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

[wishuponadjinn]

[His hand comes back up to her cheek, drawing her face back up to his, a soft smile dancing on his lips.]

None of them are you, Faith. None of them have your heart, your soul. None of them have my heart.

[moonheart]

Jordan... [ something still feels off, she's not sure what, but it's starting to come back to her that this is a dream, and not just any kind of dream, they came here for a reason, a specific reason...

she gently pulls his hand down ] Something's wrong.

[wishuponadjinn]

[He pulls back at her words, face scrunching in confusion and a bit of frustration, lips pressing into a thin line as the normal narrative of this dream is thrown so far off.

He... doesn't seem to recall that they were here for a reason, or that this is, in fact, a dream.]

What? What's wrong?

[moonheart]

[ she disentangles herself from him, stepping backwards, looking around at the room which seems to be closing in on them in some way, abruptly claustrophobic and suffocating rather than magical. it doesn't feel like she's speaking, but the words come out anyway: ] I can't do this. You're freaking me out.

[wishuponadjinn]

[He reaches for her as she backs away, his hand falling short of actually touching her, hurt and confusion waging a war on his face.] Freaking you out? How? I thought you wanted to know the truth? Wanted to know how I felt?

[The walls and ceiling of the ballroom have been replaced by heavy shadows that seem to be closing in on her, on them both, and he finally seems to notice that indeed something is off about this (Wis 19). He looks around, recognition and something else, perhaps fear, begin to surface in his expression.

Distant laughter comes from the shadows around them, quiet at first but growing louder by the second. Jordan looks around quickly, trying to pierce the darkness for the source of the sound, the fear growing on his face as it continues.]

[moonheart]

[ whoops, faith was not counting on being... a part of the nightmare. with another bad will save, she steps back even further from him, her face darkening as she says: ] You watched me my entire life, Jordan. Who does that?

[wishuponadjinn]

[The menacing laughter turns mocking, echoing in the distance between them as he hesitates at her sudden anger, confusion and fear warring on his face.]

I... But... [he seems to scramble for words, an explanation, anything to say, eyes falling down and away from her, shoulders hunching at the encroaching darkness.]

It wasn't... wasn't... I wasn't trying to spy or anything... It's just that, you were one of the only sane, stable parts of my life at home. I came to think of you as a friend, a companion, someone to help me deal with my Father.

[It's as if his words summon Jareth, materializing from the shadows behind Jordan in a fall of glitter and the flap of his cape, eyes mocking as they skim over her face to land on his son. "Someone to help you deal with me, Jordan? Really? As if I were some peasant to be brushed aside and forgotten? his lip curls into a sneer "How pathetic."

He whips around at the sound of Jareth's voice, eyes wide and glassy. He flinches at his father's words as if each one was a physical blow.]

[moonheart]

[ wow, with a crit fail, the words just spill out as if scripted for her: ] I was never a part of your life here. None of that was real, Jordan, it was just in your head.

[wishuponadjinn]

[Even more than Jareth's words, hers seem to affect him like an actual wound, his eyes coming back to her with such pain and shame as he raises his fists to either side of his head, twisting painfully in his hair as a gasp escapes his throat.

He shakes his head, trying to negate their words, and it's like a shark scenting blood in the water as Jareth chimes in after Faith- "You favored fantasies over your own reality, Jordan. Pretending to have friends that weren't real, all to avoid your duties as my son, the duties you were born to. And for what, exactly?" he gestures to Faith, his smirk growing at her own cruelty. "The girl you professed to love, the one you obsessed over for years? Wants nothing to do with you. You're nothing more than a love-sick child, Jordan, sad and worthless. You disappoint me." Jareth advances so he is standing equally with Faith, arms crossed over his chest as he sneers at his son's obvious distress.

Jordan's eyes dart between the two of them, hands still pressing against the sides of his head as it shakes slowly, tears forming in their corners (will save...crit fail).]

F-Faith, please. You have to understand... [His voice is small, pleading, and Jareth laughs cruelly at him, tossing a kerchief that hits his son in the chest, fluttering to the ground. "Quit making a fool of yourself, you child."]

[moonheart]

I'm sorry, Jordan, I... [ she shakes her head slightly, a troubled look crossing her features. for half a second, she seems to realize, spurred by jareth's cruel laughter, that something is not right here. that she is not acting herself. ]

[wishuponadjinn]

Faith, I- [he reaches for her again, and his hand is stopped short, as though pulled to a stop by a string. The silver bands around his wrists start a faint ringing, shining dully despite the encroaching shadows, and his eyes rip from hers to them, a new horror rising on his face. Jareth seems to shimmer, his figure rippling to reveal Faye as she holds his bottle. The cruel smirk remains the same, and she walks towards him, raising the lamp with a sharp laugh. "Did you miss your Master, Jordan?" she shakes his bottle, her eyes sharp on his face. "Show me how much you missed me. Kneel before me and beg for your freedom back."

He falls to his knees against his will, shaking his head as panic thrums through his chest, mouth working to form the words he would rather die than to say.] Please, Master, grant me my freedom.

[moonheart]

[ with a sudden nat 20 will save, this is too much for faith. her anger over faye, over watch jordan subjugated, humiliated, and used shoots through her like a comet, shaking her loose from the chains of the dream and she shouts out: ] STOP! This isn't right! Jordan, this isn't real!

[wishuponadjinn]

[That doesn't seem like enough to break the nightmare's hold on him, looking back to Faith briefly before turning once again to Faye. He holds his hands up to her in supplication, bowing his head again as Faye laughs, the cruelty of it similar in sound to Jareth's.

She shimmers again and her image is replaced by Loki, the lamp staying in one hand, a scepter appearing in the other. He tosses his head back, a sneer on his lips as he turns his attention to Jordan. "Now there's a good servant, showing me the respect that is my due. Now, slave, show me your power. Give me another one of my wishes."]

Yes, Master [he intones, raising his head to look at Loki, eyes beginning to glow that otherworldly blue as a breeze begins to stir around them.]

[moonheart]

[ faith takes a moment to bolster herself with a thought shield, lest the dream take her over again, looking around wildly at what's happening. she decides to try to attack the manifestation of loki, because that's a good idea - hoping that destroying it could show jordan this wasn't real. a shrill whistle pierces the air, as she focuses a barrage of sonic damage on him (29 dmg + 27 + 21), each one exploding on the trickster god. ]

[wishuponadjinn]

[it indeed destroys the fake Loki, his apparition dissipating completely at her final blow. Jordan is left on his knees, staring at the place Loki had been moments before, confusion and relief and something else warring on his face. After a moment his head swivels back to Faith, the smile of relief dropping in quick degrees to turn into mortification and horror.

He finally remembers that this is, in fact, a dream, his dream and that Faith wasn't a part of it, but with him in it. And she had seen everything. She had been a part of some of his worst nightmares and fears, actively a part of them, and it was as horrifying and sickening as he could imagine.

He stands, facing her, every emotion rolling over him plainly on display for her to see. He is at a loss as to what to do.]

[moonheart]

[ her expression drops watching all this play out on his face, as she struggles to figure out how to comfort her. she steps forward, raising a hand but not touching him out of fear he recoil ] Jordan, it's ... it's ok, I promise. It was just a nightmare.

[wishuponadjinn]

[As soon as she lifts her hand he's stumbling away from her, his face becoming a mask of anger and hurt. He moves away, head swiveling frantically as he looks at the encroaching shadows, turning back to her with the start of panic on his face.]

Get us out of this. [his voice rises in pitch, his panic beginning to bleed through to his voice.] Now, get out, now!

[moonheart]

Ok! Ok, just... [ and with that, she's going to reach out carefully to grip his wrist, and draw them out of the dream ]

[wishuponadjinn]

[He comes out of the dream quickly, eyes snapping open to land on her face next to his, pupils dilated as a red hue stains his face. Less than a second later he is pushing himself up from the bed, starting to gather his things as he does all he can to avoid looking at her.]

[moonheart]

[ faith moves to try to stop him, reaching for his arm ] Jordan, wait!

[wishuponadjinn]

[She's able to catch his arm and he freezes at her grip, face swinging back to look at her finally and she would see on it a mix of emotions, shame and embarrassment the most prominent. He shakes his head, those emotions clearly warring on his face before seeming to settle on one.]

I thought I was freaking you out?? [the words are clipped, and he nearly spits them at her, his face scrunching as he wages a war with his inner turmoil.]

[moonheart]

I know what I said, but it-- it wasn't me, Jordan, I'm so sorry. The dream ... I must have gotten swept into the dream. I didn't realize that I would be part of your nightmare.

[wishuponadjinn]

[He scoffs at her, hands scrunching his hair in frustration.]

I thought you were supposed to be in control of the dreams you enter? [his embarrassment is fast turning to anger.] You sure seemed to be a willing participant in it.

[moonheart]

Jordan, I would never say those things. You have to know that. I'm... I'm sorry that I wasn't strong enough.

[wishuponadjinn]

But you did say them, Faith. [he shakes his head, turning away from her.] How can you explain that?