(no subject)

[darkdoctor]

[the Doctor appears in mid-air, turned on his side as he aims a sonic blaster

when his shoulder slams into the stars, he looks more surprised than pained; slowly, cautiously, he sits up, examining the sudden change in scenery]

Well, I certainly wasn't expecting this.

[he keeps a firm grip on his weapon as he stands, but it stays at his side; his clothes are simple and elegant, save for the ragged tears and stains of blood

his body language is carefully casual; his expression is, at most, curiously bemused]

I will say it's a nice break from all the chaos and clamour.

Comments

[grip_on_reality]

[Menzies is at first startled by the sudden appearance of someone in midair, and she stops short, tensing. but once he lands and gets back up, she relaxes. as she heads toward him, she can't help smiling in amusement]

Like to go for a dramatic entrance, I see.

[at which point she realises there are blood stains on his clothing. she frowns] Hey, you all right?

I just intro'd him, but how can I resist??

[ninth_doctor]

[The Doctor looks over his younger counterpart.]

I didn't even use a sonic screwdriver when I was you. What're you doing with a blaster?

[darkdoctor]

[the Doctor's wry smile covers the cool assessment he's giving her] I do have something of a dramatic flair, I'll admit.

[his smile fades as he nods] And I'm quite all right. [he gestures towards the bloody mess that his outfit has become with his free hand] None of this is mine.

:D AW YEAH

[darkdoctor]

[the Doctor arches a sceptical eyebrow] I can't say I enjoy it - guns are crass things, really - but I do like to keep a stock if I need it.

Are you quite sure - [but, slowly, that strange familiarity, that spark in the back of his mind, begins to grow]

You really are me, aren't you? In a matter of speaking.

XD

[ninth_doctor]

[A long stare, Dark!Him.]

Let me guess.... Watching... no... Adric?

[After all, things were never quite the same for that incarnation after Adric's death. And, well, worse after callously watching the Master burn. But this was fresh, like his own...]

[darkdoctor]

[something shifts in the Doctor's expression, so minutely most wouldn't notice it; the slightest tightening of his lips, the furrowing of his brow]

It hasn't been long.

[his voice is softer, now, absent of the casual affability he'd been affecting]

That has little to do with my current situation, however. [that, of course, is a lie; he would have spurred this frenzied revolution regardless, but there's really no need for him to be in the thick of it]

[ninth_doctor]

And what is my current situation?

[Oh, he'll still claim this Doctor as him. After all, they have a shared history up to... well Adric anyway. Perhaps this is the him that would become Lord Burner as Romana had mentioned when she recounted her visits to various Alternate Gallifreys.]

[darkdoctor]

[that draws a grim smile] Revolution, Doctor. It's rarely pleasant. [speaking to himself is always markedly odd, but if nothing else, he's adaptable]

[ninth_doctor]

War is hell, in any form.

[Long pause.]

So who are you revolting against?

[He sees the blood, instinctively knows it's not the Doctor's.]

[darkdoctor]

[the Doctor regards him thoughtfully, for a moment, before answering]

The Morok Empire, at the moment. They've conquered Aractus, and they're up to their usual policies of enslavement and slaughter.

[ninth_doctor]

[He looks the other over pointedly.]

Lingerin' a bit aren't we? Usually about the time the blood is spilt is when we leave.

[darkdoctor]

[oh, he definitely arches his eyebrows at that] Is it really? That seems dreadfully irresponsible.

[ninth_doctor]

[His expression darkens a bit.]

Depends on the situation, of course.

[Sometimes he can't leave - sometimes he's the one who causes the blood to be spilt. He shudders to clear his mind of Gallifrey burning.]

[grip_on_reality]

[she smiles wryly right back at him] Then you might fit right in in a place like this! You're new, I take it? [she's guessing so, considering how surprised he seemed to arrive]

Ah. And it doesn't belong to anybody you're fussed over, I take it? [the question is nonchalant, but she's assessing him as well. not just anyone can arrive wearing that much blood and be so casual about it]

[darkdoctor]

It appears so, yes. You know where we are, then?

[softly, as he shakes his head] One can't afford to be fussed over their enemies. I can grieve for the bloodshed when it's over.

[darkdoctor]

And what situations deserve our presence?

[ninth_doctor]

"Deserve"? I don't know that any deserve it...

[Not anymore. He's done enough - saved the Whole of Creation and now he's done.]

[darkdoctor]

[the Doctor frowns, affecting a concerned expression] Come now, you can't think like that. How many lives have we saved, how many worlds have we changed? And they still need us.

[ninth_doctor]

And how many more lives have been destroyed? How many worlds are lost, in the end?

[He huffs, getting far more worked up about this than he intended. A flicker of the Oncoming Storm appears.]

They're better off without!

[darkdoctor]

[the Doctor is cool and calm in the face of his anger, voice smooth and stern] We can't save everyone, Doctor. We never could. That hardly means it's not worth trying. If anything...we ought to ensure their sacrifice is not in vain.

[grip_on_reality]

As much as anybody does. Welcome to the Astral Plane! A place where a lot of universes meet and you can leave any time--but somehow, you can't really leave at all.

[she frowns but keeps her tone brusque] Well, call this a break, then. There's even a ballroom if you're looking for clothes.

[ninth_doctor]

[The Doctor rolls his eyes at that.]

You wouldn't say that if you knew what I know....

[...If he had done what he had done.]

[spotofsunlight]

[Here's a little white-haired kid walking over, not so much cautiously as casually.]

Wow! What's that thing you're holding? It looks cool!

[bonnypiperlad]

[Jamie is a bit far away to get a clear view of what just happened, but the figure that's sitting up looks familiar - enough that he breaks into a jog to get there faster.]

Doctor? What happened?

[darkdoctor]

[he arches his eyebrows, more in interest than scepticism] That's both fascinating and perturbing.

[the smile returns, faint but grateful] I certainly don't mind it. Thank you - I'll need to take a look.