meadowlarklogs | (CLOSED) I'm bigger than my body I'm colder than this home

[ The brief summons directs the Shrikes to Stephen's favoured reception hall in the Cardinal quarters, and on the approach by all counts the place is at peace. No commotion in the hallways, no signs of violence. Nearing the grand doors of the hall, the only sounds that might greet straining ears are low voices and the clink of cutlery.

The doorman turns, stands aside and reaches to knock at the door as one or both Shrikes arrive.

Inside, Stephen glances at Lance and slants his mouth in something like wry apology - work follows him everywhere, can't be helped - and raises his voice to extend an invitation: ]

Come in.

[The knock on the door startles him a little; he hides most of it, but with the tension that's been present for this entire conversation he's a little on edge. But alarm quickly just shifts to confusion, his eyebrows furrowing a little as he sees Stephen's expression and then looks back at the door, waiting to see who's about to enter.]

[Garak comes in, smiling pleasantly as always. Lance's presence doesn't make him skip a beat because whatever comes, he's going to be prepared for it.]

You sent for me.

[Not a question. Many in Stephen's position don't tolerate questions and Garak's not about to cross that when there's already an arrest pending.]

I did. Come on over, we're just waiting on one more guest.

[ Stephen gestures vaguely into the space nearer the table. It's not quite an invitation to sit down, but it offers a little less of a formal distance. The door to the room remains ajar, awaiting whoever it is that's due to follow. ]

Have the two of you met?

[He's... Certainly not expecting Garak, of all people, to show up. Why did Stephen call him?

Lance's intuition is going off and telling him this is something to be worried about, but he isn't sure if it actually is or not. Everything still seems cordial, and Garak is another Shrike, so maybe he's just here for whatever reason Lance is, but if that were the case why did he arrive so much later? And who else is supposed to be coming?

The question draws him out of his thoughts and he tries to refocus on Stephen, glancing briefly at Garak and then back.]

Yes, we've worked together on occasion.

[He heads to the designated spot and leans against the table, the very image of being at ease even as he's not. Being invited here for pleasantries wasn't the way things went. Something's off. It's a trap, but who is it for? Someone here, or the person yet to come?]

Of course, [he confirms.] Most shrikes cross paths from time to time.

[Does he need distance, or should he seem more friendly? Distance is probably the strategic choice. It's almost always safer, and it's not like he's the closest of friends with Lance. Friendly, and that's about as far as he gets with almost anyone.]

I tend to keep my profession under some wraps, but there are times when backup is useful.

[ Amos likes spending his time along the outskirts of the Aerie, far away from the Volary, so it takes him a little longer to arrive.

It's far from the first time Stephen has entered his head, and he hates it every single time, but he knows better than to argue. Not biting the hand capable of smacking you down was a lesson learned early in life, and he hasn't gotten this far just to forget it.

So Stephen tells him to come, and he comes, quietly making his way through the halls, and he enters when prompted.

Cocks his head when he sees who else is in the room. He knows Stephen. He's familiar with Garak. Lance he's seen only in passing, but still: he's here to make an arrest, and there are three Shrikes and one Cardinal in this room, and he hadn't seen anyone else on his way up.

Weird. He brushes it off quickly. Ignores Garak and Lance, turns his attention directly to Stephen. ]

Hey.

[ Not like he's ever figured out formalities; not like he hasn't done everything that's ever been asked of him, either, so he seems to get by well enough. ]

Of course.

[ It's a reply to Garak, sounding almost genuinely engaged if it weren't for how his eyes slide easily away the instant Amos enters the room. And so the scene is set. ]

Mr Burton. I'm glad you could make it.

[ As though it were optional. As though coming at the beckoning of one of the world's overseers is a matter of squeezing him into your schedule and not of instantly dropping everything. And as if this were an invitation to lunch, and not a call to arms. ]

Would one of the two of you like to inform Mr Sweets why I asked you here today? I'm sure he's feeling left in the dark.

[Amos' arrival is both more and less surprising than Garak's; more so because he's basically a stranger and so there's no connection there--but, continuing the pattern, his is another Shrike--and less so for the same reason. Stephen is very correct that he's feeling left in the dark.

But the statement itself instantly gives him an idea of what the situation might be, even if he doesn't have any specifics yet. He purposefully doesn't look at either Garak or Amos, fixing his gaze on Stephen alone while also keeping very aware of the other two people in the room; although there's no obvious outward change it's still probably clear that he's now tense and very ready for things to take a turn.

But he'll wait and be absolutely sure of what's going to happen before he decides how to deal with it, and if it's what he thinks then Stephen was smart to call in two Shrikes rather than just one.]

[So it's Lance, then. The dangerous part about having let his caring side show once or twice is that Lance could betray him right now. On the other hand, an order is an order and if Garak doesn't obey it then he's betrayed himself. There's no question of what Garak needs to do for his own survival.]

I was asked here to make an arrest.

[He doesn't visibly shift his posture, but he's ready to move nonetheless. His amiable smile is still in place. The confrontation will be here, but it's two-to-one (as he's rather sure a Cardinal won't do their own dirty work) and he's fairly certain now that he's not the target.]

Obviously I think it serves everyone for this to go smoothly.

[It doesn't. Lance can't win but to give up right away isn't like the man Garak believes he somewhat knows. That doesn't mean Garak isn't going to lie though.]

[ When Stephen speaks, Amos shifts his line of sight from him to Lance. So that explains it.

He remains perfectly still otherwise, lets Garak confirm things first while he looks Lance up and down, sizing him up. He's not going to be a pushover - they would not technically be colleagues if he was - but other than the mutual profession, he doesn't see anything special.

Alright then. ]

I was told the same.

[ He doesn't see any way this goes smoothly, though. People usually don't let arrests go smoothly to begin with, so what are the chances a Shrike - someone who could actually cause real damage, has as good a chance as anyone at getting out of it - lets it just happen? Especially with the way he's tensed up.

Amos keeps his expression flat but readies himself, too. His back is still to the door but there's no chance anybody else comes in here. He's in as good a position as any for the fight he can smell coming, and he'd be lying if he wasn't kinda looking forward to it. ]

[Okay. Okay, it's as bad as he thought, but he'd also known this was a possibility; it's always a possibility in this place, whether or not you've done anything to warrant it. That's the whole point of why he's being doing what he's doing, and why he put himself in a position where this outcome was more inevitable than anything else.

But he's definitely not planning to make this easy. Why would he? What's the worst they're going to do if he refuses to go peacefully, throw him in the quarry? He has no intention of seriously injuring either of the other Shrikes if he can help it--they're just doing their jobs--and the resistance he plans to put up is mostly symbolic, but there's another person in the room he feels less inclined to be as measured with.

That, however, can wait a moment, and with some effort he ignores Garak and Amos and loosens his own posture a little--it isn't relaxation, but the more he looks like he might be resigned the better--and keeps his gaze on Stephen.]

On what charges? Maybe there's a misunderstanding.

[He doesn't expect to talk his way out of this, the question more out of legitimate curiosity than anything else, but it also serves the purpose of perhaps luring the other Shrikes into a false sense of security. If he can show that he's calm and reasonable about this, they might be less ready for when he does choose to act.]

[ The atmosphere in the room changes in an instant - it doesn't take a power to detect it. Stephen casts his attention between the two newcomers as they impart their news, then slides it over to Lance to watch for his rebuttal.

It's clever. He knows how to handle himself, how to smooth over cracks. No wonder it's taken this long for somebody to notice they're still there. ]

Deciding when there's been a misunderstanding would seem to be your strong suit. [ A slight pinch at the corner of his mouth - could be a smile or a grimace. Too small, too controlled. ] I can promise you there hasn't been one this time.

[ And to clarify his point, Stephen stretches out to Lance with his power— a series of memories pull themselves to the fore, times spent seeking information where he shouldn't be to find it, all recalled with the kind of clarity and quick succession that shouldn't happen as coincidence in a mind focused on immediate threat.

There'll be no talking his way out of this one. The information's come from the source. ]

If you could, please, gentlemen.

[It was a valid attempt, Garak would have to give him that. Lance was going to die but he'd thought at least of one sensible defense and many couldn't manage that. Unfortunately it's not going to work.

Garak makes no vocal response. Lance is prepared enough and there's no reason to give him even more warning. Instead he darts forward, aiming the tip of his elbow at Lance's temple. Unconscious suspects are the easiest to manage, after all.]

[ Oh, good, at least they're not going to waste time talking. Amos isn't interested in that. Whatever the reasons for the arrest don't matter - Stephen ordered it, so it's going to happen. End of story.

Amos follows up behind Garak a fraction of a second after he makes his move, moving around to Lance's other side, ready to provide immediate backup. The target's a Shrike, after all. Stephen called in two of them for a reason. He's not going to discount any of those factors. ]

[It isn't a shock that Stephen doesn't give him a chance, but he'd had to try anyway. And he supposes he did learn something from it, because the rush of memories--which is disorienting at first--isn't natural, and suddenly so much makes sense; he'd known Stephen had to have some way of getting information that he shouldn't have, form what he'd gleaned from Nate, but never knew exactly how. Now he does.

But he can't dwell on that right now, because he sense more than anything else when Garak moves. He'd planned on trying to lure Garak and Amos into getting close to him and pretending to go quietly, but okay, if this is how it's gonna be then he'll feel a little less bad about what he's going to do.

Not getting hit in the head is his priority though, and the only real way to evade is to move away, which means right into Amos. So he lurches sideways out of his chair and into Amos, less concerned about trying to knock him down or do any sort of damage than he is about just getting out of striking distance of Garak. He's going to have to resort to his secret weapon faster than anticipated, but that's fine with him.

He presses one hand against Amos' chest and extends the other toward Garak, eyes flaring gold just a moment before lightning arcs from his fingers.]

[The dodge is clumsy. Fights are often clumsy messes of flailing limbs, but this is sloppy enough that Garak wonders if Lance might have a plan, a weapon, backup, something. To fall into Amos is a poor choice otherwise considering how much of beast the man is.

But even with the quick wondering, lightning is completely unexpected. The hot flash tears through him and it's Garak's turn to stumble. He makes no noise, he won't dignify it with one, but he does grab for the table for support and miss. Clearly Lance has fallen much further than Garak had thought, and Garak has little to fear as far as being betrayed. There will be far bigger targets in Lance's mind than him.

He grabs a chair and flings it at Lance, keeping a little bit of a distance now and wondering what the limits of this ability are.]

[ People about to be arrested don't usually move right into him, so that's different. Not really surprising - it's a particularly tense situation, nothing about this is going to be surprising - but different.

It can't be that easy, though, for him to just reach out, bring his arms up to initiate a sleeper hold--

Okay the lightning is fucking surprising.

The direct contact knocks Amos back, feels like it stops his heart for a second, and it burns. His eyes widen for a second but that's about it as he grits his teeth, rights himself again, ignoring the pain and doing his best to discard the shock. He'd heard about this, but hadn't had the chance to encounter it firsthand; now he is and subduing Lance became that much greater a priority.

He makes sure to move away from the chair's arc but also stays a little back to regroup, eyes shifting to Garak for a second before back to Lance, waiting to reassess, see if he's going to do that again. ]

[The electricity does what he intended it to do, which is to give him some room to be on his feet and not trapped in between them. He still can't take both of them at once, but with some distance his power will help him control the flow of the fight and hopefully keep him from being overwhelmed long enough that he can do a little damage. It isn't about winning, it's about showing he won't just go along quietly.

But he's barely regrouped when suddenly there's a chair coming at him, and he ducks and twists away but it still clips his shoulder hard enough to really hurt. He lurches back into a defensive stance a moment later though, other arm extended with his hand raised, ready to launch more lightning the moment anyone comes toward him and his gaze quickly flickering between Amos and Garak.]

I went easy on you the first time.

[He warns it both because it's the truth, and because he's suddenly aware that if he can't move his other arm as quickly he may not be able to deal with them if they both come at him at once. Hopefully the threat will make at least one of them think twice long enough for him to recover a little.]

And we weren't playing dirty.

[He believes Lance. This could hurt. But what else can they do with a Cardinal watching and the assignment given? He's not fool enough to turn. No. This fight will end in pain for all three of them but at least Garak isn't going to the Quarry.]

The question really is how injured you want to be before fighting for your life.

[His voice is smooth despite how he can feel the burn across his chest. He's quite good at hiding how he's feeling, though he's not sure it especially matters right now. Stamina isn't what they're being judged on. Obedience is.

Garak glances over at Amos, looking to catch his gaze in hopes coordination so they can come at him from both sides at the same time, maybe quickly enough to keep him from hurting them too much more. Pain might be useful, but he doesn't seek it out, or want to prolong it.]

Personally, I'm down for whatever.

[ He says it casually enough, like they're figuring out lunch orders, not as though they're three highly trained professionals who know how to deal damage - one of whom can apparently shoot lightning from his fingertips.

Being summoned by Strange left a 50/50 chance that things would be boring or really interesting. He's happy it's the latter, even though he can still feel the burn across his own chest, is keenly aware that this has the potential to get really bad, if what Lance is saying is true.

He doesn't know him at all, doesn't know if Garak's words are going to make an impact, and only cares because it'd be nice to not get hit badly again. If it happens, though, it happens. If Lance is telling the truth then it strikes Amos that he's less likely to use lethal force, so really, there isn't anything to lose here.

Amos catches Garak's gaze, knowing that any coordination they get going will have to be done with Lance being well aware of it, too. Still, it's two against one, and those are generally good odds, electricity powers or not. He looks off to the side, shifts so that they're three points in a triangle. Blinks once, deliberate; see how Lance responds but, you know, go for it immediately after. One second. That's all. ]

[If this were another situation, he'd argue with Garak that going right for trying to knock him out would be considered playing dirty, but this isn't the time. There won't ever be a time for that, really.

The rest of what Garak says does give him some pause, though not a lot, because he realizes he's already somewhat resigned to what's going to happen. He already knows this fight is pointless, just a matter of pride and defiance, but won't the quarry be the same thing? Does it matter what condition he's in when he goes into it, if he doesn't believe he's going to make it out?

His gaze shifts, briefly noting that Stephen's still in the room, before returning to watching Amos and Garak. The look the two share is difficult to interpret--coordination, of course, but in exactly what way?--but the way Amos moves is not, the angle setting the other two Shrikes up to close in. That's okay. He's changing his mind on what he wants to accomplish.

The blink causes him to tense, ready for them to move, but he doesn't use his power; his strategy has changed, and he's ready to put up a just enough of a fight not to be incapacitated before he can get a shot in on the one target in the room he really wants to actually do damage to.]

Edited 2021-01-10 05:57 (UTC)

[He hadn't really expected Lance to stand down, but it had been worth a chance. Less pain for all involved, and he might have come out of this not feeling guilty. Not like he'll really dwell on it long. He can't afford that sort of sentiment.

Amos blinks at Lance and for the briefest of moments Garak wonders if the man's about to turn but thankfully they charge Lance together. Garak's not sure Stephen has any intention of stepping in and lightning plus Amos could have been very bad news for Garak. Instead it's all bad for Lance.

Garak moves opposite to Amos, trying to stay a little lower this time even though he knows it's not going to have much of an effect.]

[ The coordinated charge makes things so much easier, now that they've actually had the chance to go on the offensive, that the element of surprise electricity is less of a factor.

He sees Garak duck a little lower so he stays further upright to really cover their bases. Sure, there's some risk to it, but Amos is already pretty certain Lance isn't going for a kill, so, whatever; the reward is worth it.

They time it well, able to hit Lance at the same time, probably get some decent bruises going around his core. Amos is even able to grab at one of Lance's arms - the one with the clipped shoulder - and keep hold of it, at least prevent him from moving it the way he wants, take it out of commission for the time being. ]

[Now that he's switched tactics to play defense more than offense, his main goal is not to take too much injury; of course there's only so much he can do about that, especially when it's two on one, but it's still worth the attempt.

So he's able to see the hits coming and deflect them enough to avoid any broken ribs, but he's still very much going to feel the bruises in the morning--if he makes it that long--and is briefly winded, more than distracted enough that he can't avoid Amos grabbing his arm. But that actually works out well enough; he twists into the grip instead of away, putting his back to Amos, and slams his head backward--hopefully into Amos' face--at the same time as he jabs at Amos' ribs with the elbow of his other arm.

Without waiting for a reaction, he uses what's hopefully a brief opening to then kick Garak in the chest, intending to at least bruise him in return if not do worse.]

(CLOSED) I'm bigger than my body I'm colder than this home

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