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trans_92010-06-19 01:01 am
celery-brooch.livejournal.com) wrote in trans_92010-06-19 01:01 am
Entry tags:
Suitable Distractions [open]
It was late afternoon, almost sunset on the tropical planet of Zokez II, the cloudless sky mellowing with hints of gold and mauve, the tide receding as much as possible with the gravitational equivalent of an extra moon now in orbit; most of the tidier shops were closing for the day, the stalls had long since packed up and headed inland, but across the street and deep into the square the Doctor spotted neon lights and flickering signs leading to shady corners and seedy taverns, where the late night crowd was beginning to gather in much tighter packs than the general mass of afternoon. This left plenty of open pathways, so long as one stuck to the right circles (and consequently didn’t plan on going anywhere in particular)—pathways which the Doctor was taking full advantage of in the face of yet another sleepless night.
Surely he was disappointed by recent events, yes, perhaps even more so by the idea that this time he was enclosed, this adventure he would have to play out in a normal, linear fashion, taking the path too well trodden by the more boring members of the universe not able to hop through the fourth dimension, as it were. But, as with what usually occurs with this incarnation, a chance for exploration and adventure quickly drowned out his worries, replacing them with youthful enthusiasm and breathless exclamations to random passerby.
Oh, and shopping. There was shopping involved.
Seeing as the TARDIS, though present, was currently inaccessible, the Doctor took it upon himself to gather some necessary supplies and what luxuries he could afford with his ‘pocket change’. Said pocket change went quite a long way, actually; the Doctor found that he was not only able to purchase more than enough electronic devices to keep him occupied for at least another month, if not more should Engineering provide him with a steady supply of parts to tinker with, but he was also even able to look around for some clothes in a vain attempt to rebuild his usual outfit. Now obviously there were stores with striped slacks and long-sleeved jumpers and whatnot, but in the end they all fell short of the Doctor’s expectations, and he ended up leaving with only a simple white dress shirt (he was lucky to find one with a red interior, but alas, no question marks upon the collar) and a pair of plimsolls. Well, those and a far more precious prize.
A casual pass into a sporting goods store—perhaps in the hopes of finding a more substantial uniform—had the Doctor come across a surprisingly well-made cricket bat, brand new and heftily priced. It took the rest of his allowance and quite a bit of bartering to obtain it, but it was definitely a worthwhile acquisition. Even if he was able to get into the TARDIS, that old bat rotting away in there hadn’t been oiled in several centuries and would probably break in half if it was ever used in any serious competition. This was for the best, yeah?
So now, strolling along the deserted pathway, a small bottle of linseed oil and a dirty handkerchief poking out of his coat pocket, the Doctor was busily tapping away at his prize with a bat mallet and a placid smile on his face. He might’ve been humming, but it was difficult to tell over the rhythmic pounding of willow wood and the background chatter of alien gulls. He was, all in all, extremely happy with himself, this new development, and with being able to completely forget that the rest of the world existed.
Perhaps someone should come remind him that noisily knocking in a cricket bat is not the most efficient way to escape the outside world, as the outside world will often be curious enough to investigate such racket in one form or another.
Surely he was disappointed by recent events, yes, perhaps even more so by the idea that this time he was enclosed, this adventure he would have to play out in a normal, linear fashion, taking the path too well trodden by the more boring members of the universe not able to hop through the fourth dimension, as it were. But, as with what usually occurs with this incarnation, a chance for exploration and adventure quickly drowned out his worries, replacing them with youthful enthusiasm and breathless exclamations to random passerby.
Oh, and shopping. There was shopping involved.
Seeing as the TARDIS, though present, was currently inaccessible, the Doctor took it upon himself to gather some necessary supplies and what luxuries he could afford with his ‘pocket change’. Said pocket change went quite a long way, actually; the Doctor found that he was not only able to purchase more than enough electronic devices to keep him occupied for at least another month, if not more should Engineering provide him with a steady supply of parts to tinker with, but he was also even able to look around for some clothes in a vain attempt to rebuild his usual outfit. Now obviously there were stores with striped slacks and long-sleeved jumpers and whatnot, but in the end they all fell short of the Doctor’s expectations, and he ended up leaving with only a simple white dress shirt (he was lucky to find one with a red interior, but alas, no question marks upon the collar) and a pair of plimsolls. Well, those and a far more precious prize.
A casual pass into a sporting goods store—perhaps in the hopes of finding a more substantial uniform—had the Doctor come across a surprisingly well-made cricket bat, brand new and heftily priced. It took the rest of his allowance and quite a bit of bartering to obtain it, but it was definitely a worthwhile acquisition. Even if he was able to get into the TARDIS, that old bat rotting away in there hadn’t been oiled in several centuries and would probably break in half if it was ever used in any serious competition. This was for the best, yeah?
So now, strolling along the deserted pathway, a small bottle of linseed oil and a dirty handkerchief poking out of his coat pocket, the Doctor was busily tapping away at his prize with a bat mallet and a placid smile on his face. He might’ve been humming, but it was difficult to tell over the rhythmic pounding of willow wood and the background chatter of alien gulls. He was, all in all, extremely happy with himself, this new development, and with being able to completely forget that the rest of the world existed.
Perhaps someone should come remind him that noisily knocking in a cricket bat is not the most efficient way to escape the outside world, as the outside world will often be curious enough to investigate such racket in one form or another.
no subject
Once said assessment was completed in that brief, welcoming glance, the Doctor was once again absorbed and, thus, didn’t catch on immediately.
“Hmm?” He raised his brow and cocked his head, inferring from Jamie’s expression what the question probably was. He was usually right when this happened, but the answer might not have always been what the inquiring party was expecting. “—Ah, well. Just enjoying the atmosphere.”
The Doctor gave his cricket bat a few more decisive whacks, deposited the mallet in his other pocket (where it promptly disappeared into the depths), and held the finished product in front of his nose. He ran his hand gently over one of the sides, a somewhat pained expression crossing his face when he encountered a small dent, and out of the corner of his eye he spotted a glint of something shiny in Jamie’s grasp.
“Find anything interesting?”
no subject
"Aye! There was this wee place that said it was a toy store, and they sold me something called a kazoo."
He uncurls his fingers, and sure enough, in his hand is a little metal version of the instrument. Two might have very well kept a kazoo in his own pockets, but if he did, he kept it far away from Jamie. Likely this was to prevent Jamie from quite happily starting an impromptu demonstration, which he proceeds to do now for Five.
He's picked up the knack of humming into it loudly enough that it makes a rather noticeable noise. This probably isn't going to help with keeping the racket in the area down. Or back in their room on Stacy, for that matter.
no subject
He was…partially right. Maybe. But the real deciding factor was that this companion played bagpipes, thus it was less the tune and more the noise. Which, yes, the Doctors mortified reaction was a touch hypocritical considering the clamor he was making earlier, but when has this ever stopped him?
A less patient incarnation might’ve snatched away the tiny metal kazoo then and there, hiding it away into a remote pocket for later use. Luckily Five was not so unkind, merely pulling a face and sputtering somewhat over the cracked pitches blaring through the calm.
“—Jamie, perhaps you could save practicing for a later time!”
no subject
"Aye, all right." He puts the kazoo in his sporran before Five thinks better of his action and steals it away. He gives the cricket bat a rather pointed look before adding dryly, "I suppose that means ye don't want me to practice on the pennywhistle I picked up, either."
no subject
“Only if you let me borrow it later,” he began, somewhat distracted; then a grin crossed his face and he put on his most innocent expression. “—Actually, I understand that my other self enjoys kazoos, why don’t you go play for him?”
no subject
"Haven't seen him," he adds. "You're hard to track down when ye don't want to be found." Besides, since he's already found one Doctor, he's content enough, and showing no signs of going anywhere anytime soon. "Although," he continues, sounding somewhat thoughtful, "I may show him a wee bit later."
Jamie won't thank you, Doctor, if Ten decides to take the kazoo away from him when he does. In the meantime, however, he nods over at the bat. He's assuming that the Doctor actually wants to use it, if he's taking the trouble to knock it in. If he was going to just display it in their quarters, the Scot thinks he likely wouldn't have bothered.
"So now that ye have that, are ye going to set up something to play on Stacy?"
no subject
He was serious about trying that pennywhistle, though. At least before Ten found it—with his luck he would enjoy it about as much as Two did and would, therefore, play at all hours of the day and Five would never hear the end of it. At least in his care it would remain mostly silent, apart from the early morning when he deemed it necessary.
The Doctor’s brief reverie subsided as he removed a worn cricket ball from one of his inner pockets and, as if not sure what else to do with it, he placed it upon the flat edge of his bat and preoccupied himself with keeping it level and unmoving.
“Perhaps. That depends greatly upon how busy we are when we get back.”
no subject
The chances of Five getting ahold of the pennywhistle are rather higher than Ten's, if the situation is given a wee bit more thought. After all, there is something to be said for sharing the same living space. Jamie still has the habit of leaving things just lying about, since it hasn't been long enough for him to adjust to having a roommate. And, unlike the bagpipes that are there, he'd be less likely to notice a missing pennywhistle immediately.
Mind you, he'll probably just happily hand over the instrument anyway if asked again when it's in his possession. It's not like he's going to think about it overmuch.
"That's true," Jamie replies, after a moment. "Have ye thought about if ye are going to join one of the departments? Or..." He eyes Five with a rather thoughtful expression. "Were ye going to talk to yourself first and try and figure out a way to stay away from each other while working in the same place?"
no subject
And, to tell the truth, the prospect of having his later incarnation also consider those same options (and act upon them in a similar fashion) hadn’t crossed his mind until Jamie brought it up.
This understandably made him very worried.
“—Well, yes,” he began, giving the space in front of him a pained look, “Billy has already invited me to look around Engineering, and it would be quite useful if I got to know all of the various departments and their current projects. As for the other me…”
The Doctor paused, flicking the cricket ball up in the air and capturing it with his free hand, thereafter stuffing it back in the pocket whence it came.
“…I’m sure he has similar—if not the same—plans; but, considering that we’ve managed to avoid creating any major paradoxes by being in the same place and time so far, working with him shouldn’t be too much of a problem.” He winced, as if he’d failed to convince himself that this was true. “—At any rate we can request separate projects.”
no subject
"Aye, there's a lot either one of ye can do in Engineering. Oh! I've not mentioned yet. Billy and Kaylee have been teaching me somewhat about repair, so ye may see me down there."
Granted, it's pretty much some very simple basics, but Five doesn't know that, and Jamie doesn't clarify immediately. Watching the cricket ball being tossed in the air instead, Jamie points, and opens his mouth - about to ask if he can take a look at it - when the ball is unceremoniously stuffed back in Five's pocket. There's a fleeting look of disappointment that is quickly turned into a slightly skeptical expression.
"Too much of a problem? Oh, aye," he comments dryly. "Ye weren't even able to look for the TARDIS without it turning into a bit of a stramash."
no subject
If the Doctor was wearing his new shoes he would’ve tripped over them; instead he kind of half-stumbled, flipping around to give Jamie an incredulous look as if he was the cause for his misstep, but the real meaning of that crinkled brow and squinted eyes was obvious. Jamie? Doing repair in Engineering?
No way. “…Jamie, what exactly does ‘repair work’ entail in your case?”
Of course the tables of skepticism turned against him several moments later. The Doctor huffed, frowning pointedly, though the expression could hardly be taken seriously. It usually wasn’t.
“—Talking to oneself is a sign of insanity,” he quoted matter-of-factly, folding his arms with the cricket bat cradled in the center, “You can’t hardly blame us for getting exasperated with one another.”
no subject
There's a rather baffled blinking at that reaction, as Jamie really has no idea why the Doctor would be so surprised by the his revelation. He did say Billy and Kaylee were teaching him, after all. Jamie just assumed the Doctor would figure that he's not exactly at a point where he can do reactor repairs or the like.
"Kaylee showed me how to fix frayed wires, since I've seen ye do that a lot of times. They have me do that, and sometimes I hand them things they need."
Which really isn't much more than what he used to do to for the Doctor. How often was it 'Hand me this, Jamie', or 'Press these buttons when I tell you to, Jamie', anyway?
"Why, what did ye think I did?"
no subject
In conclusion, Five’s reaction had nothing to do with his mun’s distracted day at work and the consequent derpiness of all the posts she typed during this time.On the other hand, though, there was a chance that Jamie was not at all interested in working on repairing frayed wires and holding tools. Perhaps he was simply finding a familiar way to occupy himself while on the ship, and found that the techs in Engineering were close enough Doctor-substitutes. Or perhaps it was a bit more specific than that; perhaps it only had to do with the person Jamie had mentioned just a few seconds ago.
The Doctor deliberately—and quite gracelessly—changed the subject. “—So have you been getting these lessons from Kaylee for a while?”
no subject
Apparently, distracted days at work appear to have been a common thing as this mun honestly hadn't even noticed any derpiness."A wee bit," he says, not at all fussed about the subject change. Non-answers to his questions aren't anything new. "When she got hurt during that Nightmare King business, she wasn't able to use her arm, so I offered to help."
Granted, this had started out as a rather impulsive, slightly-fueled-by-ale type of offer, but Jamie had made the decision to honor it anyway, in part because she really did need the help. However...there may have been some other motivating factors. It's not quite the same as it was for Victoria, but she does trigger a lot of his more protective instincts. There may be a little bit of attraction there, as well. He doesn't bother to try and hide any of these.
It's not the sole reason he's taken on those lessons, though. "But it's not just her, like I said, aye? Billy does help as well. Oh! Ye should ask him to show ye the RadBug sometime. It's a flying car that he built."
Engineering, after all, is one of the better places to see all sorts of interesting objects and inventions, even if Jamie has no clue about how half of them work.