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

buffy summers \ ota day of solace's announcement

[slay]

[ Buffy generally tries to stay away from the other members of the talisman mission on the morning of Solace's announcement. She knows how it will look, if they are seen together.

So she goes places that she doesn't usually find them.

She heads to the lake to scope out the perimeter of the castle, trying to get a sense of if the new dictators were serious about not stopping them.

She heads to the training room once, to see what Hellsing is doing to it — she's relieved that nothing seems changed, yet. ]

surprise bitch!!

[nothingsodivine]

Look, I know you have no reason to want to talk to me, and that's fair, but you need to hear me out.

i thought i'd seen the last of you

[slay]

This should be good.

[nothingsodivine]

At least it's not me trying to defend myself and my actions. I'm well aware that ship sailed.

This is about Rafael.

[slay]

If you've known something and you haven't told me, even Azrael won't be able to put all your parts back together.

[nothingsodivine]

You really haven't figured out how this all works yet, have you? If I knew where he was, I'd do something about it, and it would give Heaven a huge blank check to cash. My hands are tied here, Buffy. It's not about what I want. If it were, he'd be back with you by now.

So I didn't know. I never knew until now, because I couldn't stand to see him like that anymore.

[slay]

If you have something to say about Rafael, say it. But don't you dare lecture me on how this works.

[nothingsodivine]

I'm not lecturing you, Buffy. I am telling you that I can give you the information- I'll even go with you so you know it's good, if that'll make you more comfortable. But it's give and take. Even the angels do it this way, whether you've realized it or not.

Rafael's location, back-up so you don't have to take anyone you actually care about getting hurt- whatever you want. And all I want is for you to make sure that no one comes after me or Elena until Blade is defeated. You guys are gonna want our information, but Dean and Rose have made their feelings pretty clear. I don't want to wander into a trap.

You might have done it anyway, for Christ's sake. Do you really want them to kill us or worse?

[slay]

Why?

Why offer it now? Why help any of us? This isn't just to cover your own ass, either, so don't tell me it is. That's not all you get out of this. That's what Hell gets out of this.

[msattentionspan]

[The ponytail is pretty easy to spot. There's something about Buffy's gate that makes it swing up a bit before it sways. Like there's an actual bounce to the determination. Like, she's happy to be headed toward something with purpose. Faith used to be jealous of that. That and a long list of other things. The ponytail isn't quite as bouncy, but it could be the wind outside. It's messing with Faith's whole ideal of who she's been trying to catch up with. She doesn't want to be that person shouting out across the yard to get the girl to wait, standing there expectantly.

Plus, it's a moment of pride for Faith to catch up to her.]

Hey. [She nods toward Buffy, trying to insert herself into the walk.] Thinking about making a run for it? [Faith is joking, of course, but she shifts to actual talks vs awkward timed remarks.]

So, how many times do you think we've saved this world? Because, back home I know you were at least headed toward double digits.

[slay]

Saved the—

[ the expression is hard to mistake. faith knows it well, actually. it's the same face buffy made too often when she was supposed to be finding time for faith in her life, back home. when she was supposed to be making room for her. it's the fact that says buffy has more important things to be attending than poor faith.

but she doesn't say it. ]

...What? [ her brain takes a second to catch up, then she glances back at the treeline and does her best to play it cool. ] Oh, I ... I don't know about saved. If you ask the section heads, I think I've pretty much made things consistently worse.

[msattentionspan]

[Faith shrugs. The look is familiar, but thankfully, Faith is in a slightly better headspace in this place. She's as desperate to be part of Team Buffy these days. Sure she's made bad choices in this world too, but she's managed to keep her head above water.]

Eh... [She makes a face.] Sometimes it's like cleaning your room. It looks a lot worse before it looks like one of those catalog photos. [She lifts her arms out, trying to frame up an imaginary room.]

Besides, worse is what this place is made for handling. If it was all aces all the time - we'd be out of jobs.

[slay]

Unemployment. [ she laughs. it's bitter but also ... yearning. she thinks of nell's place. of a quiet retirement with rafael. he's so far away, now, that she can barely summon the image. ] Now there's something to aspire to.

[msattentionspan]

Hey, it wouldn't be that bad at all. [Faith imagines Buffy having some log cabin-y existence. Those huge blankets that are knitted with people's arms or something.]

I stepped down to on-call. Probably not the best timing considering the whole 'time away from this place' has turned into 'not allowed to leave' this place.

[slay]

Knight life not everything you dreamed it'd be?

[msattentionspan]

I don't know... [She shrugs.] I think it's too much of what I thought it'd be. I mean, I could probably just keep bouncing from mission to mission. Knocking heads. Jumping off rooftops.

It's a rush. It's something I wanted years ago. Someone to say that they needed me to help stop something big and ugly.

So I get that rush and I get that good feeling of being part of something. It's pretty cool.

But then I come back and I start looking for that rush again. [She shrugs again.] I took that vacation after France. I figured I needed to find that rush somewhere else.

Except, knowing that I was missing out on stuff - knowing that things could be happening and I wasn't there -- it got to me. So I figure I need to figure out if I want to be part of the rush of being a Knight or if it's time I find other ways to feel like I'm good.

Good enough, I guess.

[slay]

You wouldn't be the only one to be here because risking your life is a rip-roaring good time, you know. [ it couldn't be farther from her original reaction, but buffy doesn't know that. she just shrugs. ] Doing good is still good. No matter what reason you're doing it for, the act means something. And the people here ... well, they're doing good.

[ but there it is. 'they.' even here, even now, buffy can't completely consider herself a part of them. ]

[nolifeking]

[ it's when she's out by the lake that she hears a familiar, mocking voice behind her ] Going somewhere, Slayer?

[slay]

I needed air. The castle just isn't what it used to be.

[ she's short, a tension running through her voice. he's struck too close to the nerve. She turns to look at him. He's barely separate from the shadows. ]

God, you must be loving this.

[ if she sounds disgusted, it's because she is. ]

[nolifeking]

Seeing the Knighthood bow to us for assistance? The impending chance to slaughter our enemies?

Or agents of Hell itself living inside Wynnefalshond's home without his knowledge for who knows how long? [ that grin says d) all of the above ]

[slay]

Wynn is a good man. [ her gaze drops. was. that goes unsaid. she has to hope that she's wrong about that one. ] Whatever you have against him, he deserved better than that betrayal.

[nolifeking]

Except Wynn isn't a man. A fact I imagine hasn't escaped your notice.

A dragon looks at the world differently than a man. He understands its risks, accepts a larger scale of life and death, because he will live to see the world devour many of his followers and enemies alike.

And he will devour many himself. Is that your definition of good?

[slay]

As opposed to you, who kills indiscriminately just for the fun of it?

[nolifeking]

I kill those who stand against my master, and those who would sully the name of what it is to be a vampire. Why should I not revel in their destruction?

[slay]

[ she opens her mouth, stops, rethinks it, and just holds her hands up like nope. not today satan. ]

You know what? I don't have the time or the patience to explain to you why sadism is evil, Alucard.