Fantasiestucke VI. Fabel

[collector]

[The CAT turns on without warning as Brax is trying to open his front door. He is fine, his half-amused smile settled easily. He doesn't show a sign of having lost to any of the questions, and he's holding two coins in one of his hands.]

[Then the hologram pops up, and Braxiatel loses all expression. If there is one word to describe him now, it's cold.]

[It is asking him this: What is inside your head?]

[Very, very quietly, Braxiatel speaks.] I'll take the penalty.

[He steps into the house. There is the mechanical click of joints as his hands close into fists, then open again. He drops his coins and a silver pen on the table, then sinks into a chair.]

Comments

[bit_impossible]

[glowers, but he sighs a moment later, his shoulders sagging] I wouldn't do that to you, anyway. I couldn't.

[collector]

Yes, I'm afraid I am still the better psionic. [He knows it isn't what the Doctor meant. There's a kindness to his smile that expresses that. Brax gets to his feet.] Can I get you some tea?

[bit_impossible]

[he smiles faintly, chuckling to himself as he shakes his head] Only you, Brax...

And yes, I could go for a cuppa. [leans back in his seat, stretching his legs out in front of him]

[collector]

Then I'll be mother.

[Brax vanishes into the kitchen to make his tea. But there's no reason not to call out to trouble sitting in his chair.] How terribly restless do you feel by now?

[bit_impossible]

[he lets out a breath] Ohh, that haven't invented a scale that can measure such a thing, and even if they did, the reading would be off the scale.

[collector]

In a situation similar to this, I kept thinking that I ought to do something drastic, just to change the game. To break the stalemate. Of course, the thing about an equilibrium like mine is that neither of the players can benefit from unilaterally changing their strategy.

[He walks back in with tea for them both and hands the Doctor his cup.] Even I'm starting to feel like I need to start kicking down doors and demanding answers.

[bit_impossible]

[takes his cup and laughs] Now that I'd almost pay to see.

[collector]

'Almost'? What stops you?

[bit_impossible]

Well, the fact that it takes an awful lot to ruffle your feathers, to start with. [sips his tea]

[collector]

Then it's a good thing that yours are so much easier to get out of place.

[bit_impossible]

[throws Brax a look]

[collector]

[gives the Doctor a smile, one that is slightly less evil than that of the icon, but hey]

[bit_impossible]

[this is him rolling his eyes accompanied with a sigh because, damnit, he has to admit it's true.]

[collector]

[Good, the truth wins through on the side of Irving Braxiatel! It's a rare occurrence, but that makes it all the better. Brax sips his tea.] Of course, invading the mind of another individual without consent is so unethical. I don't suppose you've engaged in contact with any of the mayor's guests? [There's that slur of mockery at the supposed status of all the people who were abducted here.]

[bit_impossible]

[he frowns, but not because of the mockery] No, I don't do that any longer.

[collector]

[he lifts an eyebrow] I didn't know you did it before.

[bit_impossible]

[a soft sigh] Very rarely, and even then, I only did it with permission and with a specific purpose in mind. [the last time, however...]

[collector]

No recreational contact? How dull.

[He's joking, but that's because there's a proposition he doesn't really want to make.]

[bit_impossible]

[eyes him curiously] Why do you ask?

[collector]

We could try to look into the minds of the people here. To get the truth.

[bit_impossible]

I really hope you're not proposing we look into everyone's like in some telepathic version of a kissing booth.

[collector]

Certainly not. That comes with telepathic mononucleosis. And for all we know their minds will be telepath-proof.

[bit_impossible]

[cracks a smile] Oh, and we certainly wouldn't want that. Some very well could have been trained to prevent any sort of tampering, but we're not exactly without power, either. [he pauses] What about someone else then? Someone trapped here like us?

[collector]

One of the other new residents? Why?

[bit_impossible]

To see if, perhaps, they subconsciously remember anything surrounding the circumstances before their arrival here.