✒ oo1

[waterfield]

( a sob is the first thing that can be heard, rather than spotting her. she always was louder than she was vibrant, but here she is in all her glory, on her knees, acting like a child. soft and quiet, though she remains sobbing. hiccoughing soon follows, sniffles and for a short time, all that can be produced from the girl are the sounds of misery and despair. this is the second time she’s found herself in this strange area, neither one of said two times could she recall really wanting to stay. or, rather, she thought it was — but nothing made sense at the moment, nothing but sobbing seemed to be the right thing to do )

Is someone there…? ( preferably someone she might know? her voice whimpers the words and her palms, finding her eyes, rub the heels against to try and dry the tears that relentlessly fall ) Please, can someone hear me…?

( Victoria is far from being aware of whom she’s trying to talk to. for some reason, she can recall someone from before but can’t see anyone this time. slowly, she inhales a shaky breath, picks herself up from the ground and awkwardly begins to walk )

I remember, from before, there was someone… Please, aren’t you still there? ( another choking sob, as she realizes that she might have just imagined seeing someone. what if she’s imagined this whole situation? it might even be some dream, or rather nightmare, that just feels as though it’s real. but then again, when she had returned home, it hadn’t felt right for some reason. what had that woman’s name been? oh, that’s right )

Meredith? ( another shaky breath ) Meredith… Sault? That was it, wasn’t it? Oh, please… Please, I’m frightened and I— I thought I’d gotten away from all this stuff!

( she proceeds to walk along the Plane, not that she realized that’s what it was called or even began to fathom wherever it was that she might be. the walk was seeming endless, there really didn’t seem as though there was much of a destination for her to find and so realizing that she was extremely lost, and so once more, she falls to her knees in a heap )

Mister Harris! Missus Harris! ( she choked on a sob ) Please, I don’t want to be alone! I don’t understand, what is going on? Where am I…? What happened?

( she whimpers and mutters before burying her head into her hands ) …if I wanted this, I would have stayed on the TARDIS…

Comments

[bonnypiperlad]

Hey? What was that? [That faint noise coming from outside the kitchen sounds almost like...crying? Jamie's not sure, but there's something about it that draws him outside - although he takes his snack with him, not wanting to waste it. It turns out to be a rather futile gesture, for once he tracks down the source of the crying, the sandwich promptly falls from nerveless fingers onto the starry 'floor' of the Plane.]

V-Victoria?

[waterfield]

( her hands are now balled into fists on the 'floor' before herself, shoulders jerking with her sobs. damn her curiosity for going into that stupid building! tears were rolling along her cheeks, staining them, but hearing her name causes the sobbing to instantly come to a halt, replaced by a hiccough as she veers her head in the wrong direction from whence it came at first.

but wait, that voice ... )

Jamie ...?

( but that was impossible, he'd left with the Doctor. turning her head to look to her other side this time, her dark eyes widened in shock. there he was, strapping and looking dumfounded — just how she remembered him )

Jamie?!

[bonnypiperlad]

[A closer examination may reveal Jamie to be a little older, perhaps, than when she stayed behind. It's hard to say - he may very well have the type of face that doesn't seem to age much at all. But the hair is a little different, the outfit slightly changed Well, apart from the kilt. That never seems to be any different, no matter how long it's been.

Victoria, though, looks exactly the same as he last remembers her. In fact, if they were over at the beach, he might very well think he's back where they parted. But the stars mean they're on the Plane - and the Plane's tricked him once about her already.]

No...it cannae be. Ye must be some dream, o-or an experiment. The Plane's gone and done something again. That's what it is.

[waterfield]

( he certainly looks a tad bit older than when she recalls parting with him, but, she can only imagine that it have been some time for him. the Doctor never did manage to explain the whole time line things to her, but, she had grasped that things could happen such as that. for all she new, he was from years and years on from when he last saw her.

and yet he still recognized her.

it was with a slight bit of relief that she pushed her hands to the 'ground' and hoisted herself up onto her feet once more, slowly, cautiously moving toward the young man she'd only parted with some few weeks ago back in her own world )

Jamie... ( apparently his name was the only thing her vocals could manage to spit out at the moment

once she was closer, she lifted a hand but hesitated on touching him. what if it was a trick? an illusion in her nightmare? what if she touched him and poof! he vanished? no, no. she couldn't deal with that, with being alone. not here, not now.

dropping her hand to her side, she frowned to him )

Ex, experiment ...!? ( a chill ran along her spine ) Plane, what plane? What are you talking about?

( once more her hands were to her face ) Oh no, this really is a nightmare ...!

[ninth_doctor]

[Nine of course only hears the mention of the TARDIS. Why would he care that Victoria was scared and alone?]

Oi! Are you complainin' 'bout my ship again?

[But it was said with more fondness than anger.]

Hello, Victoria.

[And yes, he's forgotten about the whole regeneration issue. He always forgets who does and doesn't know.]

[waterfield]

( oh sorry, are you talking to her? because she can't hear him over the sound of how awesome loud her sobs are. or at least she's choosing not to register the voice just yet. it takes her a moment to calm herself, she never really was the kind of girl to stay relaxed, especially not in the face of the unknown.

speaking of unknown faces, she lifts her head and looks at him in shock and perhaps fear as he uses her name )

Who... Who are you?

[ninth_doctor]

Y'don't remember me?

[He grimaces.]

Well... suppose I wouldn't want to remember me either, considering...

[Well, he killed his whole planet, what's one more life? He'll now take the blame for her father too.]

...The circumstances of how we met...

[waterfield]

( brow crinkled in thought, Victoria tries her best to recognize the man, but the face isn't one that she's seen before. perhaps he has her confused with someone else?

scrunching her nose at the mention of how they might have met, she chooses not to question what he means. it might be personal information to whomever he thinks she is )

I... Do apologize. ( even in her fear, ever the politeness ) But, I can't that I've seen you before, sir.

[lamb_of_gold]

I'm afraid tears won't accomplish much, miss.

[Okay so blunt words, but Mu's voice is fairly soft, and this is about the best he can do to comfort someone. He stands in front of Victoria and offers her a hand up.]

Come now. Once you've calmed down, I will answer your questions.

[waterfield]

( her tears never did much accomplish anything, but still she shed them. perhaps it was comfort, sobbing always was a form of release. the words might have been blunt but with a voice so soothing, she can't help herself but to look up to the man and brush her tears away, calming, if only slightly )

... who are you ...?

[lamb_of_gold]

Now, that is better, I think. My name is Mu, and to answer your earlier question, this is the Astral Plane.

[waterfield]

What... Is an Astral Plane? ( that almost sounded like something that the Doctor would say. she frowned )

No, no this isn't right. I should be in London.

[noblesavage]

You are not alone. And you do not need to be afraid.

You spoke of the TARDIS. Are you a friend of the Doctor?

[waterfield]

( alone, no, she clearly is not! lifting her head to look at the woman, she widens her eyes to her. what a pretty lady, perhaps she knows what on earth — or rather not on earth — is going on here )

You... Know the Doctor as well?

[noblesavage]

I travelled with him once. A long time ago.

My name is Leela.

[waterfield]

I— My name is Victoria...

I traveled with him... Not all that long ago. ( at least, for her it wasn't long ago )

[onceandfuturequeen]

It's all right. [Gwen knelt down next to the sobbing young woman, holding out a handkerchief.] I know this place is frightening, but you're safe.

[For now, at least.]

[waterfield]

( 'alright?' oh no, it was so terribly far from being alright and the Harris' must have been so worried by now, too

thankful for the kindness, she gives an appreciative nod as she takes the handkerchief and touches it to her eyes and cheeks to dry them )

I, it is difficult to feel safe somewhere when one is so terribly scared.

[onceandfuturequeen]

I understand, but I'll do my best to explain what's happening. It will be less frightening when you know what's happening.

My name is Guinevere. This place is called the Plane. It's a sort of meeting place between worlds. You can visit whenever you want, but you can also go home just by thinking about it.

[hisoldgirl]

[and that is a face the TARDIS has not seen in centuries. the memories all sort of meld together, a series of repeated leavings with different faces, but she remembers Victoria. it takes a few minutes to process everything she's said, trying to work out from when she's come

only once she's waited several minutes does the TARDIS bother appearing near the sobbing woman, materialising on the Plane with that familiar, grating sound. better to see how Victoria acts before she tries talking to her with her protoplasm form]

[waterfield]

( Victoria remains weeping on the 'floor.' what else is there to do? lost and alone on some godforsaken 'Machine' — which still isn't making any sense to her no matter how many times she replays the meeting with that woman in her mind, what machine? there is a vast nothingness here, no 'machines' in sight.

the child's head jerks, eyes widening with shock at simply hearing the familiar noise of the Doctor's ship, much less seeing it materialize before herself. he came? the Doctor? Jamie?!

she would have gotten up to her feet to try the door, but, she's still a bit too surprised to even gather the thought to try and rise from the 'ground.' )

Doctor...? ( she touches her hands to her face, rubbing, almost to decide for herself on whether it's a dream or not. is she asleep? how would she know? )

[hisoldgirl]

[the TARDIS remains sitting for some time, just hanging out, before opening her doors, inviting Victoria inside]

[oliverplus]

Hey, it's okay! You're not alone!

[Oliver hurries over to the girl, his expression worried. he wants to ask about the TARDIS, but his first concern is to calm her down. he holds up his hands placatingly]

You're on the Plane. There are lots of people here! And, uh...I'm Oliver. [he gives her a friendly smile] What's your name?

[waterfield]

( fingers buried in her hair, Victoria whimpers and lets a number of other sobs pass before lifting her head to even look at the man speaking to her. a frown is returned to his smile, nonetheless she's grateful for it's warmth )

Plane? What plane? ( no airplanes in sight, here, actually — what's he talking about? )

Vic, Victoria. ( a hiccough ) Victoria Waterfield.

[oliverplus]

[he crouches down beside her, keeping that warm smile on his face] Oh, I mean the Astral Plane! It's a, uh, multidimensional nexus. Which I guess basically means it's a place where worlds meet. Or something like that. [he smiles sheepishly]

Oliver Day! Nice to meet you, Victoria. Where are you from?