Countess Lara Tamon (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
affianced) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
knightsoflegend2014-08-20 12:52 am
affianced) wrote in knightsoflegend2014-08-20 12:52 am
andres ♔ but what he told me last night lays on me like lead
♬ dear ophelia - abney park
WHO || Buffy, Myri, Finnick, Spike, Kat, Gar, Archer, Des, Rafael, Fred Jr., Vi, Rocket, Lara, Dimitris [Closed]
WHAT || A diplomatic mission to Andres Isle goes about as successfully as one would guess
WHERE || Andres Isle
WHEN || August 15th [backdated]
HOW || Actionspam. Single thread.
Even the briefing for this mission went well, with Wynn walking in on Dragon's Claw Jack Chessing macking on Sir Gar, in direct violation of his vows of, er, abstinence, both romantically and physically. Following the briefing, and the team's attempts to make Wynn see reason in the face of Jack's resignation, they gathered up a large amount of weapons of all kinds into their private plane and took off for Andres Isle.
Upon arrival, they found the island did not match up to their expectations. Instead of fields of torture, they found themselves in a very upscale part of the city, full of affluent manor houses close to the palace. They spun a cover story upon learning about a party there, using Finnick's celebrity on Andres to get access to the festivities.
Inside, they met Dimitris Sarandis, Prime Minister of Andres Isle, who invited them to stay for the party, which was being thrown in honor of Countess Lara Tamon, who had helped Jack, Spike and Myri escape from their torment on the Isle. They took the opportunity to chat up the local aristocracy, picking up the vibe that most of them had either benefited from Dimitris' rise to power, or were too afraid to stand up to him. Spike talked to the Marquesse de Lyons, and learned that her son, Percy, had been a friend of the late Prince's, and had died shortly after voicing his belief that Sarandis had framed the Andres family in order to seize power. Archer was shocked to find his manservant Woodhouse employed at the palace, and extra annoyed to learn that he didn't remember him. For once, Archer found a reason to care about liberating the Andresians... if not purely for selfish reasons.
The party itself was to announce the breaking of the betrothal that had long stood between Lara and the late Prince, even after his death, a blemish on the reputation of the Tamon family that Sarandis sought to rectify by arranging a new betrothal: between Lara and her childhood friend, Lord Michael de Collines (aka Michael Collins). Neither of them seemed particularly thrilled about the arrangement. Lara managed to sneak a message to Myri to meet her that night under the bridge.
Following the announcement, the gang went to speak to Sarandis in private and find out his demands for the safe return of Sir Thomas Bancroft. He wasted no time in making clear his position - he painted the Knight's vigilante attitude towards policing the world as the ultimate evil, and warned that no more Knights would set foot on Andres, lest they be killed. He also demanded that Wynn himself bring the artifact Excalibur to the island to give to him - so that Dimitris could behead Wynn in exchange for Thomas' life. The demands were met with outrage by the Knights, and in the face of their fear that Thomas was not even still alive, Sarandis agreed to let one of them stay the night to speak with the Dragon's Claw. He specified that Kat be the one to stay, and despite protests, she agreed, and convinced Gar to let her stay.
The other Knights headed back into town, where Gar, Fred Jr., and Vi headed to the nearby hotel to wait to hear from Kat, and be ready in case they should need to reach the palace quickly. The others headed to the bridge across the river, where they met with Lara and her friend Lord Dana Green, another of her childhood friends. They explained the situation on the Isle, and how many of the younger generation wished to see things returned to the way they'd been before, but the challenges they faced in doing so seemed almost insurmountable to them. Lara expressed her fears that toppling Sarandis' rule would only wind up putting Andres in an even worse position. They also related how Dimitris had created programs and taxes that had basically banished Shadowkind to the other side of the river and left them all but destitute, all while pumping more and more money into the coffers of the rich, particularly those serving on his Parliament. She secured the Knights' promise to help in every way they could, and Myri asked her to show the way back into the woods where she'd found them before.
Finnick, Archer, and Rafael crossed the bridge into the Shadow village to do some recon, and spoke with a local tavern owner/dwarf who related that people down here were turning up missing more and more often - likely to feed Dimitris' experiments in the woods. They seemed largely disheartened, but could potentially be talked into fighting if giving the means to do so.
In the woods, the others ran across a strange talking raccoon named Rocket, who was running for his life from a beholder, which the party managed to take down. They discovered that Rocket had escaped from captivity in Dimitris' labs, and he was none too happy at the prospect of going back, even to show them where it was. They argued briefly over the best course of action - whether the break out would be the best or worse time to try to make their way into the lab, particularly given that Dimitris had Kat as well now.
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finnick's not even gonna … try to stop fred. but he will attempt to clean up after him.]
The idea that you would fall for somebody isn't what's unbelievable, Kat. It's that you're willing to leave everything you know behind after spending one night with this … person. [yep. this person. nice save, finnick.]
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You're wasting your breath, boys. He's a coward. And he's got all his little pieces in play so he can hide behind them. Isn't that right, Sarandis? You don't even need to raise a finger and you've got your enemies tripping over you. Well, I got three words for you, you prissy little bitch.
[he leans forward and says, still smiling in a vaguely unsettling manner.] You don't know.
[when you can't be tough, be creepy.]
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That's the point, Kat. You don't fall for somebody after twenty minutes of playing dress up. No one does. Hi, you know who my mom is, that Stockholm syndrome bullshit was all magic, none madre. [ well! some madre. shh. ]
But you, you don't trust easily. You make us work for it to prove that we deserve it, that we're not going to hurt you. You don't just give it away. That's not you. And god Kat sometimes I wish it were easier to get you to open up, but it's not. And it probably never will be and that's fine because we're always going to keep trying, because we're your family and family doesn't give up on each other, ever. Ohana means family, Kat, and family means no one gets left behind or forgotten. [ when in doubt, quote disney. ]
You can't stay here. You can't. And not because we hate your new boyfriend and think he's a torturous piece of trash.
But he said you were coming home with us. Those were his terms. [ ish. ukw, she doesn't remember the exact words or even if he said that at all, she might be making it up, who even knows, but wtfever. GET IN THE FUCKING CAR, KATHRYNE. ]
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vi's words cause fred's gaze to shift back to kat, and he studies her with a look of growing despair as she glares at violet, while dimitris' fingers dig a little deeper against the skin of her shoulder.
he pushes forward when vi finishes, fingers wrapping around the bars as he pleads with her. ] Kat, this isn't just some guy. This is the man who tortured our friends. Tortured Myri. For fuck's sake, you're the one who talked about wanting to kill him more than any of us. Just think about it for ten seconds, really think about it, and I know you'll see, I know you'll see through whatever he's done to you.
Because he's doing this to you. And there are people who really love you for who you are, Kat - really love you [ he presses closer to the bars, and the impassioned look in his eyes and the way he sounds almost ready to choke on his words makes it clear that this is not some ohana means family kind of love, unlike everyone else's little speech here. ] and the last thing they're ever going to try to do is tell you what to do, or who to be. [ he spares a glance at dimitris, venom in his eyes ] Or even who to love back.
[ he looks back to kat, and his teeth clench as he says: ] But that's exactly what he's doing.
I can't believe that there's anyone you wouldn't burn alive for doing as much.
2/--
3/4
Run along now.
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no, she has something to say to dimitris all her own. and the ice in her tone is enough to make him look back, as she says with deliberate calm, anger simmering beneath the surface in a way that's actually kind of terrifying: ]
You are going. To lose. To lose everything you've constructed so carefully here, everything you've taken that was never yours to take. And when you do? [ her own hand slides around the bar and she presses her face as close to them as she can. ] If we find you've used whatever this is to take advantage of her? No Knightly code, no sense of honor, will prevent any one of us from keeping you alive long enough to make you regret not ending your own life swiftly before we could get to you.
[ intimidate... nat 20?????? wow gar. wow. ]
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Myri's still in shock over all of this, most of all that they all seem to be coming to the same realization- they aren't going to win here. They aren't going to convince her or snap her out of it. They're going to leave Kat behind. The only thing holding Myri together from breaking down right now is knowing that it would only give Sarandis another level of sick satisfaction to see her fall apart.]
We love you, Kat. And we're going to find out what he's done to you. [Her gaze shifts back over to Dimitris, expression wavering between rage, horror, and terror. It's not all that different from the face he saw time and time again while she was trapped on this island.]
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Like I said, you really don't know.
[he steps up right beside gar and lays a hand on her shoulder.] But you will.
[intimidate... 28. I think. Whatever. it's just to offset MS BADASS OVER HERE.]
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1/-
2/3
Come along, my dear. I think it's time we adjourn to some more pleasant conversation. [ she looks worried as she tries to offer him a smile and fails, but she nods and heads off the way he indicated, nothing less than obediently. he paces after her a few steps, before turning on his heel to offer them a more shark-like smile, and add: ] You know, I think the Baroness may have been on to something. Perhaps it is time for me to settle down. [ he looks over at his shoulder at kat, and then back at them significantly. ] Don't forget to tell Wynn that he's invited personally. [ he lets that hang there, turning around to go after her, offering her a condoling smile as she takes his arm again to head off towards the garden. ]
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I'm sorry for every moment you had to spend with that vile man. He'll pay.
[ she looks over her shoulder at the retreating figures, and then at the gates themselves, and the palace beyond them. ] Believe me.
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Let's just go before I forget to mind my manners.
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punch a tree
really hard
... and crit fail and probably break his hand, we just don't know. he lets out a few colorful curse words but otherwise doesn't say anything, before slumping into his seat. ]
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other threadairfield, where gar looks out with widened eyes as they come to a stop. ] Is that... smoke?no subject
We left them alone for five minutes. Jesus Christ.