andres ♔ you know you've got everybody fooled

[nosdacariad]

WHO || Failboat
WHAT || Mark has something to share with the team
WHERE || Flight from Andres to England
WHEN || September 30th [backdated]
HOW || Actionspam

[So, as September winds to an end, Wynn demands all those Knights on Andres take a break from toiling away to fix the Isle, and return to London to celebrate the new large batch of incoming squires. After the horrors of losing teammates, it seems fitting to celebrate what they can.

Failboat travels back in a private plane that Mark may have stolen from Dimitris' airfield. Sup. With everyone on board, however, he looks a little grim when they're in the air, and stands in the entranceway from the cockpit, looking out at them for a moment, before clearing his throat. ]

I've uh, got something to talk to you guys about.

Comments

[behindcloseddoors]

[ sure is empty. but for those who haven't been in dumage's room before... ]

[65]

[finnick is going to make like blue's clues and look for clues. with his whole search 13. maybe she left spike a heartfelt note?????]

[bigbad]

[Spike is gonna just search every damn nook and cranny with his fucking nat 20 search check he's REALLY DETERMINED Dumage are you hiding under the floorboards....]

[behindcloseddoors]

[ before the dawn - evanescence

while finnick does a half-assed cursory check, lifting a pillow and looking at the... top of the dresser and shit, spike turns the room upside down and finds several things.

the first one is tucked inside a book on her dresser, and is in fact

a note addressed "Spike" on the outside, in her ornate, curvy script.

he also finds something just under the bed near the dresser stand, as if had fluttered there, accidentally dropped - a face down photograph. when flipped over, it appears to be a picture of a very young girl, maybe six years old, with brown hair and hazel eyes, posed on the steps of what looks like a very ornate manor. ]

[bigbad]

[He picks up the picture, looking at it for a moment and frowning, before sitting on the bed and opening the note.]

[postergirl]

[ ♬ breaking the habit - linkin park

Spike,

By the time you read this, I'm likely to be far off, and you're likely to have heard an earful, I'm sure.

I'm not going to waste your time by denying any of it. But I am going to hope that you'll take the time to hear why I did what I did, before writing me off entirely. I don't care what most of them think of me, but you've managed to make yourself an exception.

I'm not sure what to make of that.

I've known about Mark for years, yes. He and Wynn aren't as careful about where they held their private conversations as they thought they were. It seemed a particularly juicy piece of gossip, but I wasn't about to share it. I'm not entirely heartless. Mark, however, didn't need to know that.

It's useful having someone around who has to have your back. That was all I meant it to be. Insurance, of a sort. And he got what he'd wanted deep down for years: someone to share his secret with. Someone he didn't have to hide from.

And then this mission came about and I went undercover with Keijen Blade.

We spent months together, Spike, long enough for me to understand what it is we might actually be dealing with. The sort of dangerous, ruthless minds on the other end. I looked back at our so-called team, who could hardly get through a day without bumbling into something, or ripping each other apart, and I knew we never had a chance.

Most of these people you claim to admire so much will never be strong enough to do what's necessary.

I told you all that I was pretending to be Keijen's little armcandy, but that wasn't the approach I took at all. I went to him with the truth - or some part of it. I told him I was a Knight, and that I'd be sent to spy on him. I knew he might kill me for it, but it seemed worth the risk.

I told him how I knew our side was never going to win, and that I wanted to still be standing when this was over. I played the coward - it was easy enough, after watching Mark all these years. I led him to believe I'd do whatever it took to survive, that the power they courted was my only interest, and naturally, he wanted me to prove myself, show where my loyalties lay.

He asked me to arrange for the door at the concert to be opened to allow a man in, and I used Mark to see it done. He gave no indication of what their plans were, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't suspect them to be entirely malicious. I trusted our teammates might be able to handle one single minion, but shouldn't have been surprised when they cocked that up entirely too.

In the end, it didn't matter. I know what they're not willing to acknowledge: that people are going to die, one way or another, and that we can't afford to think we can save them all, if we're really going to put a stop to this. You saw what happened in New York. If we let them win, they're going to make that look like a walk in the park. Thousands are going to die, every Knight they can get their hands on is going to die. They don't know the meaning of mercy, darling. And they're willing to exploit our every weakness to ensure we receive none.

He still believes I'm working for him, and he's called for me to come find him. This seemed as opportune a time as any to go, given I doubt any of them are going to understand. Even Wynn would never take it as far as it has to go.

I know you might not believe any of this. I know they're likely all out for blood. But I'll prove it to you, darling. I'll come back. With something that can help us stop them. Something to give us a victory in the middle of these three long years of defeat. I have their confidence now, and while I'm not exactly pleased that anyone had to die for me to get it, I'm not about to let it be in vain.

And when I do, if you aren't ready to kill me yourself, and if you keep your word to stand up for me enough that none of them beat you to it, I'm still ready to take you up on that date.

The only reason I would have to not come back, is if he's learned the truth. In that case, I'm afraid this is goodbye.

I'm sorry.

-D

[bigbad]

[Around halfway through reading the letter his vision gets a little blurry and he has to blink hard to clear it.

It's not until he notices bits of wetness on the corners of the paper that he realizes he's crying (will save crit fail).

He crumples up the paper in his hand when he finishes, turning his head away and wiping at his eyes furiously as his body shakes with sobs he tries to muffle. Bloody Dumage. Bloody stupid, sly, untrusting, brave Dumage. He doesn't think this is necessary. This is a terrible plan, one that's getting killed and they're doing fine. They won, after all. They can win again. Without Dumage taking these awful risks to herself and endangering others.

But she's doing it for the right reasons. She's not a traitor, or not exactly. She's the same as all of them. Doing what needs to be done. He wasn't wrong about her.

He just hopes she survives long enough for him to tell her.]

[65]

[o-oh. oh. finnick suddenly feels like he's invading a very private moment, but he's not going to leave the room so spike can roll around in his manpain.]

Spike? [he tries to use his gentle voice. come on spike, pull through it. it's gonna be okay. maybe.] Spike? What did the letter say? This is important.

[bigbad]

I'm fine! [Spike rubs at his eyes viciously looking up at Finnick and studiously pretending his eyes aren't red and his face doesn't still have tear tracts.] Everything's fine. She's a... [He pauses and starts counting in his head, raising fingers.] Quadruple? She's a quadruple agent. But she's on our side. That's the important thing.

[65]

She couldn't have started out that way. She was just doing what she had to do to protect herself. [wis 15] That's the Dumage I know. [the way he says it is judgment-free, ftr. he can respect that.]

[bigbad]

I don't think that was all it was. [He frowns, looking down at the letter.] I mean, it's not entirely complimentary. She basically says she didn't think we're capable of winning or even not buggering basic things up. But she says she's going to bring us something to turn the tables. She's going to come back.

[If she survives.]

[65]

You can't exactly blame her lack of faith in our track record. [really tho. failboat would treat ordering a pizza like wwiii, let alone THINGS THAT ARE ACTUALLY SERIOUS. their victories are always of the "yeah we kind of won but everything is horrible now oops" variety.] Did she say ... is she going back to Blade, or...?

[bigbad]

Yeah, she's going back. [Spike wipes his face again, and looks down at the picture before holding it up to Finnick.] Any idea who this might be?

[65]

[his wis check ... was 9.] No clue.

[bigbad]

Me neither. [He frowns, looking down at it again.] She said she doesn't care what the others think of her, but we still need to tell them. We need to tell Wynn.

[65]

I agree. Hold on to the picture, too. Just in case it means anything.

[bigbad]

I will. [He frowns down at it.] Maybe Wynn knows who it is. Or Francesca.

[65]

Did you want to talk to Wynn first? Or Francesca? Or did you want to ... tell the others?

[bigbad]

[Spike stands up, tucking the photo into his pocket but keeping the letter in his hand.] The others are with Wynn now. If we hurry, we can catch 'em all together. Then tell Francesca later.

[65]

Sounds good. [WHEEE TO THE NEXT THREAD]