taxonomites | [Location: Taxon Streets, the Wilde/Central-ish Portion]/[Voice] Turn Left

Tara's had her first full day back at work. It was quiet, and calming, and she feels a little better for having something to do. She's been working on herbs, magical and mundane, principally for Morgana, who she genuinely hopes is healing herself. She hasn't looked up Morgana (or Cordelia or Rose) yet, giving them a bit of space and taking some for herself. Still, she's getting the shop back in order, expanding the inventory, and trying not to think about the fact she hasn't felt her magic since Sam had told her she could let go. It would come back - she just had to wait and trust it.

And if it didn't... she'd survive. Maybe a little broken, but she'd hang in there. There was a lot a person could learn to live with, if they have to.

She locks up and starts to head for home. She feels like walking; there's a small current of fear that doesn't leave her these days, but being around Extras is worse than walking by herself. It's a nice enough evening, a little cloudy and not too hot, and she could use the exercise, now that she feels stronger.

Of course, this is all lovely until the glitch hits.

Suddenly, Tara looks terrified. She doesn't know where she is, or how she got here, but she knows she is not where she is supposed to be. This is so very, very bad.

She fumbles through her pockets and finds a thing that looks sort of like a phone. She presses "talk," and says, "H-hello? Is a-anyone t-there?" Her stutter is thick, and her voice is quiet despite the panic; if she were less panicked, she would never dare to just talk on a strange phone, but when her family notices her gone, bad things will happen. And if anyone here finds out what she is -

- she needs to go home. Right away.

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He steps out and looks at Tara warily. She looks different. It's the way her hair falls in her face, the way her eyes look. Something's changed, but he hasn't the faintest idea what.

"It's called a TARDIS," he says, putting his hand on the side of the ship. "I've told you about her before, do you remember that?"

She shakes her head. "I d-don't think we've m-met before. I'm s-sorry." She doesn't quite make eye contact, looking near him but not squarely at him.

He takes a cautious step forward. It's like talking to Doul, when he was En Doul. His friend but not quite his friend.

"Tara, it's me. I'm the Doctor. Your friend."

She winces. "I'm sorry, I-I don't know w-who you are." She's trying not to disagree, or to correct him, but she doesn't want to lie either. She feels caught.

He shakes his head calmly, though inside he's seething with anger. This city is hurting the people he loves. And while, in a way, it's good for Tara to not remember the things the Master did to her, she deserves those memories. She deserves the person she's become in this city.

"It's all right," he says. "But you can trust me, I won't let anything happen to you."

She tucks a little hair behind her ear, still not quite making eye contact. "I... I just n-need to get h-home."

"Yeah, I know," he says. "That's what we're trying to do---I thought the TARDIS would be able to get us there, but they've done something to her."

He steps over to the box and pats her side. "She's gone utterly silent on me about it. I can't imagine it was pleasant."

"W-where are you two from?" she asks, very hesitantly.

"Long way off," he says. "Possibly even longer, once we figure out where we are. Definitely long way off from Sunnydale, California."

They'll get Tara back to how she was. Whatever they've taken away can't be that drastic, can it?

"I d-didn't come from Sunnydale," she says, hesitantly.

The Doctor stops and turns around.

"What are you talking about? You told me that was your home. All those friends of yours...?"

She blushes.

"It's about an hour away from where I grew up. B-but I live in T-tennessee now."

Maybe that was the change. Maybe she moved away before she met her friends.

"Blimey, Tennessee. One of those---what do they call them? Red states, right? Must not be easy for you, in your time period." Once they had her back to herself and fixed the TARDIS, he'd take her to worlds without prejudice. To Earth, once it grew up a bit.

The blush deepens, and her look turns distinctly wary now. "W-why do you say that?"

There are a number of reasons she's a freak, of course, but which one he knows makes a difference.

He looks back to her again. Ah, of course. Growing up in a different environment, there's probably a lot she hasn't opened up about herself. The things the Doctor knows about Tara, he takes for granted. But he can't make her afraid, she looks like she's about to crack at any moment anyway.

"No reason. Now! Tea! That'll solve all this, I think. Cup of tea, quick walk 'round. Show you about the place. Must warn you, if I say we need to run, running is probably a good idea. Oh, and don't wander off."

"Is it very d-dangerous?" She's unnerved by how he knows more about her than he's saying, but she also is willing to go along with him for now, at least a little, because she doesn't feel like she has much other choice.

"Well, it can be," he says. He shrugs. "It's a city. Good people, bad people. Hamsters."

"H-hamsters?"

He offers her a small smile. "Long story. Ah! But we've got a tea shop here! I love a little tea shop!"

"T-tea is alright," she says, to be agreeable mainly. She's too overwhelmed to feel much about the prospect of tea either way.

[Location: Taxon Streets, the Wilde/Central-ish Portion]/[Voice] Turn Left

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