debriefing ♔ in the emptiness there's a solution | just look within yourself for absolution

[nepotism]

♬ locking up the sun- poets of the fall

WHO || Wynn, Buffy, Myri, Finnick, Spike, Gar, Archer, Des, Vi, Rafael, Fred Jr., Dumage, Mark, Rocket, open! [Closed]
WHAT || Andres Mission Debrief & Aftermath
WHERE || Knights HQ, lobby etc.
WHEN || September 18th [forward dated*]
HOW || Actionspam. Single thread, don't worry about maintaining tagging order.

There are plenty of missions that return to the castle a success - most of them, even. The defeated air of the solemn group that returns from their diplomatic mission to Andres Isle to hear the demands of dictator Dimitris Sarandis makes it quite clear that this wasn't one of those.

Starting with Sarandis' actual demands - for all Knights to withdraw from Andres under penalty of death, or for Wynn to offer his own head in return for Thomas' safe return - and ending with the unexpected, disturbing confession from Kat that she intended to stay behind on the island because she had "fallen in love with" the dictator, the events of the island made it very clear that Sarandis was cannily playing his hand to get the Knights where he wanted them.

Fred Jr. shoves open the doors with his unnatural strength, stalking in ahead of the group into the lobby. Whoever's on desk duty isn't going to have to roll a high wisdom check to see that these people are pissed... and distraught... and a myriad of other emotions on the bad end of the scale.

*I am changing the date of the briefing log and Andres log/live session to have taken place in September, to avoid us being in backdated hell forever, and to allow for a September squiring ceremony before apps are closed. Carry on... in the future!

Comments

[beatupgrass]

[Rocket's look of misery becomes one of shock.

It's happened. He's snapped. He's hallucinating. Maybe it's a latent side effect of the drugs. Maybe he didn't get enough sleep on the plane. Maybe that bourbon was laced with something. Maybe he's-

And suddenly shock gives way to anger, because Rocket is in no position to be rational right now and if he is hallucinating then what he's about to do won't matter and if he isn't... well.

He marches over to Drax.

He stares up at him with a look of such bared-teeth rage that you'd think Drax called him a vermin again.

And then...

He begins repeatedly kicking him in the... ankle. I'm not rolling for that, because it's not like he can do any damage. It's like kicking a brick wall.]

WHERE. THE. HELL. HAVE. YOU. BEEN. YOU. JACKASS.

[spinerip]

[Oh. That is definitely Rocket. The ankle kicks are bothering him about as much as the grass kicks did, and he grins widely.]

Rocket, my friend!

[He moves down to pick Rocket up and pull him to eye level.]

You live!

[And then he starts noticing the condition of Rocket's body and WOW THAT IS NOT OK WHO IS DOING THIS TO HIS FRIEND. His expression clouds over with rage.]

Who did this to you?

[Time to go destroy some people.]

[beatupgrass]

[Rocket flails bodily BECAUSE HE WASN'T DONE AND ALSO RUDE, but it's half-hearted, because despite his anger and frustration and the fact that OF ALL THE PLACES IN ALL THE WORLD, Drax is here, it doesn't really change the fact that Drax is here. He's not alone anymore.

He goes slack, expression grim rather than pleased, because he is being a man about his emotions right now.]

The Andres vacation package failed to mention that if you come for the beaches, you gotta stay for the gruesome torture.

[I am Rocket's ability to be flippant when 88% really wants to cry. He's 12% sarcastic right now. And normally he'd be flipping his gourd about Drax wanting to go there and start smashing JUST IN CASE he ends up just as bad off as Rocket did, but if he's in this place, he's gonna go anyway. They both are.]

[spinerip]

[Drax frowns, but his wis 17 means he realizes Rocket wasn't actually going to Andres for a beach vacation.

But just to be sure.]

...the vacation package was a metaphor?

[beatupgrass]

[Low agitated growling sound.] Yes. And, in case you're wondering, Terrans take attempted political assassination very seriously.

[As opposed to space where you just get thrown in jail with no trial regardless of your crimes, apparently.]

[spinerip]

Why? If you didn't succeed, no harm was done.

[beatupgrass]

That's what I said! They're just so sensitive. [And also racist. And wow it's so easy to pretend like all of that wasn't horrifically traumatizing for him.] And it was all kind of a horrible misunderstanding, which coulda been talked out. Terrans, man. No wonder Quill don't live here no more.

[spinerip]

I have not met a single person who owns a walkman. They have something called ipods instead.

[beatupgrass]

I don't even wanna talk about it. Just when I was starting to get used to Quill's freakin' mix tape, I end up here and nothin' sounds like that.

[YOU DAMN KIDS WITH YOUR RAP MUSIC.]

[spinerip]

Do you suspect him of falsehoods?

[Quill is his friend and he will punch anyone who insults him, but he is still shady and dishonorable. He could have lied to them about Earth.]

[beatupgrass]

No. [Because of all the things to lie about, he's pretty sure the Jackson 5 do not rank.] I just think he hasn't been back in awhile and this is gonna be a rude awakenin' for him if he ever does turn up.

[They'll probably have to console him. Ugh. Feelings.]

[spinerip]

[WOW I crit failed that wis check. Drax turns towards Rocket, looking alarmed.]

Do you believe him to be sleeping? The medicine of this world could not expediently awaken a human from a coma.

[beatupgrass]

[...Goddammit, Drax. Lie down before you hurt yourself.]

No, he's probably- [He cuts himself off, because he doesn't want to say that Quill is probably traversing the galaxy, mooning over Gamora and forgetting they even exist, even if he has spent a few difficult, bitter nights thinking it. If he says it, he might really start to believe it.]

Forget it. He ain't here. He woulda turned up by now.

[spinerip]

Perhaps. They say the veil can rob you of memories. [And Quill was an imbecile to begin with.]

[beatupgrass]

Tell me about it. [he ]scratches his ear.] I got gaps in my head you could drive a ship through.

[spinerip]

[Drax goes quiet for a moment before saying hesitantly:]

A ship of metaphors?

[beatupgrass]

[omg he even knows better than that. it somehow just makes him completely upset that it keeps slipping his mind that you have to speak plain when talking to drax.]

Yeah. [he sighs miserably.] It's been a rough year stranded on this d'asted planet, Drax.

[spinerip]

I do not remember my wife and daughter.

[He remembers their names, that they existed and were killed, but their faces, all the details, all the good times he assumes were had, they're all gone. It makes thinking of them less painful, in some ways, but it's devastating in others.

At least, whoever they were, they can rest peacefully knowing their murderer is dead.]

[beatupgrass]

[Rocket looks even more disheartened hearing that. He's not completely without sympathy, especially when Drax has took a few levels in zen and hasn't tried to take vengeance on the VEIL for taking his memories. And he knows how much it sucks to not remember how he met Groot... Or honestly a good chunk of his life in general. It's mainly the bad parts and then... well.]

It's like everything before Xandar and meetin' you guys barely happened.

[spinerip]

At least I remember you. And our other friends. [He gives a vicious grin.] Our friendship is too mighty for the veil to conquer!

[beatupgrass]

Yeah.

[Rocket is just looking at him like "bro you're making me look decidedly unmanly. stahp."] Exactly that.

[He pats him on the leg because he cannot reach his shoulders.] C'mon. I need a drink.

[AND THAT WAS HOW THAT OTHER THREAD HAPPENED.]