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

[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.

[andblockbuster]

[Topher shoots her a hurt, pouty look, but refuses to dignify that with a response until he finally, FINALLY gets his mom off the phone, after promising that all is well and he wasn't even in the country when all that went down, etc, etc.

Once he hangs up, he waves the phone at her.] Don't take her side. That was her on a kind and compassionate day.

[felidity]

Don't move without telling me and I won't take her side. [ her nose wrinkles up. ] She's very shrill.

[andblockbuster]

Hey I was on the run from very, very bad men in very fancy suits with guns and silencers and all that horrible Jason Bourne crap without me actually being Jason Bourne. [He flails his hands vaguely.] I had my reasons for not making a big show of it. And if that were a problem again, I'd just pack you in my suitcase. You're scary.

[felidity]

[ kali rolls her eyes. ]

If you were only on the run from very, very bad men in very fancy suits with guns and silencers and all that horrible Jason Bourne crap without actually being Jason Bourne, then they didn't want you very badly.

They could have sent one of me.

[andblockbuster]

Yeah, that's not Bourne Identity. That's Terminator. Which is way, way worse.

[felidity]

I know you would want me specifically to find you so I'm not going to take that as an insult. I would be Arnold Schwarzenegger to your Linda Blair!

[andblockbuster]

It's Linda Hamilton. [SO PAINED. SO PAINED, KALI.] Linda Blair was the girl in The Exorcist.

[felidity]

...which one was in Dante's Peak, I like that one!

[andblockbuster]

Also Linda Hamilton. God... We have really gotta get you on a better diet of pop culture.

[felidity]

I like Dante's Peak... [ don't insult her movie, topher! ] I thought I was doing well.

[andblockbuster]

I mean as far as 90's disaster movies go, you can do a lot worse, so there's nothing wrong with that. But... You could still use, like, a pop culture expansion pack.

[felidity]

Well, we're stuck here for who knows how long, I suddenly have time on my hands.

[andblockbuster]

[He puts a hand on her shoulder, expression solemn.] I would be honored to be your guru.

[felidity]

[ kali blinks at him for a couple seconds. ] You're so strange.

[ please never die, she loves him. but it's movie time? it's movie time so off they trot to educate kali more, the end. ]