chapter five ♔ it'll be a day like this one when the sky falls down

[eldritchweaver]

the blues - switchfoot

WHO || The Knights
WHAT || Failboat returns from the disaster in LA as the Knighthood goes on lockdown
WHERE || The castle, London
WHEN || Directly after this, Fall 2017
HOW || Actionspam

Hasmed's announcement does not brook any rebuttal: all Knights are recalled to the Castle, where they must remain until the Section Heads and Jack Chessing have spoken about the events in Los Angeles that have left the Knighthood without their usual leader.  

The entire Los Angeles area is now covered with a dark miasma that has interfered with any signals that might be sent out from phones, etc., leaving the whole world wondering what exactly is happening down there.  Final images showed horrendous monsters, a panic of citizens, looting and violence from humans and Shadowkind alike.  

Hasmed has warned of extra magical wards on the castle, and anyone arriving will immediately take notice of one very prominent one: above the entire roof of the excessively large building hovers a black and red sigil in the air, a pentagram in a circle surrounded by runes or words in an unknown language, stretching for miles.  

[ This is the social log for post-LA lockdown.  Failboat must complete the top log before being allowed to tag outside of it. ]

Comments

[littledhampir]

[Lost in a sea of her own thoughts, it's only the stopping of the car that jars Rose back into the present, her gaze immediately drawn to the symbol with an audible intake of breath. Confusion and worry go to war on her features as she scrutinizes the scene before them, and much like Jack she appears to have some idea of what she's looking at.

A hand reaches out, Rose forcing herself to look away from the symbol and to the man at her side. Her Nat 20 Sense Motive on Dean (bc ofc she did) sees a question shine in her eyes, her mouth opening as if she might give it voice before she appears to decide better of it. There's a newfound tension that radiates through her body - as if this day could get any worse - and she gives Dean's leg a gentle squeeze, in a weak attempt of reassurance.]

This should be interesting...

[bigbad]

[Spike looks up and sighs.] They have a bloody bat signal? Brilliant. Of course they do.

[rationalizes]

[ gar watches out the window, equally stone-faced, glancing nervously in buffy's direction ] Someone must have invited them. It never would have been Wynn.

[slay]

Jack?

[ Buffy looks over at him, puzzled. he's honestly the only other person she could imagine calling them. But then again, she ... wouldn't be entirely surprised if no one had done it.

Regardless, she steels herself. ] I'll handle this.

[chessing]

It certainly wasn't I. [ as they pull in and drive past the pond, he frowns more deeply ] I suggest we find out exactly what the situation is before we 'handle it'. [ annnd they park right out front. who's carrying myri & felicity yo. jack will take crombe by the elbow and drag him up the steps with him ]

[slay]

You always assume I'm going to start with punching.

[nepotism]

[ probably b/c she always starts with the punching, is what fred's face says. he looks up at the castle and the ominous symbol floating over it, as if it sends a chill down his spine. he's gonna go gather up felicity with a manly strength check and start up the steps, kat beside him, as jack and gar go to open the doors. ]

[bigbad]

Why could that possibly be?

[Definitely cause she always starts with the punching. Spike lifts up Myri with his own manly strength check of 23 and follows the NPC pack.]

[likedillinger]

[ dean is gonna pull up the rear of this train with rose, keeping a close eye on the surroundings like he doesn't know whether this is even safe territory or not anymore. they head inside, bodies and bad guy in tow. the lobby is empty except for one lone squire at the desk. ]

[realists]

[ what up sluts.

the lone squire at the desk is ignoring the phone ringing (she'd managed to turn the volume down, heyo), but she looks up when the doors open, noting jack and the bodies and not seeming to flinch even a little at the death and the state of them all.

she addresses jack bc who the fuck are the rest of you people? ]

They're waiting for you at the round table. With-- [ she looks down at her note. ] --Hellsink.

[layonhands]

[ jack nods to her, just as risa rounds the corner, a large tree-person behind her. she stops short, mouth falling open a bit, but then meets jack's eyes and it's clear he sent word ahead to her. she directs groot forward towards fred and spike. ] We'll take them upstairs and see what we can do right away.

[ a beat ] Is Wynn really...

[slay]

We don't know for sure.

[ Buffy's holding onto that, for now. ]

He stayed.

[layonhands]

Stayed... [ she repeats, looking to jack as if for confirmation, but jack is just not even rn. risa nods and says: ] I'm sure they're waiting for you. We'll... take good care of them. [ and gestures to groot to take them away ]

[littledhampir]

[Rose's gaze is noticeably anywhere but on Risa as she echoes Buffy's words, chancing a glance in Dean's direction as if he's the safest place for her to look right now.]

Should we get this over with, then?

[realists]

[ instead of saying "i'll let them know you're coming", jyn picks up the phone, hangs up the phone, and jabs speakerphone to call idk solace probably because hasmed is a weirdo. ]

Chessing and the crew you mentioned are heading in.

[slay]

[ march march march. she doesn't let risa's confusion slow her down, just slips right past to beeline for the round table room. ]

[eldritchweaver]

[ the group marches along in grim silence towards the secret hallway, gar opening the portrait to allow jack to lead them in.

there's an extra layer of ominous tidings overlaying the walk down this hall, decorated as it is with images that have now taken on some very literal realities: the silver dragon depicted over and over again in art styles that stretch from medieval to renaissance and beyond, facing off with dark elves, or in some cases a singular dark elf. gar can't help but find her eyes draw up towards them a few times, and kat follows her gaze, shifting uncomfortably and looking uncertainly at fred jr. like jack, however, he keeps his eyes forward as they move towards the round table room. mark reaches out to squeeze alainn's hand and dumage glances at spike when she sees that, before pointedly glancing away.

isabella walks in front of rose and dean, glancing around at their surroundings with muted curiosity, although none of it dissolves the discontent and anger clouding her expression. dean's jaw is set, and he looks as if his fingers are twitching for a fight.

they pour into the round table room, where the great crystal dragon twines upwards towards the ceiling. hasmed and solace sit on the side where wynn customarily positions himself, in front of his doors, lis'sa and koraith beside hasmed, dovan, lan, and christos extending out from solace.

another figure sits at the very first seat directly in front of the entrance, a blond head visible with its back to them, above which curls a plume of spoke. she lifts a gloved hand to remove her cigar from her lips, and exhales another stream of it, which curls up in front of the figure who stands at her side - impossibly tall, wearing a floor-length blood-red trenchcoat. as his strange reptilian red eyes follow the entering stream of people, he lets out a sound of quiet amusement, lips curving into a grin.

it is hasmed who speaks up first. ]

Sir Chessing. We are glad you have returned to explain this situation to us personally. There are many standing questions that we would see answered.

[chessing]

[ well, that was not a warm greeting at all. jack steels himself to keep that british politeness intact before replying. ] Naturally. Although, I imagine you won't begrudge me addressing a standing question of my own first. To be precise, regarding Hellsing's presence in this debriefing.

[shootfirst]

[ under her breath, kat murmurs: ] Good fucking question.

[littledhampir]

[With all the shit that Rose has seen and done, there's very little that she can encounter that to her is so unsettling, it visibly shakes her, and yet the sight of an impossibly tall, dark-haired, red-eyed Vampire... (this is fine).

Coming to an abrupt halt at the back of the group, Rose's whole body tenses beside Dean's and her hand shifts to brush against the silver stake at her side, more for reassurance than readiness to attack (WS 32)... for now.]

[slay]

[ Buffy turns her head towards Rose as they enter. ]

It's okay.

[ If anyone's word can be counted on in that, it's the Slayer, right? As much as that means. She grabs the back of a chair and seats herself opposite Integra. There's no reason they can't be civilized. ]

Sir Integra. Long time no see.

[masterofmonster]

Sir Summers. [ if anything, she sounds vaguely amused, and alucard's wolfish grin widens. it's also integra who addresses jack's question first ]

Hellsing is here at the request of the Knighthood. By all appearances, things have spiraled beyond your capacities and your specialties. A supernatural threat now endangers perhaps the entire world, and the Queen herself agrees that we cannot put trust in the American government to address this problem properly before it affects our shores.

1/-

[shootfirst]

Beyond our capacities? [ kat sputters, offended ] You have no idea what we've dealing with out there! We--

2/-

[eldritchweaver]

Sir Samcelot, control your tongue, or you will not be a part of this meeting. Hellsing has been invited here as our guests, and they have been willing to work with us, despite a history of tension between our organizations. We will extend to them every courtesy. Is that clear?

3/-

[shootfirst]

[ half under her breath: ] Who died and made you Wynn, exactly?