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]

Strigoi.

[She shakes her head, trying to force images of dark-haired vampires with red eyes from her head, a hand coming up to brush over her neck, as if the marks could still be seen.]

That's what we call them. They do a really good job of seeming normal at first but it's like they don't have a soul or something. Scary strong and fast but just, pure evil.

How'd they get him to work for them anyway? They're not known to play well with others. Assuming that's what he is...

[likedillinger]

Grandpappy took him down enough to put some hardcore binding spells on him, and then they've doubled down on those over the years. They've also tricked him out with some biological upgrades, same as Iscariot does with their agents.

[familybusiness]

So he's not necessarily working for them by choice. Not sure if that's better or worse.

[...Probably the latter. You know, since breaking free might be a thing he could do someday. That would probably get ugly.]

[littledhampir]

Worse. [A beat.] Just because they've got him leashed now, doesn't mean that will last forever. There's always a way.

And them being here... what exactly is that going to mean for the Knights. For us? [And by us she clearly means the three of them, what with all the Hell antics going on in this place now as well.]

[likedillinger]

They never much liked competition in their territory.

[familybusiness]

So, then, what? They're just gonna try to take over the place?

[This is fine.]

[littledhampir]

But they can't just... [But she can hear the naivety of her words before she can finish that sentence.

Of course they can. Without Wynn around, who was really going to stop them. Hasmed?!]

We need to find Wynn.

[likedillinger]

We can't go near that place 'til we're ready to deal with running into Blade.

[familybusiness]

There's got a way to at least locate him, right? Can we get someone to scry into that mess?

[littledhampir]

I just...

[Since this day began, Rose has run the gamut of emotions, every one of them playing across her face and while anger had been the predominant display, as she tries to find the words, she looks something far closer to lost and afraid. (Rolling a 4 for a Will Save at emotionally compromising subjects like a boss)]

I need to know that he's alive. [Because as much as she desperately wants to believe that Wynn being gone is unthinkably impossible. When Jack had given the order to retreat, she had struggled with doing so because she couldn't honestly say that she would ever see him again.]

[likedillinger]

We'll find a way. [ he sounds surprisingly confident, at least ] Just might take some diggin'.

[familybusiness]

I can hit the books, but it might be better if we wait until we know nothing crazy's gonna happen in the meantime.

[He exhales a heavy breath before he says:]

I'll pack a bag and then come back so you guys can rest. You've had a hell of a day and you both need some sleep.

[Nothing like feeling you need to rest in shifts inside your own home.]

[littledhampir]

[She needed that then, his confidence when her own was wavering, not simply Dean's, but Sam's as well. She wasn't good at the sitting around and waiting, and she certainly wasn't good at the books side of things and everything about their situation was a lot of both.]

Yeah... [Running her fingers back through her hair.] Still a few people I'm supposed to talk to but... hopefully, they'll keep until tomorrow.

[She just didn't have it in her to have all of those conversations tonight. The day had been far too long and there was still so much about what happened that she hadn't processed.]

But, that works for me. [Looking back to Dean, as if wanting to know he was cool with it.]

[likedillinger]

Me too. For now, keep this quiet.

[familybusiness]

[He nods.]

Alright, hold tight. I'll grab some things and a book to flip through from the library and I'll be back.

[Might as well consult The Lore while he's keeping watch, right?]

[littledhampir]

Sounds good. [A beat.] And while you're at it... can you run a search on Dragon Sightings in North America in the last 24 hours? That's kind of your thing.

[ Thanks Research Bitch. ]

[likedillinger]

[ he adds to sam, after a look at rose to illustrate how he gets how much this means to her ] Can't hurt.

[familybusiness]

Yeah. [A pause there too, because he's reading the emotion in the room for once.] You got it.

[And then he's heading for the door to do...all those things.]

[littledhampir]

[Of all the things that threaten to break her, it's that look of understanding, Rose trying for a grateful smile that almost cracks under the weight of strain this day has brought with it.

She knows as well as they do there probably won't be anything, but if there's even a chance... with a clearing of her throat, she looks to Sam, her smile weak but present.]

Thanks. [ It's not so difficult for it to be there (the smile) in the face of knowing they had another ally, even if Sam did have a long history of making terrible life choices. Maybe this was what was needed all along. Maybe the one good thing that could come from this wreckage, is that it would be the very thing that saved Sam.

She watches as Sam leaves, staying still and silent as she listens to his receding footsteps, before finally turning to look to Dean, studying him for a long moment before speaking. (Sense Motive 30 - sure now she breaks out a good check)]

You okay?

[likedillinger]

[ dean sinks to a seated position on the bed ] Not sure what I am. [ that seems true enough, at least ] I believe him.

Is that stupid?

[littledhampir]

[Watching him for a quiet moment, Rose crosses to where he's perched on the edge of the bed. Her hand comes up to run her fingers through his hair, head dipping to press her lips on top of his head, holding still like that for another moment.

Exhaling a stream of warm air against Dean's scalp, she pulls back enough to look down at him, fingers idly combing through his hair as she shakes her head.]

Doesn't make you stupid. [She would have given anything to have seen a response like that from Helen.] I believe him too.

[It doesn't help that he'd still made some terrible choices along the way, choices that Rose doubted she could ever understand.]

Maybe this is what he needed, you know? [The push in the right direction.]

[likedillinger]

[ the tension shifts a little at her touch, and he glances up to meet her gaze ] I hope you're right.

[littledhampir]

If not then we'll deal with it. Just like we deal with everything else. [It sounds like the sort of thing he's said to her a thousand times.]

Together.

[likedillinger]

[ he reaches out to take her hand, fingers twining in hers and he pulls them to his lips ] Yeah.

Yeah, we will.

[littledhampir]

[The gesture sends a little surge of warmth through her chest, a reminder that she was still capable of feeling something other than despair. The childlike part of her wanted to shut everything else out, to stay in this rare moment of normality for as long as she could be allowed.]

You okay with the whole, us leaving idea? [They had a new normal these days though, and she hadn't exactly checked with him on this. In typical Rose fashion, she'd gotten fired up and forged ahead. This was his home as much as it was hers, however. Even if it didn't entirely feel like home anymore.]

Maybe it doesn't come to that, but... you were in that debriefing.