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

Finn | OTA

[militarized]

[People kept talking about what was happening, referring it to the end of the world and stuff. Considering he remembers a weapon that could wipe things off the map with a single hit, he knows what dealing with that kind of thing is like.

He didn't really want to deal with it again, didn't think he'd have to here, but here they were. Again.

It feels strange to just be sitting and watching, though. It had been more of a spring into action last time, and he found himself wanting to help, to figure out how he even could.

There was so much about this world that he still didn't know.

He mingles in social areas, but doesn't talk a whole lot, just trying to get a better feel for the situation and what the next steps might be. He sits into the common room and watches the news for updates. He spends plenty of time in the dining area, eating, or firing off this places older weapons in the training areas.

He's gotta stay busy or he'll go crazy.]

[realists]

[ the news is an odd thing for jyn, one of the earth novelties she hasn't quite gotten used to. she was used to news streaming onto a datapad but it came in clumps and chunks and expertly censored so the empire looked at it's very best.

(so like fox news.)

but after watching it for long enough, the utter destruction brings back too many uncomfortable feelings about the death star and she can feel panic start to well in her chest. which is why she grabs the remote from the coffee table, halfway between where she and the other guy are silent sitting, and snaps the tv off entirely. she's not throwing up again. ]

We need to stop watching this.

[militarized]

[Finn wasn't all that used to it either, considering. He hadn't gotten the news at all growing up; it was just carefully crafted propaganda and brainwashing basically at all times.

He was one of the only people it didn't stick with.]

It's like watching a ship collision. It's hard to look away.

[But he wanted to do the same thing but didn't want to stop anyone else from seeing it. At least now it's done for him.]

[realists]

[ jyn is happy to have turned it off for both of them. clearly both of them need a fucking break, especially since she can relate to what finn is saying. it was impossible to look away from jedha and scarif, especially scarif. ]

This place was supposed to be safe, [ she mutters. ] No Empire.

[ instead they get this clusterfuck and while it doesn't seem worse, compared to planet killers, it's still bad. objectively bad. ]

[militarized]

[Finn looks over at her, recognition in his eyes.]

I used to have something called the Empire back home, before I was born. Now we've got The First Order.

[He looks away again.]

Not that that really matters anymore. Pretty sure this might be worse. There's no way for anyone to get away from it.

[realists]

It's just one city, not a planet.

[ a bitter thought, especially considering jyn didn't live to witness the full capabilities of the death star. she only saw cities destroyed, horizon vanishing even as thay stumbled toward it, shockwave of the blast blotting out the sun and yet bright enough to blind. she'd given in and accepted the force, at peace.

and now there is this bullshit.

she glances over at the man, they're roughly the same age, he looks gentle and kind the way bodhi did, without all the fluttery anxiety caused by bor gullet. ] Do you know Poe?

[ he'd mentioned the first order, too, though jyn hadn't let him give her any context for it. ]

[militarized]

A planet we can't get off of if it doesn't stay in one city.

[But that was a worry for another day. They had enough at present to deal with.

Still, the mention of Poe has his eyes lighting up with recognition.]

Best fighter pilot in the Resistance. We're from the same place, but he doesn't remember me. The Veil got to him.

[does_not_sparkle]

[Kiance remembers a lot longer of a life in this world than most of the humans here do, but even to him this is a horror he can't fathom.
Too many people died, and for no good reason.

Not that there is a good reason for death, but you get the point.

He watches Finn as he sits in the common room quietly, not talking much to others. Perhaps it's the quietness that draws Kiance to him, the feeling of the energy under the man's skin that is just wanting to be released in a way that could help. Maybe it's the light behind the eyes, seeing that the man is shocked, but not at much in the way of someone who has also seen death in this vast number before.

Perhaps it's just his pretty face, because Finn does have a pretty face, after all.

Whichever reason why, Kiance will end up taking a seat next to him and offer him a small, sad smile.]

You okay?

[militarized]

[He looks up at the person addressing him, surprised that someone's talking to him before he nods and looks back at the tv, breathing out.]

Yeah, I think so. [He gestures with a hand.] Doesn't get easier no matter many times you watch it, though.

[does_not_sparkle]

No, it does not. Maybe it would be better to go do something else instead of watching it then?

[militarized]

Knowing and dealing with it is better than not knowing anything though, isn't it?

[does_not_sparkle]

Most of the time. But there are a few times where ignorance is bliss. This, sadly for us is not one of those times since we are directly affected. But listening to the news will not give us answers - they will not understand everything that happened and will give a false narrative.

[militarized]

Ignorance just gets people killed, or worse.

[He'd been ignorant a long time before he decided to do something about it.]

But you're right. This is just propaganda. [He grabs the remote and shuts it off.] This place isn't like the First Order. They won't keep anything from us.

[forcevisions]

Did you know any of them?

[ she comes to find him once the names of the dead are released, leans against the wall behind him in the firing range. she's noticed his efforts at keeping busy, and she's realizing that she ... doesn't really know finn well enough to know what that means. theirs was a frantic friendship, made in wartime. this is the everyday stuff. this is habits and ticks and little things and she wants to know what those things mean, in him, but she doesn't. not yet. ]

[militarized]

[His shoulders tense at the sound of her voice, then immediately relax as he realizes who it is. He's trying to keep his shit together, since panicking isn't gonna do any good, and he's succeeded pretty well for the most part.

He puts the gun down, leaning against the shelf separating him from the rest of the gun range, before looking over at her.]

Yeah. [He pauses before he goes to to clarify:] Felicity. She's my mentor here.

[forcevisions]

Oh, Finn.

[ she can hardly imagine it. what if that had been jaina? she wouldn't have been able to stomach it. she knows that. she doesn't have many people she cares about, and that makes each of them the more valuable. it's the same for finn. she knows that.

but she also doesn't have the social skills to, idk, comfort him properly. so there's no hug here, just a pained face of empathy. ]

Is there anything they can do for her?

[militarized]

I don't know yet. They've got her in the light wing, I think.

[But she's not hurt, she's dead. How does someone come back from that, really?

He doesn't get it, but if they can make it work, then it's worth it, right?]

I didn't know her super well or anything, but now I might not get to and-

[He stops himself, realizing that the way he's saying it sounds kind of selfish, but he's not sure how else to put it into words.]

-I don't know.

[The First Order didn't exactly give him a good or healthy way of dealing with tragedy. They caused them and were told not to feel anything about it at all.]

[forcevisions]

Have you been by to see her?

[ She doesn't know if it will help, but she'd done it. She'd done it when she saw Finn that way. It had hurt, but it had also helped her confirm that he was still breathing.

Maybe that won't help, though, when she's not breathing at all. ]

[militarized]

Not yet.

[He's not sure if he should. He's not really sure what to do at all.]

I'd probably just get in the way of whatever they're doing.

[highlyemotional]

[ caroline is carefully taking inventory of her things in her room when she hears someone approach and then hears a knock. heartbeat = human. ]

It's open.

[militarized]

[He opens the door, sticking his head in once there's enough space for it.]

Hey, you got a minute?

[They're not super close or anything, but with how close she is to Rey, they have to at least be acquaintances.]

[highlyemotional]

Sure. Come on in.

[ she pushes the door open wider so he can come in to her spotless and typically feminine teenage girl room. ]

[militarized]

[Ugh, Rey owes him so bad after this.]

I, uh, Rey asked me to come talk to you. She got...caught up in something.

[highlyemotional]

But-- Oh. [ caroline looks at the stacks of neatly folded clothes on her bed and thinks it was probably silly to get started packing immediately, like that was stupid, of course they can't leave right away. there's...

preparations and stuff. ]

Okay. Thanks for telling me. Did she say why? Or how long it's going to take?

[militarized]

She said there's still something she needs, so I guess she can't go without it.

[He's sure he knows what 'it' is at this point, but he doesn't want to go there. Not out loud.]

She said to tell you she'd keep you safe, though.