Is Your Love Strong Enough? Part 6 - The Final Scratch

[cityship]

Such a strange occurrence needed, finally a conclusion. Thanks for the Time Lord's trinket gift, there was suddenly an old, fearsome creature made of gears, it's old features squeaking (although not as bad as before, since a certain someone had given him a good oil job). Analog,the fearsome creature known by some as a the crankiest Time Dragon, walked in the city to find out o where Eleven was. She could smell him even in here, you see (wow that's creepy). Flanked by her three handmaidens, the women giggling like schoolgirls at everything, memorized at the ship. The city could hold her well, for all her large size.

First step - Find the Doctor, ask him what he wants. Step two - Do that. Step three - Get out of here.

She still was a Time Dragon, after all. Proud....and cranky. These boring old puny humanoids were nothing as the greatness of HERSELF so the sooner they were our of her mind, the better.

[OOC - Done! Go for it.]

Comments

[Reserved for the Doctor/River]

[cityship]

Re: [Reserved for the Doctor/River]

[makeherblue]

The Doctor wakes up in his body with two things happening: River Song in there with him and his trousers are vibrating.

They're vibrating very, very hard.

He rolls over from where he's been apparently lounging after a hard days work spreading flowers (judging by the quite frankly excessive number of petals draped all over his chest) and gropes about in his trousers after fumbling the robes out of the way. Trousers. Vibrating. Odd. Also insistent. It's starting to migrate in his pockets toward...places, if it could get there, it would. Not for lack of trying. The Whatever It Is feels like it's steps away from tearing some sort of inter-dimensional hole in his trousers if he doesn't so something about it. The Doctor finally grabs it after fishing past the spare socks and A Tale of Two Cities and pulls it out: it's some sort of fancy clockwork pipe, worn by age, and it looks like the very sort of thing a selfish old Dragon would hoard and forget was even in there until it was gone. Not the sort of thing to fall in by accident.

In other words - he's not sure when - Analog must've had one of "her" girls put it in his trousers when he was...occupied.

(Don't ask what he was doing. That means you, River).

The Doctor holds the pipe between two fingers as if it's an explosive. Oh dear! Still vibrating. He suspects it rather liked his trouser pockets.

"Hi. Hello? Is this the right end? Hi!" The Doctor taps the clockwork pipe, for now in control of his body. He feels River in there somewhere. Hopefully she has the sense not to go snooping in his memories despite whatever curiosity she has. There's a reason he keeps her in the dark. Or tries to, at any rate.

Anyway! Good place to start, a nice hello! Even to a grump of a Dragon who's forgotten what it's like to be young. And who also could use some hobbies. Maybe more than just a few. Actually he can think of loads of things Analog can improve on but focusing on the immediate problem here, it's neither here nor there. The Doctor gets to his feet and brushes at his gold robes, not noticing the flower petals stuck in his hair.

Re: [Reserved for the Doctor/River]

[hullo-sweetie.livejournal.com]

River is trying so very hard not to comment on the vibrating trousers. Luckily for him, she's preoccupied with being inside a totally alien body. An alien body with awkward, fumbling limbs. It might be partially her fault that he can't find the vibrating whatever because she's testing out her control of his limbs. Being in a male body is quite new to her. As new to her as it was for him to be in her body.

She does want to ask what he means by being occupied by 'girls', but she'll drop it for now.

River's there, it's just taking her a longer period of time to adjust to the alien feelings, sensations, emotions, and thoughts. He was flooding her mind much stronger then when he'd been in her body.

And as tempting as his memories are, she gives him the same courtesy he had given her.

No wonder you're so awkward. I can barely walk with your legs River's voice, loud and clear in his mind. She tries to take a step with his long limbs and promptly stumbles.

I hate to think of my body out there spreading flower petals. A pause. Who is trying to get in contact with you?

[Open Post - Anyone]

[cityship]

[Just start a new thread if you'd like to speak with analog as she walks in the city you poor souls. Affected from the curse or not, it's all good.]

[encourage]

Sakura stopped in her tracks when she caught sight -- sound -- scent of a most horrible, terrible thing. Her stomach turned over, disgust and irritation simmering in the back of her mind even as she attempted to plaster a neutral expression on her face.

Still wasn't worth insulting Analog. It wasn't.

"Our hero," she ground out with possibly negative enthusiasm. She hadn't watched hours of early slapstick comedy from Earth for nothing, and she thinks on this as Analog is once again on ship. Sakura kind of hopes the dragon ends up the brunt of a good joke or two while she's here -- but only after the problem's been resolved.

[livestoannoy]

No way. No. Fucking. Way.

Her?! Marco said, enraged. HER?! We have to get saved by her rusty ass?!

[hi_there_aliens]

Just when he thought he'd one day run out of bizarre and strange encounters, Daniel was treated to the sight of an incredibly massive, and compared to the being he'd encountered, incredibly old and derelict Time Dragon slogging her way through the city.

Daniel stopped dead in his tracks. His first thought was "oh god, not more". Sundial (excuse him, Sundial the Great, Guardian of Time or whatever they'd settled on) had been enough. Not the longest negotiation he'd sat through, but after coming off the Orya mission, the most recently irritating and dangerous one. Sundial was arrogant, impatient, and frighteningly enough, powerful. It made for a dangerous combination. More so once Daniel saw the power of the Dragons at work; it wasn't all bluster.

"You're the being that can defeat Nezaitben?" Daniel craned Vala's neck to get a good look. This Time Dragon was incredible. Larger than Sundial, and if you could ignore the rickety look, magnificent. "You're not what I expected from the book."

[cityship]

"The book?" She asked dismissing it. "Oh please. Of course I'm much better than any old book could ever describe me." She took a look at him, lowering her body until her gigantic gear-like clock was close to his face, and took a good smell.

"Hmmm....you have Lord Bolt's smell on you." Her rusty, metal eye regarded him curiously. "Friends, perhaps?"

[The Showdown]

[cityship]

[You are free to watch the aftermath, once the goddess comes out.]

The Profession of a Connection

[cityship]

The course of time was forever affected. The flowers stopped growing and blooming, the pies she baked each day were gone. The plants would continue to grow in certain places - provided they had the nutriments for it, but for the most part, with Nezaitben's defeat, the world on the ship returned to a sort of normality.

In a heap, most of the bodies, returned to their normal outfits were sitting down like an odd collection of lifeless dolls - just breathing enough for then to continue living they were essentially in a vegetable state. They could not switch from one body to the other anymore. It was either stay two people in one body or...

Now, it was the time for them confess their connection. Outloud. To each other. No exceptions. How their souls were, together. What spark they might have, if any. For should they chose not to...well, they'd be stuck in a single body for a while, carrying around the other body and making sure it's fine.

[OOC - If you want to hand-wave that part, go right ahead, but this is the fun part.]

Lash and Zetta

[thewunderkind]

Clearly they totally had this in the bag. Lash looked over to her barely breathing body and knew what she had to answer.

We have fun together. AND NOTHING ELSE. What do you say to that, Soulcatcher?

Re: Lash and Zetta

[badassfreakingoverlord]

Exactly. Lash is fun.

Smugly, Zetta sat back and waited for Lash to get out of his book body.

Hit Girl and Ruffnut

[hit-girl-mindy.livejournal.com]

She was breathing shallowly, trying to retain her body. She had to speak aloud her connection apparently, and so much for keeping things private, to herself. But in the time they shared, in all they'd done, had she really hated it?

No. Sure, Ruffnut had seen the dream she wanted to keep to herself, and there had been awkward moments (her nude, for instance, in that impromptu shower), but all in all? It had been another adventure for the both of them. It was pretty clear why she'd dream Ruffnut burning in her dad's place. Whether he was still alive or dead, he wasn't here, and she had made sure to distance herself from people enough.

Clearly, that had failed.

You made me...care about what happens to you, more than anybody. You're someone I'm scared as hell to lose.

Re: Hit Girl and Ruffnut

[ruffntumblenut.livejournal.com]

Ruffnut felt a tingle, a rush and some embarrassment, was that from Mindy or herself?

Yeah well, I'm not going anywhere. She answered automatically and felt defensive and protective as she did every time she thought back to that dream.

You're my best friend, you're...more then that. You're dangerous, you're powerful, You make me feel better then anyone else. I um...you know... This was the greatest test of her courage and determination yet. As a Viking she wasn't much for talking about her feelings, but she wore them on her sleeve.

Her throat closed up and her face began turning red, redder, bright red,
"I totally freaking love you ok?!" She burst out loud which made the embarrassment even worse. She could just die now.

Goliath and Elisa

[not_the_philistine]

Sharing a body forever was unacceptable, but as long as he had known Elisa, he had understood that there were some things she liked to keep to herself. The words for their feelings about each other were among these.

I would have had this moment set aside until you wanted it.

On the other hand, professing their feelings was really nothing more than a formality. They hadn't had to share space in the same body to understand how each other felt - all that had done was confirm what they'd both understood.

Even so, Elisa, there is something I have wanted to say to you for a while.

[newyorkbynight.livejournal.com]

Elisa had always been a secretive person. At first it had been because of her firm believe that a good detective couldn't afford to trust anyone. Over time, however, the feelings that she kept close to her chest were ones that she felt that she couldn't afford to share. Because it was impossible or because it would change too much or ...

... or maybe just because she was scared.

Goliath would be aware of that by now. The goddess might have intended to promote harmony and improve morale, but what she'd really done was cause trouble by getting people to share things they wouldn't have ordinarily shared.

"Maybe there'll never be a perfect time," she said with a half shrug, trying to keep calm. She knew what he felt - what they both felt - and she knew what he was going to say, but her heart still beat a little faster.

Jamie and Victoria

[bonnypiperlad]

Like once before, Jamie finds himself looking down at Victoria's unresponsive form, only this time there's not any fear that something terrible has happened to her, no sense that he's failed her in way he can't fix no matter how desperately he wishes to do so. Their time together has had some unexpected...well, benefits, he supposes. For all the awkwardness and uncomfortable things that come with sharing a body, there's a closeness in doing so - and maybe just a hint of relief, too. Even if he hadn't meant for it to happen, having her see those glimpses of some of their time together back in their world means he's not hiding as many secrets from her now.

If only it were just that, then this next part would be easy. However, he knows full well that it's more complicated that that. That this time he won't see her open her eyes again and smile up at him...not unless he finally admits the one thing that he never could when they traveled together the first time. There's no doubt that he has to - he couldn't possibly be selfish enough to make them stay like this forever. But how do you tell someone something you've been keeping to yourself for years?

I'm sorry, Victoria, for all of this. I know it's not been the easiest thing for ye to deal with, he says finally. And I know I owe ye more of an explanation about the time that I knew ye from before. I promise ye, if ye want to know, I'll tell ye all of it once we're back to ourselves. There's something...something else I need to say, though. I-I'm just not sure where to start.

[sonicscreamer.livejournal.com]

And what a strange week that was, or well, what Victoria assumes is a week. She looks down at herself, back into her plantsuit and thankfully nothing to bright and shiny. She's...learned a lot this week, truthfully. Not just glimpses of her own possible future, but a side of Jamie she hasn't gotten to see or experience before due to her shorter time traveling with him and the Doctor.

Jamie's nervousness is reflected in herself inwardly as well, as she silently listens to his words, wondering just what she's going to say to him as well. Unsure what to say back, she does take comfort that he wants to go first. When she does think out words, they are unusually calm and kind.

G-go on, she urged soft.

Zouichi and Ildraniath

[zouichi.livejournal.com]

Strange, to see Ildraniath's body simply lying there in what had once been Nezaitben's domain. Her breathing was shallow, almost undetectable; had he not been subject to the events of the last few days, he might have simply thought her asleep. Zouichi bent down without thinking, lifting her prone, now-vacant shell gently from the heap of bodies that had been so unceremoniously piled into this abandoned space, careful not to let the dark cloth of her robes drag along the ground. He set her down just as gently in a patch of soft grass, a proper distance away from the others. Somehow, he didn't think she'd be eager to do this where anyone could see.

Truth be told, he wasn't quite sure how to go about this. What should he say? What did he have to confess? It had been easier when he'd simply had the luxury of not thinking about it. They were... colleagues, perhaps. Two people forcibly abducted from their own worlds, who had learned to work together for a common purpose. But then, somewhere along the line, something had changed, hadn't it? Almost imperceptibly. Something it was far easier to simply gloss over in the midst of the hundred separate tasks and concerns that filled each passing day.

Farseer, I... he began, then trailed off. To be honest, I'm not really sure where to begin. I enjoy speaking with you. I enjoy your company. And I consider you a... friend.

It wasn't the whole truth, something he was just now beginning to realize. Not yet enough to appease the conditions for dispelling their current condition. But it was a start, and this task was... considerably more difficult that he'd expected. Perhaps it would have been easier if he'd had the benefit of his own thoughts to retreat to.

He could only hope his own inner conflict wasn't negatively affecting Ildraniath.

[futureisclear.livejournal.com]

Ildraniath had been quietly fuming ever since she'd been forced out of her body. Her ire wasn't aimed at Zouichi of course, but the sheer idea that she was nothing more than disembodied thought at the moment was frightening, in a way. Especially considering what was lurking out in the Warp if something were to go horribly, horribly wrong. But she was hiding that fear as best she could, considering the two of them were currently sharing a mind. It simply wouldn't do, after all, for Zouichi to realize the worry she felt. In that regard, they both had their own inner conflicts to deal with, although she was doing her best to ignore Zouichi's discomfort out of politeness.

The truth was, as her thoughts shifted back to Zouichi and this little dilemma of confessions and feelings, that she wasn't entirely show how she felt and it wasn't crystallizing any more quickly now that she thought about it. He was a companion, really the only person aboard the ship who she felt entirely comfortable speaking her mind to (which was ironic, considering he was almost a human). Even as they worked alongside one another, there was a strain of something else, something she'd felt more comfortable ignoring. It would make things complicated. It was something she didn't particularly want to admit, even to herself, but thinking about it here and now (practically forced to, in fact), it was starting to make itself known.

Zouichi, I have to say I'm in agreement with you on that. You're one of my only confidants aboard this ship and...

Well, how to say this delicately.

I think my life aboard this ship would be significantly less bearable if you weren't here.

That would work, right? She wouldn't have to drag out all of those other uncomfortable and awkward thoughts that she was trying very hard not to hink about.

Vala and Daniel

[valaunbound]

"I'd quite like to sleep you with you, Daniel. There." Vala 'admitted'. She had this nailed, he just had to say the same and they'd be separated. Simple.

There was no need to go into it any deeper than that. Besides, there was no 'deeper'.

Re: Vala and Daniel

[hi_there_aliens]

Flabbergasted didn't even begin to cover what he was feeling right now. Maybe stunned, or taken aback, or something better because none of those was doing the trick.

"I got that, yes," Daniel muttered. If it weren't for the fact that she'd offered sex to pass the time earlier, he'd have thought she was saying it just to get this over with. Actually it wasn't exactly flattering either way, but he'd caught hints of what she was really thinking now. Unless he read her completely wrong, it went further than wanting a one-night stand. Whatever it was Vala saw him. When Daniel looked at himself, he saw an occasionally awkward archaeologist with long hair, allergies, and glasses, who made up for it by being the biggest pain in the butt when he believed in something, which generally wasn't an attractive quality to most people either.

Vala on the other hand, had plenty going on for her, confident and- Daniel cut the train of thought before it could run away on him. She was a lot of things. Whatever he thought of her, it was complicated, and he didn't really understand it himself. Now Daniel was expected to put it into words, right now, and every single language he knew failed him spontaneously.

"I don't know if I can do this." Where to even start?

Marco & Sakura

[encourage]

"Shit."

Sakura hadn't meant to say that out loud, and was pretending that she hadn't, even as she crouched down next to Marco's currently very unanimated body and checked his pulse. Steady, if nothing felt terribly strong about him. Where most folks looked peaceful as they slept, the bodies of those currently without souls in occupancy looked more eerie. This wasn't rest.

Sakura'd seen this look before. It was being one step away from the grave.

"You ready for this?" she muttered, knowing Marco wouldn't have any trouble hearing her. Her own distress was far too apparent, inwardly. Outwardly she looked calm and businessly enough, until you caught a glimpse of her eyes.

Sakura didn't want to do this. Honesty was more than she felt she could afford, and she didn't have a choice. She hated having that choice taken away from her. She hated having the veneer of polite social distance forcibly taken away.

Mostly she didn't want to have this discussion with Marco, on the tail end of basically already having this discussion with Marco. At least this should be relatively easier for him. His hang-ups weren't around these kinds of interpersonal relationships.

Shit.

Marco & Sakura

[livestoannoy]

Am I ready to get the hell out of here and back into my own body? No, I think I'd rather just kick around in here for a few more years just for the hell of it, Marco said, sarcastic.

Sakura's distress would get a flash of annoyance from Marco. He wasn't a fan of forced truth-telling - for anything - but if it would get him back in his own body and no longer having that constant feeling of someone else in his head, of feeling like his limbs were being controlled by somebody else...he'd do it.

River and Eleven

[hullo-sweetie.livejournal.com]

River had a feeling it would come to this.

Being in the Doctor's body, experiencing what he experienced, feeling what he felt - it was all quite taxing. She was all too often overwhelmed by his simplest emotions, thoughts, or memories and it was becoming very taxing to keep her own feelings for him from bleeding through their connection.

Doctor, perhaps we should have a little talk?

She had to be so careful. This was like walking on ice, the slightest slip up could cause unrepairable damage.