knightsoflegend | chapter five ♔ it'll be a day like this one when the sky falls down

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chapter five ♔ it'll be a day like this one when the sky falls down

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. ]

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[She comes back from her (first) meeting with Jack, looking as tired as she likely feels, just wanting to take a moment to breathe. She knows they aren't going to have long, but when she sees him, she smiles. Her skin still feels like it's a size too small and not quite hers, but she's really very happy that she can keep looking at him.]

Hi.

[There was no way to fully prepare for how strange and wonderful it would be, all at the same time. He slowly stands, not saying anything in response just yet. With careful steps, he crosses the room until he's right in front of her.]

Welcome home. [He says quietly as he opens he reaches for her hand, rubbing his thumb over the back of it. It's different, and yet there's something in the way she looks at him that he thinks he would recognize anywhere.]

It's really good to be here.

[She looks down at their hands, together, and she swallows hard.]

I'm sorry I scared you. I didn't mean to.

You've got nothing to apologize for. The work we do is dangerous- doubly so now that they've put you in with those more intense missions. [This whole thing made him realize that it's very possible that one day she may not make it back home. And he isn't sure how he feels about that, but now certainly isn't the time to talk about it.]

Come here. [He keeps his hand in hers and tugs her back towards the bed.] You look exhausted. You should lie down.

[She nods in agreement and she goes with him, shifting so that she can tuck against his shoulder and close her eyes for a moment. Today was long and tomorrow is going to be even longer, but she doesn't think she'll be able to rest. Not yet.]

Jack wants me to keep my new face a secret for a bit. Keep the circle that knows about it small.

[He wraps an arm around her, getting comfortable and pressing a kiss to her forehead. It's a little strange, but he doesn't want to bring that up. In time, this will be the new normal, he's sure.]

So you're saying I get you all to myself tonight? [He jokes lightly.] Probably best, though. Everyone's wound up tight. Beyond Jack, Gus, and me, does anyone else know?

[She pauses, before shaking her head.]

Probably Malina, but she doesn't know what I look like, and she'll keep her mouth shut if I ask her to. I texted Gus as I was leaving so he knows.

[But she knows better than to expect him to lie to Malina. Just like how she never told Malina about any surprises she had for him because Gus would definitely find out.]

Unless you guys told someone?

Not that I know of. [But it's been a bit of a whirlwind so maybe there's someone else and he was aware at some point. But probably not.]

How are you feeling? I imagine it's a little strange.

More than a little.

[Her head ducks a bit as she closes her eyes.]

Nothing actually feels like mine. It's more like I'm just ... hanging out in someone else's body and I keep waiting for her to kick me out.

[Even if part of her is logically aware she won't, there's still something about the skin that doesn't fit right. Like she's wearing someone else's clothes and the fit is all wrong.]

I'm sure I'll get used to it eventually, though.

[Her head tips up with a bit of a smirk.]

What do you think?

I'm not sure if there's a right answer to that. [He jokes with a soft smile. But no he gets it, and he takes a breath to try to answer honestly.]

Part of me still misses you, in a way. I feel like I can just blink and see the face I've been waking up to for all this time. But I'm not... I would never take this back. I can feel you in there. I can see you when I look into your eyes. You're in there, your spirit, your mind.

And I love you. Before, now- all I kept thinking while they tried to bring you back was that I wasted too much time pretending like I didn't. I'm so sorry for that.

[There's something in the way he says that he can still see her, even if the outside packaging is different, that sends an ebb of relief through her. That's one of the things that worries her the most - why she went to see Jack rather than just waiting for the meeting as a whole. She still wants to be seen as herself, and while she knows that she can count on Gus and Vi, Thoster was a bit of a wild card.

He loves her, she knows that, but she also looked a certain way when she did. Would it be too weird, now that someone else's face was involved?

But apparently it wasn't and she smiles a bit, before shaking her head.]

I never got that impression.

[There are some things you can just tell, when you get to know a person. This is one of them.]

[He smiles in return and leans in to kiss her softly.]

And look at that. A second first kiss with the woman of my dreams. How did I get so lucky.

[He reaches a hand up to brush a lock of her hair behind her ear. As he looks at her, he feels the full weight of his feelings for her swirl inside of him. He's thought of ways to tell her how he feels, what he wants, what he thinks they might be able to become. He's written songs to say it, imagined grand romantic gestures, thought about showering her with gifts leading up to it.

But then she died. She died and he thought he'd never have another chance to say it. Now he does. And without warning, it comes bubbling out of him.]

Marry me.

[Felicity Braddock has never really been a girl who had thought much about how she'd want to be proposed to. She never really seen herself as a girl getting married to begin with. With her life and her chosen profession, she'd always assumed she'd be doing too much lying to ever wind up with someone who would consider marrying her at all.

But then Thoster happened. And if this had happened two days earlier, maybe her feelings about this would be different.

The problem is, she died. She died and she came back in someone else's body, and while part of her knows that her choice isn't going to change, that it's yes without even really thinking about it. But it doesn't feel right saying right now, when she's still wrapping her head around the fact that this is her skin, when she's probably not going to be able to be herself for a long time.

As much as she wants to say it, she can't. Not right now.

Still, she pushes up and kisses him firmly, not leaving room for there to be doubt that this is about her feelings for him, specifically. As much as she hates it, she needs more time.

She pulls back after a moment, before looking up at him and pleading with him not to hate her for this.]

Ask me again when this is over.

[A small beat.]

It's not no. Just ... ask me again when this is over.

[He knows it isn't the right time. And he understands why she can't say yes. It isn't fair to expect her to when she's been through so much. There's a part of him that's hurt, but he respects what she's saying. He doesn't, however, try to hide behind a fake smile. They're both very good at lying when they need to. Thoster doesn't want to lie to her, even when it comes to hiding the sting of the soft rejection.]

You may need to tell me when it's over. [He says with a small chuckle.] It seems this one always has another layer to it.

[She nods a bit in return, because this definitely is going to be a long process, whether they like it or not. But she definitely needs this light at the end of the tunnel, so she nods.]

I will. Trust me, you will know.

[He kisses her again, sealing it like a promise between the two of them.]

How long can you stay? [He knows better than to think she'll stay put for very long.]

They want to meet at eight AM.

[She shifts to glance over her shoulder at the clock.]

So you have me for a couple more hours where I should probably be sleeping.

You can sleep, love. Gods know you deserve it after all this. I'll make sure you get up in time for your meeting.

[She offers him another smile and a small kiss before curling up and trying to drift off to sleep.

She probably won't get much, but it's likely the last moments of quiet she'll get for a while, so she'll take it. /scene]

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chapter five ♔ it'll be a day like this one when the sky falls down

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