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

[olreliable]

I'm sure that went well. [wrinkly nose bc ew Faith. There's a reason that comas happen to bad people.]

But you can't really take what she says as anything factual. You know that right? I mean Faith is kind of the definition of an unreliable narrator.

[slay]

What are you talking about? She's the Slayer. She should be more reliable than anyone; she's the same as me.

[ : ) ]

[olreliable]

What? Hold on... Did she say that? I mean... yeah, she's A Slayer, but you're The Slayer. Capital The and everything. I mean just because you died for a little bit... [That's really not how she wanted to tell this story. Stupid Faith and her stupid butting in- previously before Willow was even here. Whatever.]

You were technically dead, but resuscitation is totally normal nowadays! And okay... the old monks or whoever made up the Slayer mumbo jumbo rules didn't really take into account that a person can be dead and then not quite so dead. And not in a vampire way!

So it makes sense that they make it so black and white. One Slayer dead? Bring on the next one. [She hesitates.] Except less conveyer belty. It's just a dangerous job, you know? But that wasn't even Faith. That was Kendra. And then Kendra died... [/pours one out for Kendra] And that's when Faith got her Slayer power pack. So if you think about it... you're like her Slayer grandma or something.

[slay]

... I'm sorry, was this supposed to be helping? Because this feels very not helping.

[ shE IS A GRANDMOTHER ??? Unconsciously, she reaches one hand up to touch her hair like ummmm gray ??? ]

[olreliable]

[She steps closer and shakes her head.]

No, I mean you're two times the Slayer she is. More actually. Because you care about people. You save people.

[slay]

[ for a minute, hope flutters in buffy's eyes, wanting to believe, but—

her expression deflates. ]

... No. I don't. [ she couldn't save thomas, or kat. she wasn't there to help luthir because she was busy being kidnapped. she was helpless in iscariot. she hadn't been able to do anything for jade. she's never made a difference. never saved anyone. ] I'm sorry. I don't know who you were hoping to find, but I'm not her.

[olreliable]

But- [Willow's protest dies on her lips, mouth hanging part open, looking stunned. And do you know what this reminds her vaguely of? Finding out Buffy had run away and tried to pretend to be someone else.]

No. [Her firm voice probably isn't that convincing, but she's plowing ahead anyway.] Maybe you don't think you do. Or maybe you don't remember, but it doesn't matter. Because you're still Buffy. You're still my best friend. And you're still the single most kick ass girl I know. Maybe that's why I'm here. Maybe some of the mystical Slayer power bestower guys thought you needed a reminder.

[She sighs, but not out of exasperation. She just sort of... said that all in one breath. Phew.]

[slay]

[ Something Willow said apparently gets to her, because it draws Buffy out of her self-pity. She looks up, searching the redhead’s face. Instead of thinking of Faith’s Watcher’s Council, or anyone else who might have originated the power back in her world, she thinks of — ]

Sehanine. [ The spaces in between. She’d claimed responsibility for bringing Buffy here out of some need—it wasn’t entirely outside the realm of possibility that Willow’s situation was precisely the same. Still, a big part of her is reluctant to ascribe that much importance to herself. Especially when Faith doesn’t need the inter-dimensional pep talk. She shakes her head. ] No. There’s no … Power-bestower, or any of that. It’s just the Veil. And it’s random. You’re here because your luck is just as bad the rest of us.

[olreliable]

You, me, Spike, Faith, Cordelia... I mean, that's a lot of bad luck in one place. We live on a Hellmouth, Buffy! [Frustration makes her voice break a little. She's not giving up, but this is harder than she imagined.]

You can't think it was really that... random, can you?

[slay]

... Wait. Rewind. Did you just say Spike?

[olreliable]

Yeah, you know... Spike. Bleached hair, leather jacket, vampire face that looks strangely reminiscent of a pug?

[Like it got smashed in a door. Willow has some feelings.]

I'm still really confused how he got knighted.

[slay]

[ she purses her lips and nods, thoughtful, like, 'yeah, that's a pretty good description.' ]

The ... same way any of us did.

[olreliable]

But he's all... [She uses her fingers to mime vampire teeth. Which likely looks more like a walrus tbh.]

[slay]

... Fangy? Sure. Bad guys hate that part.

[olreliable]

He is the bad guy!! I mean... not the worst bad guy, but still really bad! Definitely not on the goodly good guy knighting list! He kidnapped me.

[slay]

[ Okay, wait, that gets her attention. Buffy's jaw goes briefly slack. ]

... He what?

[olreliable]

Kidnapped me! His crazy vampire girlfriend left him, so he wanted me to cast a love spell or something. So he kidnapped me and Xander and... [stuff happened. stuff we don't fucking talk about.]

Anyway... Bad! Spike bad. Except he thinks he has a soul now? I don't know what that's about.

[slay]

Not just thinks. He does have one. [ She trusts Sehanine, even if she always had reservations about Spike. This is still something to think back on: maybe it gives context to her instinctive loathing? ] What vampire girlfriend?

[olreliable]

[she nods] Drusilla. She's a few fries short of a happy meal, but he seemed to really love her- or love anyone as much as a vampire can. [Immediately, willow looks sheepish because Angel is a thing. Time for damage control.]

He didn't have a soul the last time I knew him, though. Souls make it different. Like Angel!

[nailed it]

[slay]

[ Her expression falters at that, detaching from her confusion and turning into something somber, searching, and distant. Just on the edge of her mind, she can feel the familiar, instinctual reaction. The name feels familiar, reaches into some deep part of her that she didn’t even realize was there. ]

Angel? [ Her voice lilts up, straining hope at the end of the question. Yearning attaches to it without Buffy quite understanding why. Lips parted, the creases smooth out of her forehead, as if stunned into silence. Her eyes drop, searching some distant point in the room rather than looking at Willow, crawling into her own head in pursuit of an answer for why that resonates with her.

She comes up empty, and squeezes her eyes shut, blinking hard against the inexplicable sentiment that burns in her chest. In another moment, she’s shaken it off—literally. Her head tosses, and her eyes open to fix back on Willow. The confusion returns. ] Who’s Angel?

[olreliable]

Oh, wow... [Of all the questions that Willow thought Buffy might ask because of Veilnesia, this was not one of them. She's more surprised by this than the idea of Buffy forgetting who Willow is.]

You guys sort of... had a thing. [And then you sent him to hell. But he came back and helped us defeat the evil mayor.

...And then immediately peaced out. Wow, this story sucks. She is realizing that quickly.]

[slay]

[ Had a thing. Okay. That’s not so bad. She can handle that.

—Wait. “Souls make it different.” As in, Angel was an example. Of a soul-having vampire.

Buffy’s stomach lurches, recalling her ill-advised tryst with Spike. The nauseated feeling bubbles up in her throat—no, wait, that’s not a feeling, that’s actual bile. She raises a hand to cover her mouth, gaze growing distant and leaving Willow’s face.

What is wrong with her? Does she just attract the undead or something? Is she wearing a big old undead-shaped “do me” sign on her back? Is this a thing she should be seeking therapy for, like one of those disturbing balloon fetishes that people wind up on TLC for? ]

Oh God.

[ She drops her hand, taking a deep breath and shaking her head, blinking distress out of her eyes. ]

I’m not—I can’t … I gotta go.

[ Barreling past Willow, she leaves the conversation in the dust. Nonononono. ]