(Untitled)

[oliverplus]

Characters: Oliver Day (oliverplus), Asch (promisedsomeone) and Leela (anoblesavage)
Location: Outside the shop
Time: Just after receiving the uncandy note
Summary: Oliver, Asch, and Leela go through trials to save their friends.
Warnings: Horrible emotional trials and whatever they may contain.

Comments

[oliverplus]

[he nods to Asch] If this works... I meant what I said. Have your sword ready--not for him. [he gestures at Sukhrit] But for me. I'll hold it back long enough. And...Asch, Leela? Thanks for this. I'm sorry.

[and then he steps forward, toward Sukhrit, taking a deep breath] Do it.

[Sukhrit, grinning, steps closer to Oliver as well] What, you're not going to fight this time? [he laughs] Do you finally understand? Let's see your destiny, Oliver.

[Oliver nods, his expression set. he's terrified, but he refuses to let it show. he stands still, unmoving--determined]

[and without any more warning than that, Sukhrit leans his head back and a fat, black worm starts crawling out of his nose, bringing with it a trail of blood and mucus. the worm drops to the ground, and Sukhrit crumples as well, unconscious]

[Oliver squeezes his eyes shut tight, his heart beating fast. he's concentrating, as hard as he can, on all the things he loves in life. it won't find his darkness when it enters him. it won't!]

[but unbeknownst to him, both Sukhrit and the worm are fading away. and as they disappear, the far wall of the room is also changing--one of the padded panels is disappearing, revealing a plain metal door]

[anoblesavage]

[Leela could not see the door or Sukhrit or the worm. She could not see expression of determination on Oliver's face as he closed his eyes and faced up to what he could no longer fight.

She could only wait.]

[promisedsomeone]

[Leela can certainly pick up Asch's soft breath of /disgust/ as the worm hits the ground. Well, that was gross. But he watches anyway, because he's seen worse things and he can't afford to blink if Oliver needs to be stopped.

But then the worm and Sukhrit disappears. Asch's green eyes shift to the fading wall.]

... It's over.

[His tone has some finality.]

You passed the test, if you can call it that. We'll probably deal with something similar in the next room.

[oliverplus]

...what? [Oliver opens his eyes, looking around in confusion. instinctively, he reaches a hand up to cup his nose, but there's nothing there--no sign of the Puppeteer, and he didn't feel it touch him, either] Wait. Where...? [he looks at Asch in disbelief, hoping against hope that his friend meant what it sounded like he did when he said Oliver had passed the test] You mean...it's gone? It's not in me? And Sukhrit...

[he trails off, looking around the room again, still too shocked to form a coherent response. at this point, he finally spots the door, and he gasps] There's a way out! You're right! [finally, he starts to smile in stunned relief] They're gone!

[anoblesavage]

A test of bravery. [Leela, satisfied that Oliver was still the Oliver that she considered a dear friend, returned her knife to her belt and crossed the room to embrace him tightly.] You did well. Very well. I am proud to call you my friend.

[promisedsomeone]

We don't have time to celebrate.

[People are /depending/ on him. He walks past the embracing companions and stands before the door, taking a moment to look it over for any traps before they open it. This whole thing bothers him. If he had to witness something so personal of Oliver's, then there might be a similar test awaiting him. He doesn't want to get involved with someone else's personal problems, and he sure as hell doesn't want other people involved with his.]

Let's go.

[He turns the lever and pulls it open. The room awaiting them appears dark at first, but as everyone files in, it brightens to show a wall of mirrors. Each one is fractured in some way, and every angle catches Asch's reflection and no one else's. Or so it seems. Upon closer inspection, it's more like a window into different moments, each of them featuring a boy who could pass as Asch's twin. He's cowardly, selfish, arrogant, and terrible... and as the mirrors continue to play memories, Asch appears in them as the antagonist. Swords clash, words fly silently but with conviction.

Asch stands at the forefront, brows furrowed, teeth clenched. He looks like he's about to explode.]

Is this supposed to be some kind of joke?

[oliverplus]

Leela! [Oliver is surprised by the sudden embrace, but after a second, he relaxes, hugging her back. he can't stop himself from smiling. her approval means more than words could express] Thanks... [teasing] But you know you did the same thing ages ago, right?

[but at Asch's blunt declaration, Oliver's smile slips. he knows Asch is right--they're not out of the woods yet. Oliver pulls gently away from the Leela] Yeah, we're coming!

[he hurries over to join his friend, stepping through into the hall of mirrors. normally he would relax just for the fact of being somewhere that isn't a hospital, but in this case, there's nothing to relax about. Oliver looks around at the mirrors in surprise] Hey, that's... [but he trails off, giving a self-conscious glance at Asch. Oliver met Luke--only a couple times, but enough to recognise him. he doesn't know what has Asch so upset, but he isn't going to leave his friend to stand watching this alone]

Probably. Let's keep moving, okay? [and saying so, Oliver steps up to stand beside Asch, watching for his lead]

[anoblesavage]

[A brief moment of celebration was not a crime. After all that he had been through, Oliver deserved a moment to recover and to savour his triumph. (The fact that she had once done the same thing did not lessen his achievement.

When she followed Oliver and Asch into the next chamber, she had no way of seeing what they could see and no doubt that Asch was experiencing something just as troubling as the ghost that had confronted Oliver. His tension was palpable. His voice was tight with anger.]

If our path is not blocked, we must taken it. Come on.

[promisedsomeone]

It doesn't mean anything. [Maybe if he keeps telling himself that, he'll believe it. Still, when he moves toward an opening, he's confronted with another reflection suddenly springing up before him. There wasn't a mirror there before-- and this man, he's neither Luke nor Asch. He's taller, more tan, with his hair kept in a ponytail and a white version of Asch's knightly garb. He commands respect, and his voice is deep and charismatic.] Asch.

[Mirrors don't talk. Asch's hand flies to his sword hilt.] Van isn't here. You're not real!

['Van' gazes upon those gathered with a measuring look, and then he shakes his head.]

I see that you've dragged your friends into this as well. Cease this foolishness. Come back to me, my student. [He corrects himself without missing a beat.] Asch. You search for your place when you have already earned it. With you at my side, we will remake the world that has rejected you-- and usher in a world free of the Score.

[Asch steps forward, a halting and violent motion. Dark clouds gather in some of the mirrors, and the edges play the first face to face meeting of Asch and Luke again. To the group's right, a scrawny, skinny little redheaded boy fights his way through a storm with only a sword to protect him.]

Shut up! I might not know my place, but I know where I'm needed. [Right here, protecting his friends and destroying the dreams his master created. He draws his long, dark sword from its sheath-- the same as that little boy, now being embraced by a younger-looking Van beneath a tree.] Someone like you could never understand!

[He plunges his sword through the mirrors to the right. Immediately, there's a spark of electricity and then the mirrors go dark. Fortunately, there's a door on the other side that is dimly lit.

Asch leans on his sword for support. Whatever that ordeal was, he's short of breath.]

[oliverplus]

[Oliver stands by Asch, ready to support his friend through...whatever this is. but then Asch attacks, and Oliver can only stare in shock. he's judged Asch for killing before, and the sight of the seeming ease with which Asch dispatches his opponent is horrifying to him. but at the same time, when the room goes dark and the door appears, Oliver knows that was the right answer--not to mention, from Asch's reaction, it was clearly harder for him than it seemed. he wants to say something encouraging, but at the same time, how can he be encouraging after that?]

That...was fast. [he looks at Asch. at least the sight of his friend reminds him that this was an accomplishment. his moralizing has no place here; his friend needs help]

You did it. [he looks Asch in the eyes as he says it; he's proud of Asch for facing that man so firmly]

[anoblesavage]

[Asch's trial unfolded quickly. Though the warrior and his specter seemed focused on each other, Leela drew her knife and placed herself between Oliver and the battling pair just in case.]

It is over? Are we to continue now?

[promisedsomeone]

[Asch catches Oliver's eyes, lingering for just a moment before he remembers to look away. Asch knows about his friend's power, and he doesn't want to share his pain with anyone else. Van was a father to Asch, but he also purposely manipulated the situation to make the redhead dependent on him. Turning against his master is the hardest thing he's ever done. Asch sheathes his sword.]

... Attacking an illusion wouldn't get us out of that kind of trap, only destroying the power source would. [Because that totally explains yelling at the mirrors anyway.]

Let's go.

[There's an twinge of fear beneath his voice, in the shortness of his breath, though he doesn't elaborate on it. He's always pushing himself.]

[oliverplus]

[Oliver cringes when Asch looks away. he'll never stop feeling hurt when people refuse to look at him because of his ability--but he also feels, for a moment, Asch's pain, and that leaves him briefly stunned. it takes him a bit, but he nods, moving to follow Asch]

Yeah. Let's...find whatever it is...

[anoblesavage]

[Although Leela could not see the next room when she stepped inside it, she recognised it immediately. She was blind, but she still recognised the sound and the feel of a place.

She knew who she would have to face before he spoke.]

Hello, Leela.

[It was not the old Andred - the Andred from before he had regenerated and before everything had changed - but it was still her husband and these were still their chambers. Her heart ached.]

Andred.

You cannot be here. You are dead.

Leela, you've lived among Time Lords for a long time. You know that nothing is truly permanent.

I buried you!

You didn't save me.