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7 - [Action/Voice]
Lately Logan has been a rare face around Luceti and an unreliable teacher at best. Fortunately he had Ororo and Natasha to cover when he wasn't around, lest his students get the funny idea they were getting off time. That was the result of the man taking any mission the Malnosso offered him. Anything to get out of the cage. But the last one was from one cage to another. While they certainly gave him more challenge than he got in the dome, their combat testing didn't sit well with him. Especially because he forced himself to hold back. He wasn't fond of the Mallies knowing just what he was really capable of. he didn't care for the keen interest in his claws. He'd known too many scientists like that.
So when he got back to Luceti on the evening of the fourth, he was still on edge. He sated himself by picking up a some booze at the bar- to go, before heading back to the house. Tonight his idea of relaxation was putting his feet up to watch an action flick, smoke a cigar, and ignore any requests that he wash himself clean of the last ten days of heavy combat.
The next day, he'll resume his training sessions and otherwise be found at the Dome all day, until the evening where he'll retreat to the bar.
[Voice]
Back in Luceti. If yer here an' ain't dead, show up for training. You know when to be here.
If anyone else is looking fer some trainin', we can talk. I specialize in people with special powers. I usually work with mutants, but there ain't a whole lot of us here. So talk to me if you're interested. Just don't expect nothing easy.
So when he got back to Luceti on the evening of the fourth, he was still on edge. He sated himself by picking up a some booze at the bar- to go, before heading back to the house. Tonight his idea of relaxation was putting his feet up to watch an action flick, smoke a cigar, and ignore any requests that he wash himself clean of the last ten days of heavy combat.
The next day, he'll resume his training sessions and otherwise be found at the Dome all day, until the evening where he'll retreat to the bar.
[Voice]
Back in Luceti. If yer here an' ain't dead, show up for training. You know when to be here.
If anyone else is looking fer some trainin', we can talk. I specialize in people with special powers. I usually work with mutants, but there ain't a whole lot of us here. So talk to me if you're interested. Just don't expect nothing easy.
[action]
[Before, there was the liberty to slide between or over the panels as they moved. But not anymore. The ones ahead now were spiked, meaning that her timing had to be absolutely precise.]
Re: [action]
Are you some kind of sadist or something? [Seriously man, when the phrase “not even Black Canary does this” goes through her head? Things are bad. But Logan’s already told her she can’t get hurt, so there’s nothing for it. Zatanna just has to keep going, and as luck would have it, she makes it through the first spiked trap okay.
Just not the second.
It’s not a huge miss, but Zatanna’s foot gets caught before she can squeeze past the closing panels. She lets out a yelp as she falls, turning after she catches herself.]
Nepo-- [The second word dies on her lips, the spell aborted as Zatanna barely manages to stop herself from catching in time.]
[action]
In a real scenario, your foot would be broken now. Possibly crushed entirely.
But she can still move on. Which may not be a good thing, because after the last spiked crusher, there's a web of criss c-crossed lasers to make her way through. In fact, there's only four lasers in total, but they are moving in alternating diagonal path from all four corners of the corridor. With patience and timing they would be easy to move through.
If she's given time, anyway.]
Re: [action]
In a real scenario, I would’ve been using my magic to keep that from happening. [And yes, she already knows the door she’s opening with that comment. The whole point is not to rely on her powers, blah blah blah. Doesn’t stop her from saying it.
And now there are lasers. Oh joy.
Zatanna watches for the few seconds she can, but it’s not long enough to pick up the whole pattern. She sees a gap she can start with though, and from there she tries to just be quick and avoid getting caught without some place safe to move to. A lot easier said than done.]
[action]
[But he's waiting to watch her move forward. Her first move? Impressive. Her follow ups should hopefully be better, because now where's a wall of fire following her to 'encourage' her to move faster.]
Re: [action]
[She has mentioned she’s new here, right? And somehow, Zatanna doesn’t think Logan means unreliable in the traditional “you’ve still got a lot to learn and that’s why your spell failed” sense.
But looking back at him only reveals another surprise, and yes, that man has to be a sadist. At least she knows it won’t burn her, even if Zatanna’s not going to let that slow her down. The last thing this guy needs is an excuse to make things worse.
One space she can go into, then another. She starts to get a little ahead of herself, however, and one of the lasers catches her arm.]
[action]
But Logan provides no answer yet. Not until she gets through this segment. He's not going to distract her on a trial run. But he does continue to inform her of her status.]
Depending on the type of lasers, you'd have either lost your arm or worse, set off the alarm system.
Re: [action]
Nice priorities. [Losing an arm is better than setting off alarms in his world? But he’s got a point, and she knows it; Zatanna had even let out a soft hiss when the laser tagged her, knowing she’d been caught. So she fights the urge to look back at him or the fire, instead focusing on timing her next move. She’s quick and reasonably flexible, which helps, although Zatanna wouldn’t mind being able to do some Robin-level acrobatics right then.
There’s another close call or two along the way: a hand extended too far, or balance shifted almost off center. But eventually, she steps off on the other side, safely past the laser web.]
So are we there yet?
[action]
[The next section? A series of circular saws of varying size lined the walls, ceiling, and floor. Some as big as her head, some bigger than her. At first they were all in a fixed position and it was merely a matter of slipping through. After that, they were being guided by tracks on the floor or mechanical arms, making it all a matter of timing to progress through.]
Re: [action]
[SADIST. Zatanna’s really starting to regret this. But throwing her hands up and quitting isn’t an option for her, because this guy has definitely pushed her to the point where she has something to prove. And comparatively, the saws aren’t too bad. Definitely better than the lasers. It’s not that hard to figure out even where the ones that move are going, thanks to the tracks on the floor.]
[action]
[It's clear that the path ahead isn't going to get easier. In fact, it's designed to get harder and harder until eventually she WILL lose. There's no question of that. It's just a matter of how far she'll get. Though if he was to be strict, she'd already lost when her 'leg was crushed'.]
Re: [action]
No way. [Especially not when he puts it like that. Zatanna’s got a stubborn streak, and he’s frustrated her enough to make it come out. But that only takes her so far, and it’s not too long before she ends up stuck, only able to guard herself from attacks that don’t hurt but still sting her pride as she eventually realizes the futility of the situation.]
Oh come on! You can’t seriously think this is humanly possible! [Geez, Zatanna would be struggling even if she could use her magic.]
[action]
It's possible. Maybe not yet, but you work hard and you just might have a shot at seeing what's at the end.
Re: [action]
[Or something close to it. Whatever he wants to call it, to Zatanna it sounds like she actually met his standard. And given the obstacle course he'd put together, she thinks she has a right to be proud of that.]
[action]
[Logan turns around as he starts heading towards the entrance.]
You last one week an' there might just be hope for you yet.
Re: [action]
Okay. So is this the part where we work out a schedule? Because you strike me as the kind of guy who doesn’t like people to be late.
Re: [action]
[Yeah. He's going easy on people in Luceti. Only one hour.]
Re: [action]
So no proper weekends, but I still get to sleep in. That works for me.
Guess I’ll see you then. [And if there's nothing else, she'll head off with a wave.]