(open) i made a sucker's prayer

[scholiast]

who: lucretia & you
what: tdm prompt + catch-all
when: late march/early april
where: oot n aboot
warnings: warnings for violence re: monster fights

01 everybody was monster fightin' (ota)

(Lucretia has always fought better in pairs than alone.

Its to do with her defensive capabilities; she's extraordinarily good at buff magic, at covering those with more destructive power, keeping them safe as they dive in head first. She can at least hold her own when she needs to but it's trickier. It isn't as fun, either! She likes being in a team.

Regardless, she's grouping creatures together with lightning spells and the odd fireball, trying to keep an eye out for other fighters or innocents about to be caught in the line of fire, anybody who needs a hand or a quick shield. Her elemental magic isn't at the same level as her abjuration work; eventually she falls back, starts to conserve her higher level spell slots.

Anybody who has just found themselves in a sticky situation or just looks like they need an extra hand will suddenly find a neat shield of faith being cast about them.)

Comments

[spellslots]

[Though he hasn't mastered it himself, he's familiar with the spell in passing, which is probably lucky considering the name is somewhat unsettling, especially considering... everything.

But Taako nods.]

I-- just do it, Luce, it's gotta be better than this.

[He trusts her but he doesn't, it's complicated and he isn't ready to get into it right now.]

[scholiast]

(It's fine. All she needs is enough trust to get away with casting something on him she hasn't used in a long time; she gives his hand a gentle squeeze, and uses the point of familiar contact to help ground herself.

It should hopefully feel like a warm blanket settling across the top of him, muffling all the sound in his brain. It's a careful, complicated bit of protection and it takes Lucretia a solid minute to set it properly.)

There. That should buy you twenty-four hours, (she says eventually, yawning hugely.) Did it work?

[dancingmd]

(Oh no! Belly rubs mean it's play time, right? Agatha wraps her paws around Lucretia's hand and alternates between gently gnawing her forefinger and licking it.)

You'd think she'd be used to you by now but... maybe if you're helping to feed her more regularly that will win her over.

[scholiast]

(Lucretia's nodding wildly, eyes wide.)

Yeah. He can just do it. No preparation time, no centering, no grounding; literally nothing. He snaps his fingers and magic happens, he hardly has to think.

(Buck fucking wild.

But the moment Barry mentions the aspect of power... she deflates, slightly.)

Oh, I... didn't consider that. Hmm. This, right now though? As I am? Barry, this is almost as powerful as I can possibly be.

[scholiast]

(Phew.)

I know what you mean. I lived on a ship for a long time and even though it's nice to be off of it, I miss it deeply every so often.

[scholiast]

(This is fine, because 1) it's adorable and 2) Agatha's teeth aren't nearly sharp enough for this to hurt. Lucretia's more than happy to let her chew, tickling her lightly with the fingers that aren't being attacked.)

Food is the way to her heart, huh? I sympathise with that.

Do you think I'll be able to let Junior out around them?

[trashvalkyrie]

I never lived on mine, but...I miss being able to just get away, every now and then. Lift off and cruise, just me and the open air—

[Val pauses, cocking her head to one side, at some noise coming from a ways away.]

Did you hear that?

[bythehand]

[ It's too late to pretend the finger guns didn't happen. They happened and they made Finn smile. He loves them. They should be treasured. ]

You got it.

[ The good news is he would literally rather die than fail to hold up his end of the monster-killing bargain.

I like to think they've made a silent arrangement between friends to go to lunch after this. ]

[scholiast]

(Lucretia opens her mouth to reply, but stills immediately as Val turns her head to listen.

... No? She shakes her head doubtfully, glancing all about them. If something large is about to ambush them, she's going to be ready. She casts a protective shield about them that will move as they do; it'll field off any first hit a monster might try to get in unawares.)

[trashvalkyrie]

[Val squints, and then turns toward the sound of the noise. Keeping her sword raised and her center of gravity low, she creeps toward the edge of the underbrush, peering into the half-light...

...and a deer wanders out, picking her way through the thorns and brambles. Val straightens up, chuckles, breathes a sigh of relief.]

Thought it was going to be some kind of ferocious beast for sure.

[dancingmd]

(Beverly glances over at Junior's tank.)

Depends how Junior feels about them, I suppose. I don't think they'll mess with it though.

[scholiast]

I guess we'll have to see if they make friends.

(She's not too worried; Junior can fly, after all, and it's a hardy wee thing. Something occurs to her suddenly and she stills in her petting of Agatha, chuckling.)

... We're going to need a bigger bookshelf.

[dancingmd]

(She takes this opportunity to steal her cat back, plopping Agatha on her shoulder, where the kitten proceeds to chew on her hair. Beverly scritches her ears thoughtfully.)

There are certainly worse problems to have. I think we can fit a few more in the bedroom.

[scholiast]

I don't know... (They make an adorable portrait like that, Beverly with her shoulder slightly hunched, Agatha with a mouthful of her hair.)

If our bedroom has both you and a few bookshelves in it, I'm not sure I'll ever have reason to leave it.

[dancingmd]

And how do you know that's not all part of my master plan, hmm?

[scholiast]

If it is, I'd say it's working already.

[scholiast]

(Oh, there is absolutely going to be lunch. They'll deserve it, after all the work they're about to put in.

Lucretia spots something huge and hulking stalking them from the back and to the side; she freezes it swiftly in place with cone of cold. This is the best compromise between stopping and outright killing the creatures that she can think of. If Beverly were here, she would have probably tried to communicate with it.

She turns her head to shout to Finn.)

Where did these come from, anyway?

[scholiast]

Same. (Geez. Lucretia had gone tense all over with apprehension, and she laughs nervously as Val straightens, and the deer trots on unaware.)

You're very professional. (She'd been watching Val slink through the brush with interest.) Are you a rogue?

[spellslots]

[For once in his life, Taako waits patiently, though his grip on her hand stays tight until the spell finally settles over his thoughts. His hold loosens at the same time as some of the tension in his shoulders drain away.]

Shit, yeah, it's good, it worked.

[It's quiet, which almost feels weird after so long, but he's grateful.]

I can fucking think again.

[scholiast]

Oh, good.

(She relaxes too: this has bought them time to figure something more long-term out, and she's never become accustomed to seeing Taako in genuine distress. Never will. Not even after one hundred years of shenanigans has she ever been able to weather it.)

Good, okay. Next step is finding the cultists.

[trashvalkyrie]

[The potential for danger may have passed, but Val keeps her sword at the ready. Nothing would be more embarrassing than to let her guard down just because of a deer.]

Me? [Val laughs.] No, not really. More like...I got used to having to be stealthy if I wanted to beat out all the other scavengers looking for goods to haul in. And when stealth didn't work...

[Her grin is very sharp.] Guns usually did the trick.

[dancingmd]

Good.

(Agatha meows before attempting to climb back down Beverly's front. The climb ends up being more of a tumble, but she lands safely in Beverly's lap and immediately starts purring louder than any cat that small has a right to. Beverly laughs at the kitten antics and scratches her ears.)

Agatha is part of it too, naturally.

[bythehand]

[ Lucretia: a good and noble woman. Finn is here indiscriminately murdering. He can worry about the ramifications later. ]

Somewhere upriver! [ It's deadpan. But not inaccurate. ] Flooding just gave them more room to operate. If you can get farther out than you could yesterday, find a little more food than you usually do--

[ He shakes his head a little. Then you're going to. That seems like an animal thing to do. ]

[alldenim]

[ He sort of shrugs as he looks down at the data, topping it off with a shake of his head. ]

Maybe that's just it. Each person has their max power based on maybe their race or somethin'? Loki's a fuckin' god so. But they kept him here...

[ And that is the scariest thing. It seemed like The Raven Queen, Pan, any of 'em could do whatever they wanted and no one could stop 'em. And here's one of their kind stuck in Riverview like the rest of 'em.

He finally sets it to the side. ]

What else you been up to around here, anyway? Besides flirtin' with girls.

[scholiast]

(Lucretia reaches out to pet her too, unable to resist. Agatha will surely be in heaven considering the combined affections!)

Terrific. I have all I need right here, then.