lostcarnival | let's get down to business

Entry tags:

let's get down to business

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! ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

It isn't long after a certain mess of an exchange over the network that Rita makes her way to the training yard for some specialized practice. She doesn't look especially enthused about it, particularly when she's already been coming for practice so much this week... but she has to admit that this may prove valuable, considering the fae's tendency to mess with people's minds.

She sits on a crate near the practice dummies while waiting for everyone to gather, acknowledging them with a glance and a nod, but no words of greeting. She hopes everyone will take this seriously and they'll get through it without any stupid nonsense... but Rita's not going to hold her breath for that.

Despite all of his complaining, 9S is there within a short period of time. He's basically been ordered to, so he's not gonna go against it, even if he'd tried wriggling out of getting involved.

The sick feeling in his chest after he'd hit Lambert had been highly unpleasant.
Worse than if he'd punched himself.
But there won't be a problem if he can self-hack and remove it before he hurts anyone, right? Right...

When 9S arrives, he makes his displeasure at all this known with grumpy kicking at the ground and a sullen greeting. "Hey."

If Lambert's brainwashing people, there will 100% be stupid nonsense. Despite all his complaining, Strange is also there shortly. He's made all those claims about how he can dispel Lambert's brainwashing easily, it's time for him to put his money where his mouth is. Because while he's certain he knows the framework of the spell enough that he can break it, it's 'breaking it while he's under it' that's giving Strange the most pause.

He gives Rita and 9S a wave as he approaches, rather cheerful in comparison to 9S's grumpiness. At least he's not stuck being the guinea pig alone. And then, Strange launches right into business.

"Lambert's spell isn't as intense or as deeply rooted as fae brainwashing. Still, if you could manage to get any sort of information from it, I suppose it could be useful."

For all that he's not the one who has to look forward to his mind being manipulated, Lambert's the one bringing up the rear of the party, casually coming up behind Strange with his thumbs hooked into his belt as he surveys what he'll be working with here.

"It's a witcher sign called Axii," he supplies for their benefit. Vesemir would probably be working himself into a conniption knowing Lambert is giving away witcher secrets away needlessly, but anyway. "You've seen it work in Greysol, and like I told you before, it's nothing compared to what a real mage can do." Rita hadn't liked it then, he doubts she'll like it now, but luckily Lambert doesn't really give a shit what Rita -- or anyone, for that matter -- does or doesn't like.

"Its mainly to cause disorientation, misdirect enemies, calm down panicking animals, that kind of thing," he goes on. "But it can be used to give simple commands, or information." And now he looks between Strange and 9S.

"It also only works on one person at a time. So who's going first?"

Rita glances away in an aloof manner as she listens, but she looks back to Lambert as he lists the uses of the spell. Some of them are things he mentioned before, but some of it's new information for her. When the introduction's over, she hops down to her feet.

"I'm ready to do this. The sooner one of you volunteers, the sooner we get this over with," she suggests.

Grumble grumble grumble. "I'll go first."

He already was planning on it before Rita spoke. The sooner he gets it over with, the sooner he'll be done. Then he could go for a bath and forget about the entire thing. Yeah.

Pod 153 is with him, as always. But hm. If he knows the magic is coming, does he still need Pod 153's report? He'll find out soon.

Safe for now! Strange gives 9S a nod and a grateful little smile before stepping back, out of the way so that the three of them can do their thing.

Strange really shouldn't have moved, because that only draws Lambert's attention to him while he's considering what to order 9S to do. He turns his head, smirks, and waves his hand in a lazy gesture. 9S might sense the magic spiking, but Rita and Strange will see it, the sigil in the air that's formed so many times before.

"Pick Strange up and drop him in the moat," he orders, voice crisp and clear. 9S is stronger than his stature would indicate -- Lambert has a vague memory of being hauled back to his cabin after nearly squashing him flat, after all.

Sadly for 9S, his ability to sense magic is about the ballpark of zero. Even Pod 153 has little ability to sense magical fluctuations; magic isn't made of maso here after all.

Despite being prepared for it, the Axii sign nails 9S anyway, overriding his current thoughts. Strange better have good reflexes, because 9S moves fast. Turning, 9S immediately bolts towards Strange, hands reaching to lift Strange up.

< Report: Unit 9S' mental functions has been placed into an uncontrolled state. Proposal: Initiate self-hacking to remove system interference >

Edited (Autocorrect!!! o9) 2018-01-24 13:19 (UTC)

"I'm sorry, what?"

Strange can't help but complain, giving Lambert a frown. He doesn't entirely think 9S can lift him...until 9S has lifted him and oh great, now his feet are off the ground. Turns out Strange's reflexes aren't exactly the best.

But, he does have a trick up his sleeve to get out of being wet: Strange just straight up turns to smoke a moment or so after he's been lifted up off the ground. Did Lambert just expect him to play along and get dunked, that is literally not going to happen. And hey, Rita gets a look at Strange's smoke magic as well. It's definitely his, but as the smoke magic came from a carnival change, there's a trace of fae magic in the composition as well.

As if compelled, the moment Strange rematerialises, 9S automatically goes for him again. But this time, his movements are jerky as he purges Axii's influence over his neural pathways. No magic is involved in the dispersal of Axii's command, the magic fragmenting before it can no longer hold its shape. By the time his arm is extended to grab Strange again, 9S blinks, as if coming out of a daze.

He hates this. It makes him feel like a machine. Like he has no free will.

Not that he's certain he has that anyway.

Turning, 9S says sullenly, "Is that enough?" From him, anyway.

As Lambert casts the sign, Rita's stare is fixed on its target: 9S. There's a tinge of guilt in her as she watches the magic take hold over his mind, his body seemingly responding automatically. Mind control never sat well with Rita as a concept, but it's somehow especially cruel to use it on someone who already spent so much of his short life being used like a tool...

That said, she kind of wishes she could've seen Strange get tossed into the moat. "Cheater," she grumbles at the magician.

Before anyone else can answer 9S, Rita's quick to jump in with, "It's plenty. I saw it all." Her tone is dismissive; not at all like that of someone who's just eager to let him off the hook. Or so she hopes.

"Don't you need to bring up those lights of yours first?" Lambert asks, laconically, entirely unbothered by the display.

"You were slower that time," he tells 9S. Although he's not the one being tested here, his stance shifts into something more alert and watchful. Without a timer to compare it to, it's impossible to tell exactly how slow, but it's a concern -- practice should theoretically make it better, not worse. He remembers that the pod spoke up then, too, and he gives it a look, like he's half-considering seeing if Axii works on that thing too, as it seems to be the key to shaking off Axii's effects to begin with.

He brushes it off, then smirks. "But you might still be faster than Strange. Let's find out."

The pitch of mocking challenge in his voice is absolutely meant to prick the magician's pride. Not that it's a difficult target to hit, as big as it is.

Edited 2018-01-24 23:05 (UTC)

And it hits Strange's pride square on the nose. Of course 9S wouldn't be faster than him, he is a magician. He should easily be able to break Lambert's spell, despite the fact that he can barely do so to begin with. It's nothing but pride and grumpiness over at the ego department.

"I doubt he will be," Strange chimes in, readying himself for the fact that he might end up doing something stupid. Thanks, Lambert.

9S looks away, folding his arms with a huff at the comment of his slower response. A stab at his pride; he's used to over performing, not under! Well maybe he was slower about it because he isn't entirely opposed to tossing Strange into the moat.

But since the heat's off 9S, that just means he can comment from the peanut gallery now! Considerably happier, 9S eggs Lambert on. "Don't go easy on him!"

Rita shakes her head at Lambert's question. "I can only use that analysis technique up close, and in a real scenario, I wouldn't get that chance unless we restrained the person first. But..."

She reaches under the folds of her tunic and pulls out a circular amulet. "I wouldn't mind getting some practice in using this. By focusing with it, I can enhance my magic perception." Strange, with his own ability, may be able to see the Ringmaster's magic in said amulet.

"New toy, huh?" Lambert figures everyone got their credits' worth up on the moon. He shakes his wrist out like he's warming up as he sizes Strange up. He isn't physically capable as 9S is, so any orders of the sort involving physicality probably won't end well. But much like Strange had drawn attention to himself and made him a target, so 9S speaking up draws Lambert's attention and makes him smirk as he turns to Strange and raises his hand.

Well, he'd shown that Axii could be used to command an action. Time to show how it can prompt information.

"Tell us what 9S thinks about Rita."

The problem here is that Strange is a huge gossip to begin with. As soon as he feels the spell take action, Strange starts trying to mentally cast a spell of his own, his spell to break other spells, while he's blabbing about 9S and Rita.

"I can't entirely figure out what 9S thinks of Rita. I don't think he likes her, despite the fact that he's said some things that sound like a love confession, as his affections seem to lie for someone back home. They're certainly close, and—"

And then Strange shuts up, his will and the disenchantment spell finally breaking Axii. Well, all in all that could have been worse.

Everything was fine until Lambert gives Strange his command. First of all, What!? Secondly, WHY!? And thirdly...

"Strange!" 9S yells, the heat rising to his cheeks, too mortified to stop him.

Does... Does everyone think the things he says about Rita sound like love confessions? How?? He's never said anything of the sort! It's almost just as embarrassing to hear what Strange thinks he thinks of Rita as it would be if his actual feelings had been laid bare before her.

Especially after their conversation on the moon when she was drunk.

Things have changed since then. He's had time to think. Strange's assessment of the situation isn't true any more. But most of all, he doesn't want Rita to think that he...

Augh! "What the hell, Lambert!?"

Rita's all ready to watch Strange through the hole in her amulet... but her focus is broken when she hears Lambert's command. "What!?" she shrieks, whipping her head around to shoot him a look of shock and anger.

She looks back to Strange, focusing on the spell, but there's no way she doesn't hear what he's saying. Her face turns a deep shade of red. She gets it; she misread the situation back in the manor. They don't have to keep rubbing it in!! Damn Lambert. Damn Strange. Damn 9S. All of them!

While Strange is speaking, Rita's lips move too, though the only audible sound from them is a low, angry muttering. A magic circle, drawn in yellow light, appears at her feet. There's no doubt about what's coming next.

"That's it... You're all DEAD!!"

There's a low rumble in the ground that quickly turns into a deafening crash as the earth rips open and a wave of stalagmites burst out of the chasm, rushing up from beneath the feet of the two men and the android. Most of the emerging rock is blunt, sparing them the potential for impaling, but it carries enough force to knock a grown man up into the air. Perhaps into the moat.

Lambert, of course, is laughing uproariously as Strange's runaway mouth gets the best of him. It's not much, but it's enough, and he's already grinning evilly at 9S and Rita. Oh, you can bet he'll remember this and tease them both for it until kingdom come, the way they look like a regular pair of tomatoes with the heat on their face.

"Well well, Nines, I should have known you had a thing for older wo--"

He never gets to complete what he was going to say, gasped around laughter as it is, as he fails to take note of the warning rumble underfoot. A column of rock slams right into his side, his magic too spent too call up a shielding spell so soon (not that he could concentrate on casting it anyway). The impact drives the breath out of him and sends him flying across the arena and straight into the water surrounding it, landing with a loud, visible splash.

It's a few seconds before he bobs to the surface, gasping, but still grinning like a maniac as he treads water, all his clothes soaked to the skin.

As previously established, Strange is a dirty cheater. He hears the rumbling, senses that Rita's getting her magic going, and then straight up turns into smoke before the impact hits. Victory!

Floating out of the range of the stalagmites, Strange resolidifies, looking way too smug at the fact that this is the second time he's escaped getting dunked in the moat (which of course means that he's going to get tossed in the water sometime before this afternoon is up, stop tempting fate, Strange).

"I don't know why you're blaming me," he complains with a little shrug. "You're the one who wanted to see how the spell worked." And then, tempting fate, Strange takes up the teasing as well, that smug expression turning into a teasing one. "Besides, you should be grateful that Lambert didn't make me say what you thought of 9S!" he says, knowing perfectly well that Lambert might take this opportunity to mindwhammy Strange into blabbing about what Rita thinks of 9S.

9S lets out the most indignified noise as Lambert's laughter, his voice rising as he screeches over the top of Lambert's words, "No! Shut up!"

Too caught up in the moment, 9S fails to notice the ground rumbling beneath him, even as Pod 153 tries to warn him with a, < Alert: Unusual trem-- > before Rita's earth spell slams him into the moat alongside Lambert.

Except, unlike Lambert, 9S can't swim. He is, in fact, rapidly sinking to the bottom of the moat.

Luckily(?) for 9S, that means he misses everything Strange says. Meanwhile, Pod 153 flies over to where 9S had dropped and dives into the water after 9S.

Edited 2018-01-27 05:38 (UTC)

Two down. With only Strange still standing, he gets to be the target of Rita's ire. Naturally, his blathering is not helping.

"Don't you dare give him any more ideas!" Rita snaps at him. With a swing of her arm, she follows up by hurling a quickly-conjured fireball at him.

She doesn't know what Strange thinks he knows about her thoughts, but she's certain she doesn't want to hear it. She definitely doesn't want 9S hearing it, either.

She hasn't yet realized that he probably can't hear what's going on outside of the moat.

"Something you wanna share, Rita?" Lambert calls, paddling over to the edge of the arena so he can rest crossed arms on the edge and watch Strange get roasted (hopefully). With Pod coming over to rescue 9S, he's not too worried about going down to fish him out (plus 9S is a fat fucker) but it does bring something else to mind.

"I think you drowned your boyfriend!" He doesn't really. He just wants to know how much more riled up she can get.

let's get down to business

brainwashing practice! (featuring lambert, 9s, and strange)

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takes inspiration from the meme, because i can

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it took me a while to remember this is prob happening pre-blue rose

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this may look like a shit post tag but it actually is not

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