twelve | location: streets of taxon |

[rude-not-ginger.livejournal.com]

The Doctor has to start working eventually. And while nobody hates the idea of working quite like the Doctor hates working, he hates the idea of being back in prison even more than that.

So, behold the Doctor, carrying things from a replication unit to the square where he's working on his next project. At present, the things he's creating are three-foot pieces of metal. He's spitting out a few at a time, and then moving them to a large pile where he has more already stacked up.

There's also a series of papers he's had made up sitting not far off from the stacks of sheet metal. They read: MISSING: ONE SONIC SCREWDRIVER. HONESTLY, NOW, STEALING ISN'T RIGHT AT ALL, IS IT?

Oh, he's also got a plate of pink-frosted cupcakes. A Time Lord's gotta eat, y'all.

Comments

Re: [Location: streets of Taxon]

[iam-thebadwolf.livejournal.com]

"Won't say a word," Rose promises. She doesn't have any reason to reveal Morgana's secret. It's really of no concern to her.

His smile gets returned and she continues to ruffle her fingers through his hair. "Better interest than say obsession with football."

Re: [Location: streets of Taxon]

[rude-not-ginger.livejournal.com]

"Never could understand the interest in football," the Doctor says. "Mind you, seeing Manchester United in 1973 was fairly life-affirming, but I've got other things to worry about!"

He leans his head a little, like a dog being pet. She's quite good at this.

Re: [Location: streets of Taxon]

[iam-thebadwolf.livejournal.com]

Well she does have a 'thing' for his hair and she' ll just keep on petting him. Counting sheet metel bits...what?

"oy life affirming? Ought to go see that after Mozart."

Re: [Location: streets of Taxon]

[rude-not-ginger.livejournal.com]

"One trip," the Doctor reminds her. "You've got a timeline to get back to, Rose. I can't take you from that."

He gives her a sad smile. "You've got my life to save out there."

Re: [Location: streets of Taxon]

[iam-thebadwolf.livejournal.com]

She sobers at that. She still doesn't want to go back to her timeline. She takes a deep breath, her hand drilling in his hair for a moment before she resumes.

"Save you?"

He hasn't shared that part yet

Re: [Location: streets of Taxon]

[rude-not-ginger.livejournal.com]

"Yup," he says. "What? You think I was just going to send you back without a reason?"

It's not the only reason, of course.

Re: [Location: streets of Taxon]

[iam-thebadwolf.livejournal.com]

Rose purses her lips, staring down at her fingernails which are very interesting right now; chipped pink polish and all. "Don't know. Thought maybe you'd packed up my room for somethin' else...like a sewing room."

It doesn't matter that as far as she knows, the Doctor doesn't sew. She's not really talking about literal packing up or even literal rooms.

Re: [Location: streets of Taxon]

[rude-not-ginger.livejournal.com]

"I don't sew," the Doctor replies.

He does mend, though. And returning her to her own timeline will mend it. He knows this, but it doesn't mean he has to like it.

Re: [Location: streets of Taxon]

[iam-thebadwolf.livejournal.com]

"Sort of figured that...just off the top of my head," Rose answers looking back up at him.

Also? She still wants to fight him on the 'her time line' thing but that's a fight for closer to this project of his being done. She takes a breath, holds it a moment then lets it out.

"Hundred fifty in this stack? Seven thousand in that one, yeah?" she points to the respective stacks

Re: [Location: streets of Taxon]

[rude-not-ginger.livejournal.com]

The Doctor focuses on her face. What does she mean when she responds? Does she really understand? Does she---

Oh, wait, she's asking him something.

"What? Oh! Yes. Hundred fifty. Seven thousand."

Re: [Location: streets of Taxon]

[iam-thebadwolf.livejournal.com]

She really doesn't. He's a Time Lord. She's a human girl. It makes sense to her that he wouldn't have room in his life for her after a while.

"Alright then." She sits back down on the ground to begin counting the sheets of metal. Starting with the hundred fifty stack. She unzips the hoody she's wearing and pulls it off, folding it on the ground beside her without much thought to the white bandage on her wrist. It's not huge but not small either.

Re: [Location: streets of Taxon]

[rude-not-ginger.livejournal.com]

The Doctor raises an eyebrow at the bandage. "What happened?" he asks, casually.

Re: [Location: streets of Taxon]

[iam-thebadwolf.livejournal.com]

Rose glances to the bandage, just remembering it's there. "Oh. Nothin' really. Moving some furniture about yesterday and scraped it up on a sharp edge. S'fine," she assures him.

She's not a fantastic liar but she does try.

Re: [Location: streets of Taxon]

[rude-not-ginger.livejournal.com]

"Oh," he says. It seems like a perfectly reasonable explanation, actually, except:

"Where? Everything was where you'd left it yesterday."

Re: [Location: streets of Taxon]

[iam-thebadwolf.livejournal.com]

Oh he would remember furniture placement. Sodding geniuses.

"The living room. Flipped everything around then decided I liked it better the way it was."

She was human! And female! She's allowed to change her mind.

And lie.

Apparently.

Re: [Location: streets of Taxon]

[rude-not-ginger.livejournal.com]

"Rose," the Doctor says.

Re: [Location: streets of Taxon]

[iam-thebadwolf.livejournal.com]

Oy. She knows that tone. She's caught.

Oh well. Play along.

"Doctor."

Re: [Location: streets of Taxon]

[rude-not-ginger.livejournal.com]

He sighs and doesn't respond, merely crossing his arms and looking down at her with serious disapproval.

Re: [Location: streets of Taxon]

[iam-thebadwolf.livejournal.com]

Now she feels like she's five years old.

"What? M'bad at moving furniture."

A pause because she's got to re-arrange some of this dirt so she can dig herself in deeper.

"And I change my mind a lot!"

She really doesn't want him to poo poo her research. Nor does she want him to find out what she's doing exactly. He's too clever and he knows her too well. He'll realize what her goal is.

"Probably be healed up in a few days." Or a week. Maybe two. And it's not strictly an admission that her story is a big fat lie. It just has more of a ring of truth to it than the rest of her words.

Re: [Location: streets of Taxon]

[rude-not-ginger.livejournal.com]

"Rose, what happened?" the Doctor asks, firmly. "Did someone hurt you?"

Re: [Location: streets of Taxon]

[iam-thebadwolf.livejournal.com]

"No. No one hurt me," Rose answers and she's completely and utterly honest about that. In fact, she was the one that did the cutting. "Scouts honor." And she puts her hand over her heart.

Re: [Location: streets of Taxon]

[rude-not-ginger.livejournal.com]

"Are you sure?" he asks, still concerned. He can't help it. He promised her mother he'd take care of her, and, well, he's more than a bit fond of her anyway.

Re: [Location: streets of Taxon]

[iam-thebadwolf.livejournal.com]

She smiles at him, more easily this time. "Promise, Doctor. I'm alright and this is nothing. Doesn't even hurt."

Well it doesn't as long as she doesn't put pressure on it. It is still a bit tender to the touch.

Re: [Location: streets of Taxon]

[rude-not-ginger.livejournal.com]

He's not convinced, but he'll tuck that information in the back of his mind and keep an eye on her arms. If someone's hurting her, he'll want to find out, and soon.

"So! I'll be out again tonight, I think," he says. "But I should be back by tomorrow, again. Sadly, this thing won't be built in a day. Or even two. Bit too big."

Re: [Location: streets of Taxon]

[iam-thebadwolf.livejournal.com]

Rose doesn't like this whole 'out again tonight' thing. She knows there's not really a lot she can do about it beside stamp her foot and huff a lot. She's possibly paranoid that he's trying to avoid her during night time hours.

"So you're going to be building this tonight?"