trans_9 | Don't get your hopes up [closed, bendytimed to before shore leave]

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Don't get your hopes up [closed, bendytimed to before shore leave]

It took a lot to contain the Doctor’s excitement, and they hadn’t even started looking inside the Hangar yet.

The first time he and Jamie had passed by here, they hadn’t ventured far enough inside to warrant any definite recognition of proximity towards his ship. Now that he was here again, of course (and he had his suspicions well fueled), the TARDIS was giving off clear, if not somewhat distant, locating signals. Her distinct signature flitted about his brain like a fly around his ear, making him anxious, energized. She was symbiotically connected to him, after all. Finding her even nonfunctional would be like meeting a long-lost twin sibling, albeit one of a different species that could travel through space and time.

For fear of taking this analogy too far—overuse of extended metaphors can be hazardous to one’s health—the Doctor focused again on the many rows upon rows of impressive looking space fighters, mechas, motor scooters, etcetera, waiting patiently (or not so patiently) for the others to receive his message over the comms. Part of him was worried that Jamie might not make use of the established network as readily as some other crewmembers, but frankly he’d been here long enough to understand how it worked. Besides, the Doctor probably drilled the time and location into his brain while he was pacing around the room the night before, muttering the notice and possible formats to himself as he distractedly took apart his omnicom, put it back together, took it apart again, rearranged some components…

No sleep for weary Time Lords, so the saying goes. Or something like that.

[[ooc: Mainly for the designated ~~Who crew~~ DW characters and those that know about the TARDIS (Kaylee, Billy, Renne, anyone else I haven't mentioned), but if you want to pop in, let one of us know and we'll see what we can do. :3 ]]

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"Eeee." Chirp.

Five gets at that, a brief but somehow nervous little almost-nuzzle. Renne's quite attentive here but there's an undercurrent of something. It isn't fear. It isn't anger. It's somewhere between all of that, in that place where children fear the wrath of a beloved hero or the disdain of an idol.

So, he keeps close but not too close, holding tight to a nearly omnipresent plushie under an arm. He'll likely bring up the rear. Logically, a reason for that is to keep up with the scent trail of those around him.

Logically.

Jamie - having already let go of Ten's sleeve after that impromptu clutching - turns towards the sound of the new voice and addresses its owner. "Kaylee!"

It's a brief greeting, but a rather pleased sounding one, even coming with a tiny little bit of a smile - because it's Kaylee, and she has that effect on him. Now if Rose was able to find her way down, they could actually get started.

As the groups are split up, however, his good mood is slightly dampened. It's not that he has any objection going with Ten. He actually would prefer that, as he's likely going to wind up spending quite enough time with Five as it is in the foreseeable future. It's the fact that Five is getting both Billy and Kaylee, and he was kind of hoping at least he'd be able to look with one of his friends.

Jamie gets over things quickly, however, and after a moment where he looks slightly disappointed, he nods. "All right."

He takes the other flashlight and offers it to Ten, figuring that he'd likely want to do some similar adjustments. After about 30 seconds, he starts walking off in a likely direction, letting the others catch up as they will. Apparently, he also still tends to go wandering off on his own at the earliest provocation.

"We can start over here, aye?" he calls back to them.

Edited 2010-06-22 19:39 (UTC)

Billy watches the adjustments to the flashlight intently, trying to figure out what precisely he could have done better. They weren't his best work given the lack of spare time between Jamie's initial request and the present, but at least they were functional.

For now, he's content to wave goodbye to the others and dutifully follow the blond Doctor. He honestly isn't sure he'd be able to interact with the other one without intense embarrassment. Billy walks quickly and quietly, scratching Renne's ear for his own comfort as much as the imp's. I'm okay, Renne. It's not your fault. I'll explain when we settle into walking, all right?

Finally, he strides to meet Kaylee. "Should we look at opposite sides, then?"

He's fine. His shy smile and rigid stance scream 'fine'.

"Need to loosen up some," is her only real reply to Billy--it's a constant reminder, whether he likes it or not--before she turns to give Jamie a happy wave and responding, "How's it goin', Jamie?"

As the Doctor starts fiddling with the flashlight, Kaylee is watching just as intently as Billy. A mental note is made to keep an eye on the flashlight as they work through the Bay. This reconfiguring might work for the better or for the worse, and she plans on remembering it either way. Future reference for any work she might be doing.

And they're moving. Kaylee refocuses on the situation at hand, gives Jamie a little wave 'later,' and follows after the appropriate Doctor. "Opposite sides might be best, and meet in the middle?" She gives Billy a comforting pat on the arm. Cheer up, kid, or she really will hug you.

After a quick nod to Five, Jenny watched as both of the Doctors took charge of the situation, started to plot things out. She had to admit, it was hard for her to stand back, to let someone else take on that role. She had been off on her own for a while now, exploring new worlds, taking on one adventure after the next. She was used to playing the leader, whether it was to a group of people or simply to her shuttle, deciding which destination it would fly off to next.

But, if she was going to stand by and watch anyone else take on that role, it was her father. ...Her fathers? She still wasn't sure what to think about that, and it was pretty clear to her that Five felt the same way. Maybe she made him feel uncomfortable, maybe that was why he wanted her to be a part of her dad's group. Or maybe he worried that was how she felt. Either way, it was obvious they would need to sit down and talk soon. Preferably after someone explained, in detail, the regeneration process to her.

Jenny followed after Jamie, "Good a place as any. Though, you would know better than dad or me. How long have you been here, Jamie?"

Rose finally arrived, looking a bit windswept from her mad dash over. She hadn’t intended to be late, only wanting to get in a bit of target practice before the meeting, but she’d lost track of time in the Sensoriums, lulled by the familiar sight of Torchwood’s firing range and the almost-meditative repetition of gunshots. The faint smell of hot metal and expended powder still clung to her hair, reminding her of her first days of training.

When she caught sight of the group (groups?), she slowed from flat-out run to a brisk trot. Rose didn't recognize everyone there and counted off more than the four the Doctor's Omnicomm post had been directed toward; Jamie's mates must have decided to help.

She gravitated towards her Doctor and managed a sheepish grin. “Sorry ‘bout that. I was--” Looking at the two Doctors, Rose caught herself; they probably wouldn’t appreciate the fact that she’d been playing with guns. “Wanderin’. Guess I wandered off farther than I thought.”

Squeak.

The skritch of course, has the effect of a nuzzle in return. And possibly a lick when he thinks (hopes) no one's looking. he crawls in that spot not quite beside but not quite behind the Human and at least manages to keep his skin-flashes under control.
Yes, Bee, your tension screams 'okay', but he's keeping quiet for now.

For Rose's voice, the Renne offers a trilling squeak.

"Is big shi-p. Noh ge-t lost." And then to the Billy comes a quiet, inward wave of a question.

[[ooc: Hah, yeah, beat me to it. x3 Maybe we'll do a bit more of this threading for a while, then have a new sub-thread for when they actually find it? Also, we've kinda already established that the TARDIS is in the back, so Ten's group gets there first, right?]]

The entrance of Rose almost went unnoticed by the other Time Lord, who didn’t turn around to give her a pleasant smile until she spoke and the others addressed her. He seemed ready to say something; his mouth opened, he raised a hand. But then he thought better of it and stuck with the wide grin, holding for a moment before he went back to lead his group. Things to do, you know, places to be—not at all like the Doctor was still kind of embarrassed about Rose first meeting him wearing slime and nothing else. Of course not.

And yes, he was deliberately ignoring his other self now, even though he could clearly hear that annoying sonic hum behind him and see the shadow created by a much brighter torch, most likely blinding everyone else in that vicinity. At least he was secure in the knowledge that he didn’t have to rely on some dinky screwdriver to fix or modify or unlock things. Pah. Better off without the blasted device.

…In truth the Doctor missed it greatly, but still. Don’t need a sonic screwdriver to be better than Ten. Hmph.

Internal ramblings aside, the blond Time Lord wore a casual smile and was, as before, almost bouncing with energy. Hands in pockets and brow raised, he stopped in his investigation of a nearby mecha only to lean sharply forward and replace his Panama hat.

“—Right, that should work,” the Doctor nodded briefly and resumed his pacing, going in no specific direction (as a matter of fact he was making a large, aimless sort of circle), “Now we should all know what we’re looking for. Ah—it’s a large, blue police call box, has a light on top. Renne, you’ve encountered the TARDIS before, haven’t you? Would you recognize it if you came across her again?”

It would be okay as long as Kaylee stayed there, Billy thought.

Once they were far away enough from the other group and he settled into his routine of looking and thinking, he tried to explain his trouble to Renne without the others overhearing.

I really appreciate you defending my honor, but I don't think that was the right time. The Doctors are our leaders in this situation. Offending them with personal insults, no matter how true you feel they are, would get us in trouble and end any chances of us continuing to help Jamie. I just don't think the victory you might have won was worth the cost.

Besides, he was right. That was stupid of me. If I'm going to help him I need to do better. There was absolutely no disappointment or anger directed at Renne in that exchange. All of it was frustration with his own failings.

...oh, was the Doctor talking? Pulling out of that inner conversation, he nodded absently. "Jamie described it to me."

And stay there Kaylee would, if only because she couldn't really handle Billy's looking like a kicked puppy. Searching for the TARDIS? I nice bonus to getting that smile back on the Ranger's face where it belonged.

Kaylee gave Rose a friendly smile as the woman approached, but groups split off too quickly after that to say or do much.

"Can't say Jamie's ever described it to me, though." Which was strange, given the many times he'd bragged and boasted about the ship to her. She listened carefully to the Doctor's description, and eventually only shook her head. "Don't think I've seen it, but if it's around and not over with the smaller vessels..." She glanced up at Billy. "Don't have a special TARDIS parkin' section, do we?"

"Thank you, Jamie," the Doctor says as Jamie hands him the flashlight, flipping it over in his hands and making a few adjustments with his sonic screwdriver - without having to pry the thing open. Not that he's looking for ways to feel superior to the other Doctor or anything. Of course not.

The light blazes brighter, nearly blinding him as he swings it up toward his face to check, and then he waves the flashlight vaguely around. "Right, who's carrying the torch? I've got my screwdriver, no sense in holding both."

When Rose jogs to meet them, he smiles bright enough to match the torch and beckons for her to come with him and Jenny and Jamie. "Somehow, I'm not surprised," he says cheerfully, not thinking for a second to doubt that explanation.

"You're with us, by the way. Rose, this is Jamie and Jenny, in case you haven't already met." He points the torch's beam at each of them as he introduces them. He's... just going to avoid mentioning that Jenny's his daughter, right now - there's no way that won't raise a million questions from Rose, once she knows. "Jamie and Rose, you already know what the TARDIS looks like. Jenny - big blue box, taller than it is wide, light on the top, says 'Police' on it... Got it?"

"It's been...och, it's hard to tell time here," Jamie replies to Jenny. "It's been a few months at least. Maybe five or so?"

It could be longer, or shorter. Trying to figure out how long he's been here tends to give him a headache. Rose's arrival distracts him nicely from trying to figure it out, and he takes her words at face value.

"Aye, ye can wander for hours sometimes. As long as GLaDoS's not gotten ye, ye can usually find your way back." Without thinking about it, he goes to take the now-modified light source back - almost as if he half-expected to be handed it anyway. However, he's fairly quick to realize what he's done, and promptly lowers his hand.

"Er, did one of ye want to take the torch instead, and I can show ye where I've been already?"

"Five months," Jenny repeated to herself. Such a long time to be stuck in one place. "You know other people here, yeah? What's the longest you've heard of anyone being on the ship?"

Just then, a blond woman entered the room. Jenny could see a change in her dad's demeanor instantly, as if the woman's presence alone was enough to make him happier. Since she'd found him again, she'd noticed that he'd been a bit...darker. As if he had an extra shadow following him about. But there was something about this woman, some connection between her and her father. Jenny, of course, couldn't wait to learn more about her, to learn about everything in her dad's life.

So grinning at the woman, she said, "Hi, Rose. It's nice to meet you. How do you know my dad? Seems like so many people here do." And then she simply nodded at Jamie, taking the torch from him, completely unaware that the Doctor had been trying to save the conversation with Rose about their relationship for another time.

Rose waved at the other group, resolving to introduce herself properly to the two she didn’t know at some point—preferably when they found the TARDIS. Frankly, she was glad to have some time away from the other Doctor to get over the fact that they met while both were naked and slimy; that had to be the most awkward first impression she’d ever made.

She joined her designated group, returning the Doctor’s bright smile with a dazzling one of her own, before turning her attention to the others. “Hi, Jamie. Nice meetin’ you, too, Jenny.”

At the word ‘dad’, she turned to the Doctor and arched an eyebrow. She didn’t start barraging the Doctor with questions, of which she had many, such as ‘weren’t the rest of the Time Lords killed in the Time War?’ and ‘if she’s your daughter, why hasn’t she seen the TARDIS before?’. However, her expression promised that, some time in the future, she would get him alone and ask for an explanation.

She turned back to Jenny to answer her question, feeling rather sillily relieved that Jenny wasn’t another of those pretty young women that ~~fell in love with him~~ he had a tendency to pick up. “I traveled with him in the TARDIS for a couple of years. Least, I think it was a couple; surprisingly hard to keep track of time in a time machine.”

The Doctor winces as soon as the word 'dad' comes out of Jenny's mouth. Well, so much for avoiding that little revelation for a while...

He catches Rose's eye and shakes his head a little. It's not what you think. Then again, when is it ever? But as long as he doesn't need to explain right now... He spins his screwdriver around in his hand before pointing it into the depths of the hangar and starting up a scan. It's as good a reason as any to pretend not to be paying attention to Rose and Jenny's conversation.

"I'm not getting a response," he says after a moment, frowning at his screwdriver. "Which means, if the TARDIS is here, it's either out of range of my sonic or... shut down." Not a pleasant thought. Not one he really wants to dwell on for long. He glances toward Jamie. "If the smaller vehicles are further in, stands to reason that that's where we'll find the TARDIS. Probably somewhere no one's likely to stumble across it - whoever's in control of this ship, they'd want to keep that technology away from most curious wanderers. So. Far in the back and out of the way - think you can get us there?"

There's a little twitch of Jamie's lips when Rose responds to Jenny's question, but it doesn't manage to develop into a real smile. He knows the feeling of trying to tell time in a time machine, which is why he tends to be relatively unconcerned by not really knowing how long he's been here. Despite that, he does try to answer her as well. "I've not met everyone, but I do know a few people."

His expression turns thoughtful for a moment as he thinks about who he knows that might have been here the longest. "I think that's Xander. He said it had been several months for him at that point, but..." He shrugs. "I don't know exactly how long ago that was for me, except that it was after the zombies. He did say he was with the ones who woke up first, though."

Not that that likely helps, but it's really the best he can come up with. When the Doctor cuts in, he turns towards him, lifting his chin ever-so-slightly and says boldly, "Aye, of course I can. It's this way."

Once again he takes off in one direction, only to return a moment later with an expression that's half-chagrined and half-annoyed. This time he seems to be annoyed at himself.

"Uh, that is...I mean this way."

He jerks his head in the exact opposite direction of the one he took, and is very careful to avoid eye contact with the others as he starts walking again.

Jenny's eyes lit up, "Oh, you were one of his traveling companions! Like Donna. I'm so glad to have met you, so excited. I would love to hear stories of the adventures you've had with my dad. When we're not busy looking for the TARDIS or stuck in the middle of a war, of course." She offered her a cheeky grin.

Jenny nodded at Jamie's response to her question. Months. Months, or possibly even longer, in one place. It was pretty hard for her to imagine. The longest she had ever stayed on a planet during one of her adventures was a few days. A week at most. ...What did one do during such a long period of time? Obviously, there was the issue of the war she was caught up in. But still, there was down time. And without adventures, without the constant exploring, what was she supposed to do?

Jenny forced the thoughts from her mind. They would help her dad find the TARDIS, and that would be the end of it. Off to explore the universe with him!

"Uh, that is...I mean this way."

Jenny simply shrugged and followed Jamie. She wasn't sure why he was embarrassed; the ship was huge, it was amazing that anyone could ever figure out where they were going.

Rose considered the bit of information about Xander’s stay. Really, she didn’t mind being stuck on Stacy for however long it took to stop the Ohm. And though none of her family or friends were awake, the Doctor was here and in the end that was all that mattered; she’d been willing to give up everything for him before, and she still was.

She hid a smile, watching Jamie get himself turned around, before her expression turned into one of curiosity. “Zombies? Like, the walking undead?”

Jenny really did take after Ten, didn’t she? The energy and gob, at least; she must’ve taken after her mother (or another regeneration of her father) in hair and height.

The mention of Donna had Rose’s questions multiplying exponentially and she cast about for something to turn her attention to before she exploded with questions that shouldn’t have been asked in public. Her eyes landed on the Doctor and filled with mischief.

No doubt he’d been regaling his daughter with tales of how impressive he was. Well, Rose couldn’t very well let that stand, now could she? She was going to break out her most embarrassing stories for Jenny and Jamie. Sure, her own reputation was going to take a hit, but that was nothing; she’d been tabloid fodder for years now.

“We’d get nothin’ done if we did that.” Once this war was over, Rose would be returning home (if it was restored) to finish her own battles and it didn’t seem like they’d be meeting again. “Tell you what, though; when we find some downtime, I’ll tell you about the mad life I had with ‘im, especially the stuff he doesn’t want you to hear.”

The Doctor looks a little alarmed at that, though maybe he should have expected it. Now he remembers why his companions getting along is almost more worrying than when they're fighting. Not quite, but close.

"And anything she tells you," the Doctor says firmly to the other two, "is bound to be a complete fabrication. Honestly, Jenny, she'll only lead you astray."

He glances to Rose and gives her a mock glare, shaking his head at her a little, but whatever disapproval he was going for is completely ruined by the beginnings of a broad grin tugging at his lips.

"Aye, walking undead. We had to fight them here once. It...look, it's a long story, but if ye want me to tell ye about it sometime, I will. They're gone now, though."

Speaking of stories...

"Don't listen to him," Jamie says over his shoulder to Jenny at that point. "He's just worried we're going to make him look bad. Remind me to tell ye about the time he nearly let the TARDIS get swallowed by lava. That's a good one."

Telling embarrassing stories sounds like an excellent plan, he thinks. He turns his head to give Rose a rather lopsided sort of smile. Oh, he definitely approves of her.

"I'm glad to see ye at least have sense when it comes to who ye let go with ye in the future, Doctor."

As they make their way through the ships in the hangar, they are getting smaller in size, and are at a point now where they seem to be personal craft, holding only a few people at best. Jamie pauses for a moment, looking to see if he can spot anything from where he's at, popping up on his toes to try and get a little more height.

"Maybe ye should try a scan again?"

The Doctor rolls his eyes a little at Jamie, but he decides not to argue the point further. The only thing he'd get out of that would be looking... flustered. Which he is not.

So instead, he sweeps his screwdriver around the hangar in a slow scan. He doesn't pause while he's scanning, but there's something faint in the response he gets from the screwdriver that makes him try a second go, brow furrowed and head cocked to listen to the buzz of the sonic.

"Something's not right," he mutters, possibly just to himself, and sweeps to the lead of the group. He's not quite running, but walking about as quickly as possible without breaking into a run, and he glances up from his screwdriver as he walks to search the vehicles around him.

And - there, peeking over the tops of a few other vehicles, is that so-familiar blue, drawing his gaze immediately. The Doctor's expression lightens a bit, though he still looks vaguely troubled - he should've been able to sense the TARDIS from this distance, and it's barely registering on the screwdriver.

"Call the others," he calls as he hurries toward the TARDIS. Maybe it's just powered down in his possibly very long absence, and maybe as soon as he steps through the doors, it'll be fine... "It's here."

Following the Doctor's gaze, Jamie also catches sight of that familiar blue box, and his heart lifts. He had been afraid that they weren't going to be able to find it, that Stacy wouldn't have been able to save it. And while Jamie thinks that he, personally, would have learned to get by, he's not at all sure the Doctor would have been able to. So he's very, very glad to see it's there.

Before the others can reply, Jamie says impulsively, "I'll go and get them." Hopefully they won't blame him for wanting to be the one to fetch the others, considering the majority of the other group contains his friends.

He runs off in the direction of where he last saw them headed, cupping his hands around his mouth to amplify his words as he goes. "Doctor. Doctor! We've found the TARDIS!!"

((OOC: dunno if anyone specific wants to start the finding thread at this point? Assume for this one Jamie is off fetching the others so he's out for the moment.))

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Don't get your hopes up [closed, bendytimed to before shore leave]

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I'm so sorry this is inexcusably late :(

It's very much excusable. <33333

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