[008]

[grip_on_reality]

[today there is a nine-year-old girl on the Astral Plane who, perhaps surprisingly, doesn't seem that bothered about her sudden presence in a multi-dimensional nexus. she has long brown hair and is wearing a plain T-shirt and jeans that are a little tattered and dirty, as though they've seen quite a bit of exploring. but her hair is neat and she doesn't look like she's been in anything particularly dirty today. being a curious child, though, she's made for the most interesting place she could spot--the black hole. currently, she has a hand in the gravity field around it and is attempting to see how far she can reach into that]

That feels weird! [she pushes her hand a little farther in, making a face at the sensation of the gravity fighting back] What is this thing?

[anyone listening might notice that the girl has a clear Mancunian accent. in fact, she may even look a bit familiar. but on her end, she's too busy poking at the field to notice anyone who might be approaching]

[ooc: Menzies is currently under her first experiment! For the time being, she has been regressed to when she was nine.]

Comments

[lamb_of_gold]

You ought to be careful. We don't know what happens if one were to fall in.

[grip_on_reality]

[she turns in surprise at the voice, looking curiously at the other man. she's glad to see he doesn't seem to be upset with her, but all the same she pulls her hand back, just poking at the edge of the field now] 'ow could you fall in? It pushes back.

[lamb_of_gold]

Only a small bit - no small number of things have been dropped in there and never seen again.

[Exaggerating? maybe, but he reeeeeally doesn't want to find out what happens if someone falls in.

Mu tilts his head slightly.]

If you don't mind my asking, where are you from? Your accent is familiar to me.

[grip_on_reality]

[her eyes widen] Really? [she lowers her hand, deciding that maybe she should take his advice after all. she clasps them behind her back, turning away from the black hole to look at Mu]

I'm from Manchester. [curious] Are you from space?

[lamb_of_gold]

Ah? [Aw crap.] I thought so, but I was not sure. No, I'm not from space.

[betrayedtwin]

[probably the last thing a young girl from Manchester ever expects to see is a tall, purple-armor clad man running in her direction] Whoa, hey! What are you doing, kid? [since he didn't hear her speak--only saw her put her hand into that gravity field oh god--he doesn't quite connect who she is just yet]

[grip_on_reality]

[that frightens her quite a bit, actually. she immediately snatches her hand out of the field and starts backing up, trying to go around it to put some distance between them. while the sight of him has obviously scared her, her expression is defiant--demanding] Who are you?

[betrayedtwin]

[and he slows down the moment he sees her panic, holding his hands up to placate her. now that he reflects on it, the sight of a man in body armor would be quite frightening to a kid.] Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. Didn't want you to get hurt playing around that, you know? [he points at the black hole, and stops] You can call me North.

[grip_on_reality]

[she takes a few more steps back, eyeing him warily] I wasn't playing. [after a pause, she adds:] Are you an astronaut?

[betrayedtwin]

[he stays right where he is, shaking his head] No, I'm not. I travel in space like one, but astronauts don't fight bad guys.

[he stoops over to be a little closer to her eye level] How about we step away from the black hole and you can ask me all the questions you want?

[bit_impossible]

[now, the Doctor is one to recognise when someone is being curious and when someone is being incredibly stupid. thankfully, children fall in the former category, so the moment he catches sight of this one wandering close to a certain anomalous celestial body, he can't help nosing in to find out more.

of course, he has another reason for being nosy. the child...looks familiar for some reason, but he can't quite place why she does. but, nonetheless, he finally approaches her, catching that Mancunian accent--which raises an eyebrow for a mo'--then...]

That--[he says matter-of-factly]--is a very, very strong gravity field surrounding a black hole. See it right there? [he points far beyond where she might be able to see from her vantage point at a small black hole]

[grip_on_reality]

[having her question answered is a surprise! she turns, looking curiously at the Doctor. but at his comment, she tilts her head and squints, struggling to see through the haze around the black hole] Is it because we're in space?

[bit_impossible]

Yes--well, that's technically not true. We are in space, yes, but! You can't exactly stand on space, now can you? [he taps his feet on the ground, each thump giving off a slight metallic noise] See? We're actually in a place known as the Astral Plane, or just "Plane" for short.

[grip_on_reality]

[that didn't make much sense, but she copies him and taps the ground herself. after a moment's consideration, she asks in confusion:] We're on a plane?

[bit_impossible]

[he pulls a face] Blimey, why does everyone ask that lately? No, it's not a plane like you'd fly in or anything. This Plane, however, is a place!

But enough about the Plane. It's easier to see and explore for yourself than to listen to me explain it! [that and he really doesn't want to have to explain it to her twice. once was far more than enough]

So! What's your name? [peers at her] If you ask me...you look like someone whose name starts with a "P", like Pamela, Paula, maybe even Patty! [continues to mock-contemplate "P" names that would be normal for Earth.]

[holmes_fanatic]

Ah -- you found it! Someone told me it wasn't there anymore!

[Black hole = first order of investigation.]

[grip_on_reality]

[she turns at the voice, giving the other boy a questioning look] Somebody said all this was gone? 'adn't you checked? [she tries to push her hand a little father into the gravity field] Where'd they say it went?

[holmes_fanatic]

Well, of course I looked, but I couldn't find it! [Conan's joining her in poking at the gravity field.] They said it was blocked off so people couldn't touch it.

[grip_on_reality]

[they are too much alike. she watches him poke at the field to see if he's any more successful] You mean there's something inside it? [she squints, trying to see through the haze around the black hole]

[holmes_fanatic]

Apparently someone managed to get access to the Machine through it.

[darkercalling]

[Whoa, little kid, that's new. And she's near the black hole? Crap. Um. Riku's going to watch from a distance, just to make sure she doesn't fall in or anything--

Hold up. ... Why does she look familiar...?

He can't place it, not yet, but it's still reason enough to move a little closer.]

Hey, might want to be careful of that. [He speaks as he walks over to her, smiling just faintly. He's wearing all black, per usual, and those dark aviators. He has to do something to look a little less threatening. Right?] It may only feel weird from there, but you don't want completely fall in.

[grip_on_reality]

[he does look rather intimidating, admittedly. she pulls her hand out of the gravity field, taking a few nervous steps back and watching to see what he does] I won't.

Who are you?

[darkercalling]

[Even her voice sounds vaguely familiar, but he still can't place it... hm.

He can tell she's wary of him, but there's not a lot he can do about it right now... oh well.] I'm Riku. I didn't mean to scare you, I just didn't want to see you get hurt.

What's your name?

[grip_on_reality]

[she stays where she is, looking him up and down, but her tone is defiant] I'm fine. I'm not scared.

Patricia. [nervously, she adds:] Are you an alien?

[darkercalling]

My mistake, then. [Hah! He likes this kid.]

[... Nooo way. ... Maybe that's a common name, though. dfjaslk]

Alien? Me? [He shakes his head.] No. I'm human. Why? Are you looking for one?