[011]

[oliverplus]

[Oliver has clearly not been having a good time of it lately. by the look of him, he's recently been in a fight. with what, exactly, is anyone's guess, considering what the Plane is like at the moment. in any case, he has bruises under both eyes, with scratches and contusions on his cheeks and forehead. actually, any later Doctors might find his exact injuries uncannily familiar. they are, in fact, the very same injuries he had when the Doctor found him in an alley after he was unknowingly possessed by a particularly nasty brain worm known as the Puppeteer]

[at the moment, Oliver is wandering the edge of the forest. his hair is wild, and so are his eyes. his clothing is rumpled and streaked with dirt, and he has a very stormy expression on his face. he's glancing around as he walks, his eyes flicking from one direction to the next, muttering quietly to himself]

I thought I could--no, he thought he could escape. Or even fight me again. Hah! [laughs darkly] Like he could do that, broken as he is now. Idealistic fool. He lost before he even started. And now... [grins] Oh now, I just have to find someone, and it'll be worth every minute in this pathetic human body. [chuckles to himself, but the sound is callous, his face twisted into a very un-Oliver-like sneer] People are out here somewhere...

[ooc: Posting again because I have free time this weekend, and Farrah is persuasive I couldn't resist the hallucination plot! Unfortunately, Oliver's hallucinations have been too immersive for him. While he isn't physically possessed by the Puppeteer, he has experienced a hallucination of being possessed (complete with getting a little beat up, oops), and at the moment, he fully believes he is. He's even hearing its voice in his head. This means that, though he lacks the accompanying super-human strength and speed of an actual possession, he is currently unstable and ready to start killing. Be warned that he will attack others--in his clumsy, human way]

[Also, if Oliver hasn't already interacted with your character since his choice last week, please still leave contact info so I can ask a question!]

Comments

[collector]

Perhaps. I think we'll know the answer if we conclude what the purpose of all this is.

[oliverplus]

[sighs] You mean other than to mess with our heads?

[collector]

I wouldn't disregard that as a reason, not in consideration of their experiments.

[oliverplus]

[makes a face] No... But there's probably more to it. There usually is.

[glances at him] Are you all right? I mean...you're not getting hurt too bad by, you know, yours? [he could see the blood despite the fact that he's not seeing Brax in the regular way, but he's afraid the mirror and shifting clothing might be hiding other injuries]

[collector]

[Braxiatel's smile is a little crooked] Most of these terrors they're trying to conjure up don't involve any harm done to me. One of the most useful things about being as self-interested as I am is that I don't have a history of letting myself get hurt.

[oliverplus]

[frowns at him] But your wrist!

[oh Brax. really, Oliver's lucky he isn't getting caught in hallucinated explosions, but the Puppeteer, to him, is worse. it could hurt other people]

[collector]

The wrist was just a side-note to the real horror. You haven't known suffering until you've had to listen to a fascist who thinks he's clever go on about himself.

[oliverplus]

[frowns. that's...well, that's just like Brax, isn't it? as if a fascist that's injuring him isn't so bad as one going on about himself!] Isn't there anything we can do?

[collector]

Presently, I'm talking to you. There's a ghost behind my back and a monster up ahead of me, but you, Oliver. You're much more real to me than they are. The hallucinations can mask or distract from reality, but the reality is still there. [closing a hand into a fist] Hold onto that one solid thing and you needn't become shipwreck in the storm.

[Braxiatel can't imagine holding himself together any other way. Pure will-power, a force of strong control, and unwillingness to bend under someone other's mind games - it's all he needs to keep it together.

It's all he has.]

As I said, it is the perfect time for Ovid. I'd advise against the whisky, though.

[oliverplus]

[his eyes widen in surprise at that. he had no idea Brax was dealing with so many hallucinations!] Well...uh...what's your favourite work, then? [because the easiest way to get Oliver to do something is to make him believe it will do something to help somebody else]

[collector]

Of all time and space? A heavy question, Oliver, and not one easily answered. The mindless sensationalism of Death Bane, the sharp satire of Masterson’s Croquet Match, the well-orchestrated chaos of A Splash of Red - Arcadia, The Dumb Waiter, Hamlet - though of Shakespeare, I've lately been drawn to Macbeth. And The Importance of Being Earnest when I want something really serious to read, of course.

[oliverplus]

[cracks a smile, glad to feel useful, more than anything] I meant of Ovid's.

Macbeth, really?

[collector]

I always found Ibis to be a lot of fun. Of the Metamorphoses, perhaps Arachne, Medea, and Pygmalian are my favourite tales.

[oliverplus]

Haven't read Ibis. But that's the one where he just insults some bloke for a long time, right?

[makes a face] Anything but Pygmalion. The Doctor and I got to live that once.

[collector]

That's the one. It always reminds me of home.

What about My Fair Lady?

[oliverplus]

What, been thinking about writing your own to a few people?

[laughs] I'm a Brummie, remember?

[collector]

I wouldn't give them the honour. But the sort of energy put into spitefulness is worthy of my kind.

Ah, of course. Forgive me.

[oliverplus]

Bet you're a fan of Catullus, then.

[amused] As long as you don't plan to try any of that on me.

[collector]

Quite so.

I doubt I have the patience to turn you into a proper English lady.

[oliverplus]

[snorts] Not many people would do.

[collector]

[very calmly] And how are you feeling now?

[oliverplus]

[looks away. that's his favourite question in the world, Brax] I'm...better. Still hoping for an ingenious plan, though. [gives a wry smile, as though he doesn't mean that half as seriously as he really does]

[collector]

[As if in response to that, one of the fractures spreads. But Braxiatel himself doesn't seem to notice.] I'll do what I can. If it is completely uncontrollable, we can put you in isolation until it passes.

[oliverplus]

[his eyes widen at that] Ir-Irving!

[collector]

[Brax lifts an eyebrow. He has spent a long time mastering the art of the eyebrow-arch and is doing well by it now.] What is it, Oliver?