[002].

[bonnypiperlad]

[Jamie is walking along the beach after Benny's match with a largish rectangular case that is hanging from a strap slung over one of his shoulders. He seems to be looking for something in particular and not finding it, and he sighs. It's somewhat annoying, he thinks, to have an entire beach and not one place he can actually use. He could continue to try and search for what he wants, he supposes, or...hey, that's an idea! He disappears from the Plane for a few moments. When he returns, he's carrying a decent sized rock in his arms, and grunting a little - although it's not from the weight. The rock's not so much heavy, as it is awkward and unwieldy, and it's slipping. Before he drops it altogether, he takes a moment to shift his grip to a better one, then resumes his journey. Moving away from the area where the trees have been cut down, he finds a open, windswept-looking spot.]

Aye, that'll do.

[With relief, he drops the rock and lets it fall where it may. Not coincidentally, he jumps back out of the way, as he would much prefer not to have to deal with a broken toe right at the moment. Peering at the angle, he nods, satisfied that it's fallen the way he wants it to. Removing the case from his shoulder, he sets it down on top of the rock, then flexes his fingers to loosen them up. He doesn't open it right away, however, instead kneeling down and scooping up a handful of sand. Moving his fingers apart ever so slightly, he lets the grains trickle down much like they would if they were in oh, say, an hourglass.]

There has to be some way to stop this.

Comments

[bonnypiperlad]

[Jamie lets go fairly quickly, just to be on the safe side.]

Och, I thought I'd not see ye again!

[He catches a glimpse of the case out of the corner of his eye, though, and that causes his good mood to disappear rather quickly. He goes over, opening the case so Oliver can see inside, and finally gets around to answering his question.]

I was going to play for ye, and Benny.

[oliverplus]

Can't get rid of me that easy!

[follows Jamie over to the case, surprised to see what's inside] Bagpipes? [his surprise falters at Jamie's words, and he turns to him with quiet gratitude] That's...that's really nice of you. [smiles] You still could, you know.

[bonnypiperlad]

Aye, well...

[Jamie rubs at the back of his head for a moment.] I don't like the idea of my friends dying. The least I can do is honor ye however I can. I...I just wish I could do more.

[And he could play, couldn't he? It's a wee bit strange, thinking that he'd be playing for someone who normally wouldn't be there, but Benny hasn't come back yet, and...he still does want to play for both of them. He starts to put the pipes together.]

I think I will, if ye don't mind.

[oliverplus]

[determined] We'll find a way to make it stop.

[smiles] Mind? No way! [shakes his head] If you want to, I'd like to hear it. It's not everyday I get to see bagpipes played in person!

[bonnypiperlad]

[Until this point, Jamie hasn't looked at Oliver directly - even when he was hugging him. Now, however, he glances up from where he's assembling the pipes, determination in his eyes. There has to be -some- way to stop this madness, he thinks. He really does hate the idea of his friends dying, and while he's not worried for himself if he is chosen, he does worry for his friends and really, really doesn't want to see any more of them die. In typical Jamie fashion, though, he keeps his comment to a minimum.]

Aye. If ye do, let me know. I'll help ye however I can.

[Bending his head again, he goes back to the task of assembling the pipes, finally finishing up by tying the cord so the drones are approximately six inches apart.]

Ye may want to move back. [dryly] They're a wee bit louder up close.

[oliverplus]

[Oliver feels that determination, but it isn't until Jamie turns away that he realises it wasn't his own] We're already trying to start something. [lowers his voice] We just don't want to be too obvious about it.

Oh! Yeah. We'll talk when you've finished. [gives him a smile before he turns and jogs over to a nearby rock, taking a seat for the show]

[bonnypiperlad]

[There's a brief nod from Jamie, then he inflates the bag, and while the sound of air being through the drones isn't quite as bad as he made it out to be, it certainly is distinctive. Once he plays, however, the notes ring out much louder - and it might very well have been painful to be close, even if Jamie was kidding a little bit about the playing.]

[Like before, the song is "Flowers of the Forest" - even if the people he's intending it for are coming back, he still thinks it's appropriate enough. Afterwards, he lowers the pipes and walks over to Oliver, frowning down at the rock briefly. Figures there would have already been one here he overlooked.]

I hope ye didn't mind something more traditional.

[oliverplus]

[Oliver listens intently as Jamie plays, sitting a lot stiller and more silently than usual. he can feel the solemn atmosphere in the music. it's a bit unsettling--the idea that he's, basically, at his own funeral--but he appreciates what Jamie's doing, too. he thinks of Benny and wonders how she'd react if she were here right now. he has a feeling she'd be grateful, too. and there's also her opponent to consider. Braxiatel told him they both died, but he was so upset about Benny that he didn't even ask her opponent's name... he sighs. those thoughts just remind him how much they need to stop all this]

[he shakes his head when Jamie approaches] No, that was really nice. What's it called?

[bonnypiperlad]

"Flowers of the Forest." It's...[He hesitates, looking at Oliver for a moment. It's unsettling for him as well. Not to mention he feels a little strange for saying it out loud in these circumstances, but he does anyway.]

It's meant for things like funerals. I played it for the others that we found in the tall building.

[Glancing around, he lowers his voice, much like Oliver did earlier.] About what ye said before. Do ye think it's safe to talk here?

[oliverplus]

Oh. [tries for a weak smile, feeling terribly awkward and wondering if it's just him or Jamie's feelings, too] Thanks. I...liked it.

[leans forward when Jamie lowers his voice. Oliver glances around as well] I'm not sure, but I don't know if there's anywhere better. Just watch for anybody joining us, I guess. I've been talking to the Doctor, and we're making a plan.

[bonnypiperlad]

[Jamie's smile is more genuine, but since he's looking at Oliver, he really can't help but notice Oliver's is a bit off.] Next time, I'll play ye something a bit more cheerful.

[He nods in agreement, and offers the bagpipes out, going back to his quieter voice.] Here, hold these. If anyone comes along, I'll pretend like I'm showing ye how they work.

[Jamie's fairly confident that Oliver won't actually drop or otherwise damage the pipes, and it makes sense to him to have something as a cover. Some of the work he's been doing for the Celestial Intervention Agency has been rubbing off on him.] What do ye have for the plan so far, then?

[oliverplus]

[when he sees that smile, his own grows more genuine, partially because he can feel that Jamie is glad and partially because he's glad that he could show Jamie, in some way, how much it means that he did that. expressing your gratitude is not usually a luxury you have at your own funeral, after all] Sure! Bet it'll be as good as that was.

[surprised, he takes the pipes, holding them a bit awkwardly but still carefully. he knows better than to do anything that might cause himself to drop them. keeps his voice low as well] Yeah, good plan. Well, we both contacted Shay. Did you talk to him? The bloke at the black hole? Anyway, he says he's going to talk to somebody named "Death" about trying to stop the fights. And get this--he told the Doctor, if we can get enough people together, we'll be able to do something about that forcefield.

One of the other Doctors--oh, that was the one in the pinstripes, by the way. Anyway, one of the others--the one with the ears--said he was going to try to talk to the emperor. You know, there's an emperor's box at the fights, and that Weber bloke sits in it, but he's not the emperor. He hadn't managed to talk to him yet when I saw him, but hopefully he'll find out more.

As far as I know, the plan right now is just to spread the word, and when we've got enough people, we'll try to take care of the forcefield.

[stops, looking a little sheepish] ...I hope that all made sense.

[bonnypiperlad]

[After another look around, Jamie leans over and points at some random point on the instrument, figuring it'd be better to make it seem like he's already teaching just in case someone happens to randomly pass by at a distance.]

Shay? I've not met him, I don't think. [Jamie, unfortunately, never had the chance to, as he hadn't shown up on the Plane until after that little incident.] Do ye think this Shay can be trusted, then?

[The name Weber doesn't click at the moment, either, but that's more due to his trying to absorb the other information Oliver's providing. He'll probably put the name together with some other bits of information later on, knowing Jamie.] So the Doctor with the spiky hair talked to Shay and the Doctor with the ears is going to talk to this Emperor person...aye, okay. I think I have that.

[reassuringly] And aye, don't worry. I understood what ye meant. We'll just tell the others, then. I take it we're to be careful when we do?

[oliverplus]

I'm not sure if we can trust, but he gave us a lot of information that seems to make sense, so I think so.

Yeah, that's the idea. We just don't want to go broadcasting it to the people running things around here. Tell everyone you can--especially the people with powers and stuff--that, if we get enough people together, we can destroy the forcefield. Oh, and I think the Doctor's gonna send out instructions through the post, so have everyone watch theirs. We're gonna make these fights stop!

[bonnypiperlad]

[Curiously] Like what?

[He's getting off topic, though, and gives Oliver a slightly apologetic sort of look before refocusing on the task at hand.] Aye, I can do that much. Why are the people with powers important, though?

[oliverplus]

[a bit nervously] Do you know about the black blood? Or the black hole?

Because they'll have ways of breaking the forcefield that are different than regular weapons. But I'm sure anybody who wants to help can!

[bonnypiperlad]

Ye mean like when we found all those corpses? Aye, I've seen the blood. I...I may have had a wee peek at the black hole, too.

[And there might have been some shooting of rubber bands into it. Maybe. Possibly.] So this Shay person told ye about those things, then?

[oliverplus]

Well, that and...you know. [fidgets uncomfortably] What happens to people after they die on the Plane.

[nods] He told us about what the black hole's for--and how to make it bigger. None of it's pleasant, though.

[bonnypiperlad]

Like the Doctor. Aye. And...ye too, I suppose. [Jamie realizes he maybe shouldn't have said that out loud and gives Oliver an apologetic look.] Sorry.

But why would ye want to make the black hole bigger? What's it for, anyway?

[oliverplus]

[smiles weakly] It's all right. [it's really not, but he'd rather not go into that]

According to Shay, if it gets big enough, somebody can go inside and take control of the Machine--of the Plane. Of everything.

[bonnypiperlad]

Oh, aye. If ye say so. [He's rather skeptical about it being all right, and if Oliver happens to be looking he might very well pick up on the emotion. Although, judging by Jamie's expression, you wouldn't have to be an empath to tell what he's feeling right now.]

Ye can? [thoughtfully] Ye said he told ye how, too. [He's got a suspicion about that, but isn't completely sure if he's right.] What do ye need to do, then?

[oliverplus]

[Jamie is very easy to read in that way. but Oliver doesn't want to pursue the subject, so he tries not to show his own worry]

[looks down, not really eager to share this] Death makes it stronger. Or the black blood. Or both. I don't know exactly, but either way, it makes the black hole grow when people die.

[bonnypiperlad]

[thoughtfully, not really picking up on Oliver's lack of eagerness] Is that what Weber meant by the blood being able to open doorways, then?

[oliverplus]

[frowns] Probably. According to Shay, there are at least two groups of people wanting to take control of the Plane--him and somebody else. And it sounds like one of us is supposed to enter the black hole once it's big enough. But I don't think that's actually a good idea, whatever Shay says.

[bonnypiperlad]

One of us? Aye, I think I'd have to agree there.

[disgusted] A fine lot they are. Why go in yourself when ye can send someone expendable to do the work for ye?