whattaprick | IC CONTACT for lostcarnival

Yours was the last one I had to give, [ Strange admits. Though hell, if Celandine wants him to stay (and Lambert doesn't even bother to act like he thinks differently) then they're stuck with him. ]

I'll stick around, but where were you going anyway?

[ Lambert likes having company more than he can ever be pressed to admit. Having Celandine along is nice, but he's still all too aware he's talking to himself most of the time. Another living being is something different. ]

There's a spot a few minutes' ride away that makes a good place to practice. [ Lambert pauses for the briefest of moments. He doesn't like talking about this, but ... ] Practice turning into a dragon, that is.

[ Oh yes, Lambert could do that now. There's a pause before Strange nods. ]

I'll help you out, of course, but if the space is large enough to hold a dragon, then it should be open enough for me to practice my smoke.

[ What little time he's practiced helped Strange figure out that while he's got turning into smoke quickly down pat, being smoke for thirty seconds or more still makes Strange come over a little funny. With a shrug, he continues, ]

Lead the way.

[ Lambert snorts. ]

Why do you think I asked you to come along in the first place? I don't need help with the spell itself. I figured that out with Sans a while ago.

[ But it becomes difficult to hang on to his mind, to hold it for long enough to matter. That's the problem. He swings himself up into Pig's saddle, Celandine scrambling to sit in front of him, and he offers a hand to the magician to hoist him up behind him if he's willing. ]

Edited 2018-01-01 01:41 (UTC)

So which is it? [ Strange asks, as he gets himself on the back of Pig, trying not to smush Celandine as he gets on the horse. ]

Did you ask me to come along to sedate you or because you want my magical expertise?

How about "I wanted to be the one who gets to show off for once"? [ Lambert smirks, looking over his shoulder. ]

Hold on to me. [ And Pig's off, racing through the snow in a way she can't really afford to anywhere else. The reason is immediately obvious: the ground shudders and bucks underfoot with every strike of her hooves, leaving a trail of devastation in her wake. If there was a road beneath them, it would be shattered to pieces. ]

Point taken, [ Strange laughs.

As Lambert tells him to hold on, Strange does. And wow is he glad he does. Strange holds on for dear life as Pig thunders across the snow. This is the second time this month he's gotten stuck on a Pokemon running through the snow. Man he misses horses.

If Lambert looks back at him, he'll see that Strange is just holding on for dear life and looking slightly terrified. ]

[ Lambert doesn't, but Strange can easily hear Celandine's own reaction -- joyous, unbridled laughter as they race across the snow. It's thrilling, traveling this way. Strange is only lucky Pig has an actual saddle now, sturdy leatherwork from the Summerlands. After a few minutes, Lambert clicks his tongue and Pig slows down, bringing them to the top of the low hill Lambert's been practicing on.

He waits for Strange to get down first before he follows, taking the blanket off the back of Pig as he does so and laying it down on a rock clear of snow. And then ...

Well, then he starts undressing. ]

[ It's a bit awkward as Strange gets off the horse: he certainly knows how to disembark from horses, but the horses he's used to are at least a food smaller. Still, once he's on the ground, Strange brushes some imaginary horse hair off his trousers, turns around to look at Lambert, and then instantly turns back around because someone's getting naked. ]

I can help you find a way to change your clothes with you, if you want.

[ Even unseen, Lambert sounds dubious, over the sound of rustling cloth. ]

Even Sans doesn't know how to do that, and he's had a lot more time to practice. It might just be the way the spell's made.

[ And this is how Lambert ends up being able to transform with his jewelry and only his jewelry. ]

[ Strange bites back a nasty comment about how Lambert shouldn't be surprised that Sans doesn't know how to do it, the skeleton doesn't really seem to know much outside his magical specialty. As such, there's a brief awkward pause before he continues, ]

If it's made oddly, then change it. Copy it and add your revisions—that's what I do whenever I come across something that doesn't work properly.

[ the success rate is variable. ]

[ Lambert makes a small, amused noise at the back of his throat. ]

I can't. I'm not a real mage, Strange. [ He states it plain, matter of fact. ] I can learn a spell if it's given to me, but I can't change it. I can't even change witcher signs on my own, and I know those like the back of my hand. You think I'm gonna fuck with something that changes my shape?

[ The rustling of cloth stops, replaced by the crunch of snow underfoot as Lambert sends Pig walking away. And then, amused -- ]

Are you planning to face away all afternoon?

You're naked, [ Strange responds, with a little hmmph. Yeah, he's still turned away, not gonna look at Lambert's penis. ] I'll turn back around when you've actually changed form.

[ Though, there's an awkward pause before, ] And you could be a real mage if you want. The carnival's full of people who can help you develop your talent.

I know this might come as a shock to you, Strange, but not everyone dreams of flinging magic around. [ Rude, though, he was going to turn away for him so he's staring at his ass instead of his dick, but since he's going to be that way...

Even for a human like Strange, it's impossible to miss the shift in air pressure as Lambert ... changes. The smell of smoke and something almost strangely like coffee is carried to Strange on the wind, briefly, before it dissipates. ]

You can turn around now. [ There's a different quality to Lambert's voice somehow, raspier and with a strangely metallic ring. Also, it's coming from significantly higher than it normally does. ]

[ But why wouldn't everyone want to be flinging magic around? That's something Strange just doesn't get about Lambert. For all of his talk about how 'witchers weren't made like that', it's obvious in Strange's mind that Lambert could do so much more if he just put his mind to it. After all, witchers weren't made to turn into dragons either.

He can sense the magic set in as Lambert transforms as well. So, he's turning around right as Lambert says he can turn around. And...yep, that's a dragon. A hugeass dragon, as a matter of fact. Strange can't help but nod a little appreciatively. ]

Impressive. Can you cast your signs in that form or does the lack of fingers serve as a problem?

[ There's a difference between doing magic because it's useful and being a mage. Lambert would have expected Strange to understand that, considering. Magic is simply a means to an end for Lambert, not his life. Heh has no interest in it beyond knowing how to take it apart when he needs

Lambert lazily lifts a clawed forehand, wiggling the digits as the webbing that allows him to glide shifts and stretches with it. ]

Got fingers, but they're not flexible enough. [ And it's hard enough maintaining this form without getting distracted. ] Can do this, though.

[ He tilts his head back, letting a gout of flame -- far larger and more violent than what he can get out in humanoid form -- sear into the crisp winter air. ]

[ Alright, that's amazing. Strange can't help but let out a bark of laughter as he sees Lambert breathe fire. ]

It seems you're a proper dragon after all! [ he teases, wild grin on his face. ] Well go on, show off, keep showing me what you can do.

You ever doubted me? [ Lambert asks, feigning offense. It's a strange sight, the dragon talking -- there's no way that mouth is shaping those sounds, though it seems to as it moves.

He's been able to breathe fire as a human for a while now, of course, only it's never come up -- one more surprise to save for when he really needs it. Still, when Strange brings up other ways to show off ... he snorts, a warm blast of heat fogging the air in front of him, as he glances around. He's brought them to a raised area, since he was practicing this anyway, but knowing he'll have to clamber back up afterwards ...

Rather than answer in words, his muscles coil with tension and then he pushes himself up off the ground with a leathery flap of wings. Of course, it's not true flight, but it gets him high enough off the ground that he can tilt himself into the wind and glide away from Strange down the low hill, landing in a spray of snow a fair distance away. Shaking himself off, he starts clambering back to where he started, his tail leaving an almost serpentine trail behind him as it sweeps back and forth over his own tracks. ]

[ And Strange just watches, hands in his pocket to keep warm, as Lambert glides down the hill. He doesn't really know much about dragons, what with them not existing in his world, but that is impressive and seems very dragony. Granted, it's not really flying but maybe dragons in Lambert's world don't fly to begin with. Or perhaps, maybe whatever dragon the Ringmaster helped him turn into doesn't fly to begin with. After all, some birds don't fly.

He stands and waits as Lambert slowly clambers back up the hill. Once he's within hearing range, Strange calls out, ]

We'll have to find some proper cliffs one of these days! Then you could really enjoy yourself.

We used to practice off the mountains in the Carnival! [ Celandine's small furry head pops up from behind Lambert's scaly shoulder, answering the question of where she's been all this time. Her cape's gotten a bit askew and her fur is ridiculously ruffled from being buffeted by the wind, but she's pleased that Strange is suitably impressed, at least. ]

Getting back up was a lot harder unless we could talk Sans into taking us, though. Besides--

[ Besides what, exactly, she doesn't get the chance to explain, as the magic that's holding Lambert's dragon form together rather abruptly unravels, leaving him naked in the cold with Celandine clinging onto his shoulder. He doesn't seem all that surprised, though -- just inconvenienced, as he swears loudly and clucks for Pig. The Pokemon steps over, and Lambert drags the blanket off her saddle and wraps it around himself. ]

[ As Pig steps over, Strange mutters something under his breath. A small fireball, about the size of an apple appears in his hands. He steps over towards Lambert and holds the fire near him. It won't warm him up completely, but it might help. ]

You idiot, [ he can't help but gently chastise, ] I don't know why you didn't ask me. You've seen me travel through ice and water. As long as I set the puddles ahead of time, I could easily take you up to the mountains and back.

[ It wouldn't be as easy as Strange thinks it would be, especially if he's lugging along supplies as well as Lambert. Still, wouldn't be Jonathan Strange if he wasn't massively overconfident in his abilities. ]

[ Oddly enough, as Lambert pulls on the red cloth, he seems to noticeably shiver less, even without the fireball near -- though that certainly helps. As to why he didn't ask Strange, though ... he shrugs, looking wry. ]

Sans was who I got the idea from in the first place. I figured it made sense to ask the other person who turns into a giant animal on a regular basis.

[ He grins at Strange, fangs flashing briefly. Celandine will fill in for him then, after a brief pause: ]

Besides, Sans is a lot more patient. There was a lot of swearing.

I'm patient! [ no he isn't. Strange sighs for a moment before he admits, in a tone of voice that implies he really doesn't want to say this, ]

But Sans does have more experience with transformation magic than I do. If you wanted someone who could just help in that regard, he would be a good choice.

[ But Strange is better at moving people! That's his story and he's sticking with it! ]

[ To which Lambert makes an exaggerated show of looking around, clutching one hand to his chest as Celandine laughs. ]

Is the world ending? Did I just hear Jonathan Strange admit someone might be better at magic than he is?

I am being humble, [ Strange grumbles, entirely unaware that it doesn't count as being humble if you have to acknowledge how humble you are.

Anyway, being humble sucks, why would people suggest he do this anyway, it blows. ]

IC CONTACT for lostcarnival

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