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]

[There's something strange in the way Rose looks at the brothers as they hug, bittersweet almost as concern goes to war with the flush of happiness.]

Cause he wasn't terrifying enough already... It's been a... day. [There really aren't words for this one tbh.]

[familybusiness]

That's pretty much what Hasmed told us.

[So...that doesn't cover the secrecy thing.]

What's this long story you were talking about? Does it have to do with this mess?

[likedillinger]

Section heads are holding a meeting right now. They're trying to boot Rose's team off the case.

[littledhampir]

Personally, I think Hasmed is going to try and do more than that... but we'll see. It could mean us leaving the Castle if it comes to that.

[familybusiness]

[That...doesn't seem like a long story at all, but that's still a big problem.]

That doesn't make any sense.

[Rose had been on this mission for ages. Why now?]

[likedillinger]

Not a lot of people are thinking logically right now. The way they see it, we could all be possessed by that psionic chick.

[littledhampir]

Among other things. [Rose glances at Dean, then back to her loose fist.]

Solace was grilling me about my Rez... and in light of recent events.

[Rose looks back at Dean once more, her expression unreadable as a series of thoughts race through her mind, before she pushes herself to stand up and cross the room to the other Winchester.

Extending her closed fist, palm up, her fingers uncurl to reveal a small vial of clear liquid.]

I need to ask you to drink this first, Sam.

[familybusiness]

[Sam's expression is equally unreadable as Rose reveals a bit in regards to what this is all about. He recognizes the contents of the vial instantly; it's not hard to guess what it is. He knows his brother, and Rose learned all their 'tricks' a long time ago.]

That's holy water, isn't it?

[He tries not to be offended. He's pretty sure it's not meant to be that way, that they don't actually suspect him of that, but it isn't like he hadn't been doing his own thing for a while now.

He tries to remind himself that they're also just trying to make sure it's him at all.

He takes the vial from her, opening it up and knocking it back.]

[likedillinger]

Well, it ain't Jack Daniels. [ his voice is gruff, tired, but relieved that sam doesn't fight them on it. still, he visibly relaxes a bit after it's done and there's no reaction. ] Things have gone from bad to worse. We need you with us.

[littledhampir]

[There was a time when she would have considered the act of making somebody drink holy water, little more than paranoid foolishness. When exactly had her life changed so dramatically that it was now a necessary evil?

His answer comes in the form of a solitary, solemn nod, Rose's first true flash of emotion coming in the relief and flicker of gratitude that flashes in her eyes.]

You should probably sit. [As if the holy water wasn't ominous enough on its own.]

[familybusiness]

I'm starting to wish it was Holy vodka.

[He has this sinking feeling in his stomach, a dread that's spreading through his chest to his limbs.]

I didn't know they were that bad in the first place. [You cut him out, remember? He's trying to be understanding here, though. It's not like he didn't kind of deserve it. Either way, he does as Rose suggests, and sits in a nearby chair, leaning forward a bit.] Alright, tell me what's going on.

[likedillinger]

Des and Elena. [ his eyes flick to sam, as if to see whether the names prompt a reaction before he says more ] They've joined up with Lucifer.

[littledhampir]

Not just joined up.

[Because something about that sounded too simple; like it couldn't begin to touch on the level of betrayal they were talking about here and it's Rose's turn to pace across the room, unable to be completely still while delving into a subject that's as old and weary to her as it is fresh and painful for other reasons.]

We're talking full-on, calling Hell home these days, screwing us every step of the way, Team Lucifer.

[familybusiness]

[Give him a second.

There's definitely a reaction; he knows both of these people. Des he'd had a few conversations with about, well, testy information. He'd thought they were on the same page, dealing with hell influences and not really all that happy about it at the time. Elena was the changeling, Rose's old best friend, the reason Dean was in London in the first place.

So close. Right underneath them. Made more complicated by the fact that he had his own guilt to carry, and he hadn't known a thing.

Shocked is an understatement. He looks full on...betrayed.]

Wait, what!?

[likedillinger]

They're fiends. Even worse, they're consorts. Of the two biggest names down there.

It's been going on for years, and it took us this long to figure it out. We were about to bring the hammer down, when they outed themselves.

[littledhampir]

[With a bitter huff of humorless laughter.]

Don't go thinking that's a coincidence, either. [She doesn't believe in those, not anymore.] It was the only play they had left and no doubt they were warned.

The Castle isn't safe anymore. [Though when has it ever been, with all they know now?]

[familybusiness]

[Consorts. Of the two biggest names down there.

He knows those names.

He feels like he's gonna be sick.

He leans further forward, dragging his fingers through his hair, trying to make sense of it and coming up empty. Finally, something inside him seems to snap, and he picks something up of the side table, a bottle or glass or whatever happens to be there, and chucks it into the wall across the room.

He had a lot of emotions fighting to make their way to the front. Anger won.]

Dammit! [He leans back in the chair then, head falling back as he stares up at the ceiling.] ...Dammit.

[likedillinger]

[ dean bites his tongue on a snarky comment, looking away as sam rages for a moment ] This is bigger than just them. They've got allies. Helen, who knows who else.

And the Section Heads know about it. Another reason they don't exactly trust any of us right now.

[littledhampir]

[And then. Rose rolled a Nat 20 Sense Motive on Sam. That sure is. A thing. That happened.]

Sam.

[An unspoken question hanging in the air.]

[familybusiness]

[Meanwhile Sam pulls a rocking sense motive check, so he knows exactly what Rose is laying down.

It's not worth hesitating anymore. They'll be pissed, but he has to get it out on the table. Dean wasn't kidding when he said things went from bad to worse.

He wishes he'd known sooner.

His jaw clenches and he exhales a heavy breath before lowering his gaze back to the floor, fidgeting with his hands between his knees.]

I just didn't want to hurt anyone.

[He wrings his hands together, and just starts talking.]

Tia had a look inside my head, had someone poke at a lock on it. They said there was a good chance that if anyone messed with it, it could really hurt someone, and I had so little control over what was happening and I just...I didn't know what else to do.

[He looks up, gesturing to Dean.]

I was pissed. You'd made the deal and you'd shut me out. So I asked her for help.

[He figures Dean will know who he's talking about.]

I didn't make any deals or anything, but I let her in my head. She tore the walls down and I have control now, but... [He winces. It didn't stop there. They're gonna know it didn't stop there. Once he got close it was so hard to get away and she had him so convinced that it was real.] ...she was just playing me the whole time, wasn't she?

[Her Dad's worker bees had been busy in the Castle, on the most important mission they had, working next to Rose.]

I'm so stupid.

[He can't even be mad at them for not telling him something about this sooner. He was part of the problem.]

[likedillinger]

[ maybe it's even worse that he doesn't look shocked, just looks disappointed and more exhausted than ever. he runs a hand down his mouth, shaking his head and turning away for a moment. ] Yeah. Yeah, she was.

[ his eyes meet rose's for a moment, before sliding up to the ceiling ] You've been drinking her blood. [ it's not a question ]

[littledhampir]

[Like Dean, there's no surprise in her expression but instead the weight that had been gathered on the road that led them to here. It's as if she's used up all the anger she has, and all that remains is her concern for Dean, for what any of this could mean for the brothers, for just how much worse it could get before they could finally catch a break.]

[familybusiness]

[That has his brow furrowing, and he shakes his head.

Of course, they'd think that. They probably thought that this whole time, given they don't exactly look surprised by this. It only makes them avoiding him make that much more sense.]

No, Dean. I'm not.

[His voice is firm.]

I told her from the get-go that I wasn't going there. [She hadn't pushed, but now he's not so sure it was because she didn't want him to. His voice is bitter as he adds-] She was probably waiting for me to ask.

[likedillinger]

[ with a 24 sense motive, dean turns to study sam for a long second, weighing how much he believes what his brother is saying to him. ] She never tried?

[littledhampir]

[She once had told Dean that she would be there to think clearly when it came to Sam so he could let him in without fear of what he'd miss. This is one of those moments when she knows that promise she made is going to matter when Dean quietly second guesses if he can trust his instincts later. (Sense Motive 30).]