11185/The Scarlet Lounge

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The Scarlet Lounge
Date of Scene: 11 March 2020
Location: The Tunnel - Midtown Manhattan
Synopsis: The Scoobies race to an exclusive Vampire feeding club to try and rescue Dawn..Unfortunately their victory is not without consequences.
Cast of Characters: Buffy Summers, Dawn Summers, Angel, Winifred Burkle, Karrin Murphy, Phantasm (Drago)
Tinyplot: Blood of the Ancients


Buffy Summers has posed:
A FEW DAYS AGO...

Dawn had been seeing the delinquent Riven for a few months now, but their meetings had been pretty low key until recently. It didn't take long before he was getting Dawn into trouble in subtle ways, offering her cigarettes, a swig of beer..Taking her to shady places, inviting her to meet his delinquent friends..It wasn't long before she was accused of petty theft and got into a fight with Buffy over her delinquency. Naturally she sneaked out and ran off with him...

A FEW HOURS AGO...

Buffy had been worried to death, Dawn had been missing for several days now and she knew it was connected to Riven somehow. She also had reason to believe that Riven wasn't even human but possibly a vampire. Which is why she had gathered a group of allies to help her find and rescue her sister. Which led her to this place, an underground, shady nightclub..

30 MINUTES AGO..

"Come on, I know you'll love this place!"Riven grins as he takes Dawn by the hand, slipping her a drink before taking her to the dance floor. They'd been here for nearly an hour by now but there is so much to see and do. He'd introduced her to his friends, they'd chatted and danced, they'd drunk illegal drinks..."Soo ready to see what's upstairs?" he grins in that wicked , charming way of his..

Dawn Summers has posed:
There was something liberating about the past few days. The constant supervision and over-protectiveness seemed so far away from her mind now; a mind that had been clouded by things she had never tried before and givng her mmixed results of coherency. Gone were the nice clothes she typically would wear to school, replaced by a skirt that certaibly would not pass Buffy's inspection and a shirt that bordered that of a bikini top. "Up..upstairs? I thought we...whoa." Her hand reached out and grabbed Riven's shoulder. "Oh look stairs. Uppity uppity."

The young girl of 15 begins her stumbling ascent up the stairs, a hand on Riven's shoulder to stable herself. "Oh I see my feet. There they are. Hello feet." She was barefoot, her shoes having been lost for days. "This better be..fun. Cuz these stairs are hard." She giggled and then started singing. "Stairs are hard. They make me frown. I'll go up them, then come down."

Angel has posed:
Angel was still trying to figure out why he was here, except for the fact that he had inextricably been drawn to Buffy's sister. New sister. Strange sister. Sister. Funny. His mind was telling him that she hadn't existed before...nope! She had been there! Through the good times, and definitely the bad. All Angelus and dark and evil.

After their meet the other night, Angel had felt himself drawn to the location. You know, to keep an eye out for Dawn. It had nothing to do with how he felt about Buffy, and keeping her safe. It was all about Dawn. It was! Darn inside voice...
Now, he was waiting, hoping that she was safe, but having a bad feeling about this whole thing...for the waht, fourth night in a row?

Winifred Burkle has posed:
And Fred was here with Angel, as she was the only member of the team available. She's probably got some new inventions, and as she worked with SHIELD, and WAND, not all of those machines were purely mechanical. Magic and technology is starting to blend, as she invents things. She looks between Buffy and Angel, recalling a time not so long ago she put them in another world with one of her machines.

Karrin Murphy has posed:
A short distance from Angel is one Karrin Murphy. Murph to her friends. Five feet of angry ticked off SPECTRE officer. She shakes her head and groans, looking up to Angel. Literally, not in an awe sort of way. More a Murphy is shorter way. Still she'd agreed at the meeting in Mac's to help out. That's what steak sandwiches and lemonade got her. So she's brought the stake Buffy gave her, her P90, her SIG, and is wearing her wakazashi sword strapped to her belt. Oh that's gonna make moving awkward but she's just ...going to be this slow, five feet tall, liable to break something or committ seppuku if she falls over, Karrin.

So she takes the sword off. Fine. Stake at her hip, a s she sets the Japanese sword down. If anyone wants it, take it. That's the message Murph's sending with her eyes.

And she looks to Angel with a nod. If she does that a lot, she'll crick her neck. Not fun. She's just waiting on the go signal. P90 in her hands. Stake at her hip. She's totally doing this off the record, helping out her BFF. Murph's going to either be a hero, or end up in so much trouble...

Buffy Summers has posed:
Riven casts a charming smile at Dawn, arm wrapped around her shoulders as he leads her upstairs, "Oh, it's about to get a helluva lot more 'fun' sweetheart." he grins wickedly, guiding her the rest of the way up. The second floor is a balcony wrapping around the perimeter of the main floor, and still he leads her further upstairs to the third floor which is guarded by guards. In fact they're guarding elevators tough the young man offers them an exclusive pass and they step aside, allowing him to unlock the elevator door. "I know you're special, Dawn, let me show you just how special you are.."

Buffy frowns softly, glancing around at the others. It was not easy finding this hidden underground club; the entrance is hidden, revealed only when a certain lever is pressed, then a password is required to get past the guards at the heavy steel door. Once they are let in though, they are greeted to a large and bustling nightclub, dark and noisy with loud dance music, a large restaurant bar in the center serving delicious food and a dance floor at stage at the far end..

"We should split up.." Buffy has to raise her voice over the noise, "Everyone be careful. We need to find out where Dawn is being kept.." eyes narrow, peering into the distance, something catching her eye, briefly distracted. She's got everyone's number and ensured they're all connected. "Good luck, everyone.." and then she vanished into the crowd, pulled i. a direction led only by a prophetic dream..Hopefully this is not a trap..

The others' presence does not go unnoticed by the clubbers, certainly not members of the inner circle. A young man with dusty blonde hair approaches Karrin, extending a hand. Why, he looks just like Gregory, her ex. But..He died, didn't he? "Hello, Karrin.."

Another, a young woman with a fragile look and a lovely face framed by blonde hair approaches Angel. Could it be...Darla? "Angel.." she greets.

Dawn Summers has posed:
"I am special." She says this matter of factly with a nod of her head. "You know Raven..Driven...whatever your name is. People look at me and think I am..just a little kid." She reaches up and grabs her chest, "This look like I am a little kid?" She giggles once more and follows Riven to where she is being led. "I...may not have powers. Or like know Karate-kwan-jitsu or that other hi-ya stuff...but I...I...can make cookies. Yeah that's right. I can make cookies and they are good. So good."

She giggles once more and stumbles into the side of the wall. "Oops. Hey Robin. I want cookies now." She bites her bottom lip and pouts a bit. "Nobody loves me. Not even you. You...just want to..." She turns her head to the side and vomits a bit on the floor. Her hand is then raised to wipe her mouth. "Well..that just happened."

Angel has posed:
Angel takes a few moments to look over at Fred. It was good she was here. She was one he could rely on. Plus, she was heckuva smart! "Now, Dawn is the little one. I think she's in trouble, but we need to wait for Buffy's call on it. We only move if Buffy needs us. I suspect she will, shortly."

Spotting Karrin a short distance away, Angel returns her nod and see what she does with the sword. It was a symbol that he appreciated in his many years of knowing what all that suymbolism and tradition meant. It would be good to have her on their side.

Following Buffy, Angel nods, and waves the others forward as well. "Split up...Buffy, are you sure that is wise?" Then, she was gone. "Dammit. Okay everyone, you have your assignments."

As they move forward, Angel is taken aback suddenly by an arrival he never thought he would see again...it took him over completely, and he could feel her already entering his being. "Darla...." Angel was now out of the fight as his eyes dug into hers like a drowning man reaching for the surface of the ocean...

Winifred Burkle has posed:
Fred goes right to work, putting on a bulky looking visor. It reads all sorts of things. For example...first, she looks at Angel, and notices he's room temperature. She notices Gregory. He's also room temperature. Darla, surprisingly, is NOT room temperature. She's warm. "...I didn't expect that." Thankfully, Fred's visor isn't a weapon, it just looks super weird to have that in a club of all places. Maybe they'll think she's a cosplayer gone wrong or something. She pulls Angel down to whisper at him. "He's like you, she's not."

Karrin Murphy has posed:
Murph pulls up when she sees her dead ex-husband. "How. What. You..." she says and launches into a tirade that'd make a boat full of longshoremen stubbing their toes reach for the soapending wit...

"You never even told me"

That's the cue for her to hoist the P90 onto her back and haul off, taking a swing at Taggart. Oh, years of anger, hurt, frustration, pain, and the feeling of betrayal all come to the surface. Karrin knows quite a few martial arts. So she's taking swings at Taggart when she goes to storm past him. "I hope you're happy, jackwagon" she snaps, not quite done with him yet. All the years, oh she wants to make him pay for it all. The last straw was him not even telling her he was sick. Karrin figured she'd seen the last of him. apparently not?

Angel has posed:
Angel is trapped in the gaze of the woman who "made" him. Sired him. It was hard to look away. "Fred. Go save Dawn. I'll be around when I can. Thank you for being there." This was all through clenched teeth and was kind of final. As though Angel didn't think he would come out the other end of this.

Buffy Summers has posed:
"Yes, of course you are dear.." Riven grins, ignoring the vomit as he guides Dawn out of the elevator. The third floor is exclusive members only. No one gets in or presumably out unless they're connected to an inner circle member (No not the Hellfire club). The lighting here is dark, red tinted, and the long hallway leads off to numerous smaller rooms. "I have a surprise for you, Dawn, a special gift for a special girl.." he leads her into the room, locking it behind them then wraps his arms around her waist, proceeding to kiss her.

Darla smiles sweetly, almost sadly at Angel and steps towards him. "Angel, it's been so long..I remember how you dusted me because you had to, and I was proud of you, but now.." she sighs, "Somehow, 'They' brought me back..I'm just a normal human now and everything is so different. I wish I could do things over again, the right way.." she reaches for his hand, "Come with me, Angel. I know why you're here..Let me help you.." her voice is so soft, so gentle..

Gregory frowns, stumbling back as Murphy strikes him, but he's not a delicate human anymore, and he dodges the next strike, moving up to try and catch her arm with his suddenly more impressive strength. "Murphy stop. I died but 'They' gave me another chance to set things right. I want to make it up to you, do it the right way this time..I know why you're here. Let me help you.."

Dawn Summers has posed:
A hand is raised by the young girl, putting a finger to Riven's lip. "Now now Ribbon. What kind of lady do you take me for? I am a proper..." She pauses and thinks. "I am not...gunna just let you have /this/." She struggles a bit to try and pull away, but the man does have a pretty good grip around her waist. He bviously is not going to let her out of his grip.

The ruse is up and tactics changed. She stops struggling and offers him a polite smile. "Oooh, playing rough I see?" Her voice is softer, a sultry whisper." A hand goes to the front of his waist, fingers idly resting there. "This is what you want huh?" It is then that a knee is raised to his groin. "I'm not that drunk asshole." Tho she quickly adds, "But the vomiting...that was real."

Karrin Murphy has posed:
"Yeah right" Murph snaps and snalrs in between twisting and turning to avoid the grip. The stake's at her hip. She's got a better idea. "How about we make a deal? You give me the low down on this place? I'll leave Harry for you?" she says sweetly. Oh she wants to get him to let his guard down....and then kick him where it hurts. Literally and metaphorically. She's outside the club and wanting to get him to follow her. Because no. A good time isn't on her mind. Info and dealing with Taggart? That is. Plus she's got a stake. And she could always try her best to get information, too......and a P90. Between the bullets, and the bronze handled stake? Well, she's waiting, watching and not a happy camper. Taggart? Last one she expected to show up here...

Winifred Burkle has posed:
Fred has her orders...and the visor is scanning the crowd, looking for the younger Summers girl. The good news is, she can find Dawn faster with that thing. The bad news is, she's the least combat trained of the people trying to rescue her. And then, there's an elevator door. Hmmm. Well, one doesn't get to be team inventor only to be stopped by silly keycards on silly elevators. She pulls out yet another device. It looks like a keycard. In fact, it's a 'master Keycard' designed to work anywhere. One of those things SHIELD made that she shouldn't tell anyone she has.

Buffy Summers has posed:
Riven's eyes narrow and he attempts to grab Dawn more roughly, twisting her arm behind her back as she tries to knee him, which doesn't hurt as much as one might think. He's a vampire Afterall. "Silly girl!" he snarls, putting on his game face, attempting to bite her neck.lMaybe even planning on killing her. "Who cares about Armastus ' orders? I'll take you for myself!" he's about to snap her neck, drink her blood when a certain dark haired goth woman grabs him by the shoulder and hurts him away, sending him flying into the nearby wall with a yell.

"Riven always was a fool. Come on, lil' sis, I promised your sister's boyfriend your safety for five minutes with him.." she grins wickedly, grabbing the girl's hand and pulling her along with her, pulling open a large walk in closet somewhere and tossing her inside, "Keep quiet a bit longer and you'll be safer.." with that promise she slams the door shut and locks it.

Gregory smirks at Karrin and shrugs, "Time is running out, Ill let you in the scarlet lounge where the Slayer's sister is being held, but in return you have to do something for me..Give me five minutes, that's all I ask.."

Darla smiles sweetly at a speechless Angel, "What's wrong, cat got your tongue? You know the drill..Just give me five minutes with you..I want to..Catch up,it's been so long and so much has changed, That's all I ask, a chance to speak and in return, I'll help you find Dawn.." she too, leads him to the elevators.

As for Fred, well she's clever enough to find her own way in, and even manages to sneak past the guards. But the third floor is crawling with guards and especially vampires. They're everywhere, pulling willing humans into various rooms with red lighting, offering to get them high in exchange for their blood. One of them steps up to Fred, a spiked haired young man with streaks of purple in his hair. He smiles charmingly at her. "Hey there cutie, you seem lost. Looking for someone? The name's Riven.."

Karrin Murphy has posed:
"Five minutes?" Murph asks simply. "Try one minute. Time's a ticking" she says and looks serious. "What do you want?" she adds. Like she can't guess already. They fought when they were married. Murph's gearing up for a fight,...again. She looks unamused at the idea of....well.....well, you know..../that/

Because no. She's with Harry thank you very much. "You get me in. Then you wait outside and wait for me to find you" Karrin says, anger blazing in her eyes.

Winifred Burkle has posed:
Fred decides to put some of that sweet Southern Charm into this. "Oh, yes. Riven, right? I'm looking for a little friend of mine. Yay big, brown hair, brown eyes, frankly a little young to be here? If you're willing to give her to me, I can complete what I'm supposed to do. The Master has need of who I'm looking for." Hopefully, the Master of this club isn't the vamp in front of her, and the Master refers to somebody not in this place. Still, if she's serving 'someone else', vampires are likely to go with that a whole lot more than her trying to bust doors down.

Buffy Summers has posed:
Gregory licks his lips, looking impatient, "Fine, lets go then.." he frowns, leading her to the elevator finally, pulling out a keycard, sliding the door open and leads her to the scarlet lounge and into one of the rooms. "Yeah, we fought a lot but I know you loved me and I loved you once. We were just too young. And now we're older and wiser." he shrugs, "I was afraid to tell you when I knew, I was still mad but...Look at me! I'm 'Alive!'" he grins, attempting to pull her closer, "And I can make you stronger too.." he attempts to pull her hair back from her neck, baring those fangs if his. Yup, vampire alright!

Riven peers back at Fred, eyes slightly narrowed. "Oh, Dawn? she a friend of yours?" he frowns a bit, pondering, "The Master wants her huh...Dammit, that wench Trudy grabbed her, think she took him down there..." he opens the door and peers around, nodding down the east end of the hallway. Most of the rooms are open and full of vamps drinking on human blood. One or two are smaller and closed.

Winifred Burkle has posed:
Fred smiles. "Well...if you help me get the girl, I just might give you a treat in exchange. Nothing happens for nothing. But don't overdo it. I have to have enough left to return her to the Master." Yes, Fred's actually going to submit to a bite if Riven goes ahead and helps her get where she's going. She figures that just might be enough to get Riven to fully commit to finding the girl for her...with minimal fuss.

Karrin Murphy has posed:
Never, ever corner a Murphy. Karrin fights like a wild caged animal. As hair gets pulled back, out comes the stake from her hip. Him pulling her closer just means the sharp bit of brass and wood has less distance to go. Karrin shoves with all her strength. Oh, she's a dangerous foe.

So, with a yell, she shoves the stake....and prays it works. Yes. Sending up a prayer. That's actually a good idea. "You wil just hurt me again" she snaps. Oh if Harry were here...he'd have torched 'em all! That wizard knows how to have a cookout

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
As Riven leans closer, there is a poof of ash coming from behind the two as a vampire sneaking up on Fred suddenly goes bye bye.

Clunk clunk clunk clunk.

A stake lands on the floor beside Fred. Darn. That Fred must be quick.

Buffy Summers has posed:
Riven's eyes light up, peering hungrily at Fred's neck. "Mmm, Ill hold you up to that promise.." he grins wickedly he pauses, sniffing the air and strides down the hallway towards a smaller doorway, pausing, "could be around here somewhere, Trudy talked about hiding her somewhere..lDammit, Lord Armastus is gonna be mad.." he peers at the nearby door and wrenches it open, turning in the light to the closet. Hmm, no one in there. "One down one to go.." his eyes narrow, peering down the hall towards Where the stake clatters to the ground, "The heck..?" he snarls, grabbing the stake and waves it blindly at the air on front of him.

Gregory laughs, reaching over to try and bite her. If he's lucky he might even breast the skin before the stake is shoved in..,And finds its mark on the first try. Eyes widen, staggering back, clutching at the stake, "You..,You monster..You really would kill me wouldn't you..But you're too late, Lord Armastus will find the girl and take her along with the others..You can't stop his army!" his laughter echoes on the walls as he explodes to dust, probably spraying Murphy too.

And all this chaos is starting to attract attention. Maybe four more vamps crawl out of the woodwork, surrounding Nick and Fred, and maybe Karrin too should she join her allies.

Winifred Burkle has posed:
From there, Fred simply walks by the vampire...and the person fighting him...into the room...since she isn't in evidence, she instead turns to...a closet? Well, she'll open up that closet and see if it's the right one. If it is...it doesn't matter if the vamp gets dusted or not. If it is not...well, then it's up to the warrior who busted in to either clear all the vamps, or, well, if he loses, back to her original plan. "I serve the Master's work. Take care of this" she says...to the Vampires! As if this intrusion was simply a thing for the vampires to 'take care of.'

Meanwhile...where IS this girl?

Karrin Murphy has posed:
Murph's exiting stage.....something fighting. Stake swinging and lunging, she's doing her level best to cut through the vampires. Thought. If they came out of the woodwork, pu termites in. Maybe they are a wooden vampire cult? Maybe....

That's her thought as she's slashing and lunging and swinging away to escape. She's pretty sure the others can deal with this themselves. Besides. Murph's clearing an escape route too...and then some. And then some more

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
The unseen phantasm steps back quietly , watching Rivin essentially stab at empty air. He moves over to another vampire. Taking another stake out from his pocket, and passes it into the chest of another vampire. The vampire seems fine despite that. Still moving about. But then the Phantasm lets go, taking the ability away from the stick, allowing for it to solidfy.

Buffy Summers has posed:
As Murphy and Nick clear the way of vampires, Fred will eventually find the unconscious Dawn in one of the closets - the second one actually. Fortunately the vamps are too distracted to pay attention to her and she will manage to pull out Dawn with the help of the others, with backup from Angel as well who helps to clear a pathway to the exit. It's a close call now that backup has been alerted but the scoobies manage to get out by the skin of their teeth..

Still, one has to wonder what happened to Buffy, who has not returned to meet them...?

TO BE CONTINUED!!

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
There's not much to be said of the unseen Phantasm. He doesn't really make much of a scene as he leaves, quietly. Stakes vanishing with him.