let's get down to business

[whattaprick]

Who: Nightrunners and whoever wants to make use of the training yard for whatever reason.
When: S2 D1-D5
Where: The Training Yard
What: Training, or pointing and laughing at people training.
Warnings: Explosions and swearing, probably.

Though it's never really been off-limits, once they're down off the moon, Lambert wastes little time informing the nightrunners he officially expects them to get back to training and getting in shape. They can make ample use of the training yard facilities to learn how to work with each other after their extended vacation, or just get to know their newer coworkers in an environment closer to what their actual working conditions will actually be like.

The yard, as usual, isn't limited solely to nightrunners. Anyone who wants to work on their physical or magical skills are welcome, as well as anyone from the other departments who have anything they might want to test out that requires a combatant, for some reason.

Lambert's generally a constant presence at the fringes, sometimes participating in exercise or sparring himself, but mostly just watching and making sure no one's about to put someone's eye out or break the equipment, because that would be bad for obvious reasons.

[ ooc; this is an open log, so bring your own toplevel! ]

Comments

OTA

[chronosynthesis]

[(cheating) At the Obstacle Course]

[Syrlya's at least one nightrunner Lambert doesn't have to hassle into training, having the regime soundly drilled into his skull since his days with the Vigil. He just might have different ideas of what is and isn't important in keeping up to snuff, but who can complain so long as it works?

So he'd running the obstacle course on hard mode, shamelessly using his magic to phase through lasers, teleport across balance beams, and warping the time around moving sections so that they move slower (or he moves faster). There's a few close calls, but by the second run he's got the rhythm of his magic and the pace of the course down enough to not struggle so much.

Maybe he'll try death mode next time.]

[Dumb and Dummier]

[Seeing as it's been a few weeks since Syrlya's had to stab anything, which is longer than usual, he's giving the training dummies an honest effort--with a practice sword, because they may be magic proof but they probably aren't sword proof.

It's not long before he finds the effort lacking, and taps one sideways with the 'blade'. He frowns thoughtfully.] Not much good if they won't fight back, is it...

cheaters r us

[kingsroads]

[ Syrlya is 100% cheating. As such, Strange is going to cheat as well. Really, if people fuss at him for attempting to magically chuck a rock at a death drone, then all that teleporting or phasing around is certainly cause for being fussed at as well. Or, at least, cause for making Syrlya have to struggle and work at it a bit more.

Gesturing towards the course, Strange calls forth a steady wind. It's nowhere close to being dangerous or outright knocking Syrlya over, but it is aggravating, keeps on kicking up dust in his face, and will make concentrating a bit harder for the mesmer. ]

Be careful out there! [ he calls out, in the sing-song voice of someone who's being a shit and knows it. ]

[chronosynthesis]

[The weather in the carnival doesn't tend to change. Syrlya's come to understand that much being here. It makes him pause before he makes the next jump, which gives the dust time to kick up enough for him to shield his eyes as he looks for the source.

Not that he has to look hard, because Strange draws attention right to himself.

He narrows his eyes, but doesn't bother with a verbal response. He's in the middle of an obstacle course, which he turns back to and proceeds to bounce across the gaps--but slower, with a little more care until he's out of range of the worst of the dust.]

[kingsroads]

[ If Strange didn't draw attention to himself with his voice, he's certainly drawing attention to himself with his magic. Strange mutters, gesturing towards Syrlya as he progresses through the obstacle course. There isn't as much dust kicked up but the wind is still blowing strong enough to be annoying. And, what's worst of all, it seems to be following Syrlya. Breezes swarm around the other man as he continues through the obstacle course.

Strange, as expected, is still grinning. However, he's stopped gloating, as all of his effort is going to maintaining the spell, as the wind continues to linger around Syrlya no matter where the man goes on the obstacle course. ]

[chronosynthesis]

[Sure, Syrlya could continue through the obstacle course against the wind... but last he checked, Strange wasn't his trainer.

So he stops, gripping the edge as he looks down at Strange, judges the distance and holds his hand out.

One of those purple circles forms behind Strange, with his feet standing just at the edge. If Strange doesn't move before it fully forms he's going to find himself yanked back to the center, shocked, and then floated a few feet in the air for only a couple seconds before it ends and leaves him to fall gracelessly to the ground.]

[kingsroads]

[ Strange is too busy focusing on keeping the gust up that he doesn't notice Syrlya casting his spell. As such, he doesn't move, and Syrlya's yank, shock, float, drop combination goes off perfectly.

It takes Strange a moment to get back to his feet because ouch. Once he's upright, he looks back out on the training course. Did Syrlya think this was over, it's not over, Strange will probably toss another obstacle Syrlya's way if his roomie's still running the course.

Not after whining, though. ]

What the hell was that for?

[chronosynthesis]

[Syrlya tilts his head to better hear Strange, rolling his eyes up as the wind fades

And then he looks down, sideways at him with a smug smirk if his own.] Oh, it seems the wind has stopped.

[Now, time to continue cheating at the obstacle course.]

[kingsroads]

[ And thus the dumbness continues. Because it's time for Strange to again attempt to stop Syrlya's cheating at the obstacle course.

Bending down, Strange places a hand on the ground and starts to mutter again. Wherever there's space in the obstacle course, pillars of earth shoot up. This is Strange attempting to block Syrlya's way and box him in—though considering how fast Syrlya is, it might not work. It's at least somewhat inconveniencing, though, and he can live with that.

He'll lower the earth pillars later. Maybe. If he remembers. ]

[chronosynthesis]

[Syrlya stops just before he slams his face into one of those pillars, swaying before he finds his balance again and looks around.

There's plenty of space to see where he needs to go, so they don't deter him for long as he Blinks forward and slips through them. He makes a quick dash into the tunnel where he's at least out of view as he crawls through it.]

Dummiest

[dressedtothe]

[If 9S looks grumpy that's half Lambert's fault for using the pool noodle from hell on him. His yelling (and maybe some screaming) after getting hit by it is probably something anyone at the training yard could have heard.

It's with a reluctant sigh that 9S offers--]

Do you need someone to spar with?

[chronosynthesis]

[Syrlya looks up from the dummy at the sounds of his voice.] Oh, 9S.

[He smiles faintly and turns around, the sword dangling loose in his hand.] If you are free, yes. I find training more effective with an active opponent.

[dressedtothe]

Yeah, I'm available.

[9S lets out another sigh, signalling the beginning of a complaint.]

I'm not a combat model, but Lambert ordered me to spar.

[And he's not going to go against orders, even if he'll complain about it all the way.]

At the moment, you're the only one I can actually fight.

[Sure, there might be others in the yard, but Syr's the only one not human present at this very moment.]

[chronosynthesis]

Am I? [Syrlya pauses, raising a brow. What, did he get banned from brawling with anyone else on the team? That seems strange.] Why is that?

[dressedtothe]

[9S' shoulders slump.]

You're the only non-human around right now. I can't fight humans.

[And just to be clear--]

I physically can't.

[chronosynthesis]

You can't? [He says it distantly, like it doesn't really register what 9S means by that.]

That's--[Impractical, debilitating, potentially dangerous.] ... inconvenient. Do you know why that is?

[dressedtothe]

[Yeah... he knows.]

It's part of my programming.

[That's about as much as he's going to elaborate on that.]

And no, I can't remove it. Not unless you want to remove my personality.

[chronosynthesis]

[That... sure rises a lot of questions in Syrlya's mind about the extent of 9S's free will. He'd taken it for granted, the way he behaved, but perhaps being a mechanical creation meant there did exist limitations in his personhood.

But--] You can't, but someone might. Not that I would suggest throwing untested solutions at you if the risk is your sense of self, but...

[Well, something worked for the Sylvari, somehow.]

dummier

[pipers_son]

"Those sorta things are more meant for folks ta learn their basic forms and what-not," says a voice from the sky, over the sound of wing beats. "Get 'em used ta a sword. For folks who already know, well-" Laughing, Joker glides down in a circle onto solid earth.

"Probably not as helpful." Trotting a bit to help slow his landing, he grins at Syrlya. "Or satisfying, yeah?"

[chronosynthesis]

"I suppose." Syrlya tilts his head to look at the newcomer. Joker isn't someone Syrlya sees frequently, so he has to pause for a moment and... can't quite recall his name but, well.

"Are there a lot people learning? My impression was that most of those employed to defend it have some prior experience."

[pipers_son]

"Well, it's not only people in Security or the Nightrunners who know how ta fight." He grins lopsidedly over at Syrlya. "I mean, the Stage Manager before me went off ta go fight in an intergalactic war at the end of his last contract, so there are all sorts in all kinds of places in this place."

If Joker had gently encouraged such a course of action, well, it's fine. Everyone is happy in the end.

"Besides, with what's happenin' lately, some people feel better if they have even a little bit of idea of how ta fight."

[chronosynthesis]

"I suppose that's true." That's why many people signed up for the Orders in Tyria, after all. Although the purpose of those was already to fight back, and the carnival was less about purposefully murdering everything.

He's at least mostly sure about that.

"And yourself?" He inclines his head to Joker. "Is that why you're here?"

[pipers_son]

"Oh, no, no." Joker chuckles a bit. "At least, not yet. I still have to watch over Performance's practice, after all." While he may want to make sure the Carnival is protected, and better defend himself, well... He's the Stage Manager. What goes on under the big top and all the smaller tops takes priority for him.

"Besides, I have a rough understandin' of swords, although not the best."

[chronosynthesis]

Syrlya doesn't expect anyone outside the nightrunners and security to actually fight for the carnival--that's their job, after all. Though, that still doesn't explain what Joker's doing here now if not practice, except maybe just the loiter.

"I see... are you looking to improve at it?"

[pipers_son]

"I probably should, but..." He holds his hand out to the side, fingers spread. "No sword." At least, he lost his a long while ago in another world, and he's never bothered to get a new one. There hadn't been much need for it... at least until recently.

Now he just has throwing knives.

[chronosynthesis]

Syrlya wiggles the training sword for emphasis. "That is what these are here for, I believe."

And probably so security doesn't stab each other to def while 'training'.