HELL OF A HANGOVER PT. 1

[ringleaders]

Who: The people who escaped!
When: Very early Day 66 to Day 67
Where: The Carnival
What: The Ringmaster brings everyone she can back to the carnival after getting kicked out the Celebration, a bit worse for wear. Those that have resolved their threads at the Masquerade can start trickling over here as they sort things out.
Warnings: Angst, mostly likely, as well as potentially graphic injuries.

RETURNING HOME↴ About 45 minutes after the conflict with the vampires begins, the Ringmaster will finally show her face at the Masquerade - and immediately be mortified by what she sees. Though initially mostly confused by the fact that there's been problems over the week, and characteristically obtuse about what's going on, as soon as she realizes the severity of the threat she will launch into action. If the Host managed to miss the combat already going on, they won't be able to miss the Ringmaster tearing up the joint and looking for her people. She's quick to scoop up those that have managed to gather in the dining hall - but unfortunately her arrival seems to be the vampire's cue to retreat. Her attempt to challenge the Host about this will result in the being finally losing their patience and banishing all the vampires and all of the carnival workers from the premises, forcing them back to the portals they arrived from and launching their remaining belongings out with them. The Ringmaster will be pretty fucking pissed off when they return (once again) and will tell everyone to take the time they need to recover, but to stick together and stay safe for the time being. She has a plan to chase down the carnival members that have been stolen, but it will take time. ► BEER PONG: Apparently the Ringmaster spent the entire week playing a nonstop game of beer pong, against several dozen of the Host's bodies. She hadn't quite won yet when the Masquerade began, so she was late. Whether or not she was caught up in the same spell as everyone else is up to interpretation, but the answer "definitely probably." She won, for the record. ► MISSING: Upon doing headcounts, it will turn out that all the supervisors are missing, as well as several regular workers - a few of which will have been spotted as freshly turned vampires during the fighting. Whether that was the point of the attack or not is unclear, but it's pretty clear that the Ringmaster is a little bit devastated about it - particularly about the supervisors. However, she will refuse to talk to anyone long enough to get into too many details. ► THE PLAN: The Ringmaster will announce that she intends to get everyone back - it's just a matter of figuring out their way back to the dimension they've been stolen off to. She guarantees that she will find it, but that it may take some time. In the end, the workers will have a total of two days to recover and plan - during the evening of Day 67, she will be leading a rescue mission to get them all back. You don't have to come, but lives do depend on its success.

Comments

[kingsroads]

As the knife gets smacked out of his hand, Strange can't help but frown. Yes, he knows he's terrible with weapons, there's no need to rub salt in that sound. Picking up the blade, he looks over at Lambert's...now that's odd. Didn't he arrive at the tail end of Atlantis? When did he have enough time to purchase an Atlantean blade?

He mirrors Lambert's grip as he clutches the knife. "Like this?" He's actually got it this time, though everything about Strange holding the knife feels a bit awkward. "And don't worry. My main strategy is to use my magic as much as possible. But if we're stuck inside again, I want to have options."

The problem with relying a lot on elemental magic is that you kind of need elements.

[whattaprick]

Lambert misses the odd look, but he's also focused on studying Strange's glad, and nods in apparent satisfaction. "Better," he says, unaware that not so long ago he was giving the man dancing lessons ... quite the change in curriculum indeed.

"Now you just want to make sure you keep your grip firm as possible. Whenever you hit something, there's gonna be resistance, a force pushing back against where you want it to go. If you let it, you could lose your weapon." He reaches a hand up, taps his forehead.

"Don't go for stabs -- unless you're good at hitting the right spot, people can keep going for longer than you think. Head wounds bleed a lot -- cut a slash across and you could probably blind 'em, buy yourself some time to get out. If you can't get at your knife, thumb to the eye works too."

[kingsroads]

Firm grip, aim for the head, slashing motion instead of actually stabbing...Strange is doing a good job trying to remember all of this but he knows he's going to have to write it all down later. He's got enough self-awareness to not put that much faith in his memory

But at the mention of a thumb to the eye, he can't help but smirk a little. "I think a thumb to the eye from me would hurt more than a thumb to the eye from most people."

He makes an idle wave with the hand that isn't holding the knife, mostly to show his clawed fingers. They're nothing too impressive, less than an inch on every nail, but that doesn't change the fact that a clawed thumb to the eye would hurt more than just a regular thumb.

[whattaprick]

"Good," is what Lambert says, simply. "Use that, and use any advantage you can get. Gentleman or not, they'll be happy to drain you all the same, so you might as well not fight like one."

There isn't really anything in the vicinity Strange can practice on except Lambert, and he's in no mood to get cut up, so that's more or less the end of the practical lesson there. What he will do, though, is raise his arm and mime drawing his knife an inch away from Strange's face.

"Remember: you're slow and you're weak," he says matter-of-factly. "Everything you do is about evening those odds."

[kingsroads]

His expression changes on a dime, going from that far too proud smirk to a grumpy frown. Strange purses his lips slightly, as if he's about to challenge that statement. Lambert does have a point. After all, greatest magician of the age or not, he came from a world without vampires, without witchers, without demons or angels or what have you (none of which was hardly his fault, thank you very much).

But weak? He can't help but take a bit of personal offense at being called weak. He's summoned a faerie, raised the dead, he could travel almost anywhere he wished, he's the magician of the king and of the army, and he unlocked the secrets of madness. Sure, none of those facts might be of much use in a conventional fight, but that didn't make him weak.

"I'll grant you slow. But weak? Certainly not." With a small wave of his hand, the ground under Lambert's feet buckles, shifting and jutting up in an erratic way. It's entirely Strange being petty, just wanting to knock Lambert off his feet and remind him that while he might need help actually learning how to fight, that didn't make him a weakling.

[whattaprick]

Strange is partly successful, since Lambert stumbles when the ground shifts under him, but the brief moment of surprise is replaced quickly by sharp focus as he finds his feet, dancing back from the disturbed ground to give Strange an incredulous look. Really, what's offensive about stating an objective fact? It doesn't occur to Lambert in the least that Strange's definition of weakness is definitely different from his own and that might be why he's looking like Lambert just pissed in his wine.

The hand that isn't holding a knife, at his side, flicks through a series of short, quick gestures, and a circle of glowing purple glyphs appear in a circle around their feet, enclosing them both.

"Want to try that again?" he asks, crossing his arms.

[kingsroads]

Strange does the gesture again...but nothing happens. He knows he's performing the spell properly, he can feel the magic around them that's needed to perform the spell properly, but the effect just isn't happening. He takes a step forwards, as if to walk closer to Lambert but whoa does he suddenly feel weird now that he's moving. It's odd. Strange's mind is continuing to work at top speed, he just feels sluggish, as if he's weighed down for some reason. It's a bit like being in Atlantis again, when he was still learning how to actually swim, pushing himself through the water in order to actually get somewhere.

He can slightly sense the magic around them, the magic from Lambert's spell. And, well, glowing purple glyphs are a pretty solid indicator that this is magic as hell to begin with.

"You're showing off," he complains, with a roll of his eyes, entirely aware that this is the pot calling the kettle black.

[whattaprick]

That complaint just gets him a smirk. Lambert hadn't been entirely sure it would work -- who knew if magic between worlds was just that different or not -- but it's good to have one hypothesis confirmed.

"You started it," he says, unrepentantly. He doesn't seem affected by the slowing at all, but then again, it his his spell.

[kingsroads]

Strange takes a few steps forward. As he does, he lurches forward slightly, as if just the sheer action of walking is throwing him off balance. It looks comical for a moment, Strange moving about like a drunk on ice, before he gives Lambert a frown.

"I was making a point. You, on the other hand, are showing off."

[whattaprick]

"Seemed like the other way around to me." Amusing as it is to watch Strange stumble around like a drunk, it's also a little bit sad, so he'll helpfully take this moment as an instructional one.

"This is about how fast you'd be to a vampire," he says, uncrossing his arms and beckoning at Strange to come at him, bro. "Now try attacking me like I taught you."

Well, more like lectured than taught, but he'll remember theory better if he puts it into practice, surely?

[kingsroads]

"I don't see how this would help. At least when I'm fighting a vampire, I'm not in danger of tripping over my own feet." Still, he uses the small talk to adjust his grip on the dagger slightly, holding it in a way that's more along the lines of how Lambert mentioned. It's still a bit wonky, but certainly better than what he's been doing before.

Lunging towards Lambert, Strange attempts to slash his dagger at the other man's eyes. But really, the key word here is attempts. Not only is Strange's aim off but the slowing effect of the magic circle causes him to stumble forwards, mind moving waaaay faster than his body. He at least slashes in the general vicinity of Lambert's eyes...though the slash happens a couple of inches away from the man's face. It's nowhere close to connecting, which is probably a good thing.

[whattaprick]

Probably, though the sloppy form and lack of relative force means if the attack connected, Lambert would only be left bleeding if Strange managed to stick the point in his forehead. He will, however, catch Strange before he can plant his face on the ground by over balancing.

"Good height," he says instead, like he's mentally marking Strange and deeming it relatively satisfactory, or at least just aligned with his expectations. He will also, however, take this opportunity to nudge Strange back, closer to the edge of the circle. The moment he steps a foot outside it -- and there's nothing really holding him in -- everything else comes back in a rush, speed and proper weight returning to his limbs.

[kingsroads]

As Lambert nudges him, Strange tumbles backwards, out of the circle. Almost instantly, it's like everything starts working again. His brain connects with his feet, he's less clumsy, he knows right off the bat that whatever Lambert cast certainly isn't working on his balance anymore. Straightening himself up, Strange tries to seem collected, as if he wasn't stumbling around like a drunk earlier.

Experimentally, Strange gestures towards a nearby tree. The branch magically bends down, reaching out to Strange in a decidedly humanlike manner. He regards it with a triumphant smile. Well! It seems with whatever party trick Lambert used, the inability to use his magic only happened within the circle.

"What is that spell, by the way?" Because it sucked!

[whattaprick]

"Yrden," Lambert says, standing within the circle still. "Usually, its for fighting wraiths, anything that won't hold a corporeal form. Forces them to be solid, you see?" Take a moment to be amazed he even used a word like 'corporeal' in actual conversation, he's got more.

Idly, he scuffs a foot at a spot in the grass where one of the runes glows, briefly blocking the purple light. It's still there when he moves his foot away, though, the soft purple light persisting.

"Everything else, if slows down." And obviously, it prevents magic being cast.

[kingsroads]

Yet another spell for fighting. Strange is getting the impression that while witcher magic might be useful in a fight, there's not all that much practical about it. He idly wonders if Lambert has any sort of spells to create a road or change the weather, or anything else that could be useful in a not-combat setting.

"Is it permanent?" says the person who's accidentally permanently changed up coastlines before with his magic. It's a valid question, after all.

[whattaprick]

One day, Strange is going to simply see Lambert break a wall or light and extinguish fires with the wave of a hand, and he'll have his answer. Post-Hell barbecue, anyone?

"Nah. It fades after a while -- I know there's a way you can get it to attack monsters instead of just trapping them. Read it in a book, but I'd need it again to remember how." Yeah, miracle of miracles, he reads too. Already, as he speaks, the purple glow is fading, leaving them back in dim light, and Lambert with a knife in hand.

"That's it for the lesson. Just keep practicing."

[kingsroads]

Stupid witcher magic with it's stupid multiple uses and stupid non-combat applications, this was something English magic should be better at. He watches the spell fade before turning to Lambert, with a little smile.

"If I'm to keep practicing, I hope you don't mind if I occasionally bother you for someone to practice with. After all, one can only become so good practicing on something that doesn't move."

It's phrased as a request but let's be real, Strange is going to keep bothering Lambert no matter what the other man answers.

[whattaprick]

Sorry Strange, it's not his fault English magic is so ... English.

"You really want me to teach you?" Lambert can't help laughing, but it's mostly because it's such a strange concept to be sought out by anyone, even if it is just to bother him. He's under no illusion he's a particularly capable mentor -- much as their personalities clashed, he can admit that was one of Vesemir's strengths -- and as the youngest of the witchers at Kaer Morhen, he was certainly never the one anyone turned to for advice...

"Sure. I'm happy to give you an ass-kicking whenever you need one."

[kingsroads]

"I wouldn't have asked if I didn't want you to teach me." It's said as if it's the most obvious thing in the world. Strange needed to know how to fight. Lambert knew how to fight in the first place. He didn't mind bothering the other man and actually enjoyed his company a bit. It's only logical that he bother Lambert instead of someone else.

"Hopefully that ass-kicking actually comes with my learning some skills as well as you making fun of my lack of them."

[whattaprick]

"That's more on the student than the teacher, isn't it?" Lambert counters. "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink." Or in this case, teach a magician to hold a weapon, but not make him want to use it...

"I'll do my share of the work if you do yours. What are you going to do now?"

[kingsroads]

Strange understands what Lambert's getting at. After all, for all his bragging about magic and what he can do, Strange is fairly open about his squeamishness about killing. There's a pause before he continues.

"There's inevitably going to be a rescue mission and we're inevitably going to get dragged into it. I suppose what I'm going to do now is try to find a way to balance my morals as a gentleman with the reality that I'll most likely have to kill some of the vampires to protect those in the carnival."

[whattaprick]

'Inevitable' sounds about right. Lambert isn't thrilled about the prospect of a fight where they will undoubtedly be outmatched, but he's equally certain it's not a confrontation that can be avoided. Even if they were to not pursue, the vampires would only attempt to find them again.

"So long as your morals don't make you choke when it counts," he says, seriously. "If I'm watching your back out there, I need to know I can trust you with mine."

[kingsroads]

"Of course you can trust me! I was in the peninsula, you know." Everybody take a shot. "What matters the most is getting everybody home at the end of the day."

And really, that's what he's going to have to keep telling himself when they're in the middle of the rescue mission. What matters the most is saving people, no matter what.

[whattaprick]

"You know that's not going to mean anything to me no matter how many times you say that, right?" Lambert asks, fully resigned to the fact that Jonathan Strange will probably never shut up about the peninsula until he goes into the grave -- and maybe not even then. The second part of that statement, thought, will make his mouth twist ever so slightly.

"That really what matters to you?"

[kingsroads]

He will never shut up about the stupid peninsula. Still, his protests about something something Lord Wellington something something the army's magician blah blah more English terms that Lambert doesn't give a shit about are cut off by the man's second question...which actually causes Strange to pause for a moment.

What really matters is surviving this year and getting home to his wife (surprise, she's not as dead as he thought she was). But that's a whole different matter that he doesn't really want to bring up here and now.

"I suppose it does," Strange simply answers, as if that'll answer everything. "As long as I'm here, I've a duty to the carnival. Part of that duty involves keeping people safe."