05 ↔ Shock

[darkercalling]

[Riku looks like he's seen better days. He may be fine physically (as far as anyone can see), but he's carrying himself oddly - like the weight of the world is on his shoulders, but at the same time, he's... learned things. Freeing things. Still, even before his little trip to the back of the shop, there was...

... something he refuses to think about. For now. He has a job to do first. Angst later.

He walks around the Plane with his blindfold on and the hood of his robe pushed back. Specifically, he's looking for Menzies, and he's carrying a ripe, delicious looking apple to give to her. If he's staring at it, it's only to keep his mind from wandering too far.]

This had better work...

Comments

[bit_impossible]

[raises an eyebrow at the sight of Riku. he's quickly reminded of the young man's demeanour the last time he saw him after their encounter in the maze, but he has to wonder if this time, it's thanks to that apple in some way. his own box of raisins is still tucked into his pocket, unopened]

You know, you could do with a sack or bag of some kind if you're going to go trick-or-treating, but you might run into a little trouble going up stairs with that blindfold.

[of course, he doesn't think the young man would be doing such a thing; such celebrations might not even exist in his reality, but he figures catching him off-guard might lead him to what is really going on. (and he hopes that's easier to do than it is with Oliver.)]

[darkercalling]

[It definitely catches Riku off-guard. He turns to face the Doctor, looking puzzled at first. Trick-or-treating...? Wait, he heard mention of something like that in Halloween Town. Not that he has any idea what it really is. ...He shakes his head.]

I don't think stairs will be a problem. [He crosses his arms, smirking just faintly.] You get used to it, you know.

[bit_impossible]

[scratches the back of his neck innocently] Well, I suppose one would after a while. Were you in an accident of some kind?

[darkercalling]

[He shakes his head.] Not an accident. I was just in the darkness for so long, it's hard to see in the light. [You know, if it were anyone else, that would just be a lame dodge of the question.]

[bit_impossible]

Just need to give your eyes time adjust to the light again. It has this way of getting in, light does. Be it though a crack or even a pinprick, light will find a way. I mean, just look at the stars around us! [makes a broad, sweeping gesture with his arms] All these stars around us, their light has taken millions and millions of years of travel just to reach our eyes. Well, the real stars, anyway. These aren't exactly the real McCoy. [taps his foot on a cluster of stars on the ground]

[darkercalling]

[He smiles a bit at that.] Yeah. The light is pretty relentless. Maybe one day I won't need this thing anymore [He's not really sure how likely that is, but... well, he can hope. right?]

I learned a little about the stars in school. Of course, the next thing the teacher said was that it meant the star could have gone out long before we'd know it.

[bit_impossible]

Of course, you could go with a nice pair of sunglasses. Far more stylish. [reaches into his pocket quickly, then lightly throws a pair of super dark-lensed aviator sunglasses at him] Here.

Well, your teacher was sort of right. All depends on when the star was born, the size of it, and how far away it is from your point of view. Sometimes, the brightest ones are already on the verge of dying.

[darkercalling]

[He catches them, looks them over... He gives the Doctor a highly amused smile.] You just had these with you? Any reason?

[Maybe he flinched ever-so-slightly at that last word there, but you'd have to be really quick to catch it. He wills himself to shove away those particular thoughts.] So, can you tell how long a star has left just by how bright it is?

[bit_impossible]

[gives him a knowing look] Because you never know when the paparazzi will be out and about. [the things he does because a travelling companion is an active prime minister...]

[he pretends not to notice, but the Doctor has a good eye for such things.] Well, it's far more complicated than that. Sometimes the bright ones are terribly new compared to the others. It's all about how hot they are, their size, and many other factors.

[darkercalling]

[He shakes his head, smiling a bit, amused. He considers the glasses for another brief moment, then takes off his blindfold. May as well try them on, right?]

So then, are no two stars are exactly alike?

[bit_impossible]

[he smiles and nods his approval]

Nope! Well, basically yes when you think of them all as big ol' balls of gas, but when we get down to specifics? They're similar in the way snowflakes are similar to each other.

[darkercalling]

[It's been a while since Riku was this interested in something that didn't hold immediate relevance to, well, everything crazy going on in his life.] I think you should have been my teacher. I probably would have paid more attention.

[Once the blindfold is off, he puts on the sunglasses. ... And, okay, the glasses look a little out of place. He shrugs, crosses his arms, and waits for the Doctor's input~]

[bit_impossible]

Me? Nah, I'd be rubbish in a formal educational setting. I'd know; I tried it once and if it weren't for an oil that gave the kids higher knowledge than they should have known at the time, I would have been completely and utterly bored! No, I'd rather show you physically and let you experience things first-hand rather than me just blathering on all day while you try to write down everything I'm saying and keep your bums from falling asleep.

[taps his chin] Not bad, not bad at all! What do you think?

[darkercalling]

And I'd rather be out there and seeing things for myself, not stuck in a classroom and pretending like I care. So I stand by my opinion.

[He laughs a bit, rubbing the back of his head with one hand.] I can't tell. I've been used to the blindfold for a while now.

[bit_impossible]

[he smiles faintly] That's exactly what I thought all my years in the Academy.

Hold on a mo'! [he drops from the Plane; amazingly, a mirror is one of those things he doesn't have on his person right then. however, he isn't gone too long as he reappears with a small, round hand-mirror] See for yourself.

[darkercalling]

[He shakes his head.] So that means it doesn't get any less boring?

[Mirror, get! He takes it, looks at his reflection... and laughs faintly again, smiling.] Yeah, not bad. But is there a reason the lenses are so big?

[bit_impossible]

[pulls a face] Well, yes and no. The things that are boring won't become any less boring, but the things that do interest you will be so, so very fascinating!

Design purposes, mainly, but there are practical reasons as well. The bigger the lens, the more area it can cover and reduce the amount of direct light coming into your eye.