realityshifted | ♯ one

♯ one

[this is most certainly not his apartment.

the thought comes without a second's hesitation, because once he notices that he's not in the aforementioned studio apartment with the leaky ceiling anymore, he begins to panic. not outwardly, at the very least – it's all internal, because he's a master of hiding how he feels if he really needs to be. something he's derived from years of having to hide his emotions from others, just for the simple fact that before his brother had left, he'd practically worn his heart on his sleeve.

strange, how things change, when the one person you love the most leaves without so much as leaving a goodbye letter.

he doesn't speak out loud; there doesn't appear to be anyone around him that could answer, anyway, so there is no point. but he does start walking. he strikes it strange that the soles of his worn-out sneakers don't make a sound when they hit the ground with each step, but then again, this is a ground with stars on it – in it? – so he doesn't expect something as normal as that to apply here. he's only been on the plane for a few seconds and he's already figured out that this is a really weird place.

darren walks, and he walks, until he reaches the information kiosk. the word itself displayed so blatantly across the top of it had been what initially caught his attention, and as he slips over, he sees the brochures. there for the taking, he supposes, he reaches out and nabs one, opening it carefully and squinting down at the words.

what the hell ..

and he sits down, right next to the kiosk, legs folded underneath him as they most often are when he settles in to read something, and he just keeps on going.]

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[Marta happens to see him by the kiosk while she's wandering around, and since he's someone she doesn't recognize and doesn't immediately strike her as a threat ~~or someone like the Master~~, of course she's going to head right over!

She stops in front of him, hands clasped together behind her back, and greets him with a smile.]

Hi! You found the brochures on your own, huh? So you're new here, then?

[darren is kind of in his own little world when marta approaches, and when she speaks up, it startles him out of his thoughts so much that he jumps.

just a little, though. not too much.

he looks up at her with a small, wary smile. hello shyness kicking in.] I .. yeah, I guess I am. So is this - [he looks at the brochure, and then around him at the expanse of the plane.] Really some kind of inter-dimensional place? I didn't think that was possible.

[Marta has a few shy friends who would jump when she'd speak up. She's totally got this.]

Mhm. [Nod!] I didn't think it was possible either, but it is. There's no other explanation for it! [Another smile.] I've been coming here for a really long time now. So if you need any help, I could help. I don't mind.

[good. well. he's glad that someone has this, because he doesn't know what in the world he's supposed to be doing here.

at all.

he stays quiet for a minute, listening to her talk - man, she talks fast - but at the offer of help, he's not the type of person to be too proud to accept it when he knows he needs it.

so .. here he'll be clearing his throat and folding his brochure back up, sticking it in his pocket.] I .. well. I tend to get lost in places I'm not familiar with. If you've been coming here for a long time - do you think you could show me around?

Yeah, of course.

[And with another brilliant smile, she offers him a hand up.]

It might be a while. There's a lot to show you. But it's okay - time doesn't pass in your world while you're here!

It doesn't?

[he takes the hand that's offered and pulls himself to his feet with a small huff, sticking his hands in his pockets as he looks down at his new tour guide.] I don't mind if it takes a while .. I don't have anywhere to be, if time doesn't pass back home. But that's another question I have -

[he pauses, scratching at the back of his neck.] Can you really come and go as much as you want? Like, I could go back home right now if I wanted to?

Mm-mm. [She shakes her head.] Well, unless someone else from your world is back home, then time will keep going for a bit. Most people don't seem to have that problem, though. But me? I have Emil here with me! So if Emil doesn't come here when I do, then I'm missing out. Does that make sense?

[And if her smile gets just a little bit sappier at the mention of Emil, she... okay yeah, she knows it. She just doesn't care. ♥

She also nods when he asks his other question.] You can! If you ever want to go back, just think about home. And when you're there, if you want to come here, just think about here. It's easy, once you've done it once or twice.

[he's just going to pretend that this is making sense .. and keep smiling and nodding. it's gotten him through some pretty interesting situations in the past, and he thinks that if he keeps coming here, the more time he spends here will assure the fact that he might start understanding just how things work.

that doesn't mean it's going to be anywhere near anytime soon.] I think so .. yeah. I think I'm starting to understand a little better. [that smile she gives at the mention of her friend has him wanting to ask, but he's sure that if she wants to tell him, she will.

he's back to nodding, chewing on the inside of his lip as he tries to think of anything else he might want to ask her.] It's just .. so weird. To think that something like this actually exists. I'm still thinking that maybe I read too many science fiction books as a kid and it's starting to get to me.

[She nods at that. She's poked her nose into some science fiction sort of stuff while she's been here - the library here is awesome like that! - and she can sympathize.]

It really is a lot to take in, but you get used to it. It'll start making a little more sense pretty fast, especially if you keep coming and going.

[And then, she thinks of something! For a second, she vanishes - drops back to her own reality. When she returns, she's holding a single wrapped red hard candy, and she offers it to him.]

Like that! [Smile!] Here, it's from my world. If you like sweets, you'll probably like this.

[.. this might be something that he needs to check out sometime. he's always liked science fiction. and pretty much anything that couldn't realistically happen in the world he knows.

that's part of the reason why this place is so fascinating - if confusing - to him.

he'd been about to say something in response when she disappeared and then almost immediately reappeared, and when she offers the candy to him, he takes it with a bit of a stunned expression.

man. that's pretty impressive.] .. Wow.

[it's all he really has to say as he unwraps the candy and pops it into his mouth, making a small, appreciative sound at the taste of it.

this kid's got one hell of a sweet tooth, so you just hit the jackpot with him, marta.] Thanks - uh, I don't think you told me your name, yet. I'm Darren.

[She giggles a little at the "wow". She can't help it. But she's glad he likes the candy! Clearly they can bond over their love of sugary things. ♥]

Oh! Sorry. I'm Marta. Marta Lualdi. It's nice to meet you, Darren!

[And then, she's walking!]

Did you read about anywhere you want to see first?

[there's really nothing else he can say about it. 'wow' is all he's got.

for now, anyway.

(and yes they can totally bond over their mutual liking of sweet things. he won't mind that at all.)

aaand cue him following her as she starts walking!] Marta .. that's a nice name. Not something you'd hear from my world unless you're from Italy, or something. [her name sounds italian, okay. let him be.] I .. read about it all, actually. And it all sounds really interesting. So if you have any suggestions, I'm all ears.

Well, I don't know anything about Italy... but thank you!

[Her smile is sweet, and her hands are clasped together behind her back while she walks.]

I like the name Darren, too. It's not something you'd hear in my world, but I really like it!

[She taps her chin, thinking.] What about the kitchen, then? It's good to know where that is! And after that, we can go to the beach! It's nice there.

I've heard it's a nice place, but I don't think I'll ever be visiting.

[lol this kid ever having enough money to go to europe. are you kidding?

and as if on cue, his stomach rumbles loudly and he's so close to blushing a fantastic shade of pink that he almost ducks his head - because hello, stomach, embarrassing! sheesh!

he swallows, still smiling.] Sounds good! Lead the way?

[She snickers a bit - she can't help it! Because honestly, that would be her luck, too. And she's already leading the way, keeping a steady (if somewhat quick - because it's Marta okay) pace so he can walk beside her.]

Hungry, huh? We'll get a snack, then! There's plenty to pick from.

[Just don't let her cook for you. Don't do it. You don't want to die this early on do you...?]

[ he falls in step beside her easily, even if he occasionally has to skip into a tiny jog to keep up. ~~short legs, okay. shh.~~

and hey, he can't really cook all that well either, but he tries .. ] Don't suppose there are mandarin oranges around there somewhere, are there? Or anything with white chocolate?

[ marta, meet his sweet tooth. again. sheesh. ]

[It's okay she's shorter than you, dude. ♥

And I promise you that you can cook better than her. If you are capable of making a bowl of cereal without setting fire to the kitchen, you can cook better than her.]

Umm.. well, what's a mandarin orange like? How is it different from a regular orange? But of course there's chocolate!

[Eithan is... actually still being rather quiet. Well, for him, anyway.

He's walking, headphones on, an flipping an unlit cigarette about between his fingers. He was headed somewhere else, but when he spots someone by the kiosks that he hasn't seen before, he figures he might as well check it out. (Pretty convenient way to keep his mind off of things, after all. Right?)

He takes his headphones off, rests them around his neck - the music is still playing, of course, and rather loudly at that. But he gives the new guy a nod, and a faint (if somewhat distracted) smile.]

So. Which brochure did you pick up? The weird one, or the weirder one?

[darren is still staring at the brochure like it's written in greek when eithan walks up, but at least it doesn't startle him as much as the first time. but this wasn't another small, chatty girl offering any kind of help he could possibly need - this was a rather normal-looking guy, just like him, asking about the brochures.

he looks down at it, tilts his head to the side, then turns it upside-down for the added effect.] I'd have to see the other one to figure it if this one is weirder .. but nothing in it really makes sense, I gotta say.

[he pauses, noting that unlit cigarette and remembering that he'd had a pack in his back pocket when he'd first found himself here, so he'll be reaching behind him to take it out and light one up. don't mind him.

he exhales a puff of smoke, stares at the lit end of his cigarette before he speaks up again.] How long have you been coming here?

[His smile widens a little, amused.] Yeah no, like I said, weird and weirder. Guess you can't judge one without readin' 'em both, huh?

[Okay, so he wasn't actually gonna light his own cigarette - his family's been really giving him shit about smoking lately (and okay, fair, so he's been doing so more than usual, thanks to Plane shenanigans and Order bullshit) but when Darren lights up his own... Ngh. Okay maybe he will.

But he gets distracted by the question first - blinks, tries to think about exactly how long he's been coming here.]

Uhhh. [He bites his lip and crosses his arms.] Dunno, to be honest. Time does some weird shit between here and whatever world you're from. So I think I've been comin' here like only a few months for real, but I think someone left a clock here once and that thing says it's been years? [He sighs... then snickers.] Man. Only around here is that question so hard to answer...

.. This one's already weird enough for me. I don't think I need to read the other one.

[hey, at least you have a family to be giving you shit about smoking - he hasn't had anybody to tell him what to do or where to be or give an opinion on something he's doing since he was sixteen, and that's never going to change. his mom hadn't really paid him much attention after his brother left, anyway.

while eithan is talking, darren takes a second to look him over again. he does look normal - but then again, everyone he's met on the plane so far has - except now he notices the red of his eyes.

doesn't faze him, though. he's so used to seeing things like that in the club scene that it really isn't worth commenting on. except for the fact that they're .. really pretty.

welp.

he takes another drag off of his cigarette and lightly taps the ashes on the ground, licking his lips and enjoying the sweet taste the filter has left on them.] I'm kinda getting the feel for the place, even if .. it's not exactly somewhere I ever thought I'd be. Then again, that would mean I thought places like this even existed, and I didn't. So.

[he shrugs, tilts his gaze upward.] Nice contacts, by the way. I've seen my share of colored lenses but those are really nice. They look natural.

Yeah, I didn't either, not until I got here and saw it for myself. [He kind of idly glances around.] Definitely nothin' like this in my worlds, that's for sure.

[Contacts...? Oh. Right. He looks pretty amused as he shakes his head.] Heh, you're the second person who's thought that. [He grins a bit.] They look natural 'cause they are. Not contacts. So... thanks for the compliment.

[Man, that smoke and those ashes are just dialing up the temptation even more. He uncrosses his arms, back to flipping that unlit cigarette between his fingers. On one hand, what Mom doesn't know won't earn him a smack upside the head. On the other hand... if this kid's never seen red eyes, what are the odds he's seen fire magic? Dilemma. Maybe he should just ask for light instead... (Logic is hard when you're trying to distract yourself, okay?)]

.. Worlds?

[it was out of his mouth before he could even think to stop it, but only because he'd never heard of such a thing being possible. so .. this guy was from more than one? how can that even happen?

but then he's making a comment on the contact comment, and darren is tilting his head to the side. like he doesn't comprehend right off the bat that he's saying his eyes are naturally that color. he's never seen eyes that color before in his life that were natural, and -

huh. well maybe that means this guy is more interesting than he'd originally thought. which doesn't mean much of anything, because just from a couple minutes' conversation, he's already thinking that he'd like to get to know him better.] How can you naturally have eyes that color? [he wonders out loud, and if eithan chooses to answer, well .. more power to him.

he notices him flipping that cigarette, though, and quirks an eyebrow upward.] .. Want a light?

Yep, worlds. [Have a sheepish little smile.] There's two where I'm from. They're kinda connected. Sort of. You can get from one to the other, anyway. Though not really all that easily.

[He recognizes that the question about his eyes is just thinking-out-loud, because let's be honest, he does the same thing! He smirks a bit, and answers anyway.] 'Cause my mom did? Heh.

And, uhhh... [Damn. ... ... He shakes his head. OKAY FINE, here goes nothing. Because Eithan can never take the easy way out.] Nah. I got it. I'm just kinda distracted right now. Thanks, though.

[He sticks the end of the cigarette in his mouth and cups one hand in front of it. He mutters a quick something under his breath, and with a small pop! there is suddenly a ball of flame sitting in his hand, and he uses that for his light.]

[he can't help but to shake his head at that, because he has a hard time thinking about things like that existing in real life. or .. someone else's real life. man, this is starting to get really confusing.

he shakes his head, knowing that the other was answering his out-loud thinking, and he still doesn't see how something like that could be possible. but then again, if the guy comes from two different worlds .. he supposes it can't be all that weird.] I guess that makes sense - whoa.

[YEP. you bet he's noticing that little ball of fire in his hand, and you bet he's pretty much just staring at it like he's never even seen fire before. which he totally has, he's just .. never seen anyone do that with it before.] .. How'd you do that?

[best. question. ever.]

[That smile on his face? Yeah, it's one of relief (he's pretty glad he didn't manage to scare him with it)... and then, amusement.

And then? Well, it's Eithan. He's more than happy to show off his magic a little bit. He holds the fireball out a little bit closer to Darren, so he can keep staring at it if he wants. He shrugs a shoulder.]

I'm a mage. Fire, with explosions as a focus.

Explosions as a focus? [EXCUSE HIS INCREDULITY THIS DOES NOT EXIST WHERE HE'S FROM.

so you bet your ass he's going to inspect that fireball. and by inspect we mean he's going to stare at it until his eyes start to dry out for the lack of blinking.

completely derailed? you betcha.]

[He chuckles, amused at how incredulous and excited he seems. ~~He does not need this ego boost. stop it.~~ ]

I'd show you, but you might wanna back up, man.

[He's grinning, mischievously, a little fangish.]

[.. okay those teeth are kind of distracting.

darren, stop staring.

darren.

earth to mackenna.

okay there we go.

his mouth pulls into something far more interested than it has any right to be, and he steps back a few feet, wanting to see what the hell it could even mean by having explosions as a focus.

he waves a hand, expectant.] I moved. Show me.

[Don't worry, Eithan has no idea he's being stared at. So oblivious...

He chuckles when Darren moves away so excitedly, and then that mischievous grin of his turns even more pointed as he mutters an incantation under his breath. The fireball in his palm shakes, swirls tightly around itself and begins to spark and crackle as energy collects in its core. And then--

CRACK!!

There's a flash of light, a gust of hot air as the fireball explodes. Only a fair-sized cloud of black smoke is left behind, lingering between the two of them before it slowly dissipates. Eithan just basks in it, hands in his pockets, still grinning.]

[ oh good. because he doesn't need his first impression to come off like he's being a creep or something.

seriously.

~~and don't you chuckle at him, he doesn't have people like this where he's from. up to now he's been convinced nothing like this existed out of the books he buries his nose in at any given chance.~~

his eyes go wide when the fireball explodes, leaves nothing but that cloud of smoke remains, and then he gives a slow clap, shaking his head. ] Okay, I'm impressed. Damn.

[Impressed... Well, if that doesn't make his grin sharpen again~ ~~Do not feed the ego. It's dangerous.~~]

Heh. Thanks. ... You know, you're takin' this pretty well for someone who's not familiar with magic.

[The Doctor casually leans against the side of the kiosk and peers down at the curious and unfamiliar young man. He doesn't say anything for a second; instead, he glimpses at the brochure in his hands and nods slowly.]

Ahhh, new to this place, are you? You realise the best way to find out about a place is to explore? Not stick your nose in a piece of paper and hope it tells you everything. [In an instant, his expression goes from one he'd wear when lecturing someone (though that's rather normal, it just comes out like that a lot of the time) to bubbly and bright.] I'm the Doctor, by the way! And you are?

[as perceptive as he is, it doesn't take him very long at all to realize that there's someone watching him. it .. creeps him out a little at first, and as he slowly inclines his gaze upward, he raises an eyebrow, brochure still held loosely in both hands.] Uh .. I guess. Never been much of an explorer, myself. But if that's what it's going to take, here ..

[he pauses, still looking up at the guy like he's crazy or something - and then he's asking about who he is, and .. how else is he supposed to respond except for what's expected?] Oh, Darren .. Darren MacKenna. Is that .. really your name? Just 'the Doctor'?

[He gets that "this guy must be absolutely bonkers" look all the time--so he definitely ignores this one as per normal!] Yup! Do you know, if I got a nickel for every time I'd been asked that, I'd probably be rich right now? [He stands up straight again, shoving his hands in his pockets as he comes round the kiosk to stand before Darren.] Well, not that I'd know what to do with the money anyway. Maybe use it to figure out a safe way to dive into a pool of coins like Scrooge McDuck... [He rubs his chin thoughtfully for a second, almost seriously considering the idea before he dismisses it to another part of his mind for now.]

So, Darren, ready to explore? I mean, you're handling the whole standing on stars and outer space thing pretty well for a human, but well, you're not going to get anywhere just sitting down.

[he just doesn't understand how that can be someone's actual name .. but he's already seen his share of really weird shit since he'd first found himself here - hello fire mages with explosions as focuses how does that even make sense?

.. but then he's talking about scrooge mcduck and he's tilting his head with such a perplexed expression that there really are no other words for it. he just plain doesn't understand the guy in front of him, and he doesn't think that's going to change anytime soon.

what the hell has he gotten himself into?

and the doctor is asking him a question and he .. blinks for a couple of seconds to get his bearings back - where had they gone in the first place? - and finds himself slowly nodding. pulling himself into a standing position and shoving his hands into the pockets of his hoodie with a renewed sense of .. something. at least he isn't just sitting on the floor anymore.] Exploring .. sounds like it could be potentially dangerous in a place like this. But .. yeah, sure. Why not, right?

Well, anything is dangerous if you give it the chance to be. [To him, exploring is totally harmless up until the moment it's not--and even then, it's still exciting.]

Come along! Tell me about yourself. [The Doctor starts walking, and glances back to make sure Darren's listening to him.] I take it you're from Earth; difficult to miss anyone dressed like that. What year are you from?

[that sounds like something his brother would have said.

squint. he doesn't need to start thinking about the family he's lost in a place where he doesn't even have the familiarity of his apartment. or anything, for that matter.

totally harmless until the moment it's not. that sounds entirely speculative. not that he's going to say it out loud to someone he's just met, but .. that kind of goes without saying.

but then the doctor starts walking and darren is following on his heels, fingers curling in on themselves in his pockets.] Uh .. yeah. Earth. It's twenty-thirteen. What kind of difference does that make?

[doctor, are you drunk. do you need to go home.

he thinks you need to go home.]

Oh, none at all! Been there a few times myself. Sneaked onto the set of the last Hobbit film and talked Orlando Bloom into singing "They're taking the hobbits to Isengard". Can you imagine? Fifteen years working on a thing like that? [The Doctor's face splits into a grin.] Remarkable!

Of course, ol' JRR would complain about the changes in this version, but I'm sure he'd definitely approve of the reboot.

Ahh, speaking of the cinema! [He gestures grandly at the theatre.] You can watch anything here! And you haven't got to worry about smuggling anything in either.

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♯ one

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.. wow that was major html fail in that last tag. SORRY.

It's okay!! I actually didn't really notice ^^;

SURPRISE LATE TAG HI

HI! /SPASTICWAVE!!

you precious thing.

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