[005]

[fortune_sought]

[it probably comes as no surprise to anyone who knows her that, when Sophie's CAT activates seemingly without her consent, it shows Sophie looking terribly annoyed] What do you mean by asking questions like this just to go in!? I have a headache, and I would like some tea, and you are going to open this door!

[she is standing outside the tearoom, her hands on her hips and definitely not a mood to deal with the hologram in front of her, currently displaying a trivia question: What is the name of the reptilian race that, by the 25th century, dominated a large portion of the galaxy matched only by their rival and sometimes enemy the Earth Empire?]

I have no idea what you're even referring to! Open the door! [grabs the knob, but the door doesn't budge. instead, an angry tone sounds to reveal to Sophie that she has answered incorrectly]

[she lets out a cry of frustration] Curses! Open!

[unfortunately, as she tries the knob again, another hologram appears, this time with the question: What is the name of the weapon that can both unlock all doors and people's hearts?]

[gapes] Whatever it is, it must be black magic indeed! Stop this nonsense and let me in!

[observers might be able to guess that she's been at this for a while. in fact, one by one, strands of her hair have been changing to orange yarn, though not enough to be easily visible yet. she's also about two inches shorter than she should be and her left foot is composed of fabric rather than skin. this is not a good day for Sophie]

Comments

[collector]

It does seem something of a coincidence that the riddles pop up at entrances and exits. Do we know who owns that theatre or who arranged for the new arcade wing.

[fortune_sought]

[makes a face] Of course we don't! It's probably the mayor as usual.

Have you been to this "ar-cade"? [pronounces the word slowly; it's unfamiliar to her]

[collector]

[thoughtfully] I wonder if it is. But no. I've been avoiding doors, for obvious reasons. I wonder what would happen if you put a hole in a wall and walked through that.

[fortune_sought]

[sourly] The door won't even listen to me. [turns to the door angrily] And I have a headache, and this is utterly ridiculous!

[collector]

Yes, it is. [He is going to be making his way towards her now. He's worried.] Have you noticed anything about the townspeople?

[fortune_sought]

[waves a hand dismissively] I haven't seen very many of them in the square. Is it important?

[collector]

What have you seen a lot of?

[fortune_sought]

These annoying games! [moves over to sit on a nearby bench in a huff, resting her head against one hand]

[collector]

[He finds her and stands in front of her, turning off his CAT] And?

[fortune_sought]

[shuts her CAT off as well, turning to face him] Mr Braxiatel, I'm afraid I don't know what you mean. [she's been too busy getting frustrated at the games and dealing with her headache to have noticed yet]

[collector]

There is always a penalty for losing a game. You haven't seen many townspeople, but you may have noticed an awful lot of toys lying around.

[fortune_sought]

[raises an eyebrow, brushing hair back out of her face now that she's looked up] Just what are you implying?

[collector]

That you're shorter than I remember you being, there's something wrong with one of your feet, and... [he leans a little closer to scrutinize her hair.] And you've been using very bad shampoo or your hair is turning to yarn.

[fortune_sought]

[startled, she pulls back away from him] What!?

[collector]

Look through your hair, Sophie.

[fortune_sought]

But... [she did feel something, just now, when she pushed it out of her face] There's simply something caught in it, I'm sure. It is getting rather long... [she's trying to hide the cold dread that has come over her, though her voice shakes just a bit. she reaches her hand up to her hair again, running it through the strands and feeling it catch against something rough. without a word, she very slowly tries to separate out the rough strand, pulling it in front of her face so she can get a look at it. when she sees it, she immediately lets go, closing her eyes]

Confound this town! It's quite as bad as the Witch of the Waste ever was!

[collector]

[He's not very good with upset humans, but he tries.] It will be reversible, as it was with the rain or our forgetting. But this time, we're not the only ones affected. That is significant.

[fortune_sought]

[angrily] But I've only just turned back! And now-- [cuts herself off, taking a deep breath. when she speaks again, she's much calmer, though her hands are still fists at her sides] [to herself] No. That happened months ago; I've only just remembered it. [turning her attention back to Braxiatel] You're right; this will reverse. Everything has.

But you say the townspeople are all affected this time? [thinks about that] That could point to Doctor Resarci, but I would not have expected him to be the one to inform us that our lost property is in good hands.

[collector]

Yes, I was wondering about that. [He actually sounds somewhat irritated with himself.] If we knew what the exact purpose of those notes was, we might be able to make a better guess. But I failed to follow up on what I'd noticed. That was very me then - all theory, no practicality. So horribly Gallifreyan. We may have some leverage now that we're not the only ones enduring these games.

[fortune_sought]

[curiously] Gallifreyan?

You think the real people in town might be willing to listen to us this time? You could be right, if Doctor Resarci is truly doing things on his own now. But what could we ask for from them? I doubt they have control over these dratted games!

[collector]

[He is well-practised enough at lying that he doesn't show any alarm] Someone from Gallifrey. My home planet.

If they did, they wouldn't fall prey to them. But someone here is responsible for us being brought here, and someone knows more than they're letting on. We may get a bit more honesty.

[fortune_sought]

Oh! That's an interesting name. [don't worry, Brax, the Doctor has explained about Time Lords--twice now, in fact]

Should we try to question everyone, then? Or, at least, everyone we can find.

[collector]

So many people say it sounds Irish.

I think so, yes. Though I'm still not sure how much most know or are able to say.

[fortune_sought]

Is that another land?

That's true... I can't help but think that whatever happened to that news girl was our fault.

[collector]

Yes, in the British Isles.

We can't be certain that something has happened to her. And if something has happened to her, we can't concern ourselves with self-blame. Guilt is a paralytic. If you truly feel responsible, then the only thing to do is to work towards saving her.