lostcarnival | this is a robbery [closed]

Entry tags:

this is a robbery [closed]

Who: Childermass, Lambert, Cole, & Yuya.
When: Sometime later during the Harbinger invasion.
Where: The Wishmuth Museum of Art
What: The Harbinger of Fortune has his eyes set on ruining an exhibit opening for the museum's more lucrative patrons...
Warnings: Lambert's ass, Cole's TMI memory theater, and Yuya possibly wishing he'd chosen to team up with two completely different Guardians at that point in time tbh.

What would have otherwise been a quiet gathering of Wismuth's elite, to ooh and aah over the Wismuth Museum's newest additions, has ended up going a more poorly than anyone could have ever planned for. It all started with requesting to see the invitation of one man, having strolled into the reception in an indolent, uncaring manner. No one recognized him. No one was surprised when he told them he did not have one.

Surprise only came when the shadows all around them sprang to life before anyone could try and eject him.

Now the museum is surrounded by the flashing lights of cop cars and news vans, the radio and TV all announcing a strange hostage situation to add to the rest of the bizarre and dangerous events taking place in Wismuth these past few days. Not that the police can get in contact with the hostage-takers. Not that they can go into the building itself, either! The few who have vanishing just like everyone else who'd been in there before, considering their sole contact having been a short-lived emergency call from a security guard and then... nothing.

Overall, it's a mess all around the locked-down streets bordering the Wismuth Museum of Art.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Yuya stops suddenly when Cole whispers to him, staring ahead before slowly looking around. The back door? But what...?

He looks up at Lambert when he starts to speak again, shaken from his distracted thoughts. Lambert already knows something about this place, and since he doesn't suggest a back door Yuya holds his tongue on it and nods. He's not quite sure it was just an idle thought, but he doesn't have time to think about it.

Yuya nods. "Do you remember where it is?"

And Cole continues to whisper, focusing on Yuya over Lambert. Come on! This makes sense! Listen to him!

"The staff can't come in the front," he whispers, a bit more insistently. "The door will be unlocked and you won't be seen."

Nigella manifests herself, as unseen as Cole. She spots Pig and gives her a little nod of acknowledgement. Then, she takes her position back up, clinging onto Cole's hat.

Pig nods back, briefly, but doesn't otherwise give away that she's spotted something untoward. Whatever Cole's doing, he's another Guardian, and she recognizes it's supposed to help, not harm ... and nothing more needs to be said than that.

In the meantime, Lambert has to think. "Around the back," he says, finally. "We can get around this way."

His ear flicks again, eyes narrowed. "Can you hear something?"

Yuya can't ignore that voice a second time, although he doesn't turn to look for it this time. His shoulders raise, however, and his grip on his weapon tightens.

"Yes," he looks sideways at Lambert. "A voice saying to go in through the back door."

Is it a spirit? Yuya knows it's not his cards, or else he wouldn't be reluctant to trust it. But if they can coax it out, maybe it is friendly and they can work together.

"Uh--if someone's there, you should show yourself!"

Cole awkwardly looks at Nigella, as if she'll tell him what best to do. The familiar gives Cole a Look. With a little frown, Cole decides that urgh, fine, he'll show himself. But if Lambert yells at him, it's Nigella's fault!

"I can unlock the back door," Cole remarks, suddenly showing himself. He's not RIGHT behind Yuya but he's close enough to probably give Yuya a hell of a scare. "They won't see us as easily that way."

Lambert stares.

"Is this a joke?" He asks, of no one in particular. Because really? Really, why Cole? And more importantly-- "How long have you--"

The sharp interrogation is drowned out by the high wail of sirens, a sharp reminder of why they're here. And as much as Lambert would be happy to yell at Cole all day, there are other matters at hand.

Yuya absolutely jumps with a yell--he'll never get used to that. He grabs for Lambert's arm out of reflex as he turns over his shoulder to stare. "Cole!"

There's a long, silent stand off before Yuya comes around to his senses again, and his shoulders slowly relax as he straightens out. "You're... sure you can get us in?"

He's not even sure where the back door is, so hopefully Cole is ready to take the lead if hes certain.

"It isn't the time," Cole briefly chides Lambert. Yell at him later, when there aren't people who might be in trouble. Now isn't the time.

But at Yuya's question, Cole nods...and just starts running off towards the other side of the building. He's also not sure where the back door is, just that it's there.

"Hurry up!" Nigella chirps in her annoyingly high pitched voice.

"I know that," Lambert snaps irritably, temper flaring quickly and fading as he nudges Yuya ahead of him.

"Follow him. I'll bring up the rear."

And the witcher is quick to dart after and chivvy Yuya along if he has to, scooping Pig up so she can ride his shoulder instead of making a loud noise on the concrete. If this doesn't work, there's always breaking in.

And Cole will find that he's right, that there's a back door and it is, unsurprisingly, in the back. In this case, it's actually a loading dock in the alley that runs behind the museum. On either end of the alley sit police cars though they're guarding rather inactively, unlike the hustle and bustle of the circus out front.

That isn't to say the back door is entirely unwatched. A lone crow is perching on the bright lamp affixed above the door next to the loading dock, only it isn't quite... real. Formed from shadows, huddled closest to the wall and as far away from the lamp as it can be.

Yuya takes the initiative to follow Cole without a lot of pushing, sticking close to the wall as they slip by. Especially when he sees the police vehicles. White and gold isn't the best combination for sneaking anywhere, but if worse comes to worst that's what they have ridiculous magical power for.

He's actually so occupied with the obvious if inactive police, he just about misses the crow. It doesn't even register strangely to him.

Cole just straight up misses the crow. He also straight up does not have a plan of how to get Lambert and Yuya in. So he just starts straight up walking to the back door.

"Idiot!" Nigella squeaks, giving Cole a frown. "The police can't see you but they can see these two!"

Indeed, the police can't see Cole, don't pay the weird kid any attention or seem to acknowledge his existence at all. He walks straight up to the loading dock to get a better look at the door. Here's hoping there's at least one manual lock because if they're all automatic locks, these idiots are FUCKED. Cole didn't plan for keypads.

Unlike Cole or Yuya, Lambert's actively watching for trouble, things out of place. He's the most out of place himself, arguably, dressed in gold and white just as Yuya is, but at least there's that convenient fog of memory that seems to afflict any civilian who sees them.

"Keep going," he murmurs, behind Yuya. "If you get past their line of sight, they forget you were ever there."

It's a touch disconcerting, actually. Lambert doesn't like being forgotten or ignored, but he has to admit it's convenient in this case. Even as he begins to take up his own advice to Yuya, though, he happens to glance up, and his eyes fall on that spot in the shadows that's just a bit deeper than the rest.

He doesn't bother warning Yuya, and there's a flash of silver as he sharply flicks his feather blade at that bird-shaped shadow. He's suddenly glad he went through the trouble of bringing some of his own equipment to wear on top of the damn Star Guardian shit (where do all his clothes go, even?!) because as that magic is, it's also a little short on practical use (like stabbing weird shadows). As soon as it passes through, a twist of his hand brings the blade back to his fingers like it never left.

Cole gets to the door first, leans down to check out the door, and is met by... a keypad. Yes, Cole, it's a keypad. This is a modern day art museum, the only things that might have old-timey mechanical locks are likely part of the exhibits.

For the other two, well, the cops in the cars will stir briefly on spotting two garishly dressed bozos trying to lurk by, but as soon as they're out the alley and into the loading area? That's it. Nothing will come of it and they'll settle back into being bored out of their gourds by an ultimately lackluster guard post.

That knife, though... It goes flying and connects with the crow-shaped shadow, going straight through it as if nothing were there at all and stopping short of hitting the wall when Lambert recalls it. The crow flails its wings and moves its beak but it makes no sound and then it's gone, the shadows fleeing back to proper shadow rather than holding together by whatever magic formed it. It hadn't spotted Cole and it hadn't even had a chance to turn, to get a good look at the other two approaching. So, for now, it would seem like they're still being sneaky.

That... is pretty messed up. Yuya assumed everyone was too transfixed at the concert to have noticed what was going on, but seeing the police almost ignore them...

Well, it's no time to dwell on it now. He ducks a little as Lambert throws the knife, and that does draw his attention to the crow. He squints because it's hard to see past the dark to what's moving, but now that his focus is on it as it writhes and disappears... it looks like a bird?

But there's only one person he can think of who's associated with birds and shadows. "What was that?
Childermass?"

Was Childermass missing? Yuya realizes he doesn't actually know who all is gone.

Edited 2018-02-20 02:14 (UTC)

Well dang. That's a keypad. Shit, how's he going to do this.

Cole stares at the keypad for a moment, as if he'll somehow figure out how to magically pick up on the combination. His reading minds isn't specific enough to pick up on random details like that and while he knows that, Cole knows Lambert's going to yell at him because Lambert doesn't know that. So, during a moment where both Lambert and Yuya's eyes are off of him, Cole vanishes.

He reappears a moment later as he pushes the door open from the inside, holding it open for Lambert and Yuya. Surprise, Cole can teleport short distances. Expect that trick of his to never be seen in combat ever.

Cole gets that moment because Lambert's busy frowning up into the darkness. He'd seen that sort of shadowy bird before -- Childermass's little sentry in the medical tent, after he'd woken from everything that happened at the manor -- but when Yuya speaks, he frowns harder.

"Probably," he confirms. If it's him, Lambert feels ... it doesn't matter how he feels. Childermass had attacked Strange, and while stealing a gem was hardly comparable to shooting him (although apparently infinitely more unforgivable) he knows whatever magic he possesses and has kept to himself is going to be turned against them along with whatever the Void has given him. And if he's anything like how Steven or all the other Harbingers have been...

The door opens and he shakes it off, turning to step into the museum. Enough thinking. All they can do is keep moving.

"Come on. Let's go."

Past the door is the general receiving and shipping area. Boxes upon boxes all sorted and set up in shelves neatly and no doubt labeled, though you'd need a label reader to figure out what's what. The lights are dim but on and nothing, in particular, seems out of the ordinary back here. At least until they venture further in, seeking out a way out of the dock and into what's beyond. That would be, well, even more storage and then, finally, an exit into the museum proper.

Before they get that far, however, one of the three will find their foot kicking a card out of the way as they walk on. It's a long one, definitely not a playing card, discarded on the floor.

Yuya nods to Cole as he steps into the doorway, looking around at all the boxes as he steps in slowly. He's a little more wary this time after the sight of the bird, looking critically at the corners and shadows... but nothing seems amiss. At least, nothing at eye level.

Yuya doesn't notice the card as his foot pushes it away at first. It's just that the movement slides it to the corner of his sight, and he reflexively turns to look at it. He stops and stares for a moment, unsure if it's actually something that sticks out or he's just being paranoid.

It probably can't hurt to look anyway. So he moves to pick up the card.

"The stories sing," Cole cryptically remarks, as he places his hand on one of the boxes. He's wandering away from the group slightly as he looks around the general area. "Scribbles to storied, packed tighter than they ever dreamed."

Nigella is much more attentive than her Guardian partner. "What's that?" she chirps, as she flies over towards Yuya.

Whatever it is, it's certainly not a real tarot card (which is, of course, assuming any of the three know what those all are). It's a sleek silver and black for the most part but rather than any normal major or minor arcana, it's a stylized version of a frightened-looking security guard. Written in place of anything particularly fitting is an actual name: Paul Blart. Overall, a very odd card.

Having to twist around to see what it is Yuya's picked up, Lambert's eyes narrow when he catches sight of what Yuya's holding in his hand. It's nothing like the ratty, worn-out cards Childermass used to carry, and it's certainly not one he's seen before, but how many card-wielding Harbingers can there be?

"It's Childermass's," he says, shortly. He has his guesses about what it is, but whoever that poor fuck was, wringing their hands about it isn't going to help. Whatever magic locked him away, Lambert doesn't have the means to fix it, and time they waste here is more time they could be discovered. "Put that away and don't touch anything else. Stick close and keep your eyes and ears open -- the main hall's up ahead."

It's a clear picture in his mind, the map of the place, laid out in neat lines in the small, crisp brochure he'd pored over with Childermass, numbers and exhibits listed on the side. Childermass hadn't seemed particularly interested anything in here -- why he chose this of all places to show up, Lambert doesn't know, but it sours the warmth of the memory he has of this place in his mind, joking about which of them would have more trouble keeping their hands to themselves in an exhibit filled with old treasure.

Yuya pales, his chest tight and his body stiff as he looks the card over. He doesn't even openly acknowledge Nigella, too wrapped up in similar memories--because this can only be one thing, can't it? It's a different source, different power, but the same result as Academia. The same fate as his friends, Yuto's friends, his dad...

He doesn't notice when his hand starts to shake, but he does notice the tension building up in him. There's nothing from Yuto this time, leaving Yuya only to process his own anger and pain at seeing this, even on some person he doesn't know.

He doesn't even respond to Lambert verbally, but the order does make his turn his face and squeeze his eyes shut for a moment to recover. He slips the card in his back pocket before he turns to follow behind Lambert, and it doesn't quite fit--but Yuya can't just leave him here.

After all, he has every intention of making childermass turn him back.

As he grapples with the faint spike of terror from the security guard, the annoyance and anger from Lambert, and the horror and anger from Yuya, Cole looks over all of them with a worried frown. This...is just a powder keg of emotions, isn't it. And the jury's still out on who's going to explode first.

He falls behind, taking up the rear of the group, ready to make himself unseen the moment anyone else approaches. Nigella floats back to cling to Cole's hat.

"She doesn't want them to kill, so they won't," Cole remarks, eyes lingering on the card in Yuya's pocket. It's an attempt at reassuring Yuya, though going about it in typical awkward Cole fashion: this guy isn't dead, they can definitely save him. "Spells can be stopped, magic can be broken."

From there on out, it won't be the only card they'll find. Just outside the door to the museum proper are several police officers, that being as far as they managed to get. Further down the well-lit, marble-lined hallway will be even more cards, these ones of people in varying degrees of nice or even fancy evening wear.

Besides the cards, the only other eye-catching item lingering in the hallway — besides the occasional cool-looking vase or interesting painting — is a little sign proclaiming something along the lines of 'private event this way'.

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