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

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.]

[andblockbuster]

That's the kind of vegetable I can get behind. [He scoots the wheely chair back with a little more gusto than is necessary.] I do love my inappropriate starches. And it'll distract me from my intense feelings about how the In-and-Out on Gayley Avenue is probably overrun by, like, more giant spiders or something.

[pathology]

[she wrinkles her nose.] Probably. That sucks. At least you have like, multiple In-n-Outs though? Philly is mostly garbage but if it was even more on fire than usual I would miss Vedge. Uh, it's like a fancy vegan restaurant in an old mansion.

[andblockbuster]

[He was going to protest THAT NOT EVERY IN AND OUT IS CREATED EQUAL, ASTRID, YOU IGNORANT SLUT. But he's easily fascinated.] That is the most vegan thing I've ever heard. "We don't eat meat, but we love presentation."

[pathology]

Right? It's so extra, that's why I love it. [and then suddenly, like it just occurred to her while thinking of what would happen if philly was on fire] Oh, shit, is your family okay?

[andblockbuster]

[OH RIGHT... The family.] Oh, uh... Yeah. Mom and Dad don't even live in LA, but they kinda thought I still did.

[So that was a thing.]

[pathology]

[and then she's distracted bc there's an opportunity to talk about herself.] You lied to them? That's cool. My parents still think I'm in Oxford for med school. I figure I've got a few more years out of that lie before I have to figure something else out.

[andblockbuster]

See? Kali thinks I should've told them the truth, but what is the truth, really? [He holds his hand to his head, fingers mimicking a phone.] Hi, Mom and Dad, totally joined a Knighthood. Can't tell you where. Bye now.

[He drops his hands.] Doesn't work. And technically my first job was one big lie too, so why make up more than one?

[pathology]

[she snorts.] Right? Some of these guys don't get it, because they're Shadowkind so like ... they don't have anyone else here. Or like, their lives are already so weird and fucked up that nothing else would make sense. But some of us have like, normal families back home. If I said I joined a knighthood, they'd probably have me committed.

[andblockbuster]

So I guess that means you're staying here, right? It's kinda starting to feel like an "are you in or out" sort of situation. [He puffs his cheeks and exhales dramatically.] Not gonna lie, I'm, like, about 50% spooked by all this. Not just LA- but the atmosphere around here.

[pathology]

Yeah, I'm staying. [she leans against his desk to the point that she's basically sitting on the edge.] It's all super-dramatic, but we've been through other dramatic stuff like, you know, the castle being half-wrecked, all that? At first I was like, maybe this is just another bad time but then things will go back to normal. But ... I don't know. Maybe it won't.

[andblockbuster]

You mean like Wynn'll really be gone, and I'll find something even worse than stone to get turned into during a mission?

[He leans back in his chair so he can stare at the ceiling.] 'Cause that really sucked.

[pathology]

Ugh, I know. You weren't even the first. Last time it was even worse, okay. Emma Swan got turned into stone and then her head broke off.

[andblockbuster]

[Topher's eyes widen to saucers.] Are you serious? And she lived?

[He presses his knuckles to his teeth and hisses.] I hate magic.

[pathology]

Yeah, but it was a whole thing and just ... ugh. You're preaching to the choir. Wouldn't it be great if the veil closed like, now? That's one way to solve the apocalypse. Just take away everyone's toys.

[andblockbuster]

Oh my god, we are so due for another Eldritch Tide. [He drags his hands down his face.] Normally, I think a deus ex machina is absolute crap in storytelling, but this is, somehow, my life. I am down for it in real life.

[pathology]

It's literally the perfect time for a deus ex machina. I, personally, am done with this shit.

[andblockbuster]

And it's only just started. I really, really wanna believe we can beat this, but I don't necessarily wanna be on the front lines during it.

[pathology]

Me, either. Although, technically, as medical-type people, we shouldn't be on the front lines at all ... maybe we can outlive this.

[andblockbuster]

[Topher lifts his hands away from his face.] Because we're the White Mages... Except we have actual medical degrees.

[pathology]

Ish. [some more than others, ok, Topher.]

But ... yeah. [moves the timeline of this thread up because what is time??? waves hands vaguely] Maybe we can get out of that military training bullshit.