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

TOPHER BRINK ✴ OTA

[andblockbuster]

✴ (ONE)

[Before coming to stay with the Knights, Topher lived in LA, which, granted is huge, but somehow it feels unbearably small right now. The place Blade's concert was held was a concert hall he'd been in once. He's walked that street before. With cameras down, it's no telling how much of it is being demolished. When the smoke clears, there might not be much left.

Most of the people he knew before the Knights were either dead or deserved to be, courtesy of the collapse of Pegasus, and it's not like he got out much, but it still isn't easy to deal with. People were killed- innocent people and innocent knights. And a whole frakking city with them.

He stays in the computer lab for way longer than necessary. The night's dragged on, and he's still here, downing energy drinks and trying to find anything- any scrap he can use to collect and show the Knights at some point, so they know what they're dealing with.

Of course, energy drinks can't combat stress and exhaustion, and he does... Eventually, faceplant onto the keyboard at some point.]

✴ (TWO)

[After falling asleep at the keyboard until woken up at some odd hour of the next morning, Topher paces the halls with his phone, trying to dial a number and then wussing out at the last minute.

Man he really needs a task to do or anything to keep from thinking about his decision paralysis.]

one }

[supertardiness]

[Barry is feeling a bit useless at the moment so he's trying to find ways to get information about the people he can't get a hold of. But in order to do that he needs to find out what exactly is going on.

He makes his way up to the Hoard labs, and he's about to ask, but when he sees Topher passed out on the keyboard, he pushes that to the side for now, and reaches over to place his hand on his shoulder gently.]

Hey. Topher.

[They haven't really seen each other since Gar was taken, but Barry's good with names.]

[andblockbuster]

[What a coincidence- Topher is horrible at names. But he got a 10 wis to not be That Guy, so he kinda remembers.] Hey.... Barry, right?

[Other things he's terrible at- awkward situations. He's silent for a moment and then shrugs.] So heck of a night last night, huh?

[supertardiness]

Yeah, tell me about it.

[And now he's mostly going to be Concerned.]

You doing okay? You look like you could use some sleep.

[andblockbuster]

[He drags a hand down his face and tries not to look bitchy, but... his face is sort of always bitchy when he's overtired.] I hadn't noticed. The fact that my blood is, like, 85% red bull right now is probably to blame for that, but what do I know? I've been... I've been following the rabbit hole of social media insanity for hours.

[supertardiness]

Well, if you want to take a break from that, I might have something that's a little more ... engaging?

[He's not sure if now's the time but it could be relevant so ... give it a shot, right?]

one;

[pathology]

[one morning, astrid plops a large water bottle down on his desk next to him. loudly and agressively, as is her way.]

Don't die. Stop drinking garbage.

[andblockbuster]

[Topher stares from the water to his energy drinks, looks aggrieved, but ultimately accepts the offering of (1) medical doctor.]

I figured if we're in the middle of the apocalypse, I might as well do what I want, which includes going into cardiac arrest at thirty, I guess.

[pathology]

You can't die, because you're my friend and our lives are really fucked right now and ... [she wants to keep going with her list, but it ends in a flailing hand gesture.] I need you alive. Drink water. Eat a vegetable.

[andblockbuster]

Thank you, actual medical doctor Astrid Mädchen‬. [He swigs the water.] I wonder if anyone's actually stress cooking at this hour. [He doesn't even know what hour it is.] I don't wanna swallow down cold carrots if I don't have to.

[pathology]

You're in luck, because I have French fry salad.

[aka her favorite food. he's probably seen her eat it before -- literally a salad that's like half french fries. she's a classy vegetarian.]

two.

[felidity]

[ kali is tired of watching topher pace. it makes her nervous, even though she is used to topher being the much more anxious one when it comes to things like this. she is sad! ish. she's sad for alex and for sweets and for cora, but she's sad for other people, not really for the dead people? they're... dead.

it's been a weird struggle.

regardless, she is frustrated by topher's pacing and eventually reaches over to snatch the phone out of his hand, pressing send for him and holding the phone hostage as it rings. ]

It's ringing. Should I tell them I'm your girlfriend?

[andblockbuster]

Oh my god, Kali. [He tries to flail for the phone, but... she is 100% faster than he is, so all he can really do is flail.] They're gonna think I hired you or-or something-

[A harried woman's voice picks up. "This is Dr. Brink." Topher bites his knuckles and makes a high pitched noise that sounds like fffffffff.]

[felidity]

Oh! Toph, it's your mom! [ which she no doubt hears before kali addresses his mother properly. ] Hi, Dr Brink, my name is Kali, I'm friends with your son. Not like that, we don't have a sexual relationship, it's very platonic.

[ see, super believable. ]

Anyway he is very swamped but he was whining that he needed to check on you so I called while he tries to get away from our boss. [ you know how some people just can't lie? that is kali, so from start to finish that all sounds fake. maybe his mom will think they're dating who knows. ] Here he is!

[ and now topher has the phone and kali will patiently wait for him to be done. ]

[andblockbuster]

[There is a long silence and even as Kali is talking, you can hear her voice get sharp THE SECOND SHE STARTS SPEAKING. "Put Christopher on the phone, PUT CHRISTOPHER ON THE PHONE RIGHT NOW."

And Topher gets to hear the repeated yelling of his name as he takes the phone and cringes as he catches an earful of Dr. Brink mid-shriek.] Mom... Heeeey. That was just Kali. My co-worker, and she-

[Good for Kali, she can easily hear EVERYTHING being said because Topher's mom is LOUD. "CHRISTOPHER, WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING IN LA? YOUR FATHER IS TRAPPED ON THE-" And she starts speaking in Californian freeway lingo while Topher rubs his forehead. "- AND THE NUMBER TO YOUR OLD JOB HAS BEEN DISCONNECTED. YOU DIDN'T EVEN TELL US YOU CHANGED CELL NUMBERS."] Mom? MOM. I don't even live in LA anymore. I moved, like, a few years ago.

[And now she's shrieking about HOW DARE HE MOVE WITHOUT TELLING HER AND DID HE ACTUALLY MANAGE TO GET A DECENT JOB INSTEAD OF FOCUSING ON THE NEURO-TECH HE WROTE HIS THESIS ON. There's finally a pause, which seems to be a moment for the woman to breathe.] So you two are fine? Aside from dad being stuck in traffic, which seems pretty normal, honestly.

["Don't get smart with me, Christopher." Topher shoots Kali a look and mouths "look what you've done."]

[felidity]

[ kali mouths WOW while this is all happening and when there is a lull she manages to blurt out: ]

You are a very inconsiderate son, you deserve all of this. [ he could have at least told him he changed his number and job and address. that is just rude. ] I'm on your mother's side.

[ and she leans over to punch his shoulder to add, ] Don't ever move without telling me.

one

[65]

[finnick decides to check the computer lab first because where else would nerds be. but luckily topher just ... lives there, so, everything is fine. he just walks up to topher's area, looking very much like someone who a) could beat him up and b) just spent like 50 years doing nothing but crying. he's the perfect picture of mental health okay IT IS FINE.]

Are you Topher Brink?

[andblockbuster]

[Topher is running on like one hour of sleep and six Monster Imports (which are probably not Imports in England), so he sort of stares at Finnick like he's looking at a very emotional Terminator or something.]

Yes...? Is this the part where you say, "Come with me if you want to live?"

[65]

I — they need you in the Light wing.

[andblockbuster]

[He's about to make some asinine statement about how he's only sort of that kind of doctor, and maybe they should get Astrid, but if someone is asking for him, it must be a brain thing (wis 17 and that's with his NEGATIVE WISDOM SCORE), so he gets to his feet.]

And you need the brain guy. That's potentially bad. Um... Take the lead, you... overly emotional and very fit blonde guy.

[65]

Finnick. [he leads the way, trying to walk VERY BRISKLY but not run because he doesn't think topher could keep up. maybe he should carry him ... no finnick don't do that. but he thought about it. he can exposition while they walk though.] It's Myri. My wife. Her brain stem is missing.

I MAKE MY OWN NUMBER

[rationalizes]

[ gar, master of subtlety, literally runs into topher as he heads into the lab the next day, her arms full of a bag stuffed with stuff ] Oh!

GOOD X(

[andblockbuster]

Whoa! [Topher barely manages to avoid falling over on ass (reflex 12), but he stumbles a bit.] Hey, I've been trying to find you. Hasmed and Solace are being way doom and gloom, and apparently against modern science. This whole being compromised by psions thing is like really easy to check, and...

[...His frantically moving hands suddenly drop down to her bag.] ...Are you hoarding for the apocalypse?

[rationalizes]

... What? No! No, it's not for -- it's not for me. It's... I, um. Forgot... some things, to work on a project... in my room. Er...

[ here's what a 6 bluff looks like, ladies and gents ]

[andblockbuster]

[Topher has a negative wis score, no ranks in sense motive, and he rolled a four. Jesus Christ.

He 100% believes her.] Right. This situation is so crazy that if I don't stay busy, I'm gonna do something insane. Barry and Cisco and I are working on something to work into some armor that monitors brain activity so we know when someone might be compromised by a psion. It's gonna be awesome. We might be able to get your team un-benched.