11560/Putting The Bell On The Cat

Putting The Bell On The Cat
Date of Scene:	12 June 2022
Location:	The Danger Room - Titan's Tower
Synopsis:	Terry and Kian train Gar on how to be a Cheshire Cat. *Yakety-Sax plays in the background*
Cast of Characters:	Terry O'Neil, Kian, Gar Logan

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Terry O'Neil has posed:
    <Garfield Logan, Gar Logan, please report to the Danger Room,> Terry's voice comes over the comm to target Gar's private frequency.
    The redhead has been tinkering with the console for a good two hours already, setting specifications, coming up with scenarios, and then discarding them to start over again.  Finally, some semblance of a program began to emerge.
    Admittedly, he has been more persnickety than he really should, but the events of last night brought up memories of his own, memories he had thought he had finally gotten over, of watching that tape.  He hadn't seen Gar this morning, he had slept in and the Cheshire was keeping odd hours—so did he, when he first got 'hit' with the chaos—so he had kept his disquiet to himself.  After all, Kian had been shaken by the headmistress' death as well, he had enough on his birdseed plate.
    He swivels around on his chair and waits for Gar to appear.  Kian had also gotten a summons, so he simply tilts his head back and closes his eyes, taking a breath here and there.

Kian has posed:
    Kian is saddened, of course, but the birdfolk don't really have the same kind of fear of death that many—most?—Earth people do.  Either one transitions to be one with the Gods, or one comes back to try again.  Despite having actually been in Tartarus, he really has no concept of punishment after death.  Wherever Morrigan q'mírith is, she is either one with her gods (whoever they might be) or returning to try again, no worse than that.  It's said that some return to the Cycle simply for the sheer pleasure of living.
    Kían will wait and see how he feels about that when his time comes, preferably a long time from now.
    So, the Akiár looks serious, but not overly emotional when the door slides open.  "Practice Room, not Danger Room," he says under his breath, and stops more or less in his tracks.  "That looks like an extremely uncomfortable chair."
    He glances around the room, trying to figure out what Terry has in store, and stretches and re-folds his wings.  The left one doesn't stretch quite as far as the right, and he seems to be favoring it a little.
    Pesky gryphons.

Gar Logan has posed:
    Where oh where has the green cat been?  Here, there, and beyond!  A few days since everything's happened, and he's been getting a little better at, well, that just remains to be seen.  Then isn't as important as now.  Someone wise once said 'Be where your feet are.'  In the Cheshire Gar's case, that means slightly feline feet, though still mostly human-shaped.
    <Garfield is not here right now,> comes the reply through his comm, back to Terry.  <He's off in Abu Dhabi with Nermal.  But I can drop by instead!  Just… give me a few minutes.  Should I get changed?>
    Yes, he's still going more based on line of sight for the rabbit holes, and while he's been mastering the art of glitter, there's a lot about this that still needs some work.  When he does arrive, it's by letting the door open normally and striding in, wearing naught but a wrestling-style singlet.  "Is this good for danger?" he wonders, a hint of a purr already rising.  "Oh, and you're here, too.  I forgot to ask, did you enjoy those gryphons?"

Terry O'Neil has posed:
    Terry blinks a couple of times when Gar makes his entrance.  "Where did the rest of your clothes go—?"  That's probably a first for Terry, asking that sort of question.  He glances at the black-and-purple number and reminds himself that this is not an exercise to distract him, and pushes himself off from the chair.  That surprise had been almost enough to distract him from other thoughts.
    Which is to say that Gar gets a hug that is tighter than usual and a kiss that is longer than usual, as a way to exorcize the demons from that horrible memory.  Gar is here, right now, and those memories are in the past.  Get it together, O'Neil.
    "I've put together a little something, Gar… er… to help you improve your focus.  It's going to help with the Rabbit Holes and concentration in general…."  He glances down at the singlet, and then back up again, his cheeks a bright red.  "Er, Kian is going to provide distractions.  Your goal will be to stay on task throughout it all… sounds good?" he says, starting to make his way to the controls.

Kian has posed:
    Kian's answer to the question about gryphons is a curt "No," followed by a half smirk and a raised eyebrow.  "But if that's your new uniform, I forgive you for asking."
    He flicks carelessly into the air, with most of his usual speed and grace, and alights next to Terry's uncomfortable chair.  "I suppose that means you want me to make things up as I go along, right?  I'll see what I can do."
    He might have a few surprises of his own.  He's been giving his powers some thought lately, and the only conclusion he's come to is that he's never really thought about them before, or what he might be able to do with them.

Gar Logan has posed:
    The tail of the current, existing Cheshire slides around past Terry's posterior, and clawed hands flex over his back as the moment is shared, a teasing and tantalizing smooch that leaves Gar licking his lips like he's just finished off a saucer of milk.  "Did you just ask me where my clothes went?  I know I look dashingly handsome, even more than before, but I didn't think we'd be training in my usual.  Anyway, I want to do all the stuff you do, or at least some of it, so let's gooooooooo!"
    He claps his hands together after stepping out of the hug, giving Kian an openly predatory smile.  Well, friendly if nothing else, but you know how it is when cats are grinning at birds.  "So what are we focusing on, besides me?  I see both of you staring.  Rabbit holes?  What are we waiting for?"  Cracking his knuckles, he uses one to enter the main training area.  That much, he can see from where they are.  "This is gonna be a piece of tuna cake."

Terry O'Neil has posed:
    Terry touches a button and the simulator begins to execute the program.  The training area becomes a black space with floating platforms forming a sort of highway.  Parts of it go upwards and create loop-de-loops.  There are drops and hills, but the most important part is that the platforms forming the path are small, leaving very little chance for error before a fall.
    "Gar, your goal is to run through the circuit as many times as possible.  We will indeed be working on your rabbit holes, and the challenge is only going to increase as time goes on.  We're going to test how much you can handle before your focus wavers and you can't open rabbit holes.  Don't worry, though… if you do fall down, you won't be hurt, but the exercise will be over."
    He looks back at Gar, at his outfit, and blushes again, but then taps another button.  "Kian, you must distract him.  Try to not get distracted by him… and the exercise is live… now."
    And that's when the first trick begins.  The platforms begin to float up and down in alternating blocks.  First obstacle, activated.

Kian has posed:
<DICE ROLLER> Kian rolled 1d20 <16> + 0 = 16

    "*Pff*, you act like I don't already know what's under that outfit," Kían says with a smirk, and flicks into the air.  "I know the difference between play time and work time!"
    May as well start simple, he thinks to himself, and dive-bombs Gar, passing just out of arm's reach overhead, then just out of arm's reach in front of him.  He's not actually obstructing the green cat, but it is a lot of high speed activity.
    Then just within arm's reach, but from behind, so Kían can touch him between the shoulderblades as he passes.

Gar Logan has posed:
<DICE ROLLER> Gar Logan rolled 1d20 <18> + 0 = 18

   Gar Logan peers around the reworked room, a hand rising to his brow as if to stare off into the long distances.  "Oh, this looks like fun.  Will there be catnip at the end?  A toy mouse?  Some treats?" he questions, doing a few knee bends to help limber himself up.  As if it's needed.  It has more of an effect of showing off, with his arms bare and the legs the same from about thigh on down.
    The Cheshire ends up on one of the platforms, as it moves and those ahead of him do the same.  Up and down, side to side, maybe even in circular motions.  Terry did say difficulty would increase.  "That's all?  How did you do the first time on this?" he asks, assuming Terry/Vorpal ever did.
    Kian draws a wave, then a pause as the Akiar begins to play at being a nuisance and distraction.  As he moves behind for an attempted touch, at that moment the green cat hops through a rabbit hole he's formed in front of him, emptying out on a platform ahead.  That looked… simple.  Simple enough for a bow as he balances with all the grace of the feline.

Terry O'Neil has posed:
    "I didn't, honey.  Remember?  I had to figure all of this by myself.  You are benefiting from my experience, you see.  So if you do well enough, the treat is… me."  He chuckles and presses a few more buttons.  The distance between the platforms increases now, as does the drift.  Kian is proving to be a good distraction, so he waits for one more pass before unleashing the next difficulty point.
    "Looking good," he says encouragingly into the microphone, meaning that in all senses.

Kian has posed:
<DICE ROLLER> Kian rolled 1d20 <2> + 0 = 2

    "Nicely dodged," Kían says, catching up to Garshire's new perch, and then for Terry he adds, "What, I'm not a treat too?"
    He goes high, trying to stay behind Gar, trying to decide on his next angle of attack.
    Too bad the bird is an overthinker.
    He doesn't realize how close he is to the ceiling until he actually bumps into it—fortunately, he wasn't going up too fast, but the only distraction for now will be his startled squawk, and the flutter of large wings as he rights himself.

Gar Logan has posed:
<DICE ROLLER> Gar Logan rolled 1d20 <6> + 0 = 6

    There is a chortle out of the cat as Kian experiences a moment of clumsiness, which is abnormal enough for the flier.  While that's going on, Gar retorts, "I know," when Terry expresses his approval of things so far.  In all senses, of course.  "This is proof I've been watching you, yes?"  And, watching Kian apparently, for as he makes his way to the next platform he teeters and ends up balancing upon one foot for a few seconds before he recovers.
    Grumbling, that tail swishes in a more agitated fashion, a short 'pfft' along with it.  Meant to do that, no doubt.  Backside wriggles as he anticipates his leap, aided by the rabbit hole.

Terry O'Neil has posed:
    And just as Gar leaps, Terry activates the next challenge.  Some platforms flip on their axis so that they are sideways, the only steppable surface a thin strip in the air.  "Part of being the Cheshire Cat is your sense of balance, Gar.  Complement it with the Rabbit Holes."  The platforms alternate their flipping, but it is easy to predict the pattern… if Gar is paying attention.
    Unfortunately, drones are dispatched from the walls.  But these are specially-created drones—they whiz past Gar in a dazzlingly colorful displays, as they are covered in LED lights and trailing strings with them.  Sensory overload.

Kian has posed:
<DICE ROLLER> Kian rolled 1d20 <10> + 0 = 10

    Still trying to get his bearings, the best Kían can offer by way of distraction is more lights, multicolored flashes appearing among the drones.  He does not look happy with himself for that blunder.
    As he draws closer, the flashing lights intensify, not only in brightness but in the depth of colors.  As a flourish, Kían tries to put one right in front of Gar's face.

Gar Logan has posed:
<DICE ROLLER> Gar Logan rolled 1d20 <20> + 0 = 20

    There's a moment—just a brief one—where the Cheshire has to adjust his balance en route to the platforms that go sideways, but he deftly lands upon them and even balances upon one foot, lifting his other leg, and his arms, as if about to do a crane kick.  "You mean like this?" he asks, then hand-springing off that platform while utilizing more portals to proceed along them.  Indeed, it's as if he's got the timing down perfectly.
    Even as Kian and the drones with their colors and strings appear, it doesn't bother him initially.  "You're going to have to do more than just try to get me to chase after string."  As for Kian's, up goes a hand—talk to it!—and he wiggles again before steadily moving forward.  One way or another, Gar has a measure of control over the Cheshire right now.  "So do I get to have a cool codename like this?"  It's actually amazing that this distraction is ineffective… so far.  With cats, you never know.

Terry O'Neil has posed:
    "Amazing…" Terry mutters.  Well.  Time to bring out the big guns.  "Sure, love, you get to choose the codename.  But you have to stick to brand, so it's got to be Wonderland-themed."
    He leans over and presses a button, smirking.  Gar has been impressive.  In all aspects.
    And then there was the personality.  He knows how the Cheshire works—how he amplifies.  That confidence, that joie de vivre, it's definitely in Gar.  Maybe struggling with his occasional confidence issues and others, but it's in there.
    The Cheshire Cat as therapy, maybe?  Now there is an interesting concept.  "Stage three," he says into the microphone, and suddenly the platforms realign themselves.  They now cover the entire length of the room, still a few ways away from each other, but now they are a grid that covers the entire room with a ten-foot gap between square platforms.  At one edge of the grid there is one green hoop floating in midair, past the platforms
    "Gar.  Your goal is to score on the green hoop.  Ground rules: no powers used to affect the ball, no Rabbit Holing the ball through the hoop, no rabbit holing to the hoop.  You can only Rabbit Hole in the middle of the field, but the green platforms must be traversed regularly.  Rabbit hole onto one of them and you will fail the exercise."
    A swarm of drones, larger and with arms capable of clasping objects, flies up to the grid.  Five drones in all.  "Meet your opposite team, Gar.  They will try to take the ball from you.  And Kian?  You keep running distraction."
    He grins.  "Let the games begin!"  And at that, a ball drops from the sky heading towards one of the central platforms.  At once, the drones start going for it.

Kian has posed:
<DICE ROLLER> Kían rolled 1d20 <10> + 0 = 10

    Kían dives for the ball himself, but is cut off by two drones who apparently can't tell one oxygen-breather from another.  "Damn it!"
    Instead, he just adds himself to the general confusion, although he makes closer swoops to Gar than the drones do.
    To say nothing of the flashing lights he adds.
    And the occasional loud *BANG*!s that pepper the air.  If one is very, very careful with one's powers, well, splitting only a few atoms doesn't actually do any damage.
    The radiation detectors in the Tower might disagree, but the effects are fleeting and (probably) harmless.  What's a few gamma rays among friends?

Gar Logan has posed:
<DICE ROLLER> Gar Logan rolled 1d20 <12> + 0 = 12

    Gar Logan does a handstand with one arm against the last platform he's reached, pretending to pedal a bicycle in the process.  "Aw yeah aw yeah, who's the best?  Me-ow!"  Could be he's a natural at this side of things.  Could be the Cheshire is actually keeping its focus while he practices.  Could be anything, really.  And, it could just be building him up for a massive failure.
    "I'm guessing 'The Cheshire Cat' is too generic," he calls over, hands at his hips once this part of the simulation is done.  Amplification?  Sure.  The showing off, the bravado, all that.  With the new arrangement of the playing field, he squints at the layout.  Platforms with gaps, a hoop over that-a-way as well.  Green, because of course it is.  "Yeah, yeah.  Got it.  No powers to score or cheat.  I can do it over here, but not on the green ones, and… you have drones.  And the bird trying to get in my way, and… ball!"
    He darts in that direction, leaping off one of the green platforms before rabbit holing his way toward the ball itself.  Kian's efforts to steal the ball don't quite work, and Gar ends up with it tucked in against his side like a football as a drone or two tries to harass him as well.  A couple of those bangs draw his attention, eyes narrowing, but they lock back on to the green goal.  Another portal leads him about thirty feet ahead, stopping on a 'safe' platform as he takes note of the drones, ducking one in passing along with making sure his tail follows by grabbing it with his free hand.

Terry O'Neil has posed:
    The drones swirl and the formation forks, trying to flank Gar from both sides in an attempt to prevent him from scoring.  As soon as the Cheshire approaches the green platforms, they resume their sinking and rising pattern again, to add a little more of difficulty.
    And then, there's something else.  Every now and again, two unconnected platforms shift from green to their old red color, the same as the platforms in the middle.  The paired bases shift every ten seconds or so.  Terry doesn't explain what this is, seeing if Gar can make a deduction in the midst of the training as drones swarm about and Kian begins his next distraction.

Kian has posed:
<DICE ROLLER> Kian rolled 1d20 <1> + 0 = 1

    Kían is getting frustrated, and that's not a good way of making plans, and unfortunately it's also not a good way to recognize when you're not in a good mental space for making plans.
    It is under these conditions that Kían decides to try something he hasn't tried before.  If the universe were paying attention, it might insert a 'dun dun DUNNN!' here.
    Kían actually starts to fade out of sight.  There's a weird shimmering where he is, and if you know what you're looking for, it's not that difficult to spot, but against a background of, say clouds or something, it might prove to be reasonably effective as a cloaking maneuver.
    A lack of cultural awareness means it will be someone else's resposibility to refer to him as a 'Romulan birdman of prey'.  Oh well.
    There's just one problem that Kían hadn't counted on: what little light gets through to him is also distorted.
    With that in mind, the meaty *thwack* of about forty kilos of Akiár encountering the wall was probably inevitable.

Gar Logan has posed:
<DICE ROLLER> Gar Logan rolled 1d20 <14> + 0 = 14

    Eyeing those red panels, that swap back and forth at a generally constant pace, Gar also handles the solid green ones with decent enough aplomb.  Eyes are attentive.  Expression is eager.  Mouth is still fixed with a grin the likes of which the Joker could be proud of.
    He… sings, to the drones in particular as they veer close and he vaults past them, even slapping one on the 'hand' in passing.
    "Pleased to meet you
    Hope you guess my name
    But what's puzzling you
    Is the nature of my game"
    And then… Kían almost provides a distraction of an undesired fashion.  The invisibility works, but sort of too well, and the sound of the wall being struck draws a wince, a grimace.  "Ooh, that'll leave a mark.  You're supposed to be stopping me, not yourself!"  He's getting ever closer to the goal, and he hops and leaps his way past a few more sets of platforms in the process.

Terry O'Neil has posed:
    "Okay," Terry says to himself, "So Gar manages to keep focus surprisingly well."  This is for his notes, which he dictates into his phone.  "When he has to.  Not surprising, considering his power is will-operated, and he was able to maintain his shape as a starfish even though barely conscious… oh shit—"
    As Kian hits the wall, Terry quickly dispatches several of the drones to intercept the bird and keep him from landing hard against one of the platforms.
    This means that the number of drones going for Gar have lessened.  The Green Cheshire is now in the home stretch, so Terry activates the last distraction:
    Lasers.
    No, not actual laser rays, but your standard pointer lasers, sending skittering points of light running across the platforms in myriad directions.
    "If he clears this, I guess I'm just going to have to be good to my word and give him a treat."

Kian has posed:
<DICE ROLLER> Kian rolled 1d20 <18> + 0 = 18

    Kían returns to full visibility upon impacting the wall—no real surprise there.  We can just chalk that up to a field test that should have been attempted under more controlled circumstances.  The drones do catch him, but they don't need to hold on to him for long before he's off and aloft under his own power again.
    He isn't exactly angry, but he's mad enough at his own stupidity that it actually helps him focus.  And now he's flying with almost the fluidity he's displayed playing qihár.
    Waiting for a moment that Gar is trying to judge his next Rabbit Hole, Kían drops straight down to try to grab his shoulders with those flexible feet of his and pull him away.

Gar Logan has posed:
<DICE ROLLER> Gar Logan rolled 1d20 <9> + 0 = 9

    With drones moving off to aid Kian, it opens the path for Gar to push further.  He makes a show of hopping from safe platform to safe platform, a rabbit hole or two thrown in for good measure, but then?
    Lasers.  Freaking lasers.
    "Oooh."  His tail twitches, and now of all times is when the cat decides he wants to play with them.  "Mrewl!" he vocalizes, as if commanding the dots of light to come back, and he chases after one!  Then he spins and turns toward another before spotting the goal again, eyes and head turning from one to the other as if following a tennis match.
    "Come back to me!" he implores, fingers flexing against the ball.  He could score, then get the lasers.  Yes!
    His tail lashes again, a crouch following before he jumps toward a fresh rabbit hole, but suddenly Kian's got him by the shoulders to make him rise up!  "Hey!"
    He, at least, makes a throw of the ball toward the goal.

Terry O'Neil has posed:
<DICE ROLLER> Terry O'Neil rolled 1d20 <15> + 0 = 15
<DICE ROLLER> Kian rolled 1d20 <2> + 0 = 2
<DICE ROLLER> Gar Logan rolled 1d20 <6> + 0 = 6

    And the drones intercept the ball on its way to the hoop!  A single, solitary drone manages to snatch it and makes a little robotic 'Y A Y' sound, before swooping past Gar and heading towards the other side of the arena, to where the drones' own hoop is.
    "You've been doing great, Gar!  Don't flag at the finishing line, go get that ball."
    The laser do not fade, though, they continue flashing all over the grid, since this was the thing that distracted Gar te most, Terry is trying to build his resistance up.  Even if he fails the exercise, his performance is far above what Terry thought it would be.

Kian has posed:
    Kían also makes a grab for the ball, although what he expects of himself and what he's actually capable of are two different things.  He only thinks he's back to his full capabilities.  Between optimism, and not having a proper bed to rest in thanks to Raven… well, he's not.
    So when he swings around to chase after the ball, he loses his grip on Gar's shoulders, sending him on a ballistic arc in the general direction of the original Cheshire Cat.
    Really, he should have probably just hovered there, or carried Garshire back towards the start of the course.  Look, he just smacked into a wall, he's really not thinking as clearly as he could, the poor bird!

Gar Logan has posed:
<DICE ROLLER> Gar Logan rolled 1d20 <15> + 0 = 15

    Gar Logan's throw was not exactly great, given the grip on his shoulders and the sudden shift in balance, and the drone that snags the ball is now off in the other direction.  It's that little bit of fanfare that gets under his fur, really.  Like it's taunting him.  Really, truly, mocking him.
    Cats growl when they're happy, and wag their tails when they're angry.  That's why they're mad.
    Gar's tail positively lashes back and forth, and there's a brief struggle that causes his weight to shift under Kian's grasp.  Even the lasers are briefly forgotten.  Must get drone!  And ball!  Then he's dropping, actually sent on a trajectory thanks to the exact moment Kian loses his grip, and there's another moment where he is fully horizontal.  In that instant, they could almost swear time slows to a crawl just long enough to see him pose so one could draw him like one of their French girls.
    Then he curls up and dives through a rabbit hole that lets him out well across the field of play, ahead of the drone.  He lands in a crouch on the platform, not a green one, and waggles his fingers, ready to pounce at the drone.
    And he does!

Terry O'Neil has posed:
<DICE ROLLER> Terry O'Neil rolled 1d20 <14> + 0 = 14

    And Gar, bless his heart, manages to pounce upon the drone and recover the ball!  The drone ends up smacking against one of the platforms and rolls off into the void.  That's one drone less to confront, and the other ones fly towards Garfield in a unified front to grab his ball.
    But the drones seem to make one vital mistake: all of them are now in the middle of the arena, the drone that fell through the cracks being the one that would normally be in the no-Rabbit Hole area.

Kian has posed:
<DICE ROLLER> Kian rolled 1d20 <13> + 0 = 13

    Kian recovers quickly enough—not carrying a Cheshire Shapeshifter helps—and swings around.
    Swooping up from behind Gar, he arcs tightly around him and makes a grab for the ball.  "GIVE me that!"
    Hey, it could work, either by skill or the element of surprise.

Gar Logan has posed:
<DICE ROLLER> Gar Logan rolled 1d20 <19> + 0 = 19

    Lasers?  What lasers?  Gar has that ball again, and this time he's not letting go of it until he's scored!  The ball ends up held by his teeth, gently enough, leaving all limbs free to be used.  He's growling now, purring rather, and his eyes light up upon seeing the opening ahead of him.
    A bit of glitter begins to drizzle down in his vicinity as he dips through a rabbit hole to come out on the other side of the remaining drones, stopping to shake his rump at them.  And, maybe Kian (the chaser) and Terry (the GM) too.  Kian's attempt goes for naught.
    Now, those green platforms loom along with the red ones, and he leap-prances his way across the green ones.

Terry O'Neil has posed:
<DICE ROLLER> Terry O'Neil rolled 1d20 <10> + 0 = 10

    Terry laughs, shaking his head.  The drones are turning around, trying to come for Gar, but by this point they will be too late, too late.  It's now all up to Kian now.
    Terry leans back and puts his feet up on the console, arms crossed.  He's done his best to challenge Gar and he's stumbled, but he's trying to make up for his mistake.  Will he make it?  He is so close.

Kian has posed:
<DICE ROLLER> Kian rolled 1d20 <18> + 0 = 18

    "Ai, qokh!"  Even the Rannian translator can't handle Kían's favorite epithet.
    He swings around, flying a lot more like qihár-(wannabe)star Kían than he has been.  This time when he makes a grab for the ball, it's as silently as possible, counting on speed and stealth, swooping up from behind Gar and…
    …kissing him on the nose to distract him from hanging on to the ball, so Kían can try to grab it and throw it to Terry.

Gar Logan has posed:
<DICE ROLLER> Gar Logan rolled 1d20 <12> + 0 = 12

    The drones are out of range now.  Only Kian has a chance to get through and stop Gar from scoring.
    Unless the Cheshire interferes, and that at this point is probably overdue again.
    Right on cue, he gets a bit of a look in his eyes and lets the ball out of his mouth, stopping on a green platform he'd leapt to and simply batting the ball up and down, up and down.  To one side, and he jumps that way for it.
    Kian sneaks his way in and the kiss to his cat nose causes his eyes to cross, a hint of purr following, and he swings at the ball again—or Kian, hard to say—before jumping suddenly to one side to land on one of the red platforms, on his back.  Belly exposed.

Terry O'Neil has posed:
<DICE ROLLER> Terry O'Neil rolled 1d20 <2> + 0 = 2

    The ball impacts the window of the control room and startles Terry.  "JESUS CHRIST!" he says, and falls off the chair, his foot pushing random controls on its way down.
    And the drones go absolutely insane, flying into each other, and some of them even start flying at Kian himself, leaving the playing field more or less unguarded.

Kian has posed:
<DICE ROLLER> Kian rolled 1d20 <8> + 0 = 8

    "Uh oh!"  Without thinking, Kían flicks a fan of electricity at the drones approaching him.  They're either going to take the warning or get blasted, and he doesn't care which.
    With that path cleared, he makes a lunge for Gar, to apply the most distracting thing possible for a cat: belly rubs!

Gar Logan has posed:
<DICE ROLLER> Gar Logan rolled 1d20 <4> + 0 = 4

    There's a ball over there, coming somewhat back toward them, but the lasers are everywhere and Gar's feline eyes are getting wider.  Sensory overload coming right… about… now!
    Kian gets over to him and hands are suddenly roaming over his stomach, and he can't help but purr at that.  Then he grabs at one of Kian's arms and kneads at it, careful with the claws… fortunately.  The bird already had to deal with gryphons recently.
    It doesn't look like he's going to score that ball.

Terry O'Neil has posed:
<DICE ROLLER> Terry O'Neil rolled 1d20 <18> + 0 = 18
<DICE ROLLER> Kian rolled 1d20 <16> + 0 = 16
<DICE ROLLER> Gar Logan rolled 1d20 <13> + 0 = 13

    And the ball sails through the air, having bounced off the protective glass, and it sails towards Kian.  By all intents and purposes, the bird is primed to catch it, since Gar is so distracted—
    Until one of those out of control drones flies right into it, sending it flying away from both of them and up into the air once again.  Where will it land it is still uncertain.
    Terry gets to his feet quickly and tries to survey the situation.  The drones are either damaged or still attacking each other.  And the ball begins its descent.
    And it comes down in a direct collision route towards Gar's exposed stomach.
    "Cat, watch it!"

Kian has posed:
<DICE ROLLER> Kian rolled 1d20 <3> + 0 = 3

    Truth be told, Kían is kind of distracted himself, by Gar's appreciation of getting bellyrubbed.  It's certainly something he's done to Terry before, so it must be a cat thing.
    Unfortunately, Terry's warning for the cat to watch it doesn't immediately land, since he himself is not a cat.  By the time it sinks in that he's in the immediate vicinity of a cat, it's too late for anything but a startled squawk and toppling over backwards onto his backside.

Gar Logan has posed:
<DICE ROLLER> Gar Logan rolled 1d20 <1> + 0 = 1

    Ball?  What ball?  There is no ball.  What drones as well, for that matter?  There is only Kian.  There is only belly rubs.
    For the first time since this training session began, really the first time, Gar is losing rapidly to the feline, the Cheshire's chaotic side bubbling up and flowing over anything he had to hold it back.  He purrs audibly and bats lightly at the Akiar… then the ball bounces off his midsection and heads off in another direction.  It startles him enough to jump in place, at which point he tumbles off the side of the platform, unable to focus enough to even rabbit hole away.
    At least he'll land on his feet.  Probably.  It's a cat thing.

Terry O'Neil has posed:
<DICE ROLLER> Terry O'Neil rolled 1d20 <17> + 0 = 17

    And Gar tumbles off the side and falls—
    And then stops falling, as the safety net materializes under him.  The exercise comes to an end and the platforms vanish—except the one Kian is on, and a pathway appears so Terry can jog over to where Gar landed.
    "Well, now I know what a game of qihar between Groucho and Harpo would look like," he says with a wink as he reaches over to run a hand down Gar's stomach, where the ball hit him.  "But you did really well, Gar!  You held on to your focus much better than I did when I first started.  Are you very sore?"
    Kneeling by Gar's net, he continues to pet the Cheshire while he looks up.  "Kian, hon, are you okay?  I've never seen you fly into surfaces that much… ever."

Kian has posed:
    Kían groans, sitting up and rubbing the back of his head.  "I am not as recovered as I thought I was, I think."  Without drones, balls, platforms, and other madness going around, he doesn't have any problem flitting over to join Gar and Terry.
    "Obviously I need more rest.  The Gods only know who's going to Raven to tell her to put my bed back in my room."
    He grins broadly, and kisses the tip of Gar's nose again.  "That said, you did manage a lot better than I expected.  The Cheshire is intense.  I know, at least second hand.  And at least briefly, first hand."

Gar Logan has posed:
    Gar Logan finds… netting?  And then the place is done, coming back to normal as he ends upright again.  Squinting, he opens his mouth to say something only for Terry's strategic belly contact to interrupt thought again.  The ears shift, more attentive again after one had angled in Kian's direction, and a few fingers go twitchy once more.
    "Aaaahh… mmmmm.  Worth it…" he exhales, and a quick rub of noses follows once Kian's got back to them.  "My bed… needed replacing anyway," he says, clearly still distracted.  "Sore?  Nnnnnoooo, not really.  He probably is more," added as he pats at the top of Kian's head.  "I thought I had it!"

Terry O'Neil has posed:
    "Well, Raven at least didn't jettison the beds in my apartment, so we can go there so Kian can get his proper rest.  Maybe I should have the Cheshire for the rest of the day, love.  Remember, tomorrow we go to Wonderland.  You can have him back then," he says, leaning over and kissing Gar's nose.  "But we'd best do a long-distance Rabbit Hole to the apartment.  We have a well-earned rest before tomorrow."