knightsoflegend | briefing ♔ i will never know myself until i do this on my own

Entry tags:

briefing ♔ i will never know myself until i do this on my own

This is War- 30 Seconds to Mars

WHO || Wynn, Jack, Hasmed, Lis'sa, Dovan, Solace, Koraith, Christos, Tia, Nessa, Grant, Buffy, Myri, Finnick, Spike, Gar, Archer, Des, Fred Jr., Dumage, Mark, Alainn, Zero, Colin, Lan, Eric, Val'drin, Risa, Anastacia, Faith O., Max R., Belle, Kadir, Edain, Sydney, Zatanna, Aurelius, Jaina, Erky, Davin, Riddick, Jordan, Henry, Leia, Willow, Kate, Allison, Francesca, Bo, Han, Aedan, Rocket, Drax, Nathan, Maxwell, Sam, Faith L., Cora, Dimitri, Alanna, Jaime, Klaus, Gus, Andrew, Stiles, Lydia, Gold, Jackson, Adam, Miles, Penelope, David, Derek, Andie, Kali, Cara, Nels, Taradiddle, Abigail, Astrid, Bambi, Frankie, Rose, Helen, Alaric, Alice, Lissa, Alex, Emma F., Cordelia, Zoe, Sebastian, Malina, Alcide, Phineas, Fiona, Arthur, Faye, Mars, Kate, Lila, Jameson, Felicity, Thoster, Adi, Brantley, Hook, Emma, Eleven, Alisha, Will, Dean, Grimrot [Closed]
WHAT || Andres War Briefing
WHERE || Knights HQ, Round Table Room
WHEN || September 19th [forward dated]
HOW || Actionspam. Single thread, please call dibs in the dibs plurk!

On the eve of battle, an impressive array of Knights gathers in the Round Table room of the castle. The usually cavernous room seems tightly packed with this many bodies, and places at the Table are reserved for Wynn, the Section Heads, all those who have had any hand in the Talisman mission, including New York, and Christos, but who's going to argue with him, really. The air buzzes with a mixture of impending dread and on some fronts, excitement. It's hard to deny that there are those in the room who have wanted to make a move on Andres for years.

Wynn waits for the appointed hour, before nodding for the doors to be sealed and calling the meeting to order.

"Before we begin, I'd like to thank each and every one of you, many who have traveled an extensive distance at a moment's notice to join us here today. I understand that many of you have little idea what you have agreed to, but I hope that before the end of this meeting, you will come to understand what we are doing, and why it must be done.

Andres' Isle has been held under the sway of the man who calls himself their "Prime Minister" for nearly a decade. In these ten years, he has turned what was once an idyllic country steeped in tradition into a tightly controlled fascist nation disguised as representative of its people.

Andres is far from the only country to fall to such a fate over the course of history, and it has never been the prerogative of this Knighthood to enforce our own personal vision of some sort of world order onto any nation. We are protectors of justice, and our enemy has always been both that which comes from the darkest depths of Shadow, and intolerance and prejudice that stems from this world.

But Dimitris Sarandis has proven to be an exception, an embodiment of all the ideals we stand against, who has aspired to systematize the kind of violence and hatred that threatens the welfare of countless innocents under his rule. He has used his position to exploit Shadowkind on the island to the point of conducting torturous experiments on them, designed to help him accomplish his goal of forcibly enslaving non-humans, so that they may serve what he sees as the superior race of homo sapiens.

As if this were not enough, Dimitris knows of our existence, and wishes to tear down our organization, understanding that we pose a threat to all he seeks to accomplish. To this end, he has conspired against us, kidnapped members of our organization and subjected them to brutal and vile torture, and attempted to blackmail us through detaining Sir Thomas Bancroft and now Sir Samcelot, into complying with his whims - to leave his regime alone entirely, to turn over our most ancient, powerful artifact, and for me to submit to death at his hand.

Killing Dimitris alone will not stop the system he has created, and will not help free the people of Andres. Most citizens of the country remain innocent, terrified into compliance, or completely ignorant of what Sarandis does behind closed doors. These people deserve our help, and the only way to do so is to show them the evil that lurks at the heart of their government, gain their support in uprooting that evil, and assist them in stabilizing their country thereafter.

To do this, we will need to go beyond the usual parameters of our missions, with a militant, strategic push into the island designed to seize the castle, and take down Sarandis' rule." He pauses there, letting that sink in. "What I will not stand for is a callous attitude towards the innocents who we seek to protect on the Island, during this insurgency. Their safety will be paramount to our operation, and as such, speed is important to what we will be accomplishing. Dimitris expects retaliation, but he also underestimates our tactics. As such, rather than attacking the castle with an army, you will be deployed about the Island in a number of small teams, each with an objective that will help us cut off Dimitris from contact with his supporters, secure Sir Bancroft and Sir Samcelot's safety, free those who are imprisoned, and confront Sarandis, taking the castle in the process.

Details of these individual operations not withstanding, I imagine there are some questions. I open the floor to you to speak."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ his lip quirks up halfway in a pained shadow of a smile, but there's a softness in his gaze that's legitimate enough. his eyes drift, however, across her face, tracing a wandering path down to her own mouth, letting her words hang there without a reply as he seems to get caught up in studying her face, lingering there at her lips. he finally meets her eyes again as he says with that hint of wry gratitude: ] Gettin' the message.

[It's a moment when Rose doesn't breathe let alone speak, watching him drink her in as her hand rests against his stubbled chin.

His words prompt her to breathe again and the smile she wears, though small, comes easily for a change.]

Good. [Voice low, her thumb brushes his jaw before Rose forces her hand and gaze to fall away, refocusing her attention on the first aid kit though it's clear she's very much distracted from her initial task.]

[ she'd be able to feel him watching her, and there's almost a sense that in that moment he can see right through her, that whatever supernatural ability lets him perceive invisible monsters runs deeper than that, and that he can tell what she's thinking and feeling. a single glance to meet his gaze would be enough to add to that feeling of being exposed, because with his nat 20 sense motive check, dean really can read her like a book right now.

he doesn't look put off by any of it, either. he seems to be looking her over with renewed appreciation as a woman, as if dimitri's accusations combined with their intimate discussions today have changed something, shoved some tension out into the light that's been easy enough to bury under verbal repartee and a focus on the job.

but he seems to catch himself too, and with an infinitesimal unconscious glance toward the door, recognize what just happened, and how it might cause any mutual acknowledgment on their part of what's going on to suddenly put them in the wrong in this situation. (wis 20) so he searches for a change of topic to shift the mood, and-- mostly comes up short. ] So, uh.

They really put that Archer guy on the big stealth mission? Whose brilliant idea was that one?

[Try as she might, Rose can’t help but look back (Will Save 8), breath hitching in her throat as the hardened mask she’s worn for months falls away under his gaze and he’d see the startling revelation for her, that she cares for him more than she should, in ways she knows she’s not supposed to and every promise she’s made him today has been about more than obligation, than right or wrong.

Stripped bare there’s a look of vulnerability to her that few people have ever seen; hope and even surprise going to war with confusion and guilt as Rose tries to read the look on Dean’s face but gleams very little from the moment. (Sense Motive 10). It’s all she can do to catch up with this sudden onslaught of emotions and for Rose it’s as unsettling as it is a relief to have a sense that maybe there is one person that does actually know her.

She catches that look to the door but lacks the wisdom in the moment to realize what he’s trying to do right now (Worst timed crit fail). Taking that shift as a sign of rejection, Rose forces herself to look away in the hopes that he won’t see the hurt that twists her features as she tries to clear the lump in her throat and harshly tosses the bottle of antiseptic back into the first aid kit,]

I’ve given up trying to figure out how they do things around here. [Turning her back on him so she could put the kit away and buy herself some time to put back her walls.]

[ he misses the pained expression on her face with a crit fail of his own ahahah, moron twins. but that doesn't mean he doesn't catch the sudden harsh change in her demeanor, in her voice, in the way she turns away from him. (wis 20. again.) he turns to watch her, bewilderment crossing his features as he tries to figure out what the fuck just happened. #whiplash ]

Hey. [ there's a cautiousness to the entreaty, but it's impossible to miss the concern knitting his brow. ] Look at me.

[She leans against the dresser, back still to him as she tries to ignore his plea but her will saves have been awful throughout this whole conversation so why stop now? (8)

With a shuddering exhale, Rose turns back to look at him, this time catching the concern on his face as confusion layers the hurt that's still there. (SM 21).]

[ ♬ touch - daughter

he just rolled a nat 20 again i can't make this shit up. his eyes widen a bit when he realizes that he's hurt her feelings, by trying to brush this aside right now, and he finds himself getting to his feet before he can really consider whether this is a good idea or not (as he crit fails a will save and rolls a 2 on a wisdom check...). he crosses right towards her in a couple strides, so that she feels all but caught between him and the dresser, and he raises one hand to cup her cheek, in what's meant to be a gesture that's part reassurance, and part to keep her from looking away from him, from cutting him out, before he can get through to her, talk her down.

but instead of finding any reassuring words to say, or apologies to make, he finds himself stopping too close to her, feeling like he just broke past the point of no return without really thinking about it, just by being the one to extend an undisguised tender touch first. looking between her eyes as his fingers curl against her jaw, he looks a little surprised to be finding himself standing here, but before he can dissect it all that much or talk himself out of it, he captures her mouth in a kiss, cutting off any effectively stupid comments from either of them. (crit... fail). ]

[Lets just start by saying she sure did crit fail her Will save...

It's that first touch that sees her hastily built walls crumble around her, pressing her cheek to his hand as she revels in the tenderness she hasn't known she's been craving until Dean is the first to show it to her and her eyes close, not to shut him out but to lose herself in it, the warmth of his body against hers, his scent surrounding her and the knowledge that whatever it is she's feeling, she's not alone in it because right here, right now, he's right there with her. (Sense Motive 22).

When his lips find hers, she doesn't hesitate at first, one arm slipping around his body to hold him to her as her own lips part, any and all words silenced as Rose lets go of the hurt, her fingers curling around the material of his shirt as she presses hard against him, seeking that closeness.

There's a part of her that wants to exist only in this moment, to ignore everything that's led up to it and all the reasons why they were wrong to do this but reality slams into her, forcing Rose to break the kiss even if she can't bring herself to unravel from him (Wis 16).

Her breath is hot against his face as the loss of connection allows her to breathe once and Rose presses her forehead to his, eyes still closed as if worried that opening them might shatter the moment.]

Stay - [That word more breath than voice.] Can you just... stay, until we have to go?

[ in the fiftieth crit fail in a row here, dean doesn't seem able to draw away at all, so he also keeps his forehead pressed to hers, eyes closed, as his fingers slide back through the hair she has drawn back into a bun, seeming to want to tug it loose, but refraining. he answers in an unfairly attractive husky voice of his own: ] I ain't going anywhere.

[Extremely unfair, as Rose fails another will save (9), the sound of Dean's voice eliciting a physical response as she leans into him, her grip on his shirt tightening as his fingers running back through her hair sends a shiver down her spine.

She turns her head just enough so that her mouth is hovering painfully close to his, their close proximity clouding her head as Rose can't help but wonder if it would really be so bad to be doing this right now, especially after everything they'd been through, separately and together. (Wis 10).]

We shouldn't... [The hushed whisper sounding more like something she thought she should say, rather than what she actually believes.]

Yeah. [ his voice is more gravelly than ever this low and close, and his hand slides back around her waist as he pushes imperceptibly closer with his hips, body language running contrary to his words. ] Probably shouldn't. [ somehow, he makes that sound like a factor making it all the more appealing to him, and he doesn't budge, other than to turn his head so that his lips brush hers again, not a real kiss, but almost an encouragement. ]

[What to do when one rolls a Wisdom Check of 19... but Crit Fails their Will Save.

She might know it's wrong, knows that she should stop this right now for a hundred different reasons and yet even now as guilt makes her chest ache, she can't bring herself to pull away, to lose the first thing that's made her feel really alive in months and so it's almost too easy for her to meet his lips, to flatten her hand against the muscled contours of his back as her hips rock forward and despite a sound akin to a strangled sob getting trapped in the back of her throat, everything about the way she's responding to him screams that this is what she wants.]

[ what have i done (piano) - anna ternheim

dean's hand tightens reflexively on her hips as he responds to the kiss easily and instantly, and damn if he's not a fantastic kisser while we're at it (dex 21). while rose sounds conflicted, the noise that issues from him when she gives in is satisfied, relieved, and pleasantly surprised, and his hips press flush against hers, the handle of a dresser drawer digging into her ass, you're welcome.

this time, his fingers do slip back to loosen her hair, so that he can freely run his fingers through it, letting the tie fall onto the dresser beneath. there's no more conflict for him, that much is clear. he wants her and he doesn't have to be sure of when or how they reached that point, or care too much about what the consequences are going to be for either of them. what's important right now is the heat and electricity between them, the reality of the woman in his arms who wants to be there. ]

[When the sound in her throat dislodges it's changed somehow, a moan that vibrates against his lips as she kisses Dean back with equal skill and hunger (Dex 21), Rose's leg hitching high upon his hip, wrapping around his body to hold him closer as her fingertips trace a line along his spine, travelling lower in search of the hem of his shirt.

Trapped between Dean and the dresser she pushes off of it, drawers rattling as it shakes (Str 16) while Rose wraps her other leg around his body, giving herself over to him and the moment completely, regardless of what thoughts might be dancing in the darkest recesses of her mind; Guilt would no doubt come later but now what she wants and needs is him.]

[ wow dean wasn't expecting that ok (reflex 14), but he recovers quickly, hoisting his arms around her, supporting her weight completely (str 20) while he kisses her back with mounting passion. he gets her positioned in a way that he can run one hand up the outside of her thigh, and up her waist, underneath her shirt, calloused palm smoothing over skin. it's not enough, however, and so he swings her around, and takes the few steps across the room to the bed, where he crashes down on top of her, not breaking the fevered kiss. ]

[Wrapped up in him like this her touch grows in urgency, hands learning his body in ways she could only imagine before now as fingers curl around his shirt, exposing his lower back with the eager tug of material in her desperate need to feel his skin beneath her own. Her body seems to be one with his, knowing what he wants and never skipping a beat as he leads them back towards the bed (Reflex 29), shifting beneath him so he can settle between her legs while long hair pools in a dark halo around her head.]

[ she's not the only one who knows what the other wants, because with his wisdom check of 19, he moves in all the right ways, touches her in all the right places to keep driving her wild. and he also shifts upward enough to help her yank that shirt off and toss it aside, his hips still swerving down against hers. his hand slips under the hem of hers next, drawing it up over her head, and the look he rakes across her body is mind-melting (charm 29), his gaze lingering on her cleavage, before slowly sliding back up to her face, catching again at her lips.

without another word, he presses himself against her to kiss her again, to rake fingers through her hair and revel in the skin-to-skin contact, shifting his body against hers in maddening ways. ]

Edited 2014-09-27 21:00 (UTC)

[The way he looks at her is enough to literally steal her breath away, the one she offers in return beyond admiration; it's longing and need, lust-tainted adoration as she drinks him in, following the lines of his shoulders, down his chest, eyes locking briefly before his mouth covers hers once more yet in that moment, she's not some deer stuck in headlights; she knows both what she wants and what she's doing and that confidence oozes from her. (Wisdom 18, Charm 21. Srsly wtf die?!)

That first true touch of skin against skin makes her gasp, stealing his breath as her hand roams over his bare back and every roll of his hips pulls a sound from deep inside of her, a rumble of pleasure that makes her chest shudder as her hands glide down his shoulder blades, towards his pants as fingers push at the material, wanting more of Dean with every passing second.]

[ every reaction encourages him further, and while one hand slides around behind her to unlatch her bra, his mouth cutting a trail down her throat towards her breasts, he raises his hips enough for her to be able to access his button and zipper, so she can get that shit off asap. he murmurs her name against her skin, and the indulgent way it rolls off his tongue is so vastly different than his usual tone in their past conversations that it's all the more sexy for it. ]

[That opening is all she needs, deft fingers making seriously quick work of his zipper (Dex Nat 20), hands pushing the material down his body until she can hook his pants with her foot, legs brushing against his as she slides them towards the end of the bed.

His mouth leaves a trail of hot and cold against her chest, her back arching, head pressing back against the mattress as her hand comes up to run her fingers back through his hair, fingertips sliding along his scalp before she turns her head, breathing hot air against the top of his head as she practically cradles him against her breast.]

[ he kicks off his shoes while she helps slide his pants down, and then both his mouth and hands are focused on her breasts, lips and teeth and tongue carrying that earlier dex check forward much to what is definitely rose's benefit. he takes his time there, as if the fact that they're half-naked means now he can slow down and not worry about losing the momentum, about her deciding this was a bad call after all and shoving him unceremoniously onto the floor. it's way easier to convince her it's not, after all, when he's free to suck on her nips.

just sayin'. ]

[In slowing down he actually manages to push away whatever vestiges of doubt there were cause I sure did roll another Will Save and Wisdom check just to see if Dean was going to need a cold shower and she got deuce 9s so lucky him. Or them. Or her really given that Dex check.

Her lips press against the top of his head, a kiss that's broken by a moan as the change in pace turns things more intimate, Rose's hand trailing down his cheek, eyes fluttering open as she coaxes him to meet her gaze.]

[ oh no - kaisercartel

he takes the hint, raising his eyes to meet hers. there's a surprising amount of tenderness in the look, and a flash of something else that he manages to cover up pretty quickly. most of the girls he hooks up with don't know him as much more than a hero passing through, or a stranger with a fabricated backstory. having someone who knows more about him than anyone else left alive in his life still want him this much means something, cuts to a place inside his festering store of self-hatred.

but hell if she gets to know that.

he offers her a little smirk instead, keeping her gaze as he kisses down her stomach, and lifting both eyebrows when he reaches the button of her pants. a hand skates across her torso and starts undoing all that nonsense, and while it does, he pushes himself up enough to cup her face with his other hand and give her a warmer, more intimate kiss, almost intended to be reassuring. it conveys that he's not trying to come in like a wrecking ball and fuck up her whole life and then walk away. maybe he's not sure what he is going to do, but it won't be any of that... on purpose, at least.

probably. ]

[She doesn't need him to say anything, just the reassurance of that look (Sense Motive 15) sees a change in her (ws 9 ffs) as Rose swallows hard, no longer trying to stop herself from feeling too much and instead allowing him to see the absolute trust and faith she has in him. It's not something that can be earned overnight but comes from being tested, from never letting her down in a time when it feels to Rose like almost everyone who was supposed to matter to her had, intentionally or otherwise.

Her thumb skims his cheek before she lets him go, her eyes following the path he trails down her body and there's a look that's something close to awe (He got a Charm check of 29 its impossible not to be in awe), her heart pounding hard against her ribcage as between them, the last of her clothes are discarded.

When their lips meet again it's the final surrender, soft at first, tender in a way their earlier kisses had been and yet just like those the hunger grows and as the two of them can't roll a decent wisdom check between them (braintrust right here) all that's left is losing where she ends and where he begins. (Which Rose could probably do for the rest of the day cause her Fort Save was a healthy 29.]

[ with dean's 17, he can't make it nearly that long, but still keeps this up for a respectably impressive amount of time, ok. their confidence and straight-up skills in the bedroom would make this explosively amazing even if they didn't have the connection they do, but it's enough to push things beyond memorable, into the realm of intensely satisfying on several levels.

when dean's finally spent, he collapses back on the bed and draws her against his chest, breathing heavily, a half-lidded look of contentment in his eyes as he turns to watch her. he keeps one hand around her shoulder, and the other reaches up to brush some hair out of her face fondly. ]

You-- [ he chuckles breathlessly ] are somethin' else.

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject