Des rubs his forehead and slumps against the backseat.] Well, if they try anything in England, Hellsing'll be on 'em like fleas on a rat.

[slay]

If they're not too busy with the demon assassins. Am I the only one who thinks it's getting hard to keep track of all the people trying to kill us? [ ugh. seriously. ] That's a fight I'd pay to see, though. Alucard and Iscariot?

[romanticidal]

Alucard? [ NO ONE TELLS ME ANYTHING MA ]

[nothingsodivine]

[Des is just back here laughing. Maybe he just thinks Iscariot vs Alucard is hilarious. Maybe he's laughing because someone has to explain Remedial Hellsing to Fluffy. We just don't know.]

[slay]

Hellsing's pet vampire. Except he's not like Spike is. More ... Dracula. With a side of Blade and something billowy. [ what a great fucking explanation ten points to dragon's hide. ] I met him when Jack took me to meet with Hellsing, and he showed up when Des and I were patrolling in London.

[romanticidal]

[ he just looks away again at the name 'blade' even if he knows you don't mean the one sexing up his ex. while she... wasn't his ex.

DARK THOUGHTS. DRAMATIC LOOKING AWAY. oh right driving. looking out the window. ]

A vampire who works for vampire hunters?

[nothingsodivine]

Best thing to fight monsters is another monster.

[No offense, Buffy....]

[slay]

[ by the look on buffy's face, one might guess he just slapped her. she struggles to respond, then abandons the search for words and just turns her head to watch the scenery zip past, offering only curt resignation. ]

Guess so.

[ probably why they'd tried to recruit her. ]

[romanticidal]

I suppose you are right. And if they do not have one to fight them, they will find a way to make one. [ wow are we overidentifying now. yes, always. also i'm gonna use all these dramatic looking down icons and you can all worry about rafael running over pedestrians as he doesn't watch the road. ]

[nothingsodivine]

Speak for yourself. Some of us got there without anyone having to make jackshit.

[He barks another laugh, this one bitter.] I am whatever the hell it is that I am, but I got here on my own for the most part. The one thing no one's gonna take from me are my choices. They're not always the best ones, but they're mine. Fact is, we're all monsters here- just different kinds and for different reasons.

[slay]

I'm glad you've had a thousand plus years to come to terms with it. [ there's no mistaking the snippy reply as a prompt for him to shut up right now. this is the last conversation she wants to be having while trapped in a car for god only knows how much longer.

the truth is, she has no idea how she got this way, and that crazes her. no amount of assurance that sehanine needs her to fight some holy war will change that feeling: after all, you know what sehanine is the goddess of? things like demons. those are her domain. those things that buffy kills and gets out of this realm. sometimes she thinks, if her dreams are anything to go by, knowing would be worse. other times she can't help but think nothing would be as bad as she's had time to imagine. ]