♪ 01

[dododo]

[ Can you blame him for wanting to take any chance he can get to get out of the Time Lord's trial? It had been a far shot, but suddenly there had just been something... out of place. So why not check it out? After all, that is what he does.

He's not sure what to expect, doesn't really expect anything, but what he steps into is utterly... wonderful, coming from where he was. There's nothing under his feet that he can see but the universe is a vast place with many possibilities and never has something new seemed better. He spins on his feet, looking up and down and around and it's like the night sky except it's not like anywhere he's ever seen, but he can swear he saw a familiar constellation somewhere, nowhere it usually is. But when he turns to have a second look it's gone.

...okay. ]

Huh. Must have imagined it.

[ He catches onto something else in the corner of his eye, turns and sees a sign that reads INFORMATION, which is also unusual. Normally when he ends up in unknown places they're not usually that kind.

Well. Might as well have a look.

Except when he comes there and sees the instructions for how to get assistance, he only... frowns suspiciously. Hm. ]

Help.

[ Then the holographic screen is what comes up and he makes a long-suffering groan. ]

Computers! Why is it always computers?

[ With an annoying, practiced voice too. Brilliant. ]

Oh, shut up. Guide to-- I don't need that. Broderick Naismith's Introduction to the Astral Plane. That's what this is; Astral Plane?

[ His eyes skim over the screen. ]

Paper! Now you're talking.

[ He grabs the printed brochure with a hum of approval and reads it through, eyes moving rapidly across the papers. ]

A meeting point between universes? I've never heard anything about this. Shouldn't the Time Lords know? What have they been doing?

[ A pause. ]

Ah, but I suppose my abstinence probably made it difficult to tell me anything. Perhaps I should... ask them...

[ He sighs, because this just makes it all the more clear he'll have to return eventually.

Speaking of returning. Just think...? What sort of travel is that? Unlike anything he's heard, that's what. He'll have to try that. Well, he has to, in the end, doesn't he?

With a grimace, he puts the brochure in one of his pockets, asks for the other brochure as well because he might as well have a look at that too. He doesn't right away, however, and puts that in another pocket before he turns to wander away from the information booth. ]

Now, then... Let's see what we can find, shall we?

[ Computers and confusion and nonsense aside, the Doctor smiles as he rubs his hands together and looks around to decide where to start. ]

Comments

[dododo]

[ Shhh. You saw or heard nothing. ]

John Smith. But you can call me Doctor, everyone does.

[ Let's see what she thinks of it. ]

[grip_on_reality]

Doctor John Smith!? [she gives a short laugh at that because of course he's the Doctor. somehow it seems it's always the Doctor, enough so that she's starting to wonder if it's some sort of cosmic joke. but as someone who has met the Doctor out of order on her own world, she assumes she needs to adhere to not telling him about his own future. in which case, she'll just have to pretend she only knows the Doctor through the Plane. she's actually getting rather used to this]

Well. You're not exactly the first person 'ere going by that name, but as you like. I'm DI Patricia Menzies. Nice to meet you...Doctor.

[dododo]

Nice to meet you too, Patricia.

[ Handshake and all, acting as if he doesn't have the slightest clue what that laughing might be about. ]

I'm not the first person, you say? Who else is there?

[grip_on_reality]

[she gives him a firm handshake in return, still considering how to approach this] There's a man--well, I say a man, but he's very much other. Wild hair and a pinstripe suit. Goes by "the Doctor," or, occasionally, Doctor John Smith. I'm sure you'll run into 'im eventually. [she smirks] He's hard to miss.

[as is Two, but she doubts that needs to be pointed out to him]

[dododo]

[ No, it doesn't.

Pinstripe suit, eh...? While it does sound rather... tame, it also seems very fitting. Probably him, then.

Brilliant.

Not. ]

I'll make sure to keep an eye out, then. He sounds like an interesting fellow.

[grip_on_reality]

[she chuckles] You could say that.

So what about you, Doctor? Where 'ave you come from?

[because perhaps unfortunately--or at least inconveniently--for him, she's taking Two's evasiveness as her cue to dig for more information]

[dododo]

A bit of a pickle, actually. Couldn't have better timing.

[ Not that he doesn't end up in pickles all the time, but it's the Time Lords. There are fewer worse pickles he could be in, if any. ]

[grip_on_reality]

[well, that was specific--and she can't imagine that the evasion wasn't purposeful, either. with that in mind, she switches tactics]

You, ah, did read the bit about when you return from 'ere to your own world, didn't you?

[dododo]

[ What, so people have a habit of blabbing about their life when coming here? ]

I did, yes. Never travelled by pure thought before.

[grip_on_reality]

[people can be surprisingly open. admittedly, it's not the first time she's had to dig for information from the Doctor--though she hasn't really had this much difficulty since that time she had him under arrest]

[she shakes her head] Not what I meant. Time's stopped. But when you go back... [she trails off, giving him a significant look] So whatever pickle you're in, if you can get help from 'ere, you ought to look into it.

[dododo]

[ And he's recently been under arrest - technically still is - so maybe that plays a bit of a part in it then. And, well, if there's another him here... He's not sure how to feel about that yet. ]

Ah, yes, of course it does.

[ He sounds like he believes it enough, but he actually doesn't. Time travel doesn't work that way, after all. ]

Perhaps I should.

[grip_on_reality]

[she nods, unsure if he's taking that advice seriously or not]

[but as he's obviously not keen to share and she's not a fan of wasting her time, she says:] Anything else you need to know, or did you want to explore this place yourself?

[dododo]

I suppose there is one thing... This other Doctor fellow, have you seen him lately?

[grip_on_reality]

[she nods, curious how he'll react to information about another Doctor] Yeah, he's around. What'd you want to know?

[dododo]

Oh, nothing, I was only thinking I might like to speak to him.

[ A bit reluctantly, but he does, nevertheless. ]

[grip_on_reality]

[that was disappointing, but she doesn't let it show] Well, if I see 'im, I'll let 'im know you're looking for 'im.

[dododo]

[ Lighting up, he claps his hands together. ]

Ah, thank you very much!

[grip_on_reality]

[she shrugs] Don't mention it.

Well. See you 'round, Doctor. [and unless he tries to stop her, she turns and walks away]

[dododo]

Yes, probably.

[ Nope, she's welcome to walk away.

Now he needs to find a bloke with a pinstriped suit... ]