The Very Witching Time Of Night {Hamlet} FIN

[hamlet]

"How could I forget, Harry?"

Harry smiled back at him, with emotion stemming from the fact that he was glad Claudius was at ease. Something about this whole scene was extremely satisfying to Harry and he hadn't felt this way in a long time. It was as if, simply through an art, simply through acting - he lead Claudius where he wanted him to be in this conversation. When Harry wanted to push his buttons, it happened. When he wanted Claudius at ease, it happened. How fascinating this was to Harry - this wasn't a lost cause after all. In fact, this could be his ticket to finding out the truth.

Harry always thought that the arts spoke to the truth of humanity in some shape or form. Its why he was so interested in theater. But he never saw it in action quite like this.

And so Harry kept the mask on.

"Really? I thought you might've." Harry said, still keeping he grin on his face. "Memories are so random sometimes. What I may remember you wouldn't. Sometimes I can't remember myself lately. Who am I? Who are you? What is this place?" He gazed around the cemetery. "Are you even real?" He took Claudius by the arms for a moment and Harry's light eyes studied his, as if to try to confirm if he was real or not. "What good are memories if the present proves them to be lies?" He tone wasn't melancholic necessarily even if he felt that way - it was very casual as if he were asking what time it was, proving to contain some kind of ever-present mental confusion. Something in Harry's eyes were restless - which Harry emoted on purpose.

"What do you remember of me Claudius?" Harry asked, letting go of him. "Why should I believe that I even exist?" He laughed a bit. "I think therefore I am, I think therefore I am, no - I think therefore I'm not. There is only thought." Some frustration seeped in his tone. " Ugh, Stupid, constant, thought. And we can't get them to stop. Nothing here is real." He knew he wasn't making a lick of sense. But he turned to Claudius, "I'm sorry, you were saying?"

[CLAUDIUS CHANDLER]

"Really? I thought you might've. Memories are so random sometimes. What I may remember you wouldn't. Sometimes I can't remember myself lately. Who am I? Who are you? What is this place?"

The relief Claudius had felt at the dissapearance of Harry's sudden fury was becoming swiftly replaced with confusion once more. Was Harry deliberately trying to befuddle him? Or was the alcohol making itself known? Or was Harry mad?

Claudius had dismissed the idea earlier as foolish, or even mad in and of itself. Harry wasn't mad. He couldn't be mad. But then...he could be. His present behaviour certainly pointed towards that conclusion.

"Are you even real?"

"Yes," Claudius replied, not irritated as before but not completely calmly either. "I'd like to think that-"

"What good are memories if the present proves them to be lies?"

True, Harry's words seemed to imply he knew something, knew far more than he was letting on. Yet these sudden moments of apparent clarity were almost lost in this sea of other nonsense he was spouting. Could he be truly mad while still retaining a semblance of his old self? But then...Harry hadn't been himself since Hamlet Senior's death. Maybe...just maybe...it had pushed him over the edge.

"What do you remember of me Claudius? Why should I believe that I even exist? I think therefore I am, I think therefore I am, no - I think therefore I'm not. There is only thought. Ugh, Stupid, constant, thought. And we can't get them to stop. Nothing here is real... I'm sorry, you were saying?"

Claudius had to admit he was relieved that Harry had let him go as it meant he was able to take a few steps backwards. It wasn't that he was scared, it was that this was how he thought it was best to deal with Harry's craziness. Stay calm and back away. It was confirmed in Claudius' mind now that Harry was mad - this couldn't be an act, it was too convincing to be fake...

"I...I wasn't saying anything, Harry," he said, having taken a couple of steps backwards.

[hamlet]

Harry noted Claudius movement and prevented himself from grinning. It was hard for Harry not to mock him in his mind - and he didn't want to while he was in character. But this was such a victory for Harry, and victories came far and few between. He was able to really get Claudius to believe in his madness or at least instability. Harry's purposeful brief jolts back to sanity was done just enough - just enough so that Claudius wouldn't absolutely throw Harry into a psychiatric ward. Because this would serve no purpose.

No, Harry needed to tread the line carefully, so he could pull off a person who simply cracked under pressure, under grief, possibly under the disease of alcoholism - like an embattled celebrity that no one knows what to do with except make parodies about them. And he was treading that line perfectly it seems. Still, what an idiot Claudius was. Didn't he know that his lies would catch up to him? What ever he was hiding - Harry would eventually find out. It was only a matter of time. And if Claudius had a hand in Hamlet's murder, Harry would be so willing to have hand in Hamlet's revenge.

But for now, he had to wait.

"I...I wasn't saying anything, Harry,"

Harry gazed upon Claudius confused and troubled. "What is it? What's wrong?" He asked, clearly referencing they way Claudius backed away from him. "Did I say something to upset you?" he paused. "Wait, no, because if I did you'd probably hit me again." In his mind that was sarcastic, but his tone outwardly sounded as if he were logically trying to work through Claudius' reactions. Harry took a step towards him. "So what is it?"

[CLAUDIUS CHANDLER]

Claudius kept insisting within himself that he was in control of the situation, but it was becoming pitifully clear that he wasn't. Whatever Harry said, however Harry acted, Claudius went along with it. He told himself that was all he could do in this situation and he was acting in his own interest, yet it was obvious that Harry was the one pulling the strings.

"What is it? What's wrong?"

Claudius hated the way Harry was speaking, as though he was a frightened animal about to bolt. But if he was utterly truthful within himself, he could identify with that (right now, at least). Not knowing how Harry would act next un-nerved him.

"Nothing-" he began, in a surprisingly calm voice considering his earlier fury.

"Did I say something to upset you?"

"No-"

"Wait, no, because if I did you'd probably hit me again."

Claudius' expression became more serious, and he held up his hands as though in a gesture of defeat.

"No I wouldn't, Harry, that was...well..."

He stopped speaking, still not wishing to apologize. What had gotten into him? Why could he not have the upper hand in this situation, as with every other?

"So what is it?"

Claudius decided it would be best to stop stammering and come right out with it. Was it possible that Harry was unaware of how he was acting? If so, the situation needed to be rectified.

"How do you expect me to react, Harry? You're acting strangely, you do realize that?"

[hamlet]

Of course he realized he was acting stranglely. Then again, in reality, he'd been acting strange ever since Hamlet died but it wasn't like that was really on Claudius' radar. No, only when Harry's "strangeness" directly affected Claudius - did he notice. Funny how things like that work. Not that Harry would hold that particular thing against him, if Claudius did have something to do with Hamlet's death, he'd clearly have his own issues to worry about.

Harry looked at him bemused, with a moment's pause. "Uh...no?" He furrowed his brow again. "Well, maybe..." Seemingly confused, he continued. "There's a lot of buzzing going on in my head." He gestured to his head for emphasis. "Buzzz buzzzz like too many things firing off at once. I think I think too much. Is that even possible?" He looked at Claudius and smiled a bit at him. "But that's not a bad thing is it? You probably feel that way too. I bet there are a lot of things going on in your mind - running a company would do that to you. I bet there's a lot of buzzz buzzzz happening, right?"

[CLAUDIUS CHANDLER]

"Uh...no? Well, maybe...There's a lot of buzzing going on in my head."

"You don't say," Claudius replied, arms folded once more, one eyebrow raised in disdain, though his tone did not match his expression as he tried to retain his sense of calm. If Harry was hearing things, he must be mad. Claudius was surprised he hadn't come to this conclusion earlier, overanalyzing everything Harry said or did. Just because there seemed to be glimmers of truth in what he said didn't mean he wasn't mad.

"Buzzz buzzzz like too many things firing off at once. I think I think too much. Is that even possible?"

Claudius shrugged. Who knew, where his nephew was concerned?

"But that's not a bad thing is it? You probably feel that way too. I bet there are a lot of things going on in your mind - running a company would do that to you. I bet there's a lot of buzzz buzzzz happening, right?"

"That's one way of putting it," Claudius replied, not really wanting to get too involved in the conversation now that he'd pretty much confirmed to himself that Harry was off his rocker.

[hamlet]

"That's one way of putting it,"

Harry could tell he was trying not to get involved in his antics because really, how deflective was that comment? He prevented himself from smiling. Harry could only imagine what Claudius must be thinking right now - and if he could get Claudius to believe he was mad, then who knows what else he could get Claudius to believe in order to admit any sort of guilt. He's already done so much already. At this point Harry could leave satisfied (satisfied! It's been a while since he'd could say he felt satisfied. Needless to say the notion felt good)...but given his success streak, Harry couldn't help but antagonize Claudius just a bit more before he did.

Just the way he reacted fascinated Harry. He knew he'd be replaying this moment over and over in his mind - just to see if he missed something in Claudius' reactions. Just to see if he could catch anything that would clue him in. Anything at all.

"How would you put it?" Harry replied - purposely trying to reel him back into the nutty conversation.

[CLAUDIUS CHANDLER]

"How would you put it?"

Claudius interpreted from Harry question that he was attempting to draw him back into the conversation; it had been obvious, he now realized, that he was trying to distance himself. But could he help but try to do so, considering the way Harry was acting?

He held up his hands again as if in a gesture of defeat and shook his head.

"For God's sake, Harry, I don't know, alright? I don't care! There are a lot of things going on in my mind, but what these things are is no business of yours!"

[hamlet]

Harry stifled a laugh for a second, then let it out. It felt good to do that because of course a part of him was laughing at Claudius. But outwardly, the laugh didn't hold much humor to it. It was almost as if he was laughing because mind couldn't handle doing anything else. "I don't care either," Harry said in between chuckles, as if he had some sort of epiphany. "No, no, seriously. I don't! I think I'm done caring. Because you're right - that is your business. I don't need to know. And this -" He gestured towards the gravestone. "is how you and I are going to end up eventually so why should I care so much about how it happened to my father?" He laughed again.

"Whatever happened, happened right? But you and I? We have other things to worry about. We have a business to run. Lives. to. live! So Claudius I will leave you to dwelling in the past...because see, for me - it's driving me crazy so, here and now - it just has to stop..." His voice trailed off in laughter again, as if he thought all of this was amusing. He began walking away but paused, turning around. "You wanna go grab a drink? I could really go for one right now." he pointed behind him towards the cemetery exit with his thumb.

(OOC-woot for hidden LOST references with two playbys from LOST lol)

[CLAUDIUS CHANDLER]

When Harry began to laugh, Claudius found he wasn't as taken aback as he had been before. Despite the fact his nephew's laughter was humourless it served to cement the idea in Claudius' mind that Harry was losing his mind (or had already lost it).

"I don't care either. No, no, seriously. I don't! I think I'm done caring. Because you're right - that is your business. I don't need to know. And this -" He gestured towards the gravestone. "is how you and I are going to end up eventually so why should I care so much about how it happened to my father?"

Despite the fact Claudius now presumed Harry to be mad, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of unease as he again mentioned the untimely demise of Hamlet Senior. He tried his best to dismiss it as the ramblings of a mad man, but he couldn't do so easily. This worried him, but of course he wasn't about to say anything. Not to mention he was glad Harry hadn't tried to pry when he said it was his business alone.

"Whatever happened, happened right? But you and I? We have other things to worry about. We have a business to run. Lives. to. live! So Claudius I will leave you to dwelling in the past...because see, for me - it's driving me crazy so, here and now - it just has to stop..."

The past was driving Harry crazy...was it like a mad person to admit they were mad? It surely wasn't. And yet Claudius couldn't help but believe Harry was mad. What other explanation would there be for his behaviour? Whatever happened had happened indeed and, whether it had driven Harry mad or not, Claudius was content to leave things as they were.

He watched Harry as he began to walk away, glad that the altercation seemed to be over. As Harry turned back to face him he prepared himself for another onslaught of rambling but instead he got a question; one that would ordinarily appeal. But this was Harry, and Claudius thought Harry was mad. Surely this unexpected meeting at his older brother's graveside had been enough for one night?

"Thanks but no thanks, Harry," Claudius replied, feigning the casual tone one would usually adopt with a good friend or member of the family, as if they weren't discussing this is a cemetery at night. "You go ahead, though."

(ooc: It really is a hidden LOST reference for me as I haven't seen the series. /fail)

[hamlet]

Harry grinned that lopsided grin of his and nodded. "Right, right." He turned on his heel and started walking away casually, as if he had just stopped by to say hi to Claudius instead of having one strange conversation. He might actually take his own suggestion and stop by the bar for a drink. Goodness knows he needed it before seeing Ophelia. He needed to de-stress. He wasn't sure whether to feel extremely hopeful or disturbed by this meeting. He just needed to debrief and process everything that was going on his mind - the last thing he wanted to do was see Ophelia without dropping the 'crazy' role.

As he slowly walked away he shouted back at Claudius without turning around. "The CEO keeping up an image. I get it, Claudius! Maybe next tiiime!" He finished in a sing song voice and he started whistling as he exited the cemetery.

He did get it though. Claudius was doing everything in his power not to let something slip through out their conversation and Harry was going to find out what. In fact, he was going to obsess over it until he does. Unlike Claudius, he had no image to keep - no image that he cared about at least.

And absolutely nothing to lose.

(thanks for another great thread ness!)