001.

[morethananecho.livejournal.com]

[Jenny appears on the plane. She's confused for a moment, and her face reflects it. But the confusion quickly melts away, replaced by a happy look. A very happy look. Jenny is beaming.]

Oh, this is just brilliant. It was a shop, and now it's not! Now it's -

[She trails off and looks around, trying to orient herself. After all, Jenny has studied countless star charts. It shouldn't be so hard to figure out where she is. Then again, normally one doesn't just wander around in space, completely comfortable. At least she thinks one doesn't. Does one?]

That's odd. None of the stars match up. I'm pretty sure that's... yes, the Medusa Cascade, but it shouldn't be next to Tau Ceti Prime, should it? And there's the Sol System! I wonder if Dad's there! I bet he is.

[Jenny reaches out, as though she could touch the stars themselves, but when she hits only emptiness her arm falls to her side. She starts to retrace her steps that day, starting from the strange dream of the morning to the odd sense of wrongness that's been coloring her every move. And then that odd shop, which neither Gr'Rit'A or Joseph had seen, the odd shop that led her here. Suddenly Jenny felt very very alone.]

Hello?

Comments

[morethananecho.livejournal.com]

[Leans forward as if she senses something a bit off. Still smiling, though, she decides there's no good way to find out without a proper conversation, at least.]

Hello! You wouldn't happen to know where we are, would you?

[savagestime.livejournal.com]

[he smiles wider]

I would, actually. It's called the Astral Plane, whether for the stars or the mystique, it's hard to know.

[morethananecho.livejournal.com]

The stars would certainly make sense, wouldn't they?

[It's a rhetorical question, and Jenny looks around a little, once again noting how there are so many stars, and most in the wrong places, before turning back to the man in front of her.]

Did you get here from a shop, too?

[savagestime.livejournal.com]

The first time. And then I learned to come and go as I would please. I imagine you'll pick that up, soon enough.

[morethananecho.livejournal.com]

[Absorbs the new information and stands silently for a moment, considering the posibilities.]

You're not from Santhymum, are you? Obviously not, you look human! But what I mean is that you weren't just on Santhymum, right? Which means this is some sort of link between planets. A link where the stars aren't in their proper places.

Hmmm.

[Shakes her head and smiles brightly.]

Oh, I'm sorry! My name's Jenny. Nice to meet you!

[savagestime.livejournal.com]

A pleasure, Jenny! I'm called the Master. And no, I'm actually in the Vortex, at present. We haven't landed since Earth. It's not just planets, but universes, parallel and completely incongruous alike. Quick, aren't you? Good.

[morethananecho.livejournal.com]

Really? The Master? Just the Master?

So we're on this Astral Plane, but you're somewhere called the Vortex, and I'm on Santhymum. So does the Plane exist overlapping our own realities?

[Beams at the compliment.] Thank you!

[savagestime.livejournal.com]

Just the Master, yes. Like just the Doctor.

No, not quite. When you return to Santhymum, you'll find that our realities will overlap. But here.... hm, considering it a whole seperate world you can step right onto.

So there's this, but I can return to my world.

[he takes a step, vanishes, and returns a moment later]

And when I am in my world, I am not here.

[morethananecho.livejournal.com]

[Too excited by his disappearing/reappearing act to realize exactly what he said about his name, Jenny takes a moment to process the information he's given her. Overlapping realities and a separate plane with apparently no astrological reason where people from said realities can come and go at will.]

Brilliant!

[But then the moment passes, and his first words register in her mind. She looks at him suspiciously again, and her smile fades a bit.]

Where are you from?

[savagestime.livejournal.com]

[At that, he grins. With a flourish of his hands, he inclines his head to her]

Do you have a guess, Jenny?

[morethananecho.livejournal.com]

[Hackles raised, muscles tensed, the words come out very quietly: barely above a whisper.]

Gallifrey?

[savagestime.livejournal.com]

[he beams and applauds her, not seeming to mind how loud this is against her quiet words]

Very well done! I'm quite proud of you, Jenny. I am indeed a Time Lord.

[morethananecho.livejournal.com]

[Her eyes go wide, but they remain wary. She's still coiled to strike, if necessary.]

That's not possible! My dad's the only Time Lord left!

[savagestime.livejournal.com]

[he, in contrast, is perfectly calm]

Yes, that's what he thought when he met me. He's always been incorrigably self-obsessed, so it's hardly surprising he missed me.

[morethananecho.livejournal.com]

Self-obsessed? My dad's not self- [Frowns.]

How'd you say you know my dad?

[savagestime.livejournal.com]

We went to school together.

[morethananecho.livejournal.com]

Oh.

He didn't tell me about you.

[savagestime.livejournal.com]

I find that he doesn't really like talking about what was. 'Past tense' describes our school days perfectly.

[morethananecho.livejournal.com]

He would tell me if I asked him.

[Doesn't sound exactly sure.]

[savagestime.livejournal.com]

Maybe. But I think he'd be just as likely to simply skirt around it.

Enough of him, though. The two and two halves are too much for me. More interesting to me would be you. Of Gallifreyan genetics, but not of Gallifrey.

[morethananecho.livejournal.com]

[Relaxes a little, but crosses her arms over her chest, still not entirely comfortable.]

Two and two halves? What does that mean?

[Stands up a bit straighter, her voice tinged with pride.]

I'm from a progenation machine. I'm developed from dad's haploids.

[savagestime.livejournal.com]

[politely steps away, giving her more room]

It means that the Doctor you know is here, twice, and that half of him is here, twice, and that there are three others of him which you won't recognise on first sight that I decided to leave out for the sake of that sentence. 'Two and two half and then those other three' just isn't catchy, is it?

[he smiles]

And what else are you?

[morethananecho.livejournal.com]

No, it's not.

[Thinks for a moment about what he's said. More than one of her dad wandering around. And others of him that aren't him. What does that mean? He must, she thinks, be talking about regeneration. Jenny frowns almost imperceptibly, then answers his question.]

I'm a soldier.

[savagestime.livejournal.com]

[he steps back and lifts his eyebrows, politely surprised]

Oh.

I can't tell if that makes you more or less like him.

[morethananecho.livejournal.com]

[A quick surge of pride runs through her.]

My dad's a great soldier. He can win battles without losing life. [A beat before she clarifies.] Minimizing casualties.