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

[layonhands]

[ risa positions herself at the head of myri's cot, closing her eyes and murmuring prayers with her hands hovering over the woman's head.

it's a little bit later that her eyes snap open and she looks in horror in finnick's direction ] My gods...

How did this happen?

[65]

[finnick can't focus on the question because he's too busy panicking about risa's reaction.]

What's wrong?

[layonhands]

Part of her brain stem has been removed. She doesn't have any sensory or motor activity at all. There's no sign of an entry wound.

[65]

[oh you mean you didn't want finnick to have a panic attack and start sobbing uncontrollably??? that's too bad. he is very upset because THE LOVE OF HIS LIFE IS A VEGETABLE and everything is horrible. he would like to die please.]

[layonhands]

Finnick, I'm sorry, don't ... don't despair. [ she moves to his side, placing a hand on his arm (diplomacy 26). ] I think I can heal it. But I think it would be best to consult with Sir Brink. He's a specialist in these things. He... he can certainly help us.

She's still in there. We just need to act quickly. I think we might have a matter of hours. Can you find him for me?

[65]

[finnick manages to calm down a little bit. sort of. he stops crying momentarily.] I've never met Sir Brink. I don't know what he looks like.

[layonhands]

You can look him up via Drakenet? Otherwise, he'll likely be in the computer labs. Maybe ask Zero?

[65]

Okay. [he nods to himself. he can do it. he can do basic tasks and not just lay in a ball waiting to die even though that's all he wants to do. it might still be okay. myri could still be okay.] I'll find him.

[AND THEN HE BUSTS OUT OF THE ROOM LIKE HE'S ON SUPERMARKET SWEEP. also he'll probably look up topher but. that would take away from the drama.]

[andblockbuster]

[A little while later... HEY LOOK IT'S TERMIFINNICK AND THE BRAIN GUY HERE TO SAVE THE DAY.] Hi. I heard there was a patient I needed to see...?

[layonhands]

She's right over here. [ we'll see risa got her over to some BRAIN SCANNY MACHINES for you topher but she doesn't know how to operate them ]

[andblockbuster]

[Topher's got this (computer use 33). Once everything is in position, he brings up a nice little scan of Myri's brain with all the pretty colors and also the sad missing bits.]

Yikes... He wasn't kidding. Psionics have gotten way more brutal than they were when I wrote my last thesis.

[65]

[finnick is just standing over here looking like he might shit a brick and/or cry at any moment.]

Can you help?

[layonhands]

[ risa looks to topher ] I think I might be able to heal what's missing, but... it's a more delicate procedure than trying to stitch together a broken bone. I'm not sure that her mind wouldn't be affected in the process. I was hoping you might have some ideas.

[andblockbuster]

Uhhh... [He winces and taps a few more commands, making the model a bit more three dimensional and highlighting certain bright areas.] Without a cleric? The theory is there. You'd just have to trick other parts of her brain into believing they're the parts that control all those nifty functions the missing pieces did, but that would take something else away from her. Access to her magic, certain skills, even specific feelings- something. You can't make something out of nothing, annnd I dunno how much a cleric can change that.

[layonhands]

Is that something you can pinpoint? A ... specific area of the brain to redirect that function to? We would have to choose?

[andblockbuster]

[He points to the brightest parts of the brainscan.] These right here- they're mostly her strongest emotions tied to specific people and events. Good news it's nothing she can't live without- bad news is it's something that would suck for her to lose. Like... The Veil takes your memories, but it doesn't take your feelings. Even if you can't remember something, you might still get a weird sense of deja vu or a phantom emotion you can't explain.

But this... This would completely take away those feelings. She'll remember, but she won't... feel anything. She'd have to start over from scratch, and there's a chance she might never really feel the same way again.

[65]

[finnick is crying again, but at least it's quiet crying and not full-scale losing it.]

And there's no other way? Nothing else we could try?

[it's so awful, but at least myri would be alive. she would have a chance to recreate the feelings towards people she lost.]

[layonhands]

He mentioned that instead of feelings, we might be able to target skills, or her ability to use magic.

Finnick... as her husband, you're the closest family she has in this world. You knew her best. We don't have time to debate it for very long, so I think... I think you're the one best suited to decide.

[65]

[he hates having the responsibility, because he's terrified of making the wrong choice. but he also wouldn't trust anyone else to make the choice.]

I — I just want whatever will give her the best chance. The people she could forget will still be here for her. She can relearn skills or magic. She can come back from anything. I know that. But I'm not a doctor, so ... whatever Topher thinks is best, I think he should do.

[andblockbuster]

[Maan why you gotta put him on the spot like this.]

All things considered, her magic is gonnabe the hardest thing to relearn. And speaking from my personal, professional opinion? Taking away a skill that I’ve based my life around would terrify me more than losing a connection. But I’m... also poorly socialized.

[he highlights the bright paths further.] We could take her dedication to the cause.... she seems like a good person. She probably won’t turn sociopath on us. It just means she might do things for herself or her closest friends, not necessarily because she made an Oath.

[ugh] The old people in charge would love that...

[65]

[honestly after failboat just had their big goodbye love moment and wynn is possibly dead, how much of a cause is there really left to fight for??? he won't say that out loud in the light wing in front of people he doesn't know that well though. because uh he'd like to stick around while his wife can't be moved and his daughter is around here somewhere.]

She wouldn't. [he's the sociopath in this fam, fam.] She's so ... she's always been so good. I doubt it would change anything.

[andblockbuster]

....Risa?

[he figures before he cuts her loyalty to her Oath or whatever, he should consult with a senior knight.]

[layonhands]

Isn't there a danger that other things that she ties to her loyalty here might be affected as well?

[andblockbuster]

[he throws his hands up.] There was always gonna be a risk. Loyalty is easy to figure out.

[or so says a mild sociopath.]

[65]

[finnick is kind of done arguing about it as well, not because he's also kind of a sociopath but because the more he thinks about it the more upset he gets and he would like for it to be over one way or another.] Then do it. We don't have endless time to decide which way would be best. This seems safest.