The Bookworm Strikes Again (open)

[first_in_time]

Who: Barbara and Anyone
Where: The Media Library and possible roaming
Summary: Research, tea, discussion and all that jazz. Feel free to simply come and bug her.
Warnings: None

After watching the Daligig slaughter the previous crew twice, Barbara went in search of any kind of material on the Daligig, Stacey, pod-popping and the crews which had traveled on Stacey. She didn't expect to find much more than what GLaDOS had told her but it was worth a look. Especially with all this talk of rebellion and distrust.

So, in a corner of the Media Library Barbara sat with piles books, stacks of visual recordings and audio recordings, plus pot of tea which had been sitting empty for a while. She was lost in her own world, memorising what she could and trying to gain a better picture of the ship, the war and everything else which could be considered relevant.

Comments

[splendid_roman]

He shrugged. "That was what happened. Perhaps we just all needed a rest. it was nice not to have to go anywhere and not to have to worry about anyone trying to kill us." There was only so much he could do if she didn't believe him because it was true, up to the point where they got captured. "Ask the Doctor, he'll tell you that we were lazy and just lay around all day." He said this last a little defensively.

[first_in_time]

"Alright," by Ian's tone, Barbara best thought to drop the subject. "Let's see if we can find your room and if you can recognise everything inside."

[splendid_roman]

He nodded. "All right." He lingered in her room trying to look like she should lead the way, but actually waiting to see what she was going to do with the ring box. He wanted to know if she'd looked inside, but if he asked that would just guarantee that she looked.

[first_in_time]

Barbara waited to see what Ian was doing, and when he didn't move, she gave him a funny look and stepped back out into the corridor. The ring box was still clutched in her hand, too precious to put down just yet.

"I think I saw your door nearby," because the corridor was long. "Here!" she said triumphantly, tapping the nameplate which was drilled into the surface, and waited excitedly for Ian. It was his room, he should do the honours of opening the door.

[splendid_roman]

He opened the door to a room that looked a lot like Barbara's. If it hadn't had a bed in it he would have called it a cupboard, albeit a big one. It also had a wardrobe and when Ian opened it he found the clothes he'd worn at various times: the Chinese shirt he'd worn during the trip with Marco Polo, the toga he'd worn in Roman times and what looked like the remains of his Coal Hill school tie. He wasn't even sure how that had got here.

"I had no idea he'd kept all this lot here."

[first_in_time]

"I remember this!" Barbara said brightly and pulled out his Aztec weapon, holding it gently in both hands. "Imagine if you took it to the British Museum, they'd probably have a fit!"

[splendid_roman]

He chuckled, looking at it. "It would be far too new."

He looked around at the table by the bed, which held a couple of books and the empty wine container that he'd swiped from the Roman villa. "I don't need any of this stuff."

[first_in_time]

"Good thing it's here and not cluttering up your house, isn't it?" she smiled and dug opened the wardrobe more to dig further into it.

"I don't recognise half the things in here," her voice was a little muffled from being in amongst the clothing. "What's this?" she pulled out a hat and placed it backwards on his head, at a fetching angle. "When did you visit the 17th century? Did you rub shoulders with king James or Guy Fawkes?" Barbara chuckled and ducked back into the wardrobe.

[splendid_roman]

Ian sat on the bed and watched her rummage. "Not exactly. But we did go to that era." Since she'd put the ring box down and wasn't looking at it, Ian picked it up and took the ring out, then put the ring in his pocket. He'd have to find somewhere to keep it hidden and safe, but it would be better off with him for now.


((OOC: Since she has her hands full I'm working on the assumption that she's put the ring box down.))

[first_in_time]

"What was the 17th century like?" Barbara withdrew herself from the cupboard with a sword in its scabbard and sat next to him on the bed. She held it gently in two hands, pointing it down to the ground, and inspected it while listening to Ian.


((Well, I've sorted through my drawers with skin lotion in my hand before, I was thinking of that for Barbara. But I was going to have her put the box down soon, anyway. So this is fine:) ))

[splendid_roman]

"Interesting," he said, putting the box back on the bed. He went on to describe some of the places they'd been and people they'd seen, without mentioning anything to do with the King or Guy Fawkes and his group.

"Planning on keeping the sword?" he asked with a grin, once he'd finished.


((OOC: It's been a while since I read the book and don't remember enough to have Ian describe it :) ))

[first_in_time]

"No, I wasn't," she smiled. "I was merely trying to work out when it was from. Do you remember it?" Barbara passed over the sword in exchange for her little ring box.


((That's fine...I'm actually struggling for things she could find :S))

[splendid_roman]

He nodded. "It's from Byzantium. I think I might keep it," he said, pulling the sword out of the scabbard and examining it. It was in a reasonable condition. "It might be useful."

[first_in_time]

"You might want to clean it up a little bit," she pointed at the scratches which marked the surface of the shiny blade. "Do doubt the Doctor - or Doctors - has an armory on board somewhere. You might need to walk for a couple of days but you'll eventually find it."

[splendid_roman]

He had to agree, looking at it more closely. "Perhaps I should tie a piece of string to the console room so I don't get lost. A very long piece of string," he added.

[first_in_time]

"You could leave a trail of bread crumbs but I wouldn't put it past the Doctor to follow you and eat them all." She grinned.

[splendid_roman]

"I wouldn't put it past him to untie the string too." He smiled. "Perhaps I should see if there's anything on Stacy first, before I try the TARDIS."

[first_in_time]

"Maybe you should." Barbara's fingers brushed against the sides of the ring box. She still hadn't looked inside - perhaps she should?

She held it up and carefully lifted the lid. The box looked a little loved, she didn't want to rip the lid from its hinges. Barbara expected something lovely inside; an elegant band with colourful stones arranged in some kind of pattern but when she found it nothing, she was surprised at how disappointed she was.

"It's empty," she frowned with sagging shoulders. "Why would I have an empty ring box?" It didn't make any sense to her

[splendid_roman]

"I don't know." He felt a bit guilty about making her disappointed at the lack of a ring inside. She'd understand if they reached the point where he could give it back to her, but that wasn't yet. He didn't want to scare her away.

"Perhaps it's somewhere else on the TARDIS. Maybe you kept the ring somewhere else and only the box in your room."

[first_in_time]

Barbara shrugged a little. It didn't really matter. If there was a ring in the box and she had worn it about Stacey, she'd only have lost it or damaged it.

She reached across Ian to put the little box on the stand by his bed, "I can't even remember what the ring looked like, so it hardly matters. I'll leave the box here seeming as you remember."

[splendid_roman]

"If it's from the live you might have lived, then you wouldn't remember because you haven't lived it." He frowned, because it was all very confusing. "It doesn't matter." He patted her on the leg and stood up to put the sword back in the scabbard. "When we beat the Ohm and get our worlds back we'll get to go back there."

[first_in_time]

"Back to London and Coal Hill, or back to the TARDIS with Susan and the Doctor?" She smiled and stood beside him.

[splendid_roman]

"I don't know." He hadn't really thought about it before. Home had just been an abstract concept. "Either I suppose. But I'd like to go home, check it's all in one piece." He smiled.

[first_in_time]

"See if Big Ben's on time and the Thames is still full?" she smiled back and went to the door. "If we do ever get Earth back, do you think Howard might want to come back with us?"

[splendid_roman]

That was an idea. He hadn't thought about it before, but he did now, as went back out into the corridor, still carrying the sword. "I don't know. It would be very different to what he's used to."