open | every life is a pile of good things and bad things;

[thedreamer]

Who: The Doctor & you
What: Catch-all for the month!
When: Through August / early September
Where: Lakeside & Milton + all points in between

Content Warnings: Potential warnings for tea time (memory sharing, loss of inhibitions, etc. depending!) Will update accordingly if needed.



[ ooc: no preference with brackets or prose, happy to write either! ]

Comments

open } everywhere!

[thedreamer]

[ Nearly one hundred and fifty days, five months, twenty-four hundred hours. Trapped here. But who's counting? Time continues to — annoyingly — insist on a forward motion in a linear fashion. Though, at least lately, he's finding it less maddening than it once was. It may perhaps be due to the company of certain others. Attachments to people have a way of settling his frenetic thoughts. If he were trapped here completely alone, he would be no less bothered by that reality, but though his sense of curiosity would compel him to understand the world and what happened here and his sense of protectiveness would make him want to understand the devastation wrought on those who previously lived here — his sense of self-preservation is shaky at best. There's little motivation he'd find for the sake of his own safety, but for others? Always.

So, of course, attaching to those who find themselves trapped here just deepens what is already a protective spirit. He will make this world safe, somehow, and filling in the rest comes later.

Since finding Sam's journal, he's been obsessively studying every detail and when the ground begins to quake frequently, it only makes him more determined to more deeply studying the land they inhabit. You can catch him around Milton, Lakeside, or anywhere in between attempting to capture movement with a makeshift seismograph, often using the branches of trees and weighing down some sharpened charcoal over bits of paper. Maybe it tells him nothing useful, but he's always one to try.

Of course, there is the matter of getting to safety when it happens, and he may or may not always be quick enough. In the event that anyone nearby is injured or falls through ice, he'll be on hand for rescue! ]

[ ooc: super flexible, if you wanna bump into him after a recent quake when he's studying the squiggly lines, or if you want to action it up with not getting to safety in time, I'm good with anything! also he has Interloper's Sacrifice to heal injuries if you'd like to play with that! ]

seismograph

[meadqueen]

[When Randvi spots the Doctor crouched over after one of the smaller quakes, she's worried he might be injured. She runs up to his side, the gangly young wolf puppy at her right side working hard to prevent her from tripping herself in her haste.]

Doctor!

[But it's easy to see that he's not injured. He's studying something, but she has no idea what it is.]

Is that writing?

[thedreamer]

[ Though he can be a bit more easily distractible than most, when he's deeply focused like this, it takes him even that half second or two longer to pull his mind away from what he's looking at, and actually respond.

As such, though he'd normally be instantly delighted by the sight of both Randvi and her wolf puppy, his mind first goes to answering, sharing, explaining some of the data he's trying to collect.

He makes a few notations with an extra pencil on the paper, nodding quickly and glancing up at her. ]

Writing, yes, though more specifically data measuring the movement, direction, strength of the earthquakes we've been experiencing.

[ He makes a note on a map he's spread out in front of him, but then it clicks, and his demeanor changes quite quickly, looking back at her with a smile and now standing up more fully to greet her — ]

Oh! Randvi! It's good to see you, and — you've brought a friend! Hello.

[meadqueen]

Oh, yes. This is Ulfrún. She is training to help me venture farther on my own.

[Randvi slips her some dried meat as a reward for staying at her right side and the puppy flops down happily to chew.]

Oh, these quakes have come on quite suddenly. It's as what we read in the journal, isn't it?

[thedreamer]

Ulfrún. [ He repeats, with a tone of reverence in his voice. He is, after all, delighted by all creatures. And for a moment, he'll address the puppy directly, smiling fondly as he watches her chew her treat. ] I'm glad we've met, Ulfrún. You keep a good eye on this one, eh? She's important.

[ To Randvi, he's quick to respond — ] Yes, it seems to be the very same. It's — interesting timing, to have that intel from the journal, and for it to be happening now.

jury rigged seismograph

[solitarysoul]

[Levi's seen old men with strange devices trying to measure...something or another here before. When he'd asked Croizer about his the man was happy to explain and even teach him a bit. He doesn't know the Doctor well, but he's pretty sure the guy'll at least tell him what he's doing. So when he spots the Time Lord with his seismograph shortly after a tremor he heads over.]

W-what is that?

Um, if you don't mind me asking.

[thedreamer]

Please. Ask all the questions you like as often as you like. Questions are good! Keeps your mind fresh and always turning.

[ That is to say, of course, he doesn't mind answering. ]

This is a seismograph, it's meant to measure data about earthquakes when they occur, like what we've been experiencing now. Once it's collected its data and the ground stops shaking, it's called a seismogram.

[ Well, to humans anyway. There's any number of things to call it beyond Earth, but he'll default to that terminology. ]

[solitarysoul]

Uh...okay.

[Yep, still a weird guy.]

What does it tell you when you have the...seismogram?

[thedreamer]

It can tell us how strong the earthquake was, and how far it was. This one a bit ago — [ The Doctor points out some of the different lines on the paper. ] Approximately ten kilometers. Not terribly strong, which is lucky.

injured! i'd love to play with some interloper's sacrifice stuff! c:

[notarat]

[ The fact that he got injured feels maddening. Sure, Billy knows a whole lot worse could have happened when the ground suddenly opened beneath his feet and he fell into a hole, but even a sprained ankle feels like it will give him a huge disadvantage in a place like this. And now he has to deal with it, even though he's made sure to be so careful during his entire stay here.

It might be why - when the Doctor can spot Billy sitting right next to the hole in the ground he just managed to barely climb out of - Billy isn't exactly looking happy. He doesn't even realize that the Doctor or anyone else is around, so he isn't bothering to put his relatively polite and neutral act in place. Instead there's actually visible upset on his face, though it's more pain than anger.

The lanky man startles when he looks up and sees the other there, realizing that he's been visible while openly in pain, but has to bite down some pride and worry to ask: ]

I-- Could you help me up?

[ He's not so sure he can even stand on that foot as-is. ]

perfect!!

[thedreamer]

William Gibson! Always a pleasure to see you, though I'm sure I speak for both of us, the circumstances this time 'round aren't quite ideal.

[ That large hole is quite obvious, of course, and immediate context clues have him understanding the man had fallen in and managed to, thankfully, get himself to the surface again. Not without injury, though. ]

Not to worry! You're in the best of hands. Well, you will be. In a moment. Soon as I —

[ Yes, that. The matter of actually helping him as he's asked, rather than chattering on as he does.

He could and would ordinarily just sling the man's arm over his shoulder and let him lean on him while leading him towards somewhere indoors where he could sit and rest and elevate the injury. But he can do far better than that now. He comes closer and kneels now in front of him. ]

Hang on. The injury, right here — [ His hands hover over his injured foot, drawn to it naturally even if it wasn't obvious. Like he can feel it. ] I can do better than help you up.

[notarat]

[ It helps that he's met the Doctor before, really. The other's chattiness would have been utterly shocking to Billy if this was his first time meeting the other, considering people tend to be more reserved than this where it comes from. But the last time he spoke to this man he had been similarly chatty and energetic, and it makes it at least less surprising when Billy tries to listen to the other ramble on, despite the sharp pain in his ankle.

Truthfully, the surprising thing doesn't come until the end there. It gives him Billy's full attention - the lanky man blinking at him, a kind of surprise obviously present in his eyes. ]

Better?

[ There's something faintly wary about it too. Sorry, nothing personal - it's just that Billy isn't really used to people willingly offering him help like this in the first place, so he can't help but wonder what the other's angle here is. Is he going to want something in return for this? Is he actually about to make it worse?

...

He resists the urge to pull his foot back, if not just because he knows it's going to hurt like hell if he does. Instead he asks, cautiously: ]

What do you mean?

[thedreamer]

[ In the entirety of his life, he's never thought to wonder what's in it for him, what he gets back in return for helping. Of course, there is a selfishness in him, always. It's more of a roundabout payment in that sense — he is here to help, whenever and wherever 'here' may be. That happens to be with William Gibson right now, but no matter where he goes, he's always there to help.

What does he ask in return? Nothing. (He thinks.) No, no, it's only — the way he can't be alone. The way he takes people from their safe and ordinary lives and promises them the stars and puts them in danger and — well, there's none of that here. He's a madman with a box, without a box. He can be his straightforwardly helpful self, and his earnestness can be doubted, and he'll still carry on as he always does. ]

Fix it, entirely. A few weeks back there was that aurora — that strange dream. Not everyone felt it, from what I've heard. And it's not the first time it's happened, I know. But in that dream — [ He won't share the details, it was far too personal, but what matters most is what happened when he woke. ] When I woke, I was given this ability to heal, evidently. Handy thing, that, all things considered here.

[ Does he like that his body and mind have been manipulated as they have been? No, it's just another thing out of his control, but he's at least able to help others quite literally and in a place like this, it truly is beneficial. ]

There's no need for you to soldier on with this injury when I can make it go away.

seismograph! post-quake

[readytosee]

[It's always wonderful to meet a fellow scientist. Or at least a fellow who is also interested in science, as this one seems to be, given the way he's studying squiggles on paper. So Darling approaches the rock where he's sitting, peeking curiously over his shoulder.]

Well! I don't know what you're studying, but I certainly do know a good graph when I see one. Can I ask what you're up to?

[thedreamer]

Love a good graph. And the squiggly lines — they're not just fun to look at, they tell a story. Beginning, middle, end yet to be determined. There's so much to learn from any and all. This one, though, it's — [ He's always just as eager himself to collaborate with anyone interested in science. The fact that this man is drawn to learn more just thrills him, so he's quick to show it off.

He has a map where he's been marking off different quakes and their data points and he holds it up. ]

The recent trembling, I wanted to measure what I could. Find a pattern in where they're occurring, if the strength of them is increasing in magnitude. Have a look.

open } also anywhere~

[thedreamer]

a. waypoints
[ If time and circumstances allow, the Doctor does his level best to divide himself between Milton and Lakeside. A journey, of course, and most of the month is spent in Lakeside or by the Basin, but he doesn't want to stray far for too long from Milton, either. Recent events have reinforced — for him at least — how very tightly they need to cling to what connections they can form here.

He is never really long deterred if people react with negativity towards him personally; that doesn't disrupt his feeling that he'll do his level best to look after others. His mercy does have limits, though, and it's a dark day when that time comes. It's never for his own sake, only if others are put in the path of harm. The worry of the Darkwalker's influence from recent months is ever present, the way that bonds — however stable or tenuous — can be tested. All the more reason to be in the thick of things where and when he can.

With the ground shaking as it has been, he worries at the way paths so well and frequently trodden might become unsafe. So with a pack on his shoulders, when going between Milton and Lakeside, he'll spend some time tying bits of broken glass around tree trunks — a way to reflect the moon or sunlight when it's visible, to help create a path in the dark. The pieces are small enough he'd hope they wouldn't be used for nefarious purposes, but enough to reflect and guide someone through thick fog if there's even the slightest hint of light. If you notice him on the path, he's always bother-able.

Of course, they've had trouble with things being moved or taken so there's no telling if things will remain where they are (especially with the ground moving as it is), but he also spends time every few miles placing fire-starter materials in the ground at the base of certain trees that he'll mark accordingly. Just in case someone were to get lost out here and be caught in the cold. ]

b. methuselah's feast
[ Though Methuselah is always too busy for a chat, the Doctor nonetheless extends his gratitude every time the man sets up these meals. The warmth, the food, the company — it's all appreciated. The Doctor has the tendency to invite himself to sit across from someone if they appear to be alone, and he'll offer a smile and a nod. ]

Don't mind the company?

methuselah's feast;

[clothed]

[ most of the interlopers (loathe as she is to call kith in such a manner, as it seems a touch insulting) are familiar with sansa enough now to leave her be. the girl with the needle, the girl with the large wolf, keen on keeping to herself in a corner and always happy to mend things when she can.

so it is a pleasant surprise to be interrupted as she braids some rope to make a belt. the feast provides great lighting even indoors, and she'd like to finish the belt for the lady randvi as a gift.

with a surprised but pleased look, sansa moves aside on the long bench to give the man space to sit, if he likes. ]

Not at all, my lord. Do you mean to sit with me?

[ lady's taken to posting herself outside, not keen on the burgeoning crowd within the halls. from time to time sansa catches the wolf peeking through the window, as though to check that she's still in place. ]

[thedreamer]

[ His smile — though brief — is one of gratitude as he moves to sit beside her. ]

As long as you'll have me! Not for a single moment would I take a meal like this for granted, but there's something about enjoying a meal in the company of others that sort of...elevates it.

[ Or, he just likes people and getting to know them. That's always been true, though it's no small thing to cling to even the briefest shred of community in a place like they find themselves now.

He sets his plate down, picking at his food lightly. He struggles, even now, with maintaining the balance of eating what he reasonably needs to sustain himself, while not wanting to take what could be sustenance for others. It is, perhaps, a more difficult line to tread than it should be. ]

I'm the Doctor, by the way. Just call me Doctor, no need for lord. Promise.

[ Despite being an actual Time Lord, the title is one she needn't trouble herself with. ]

[clothed]

[ lord— doctor? but isn't doctor a title? his name is his title, then? ]

You are a doctor of what? I understand it is a profession, yes? Like a Maester, or a scholar, but dedicated to particular methods or learning.

[ she watches him pick at his food and wonders why he means to delay his meal. food is scarce in winter time, and it always will be in a cold climate like in milton. she doesn't want to ask why so many she's met here seem to have some aversion to the food; do they mistrust their— alderman? is that what methuselah is?

certainly not a lord the way sansa's father was lord. methuselah never stays to mind the matters of the town. what is she missing? what does the man who calls himself doctor know? he's been here longer than she has.

sansa ventures it. ]

Do not keep a familiar companion? [ —oh, has she called him lonely? sansa winces. ] I mean no offence, I— We're a small gathering of strangers. I imagine it's more comfortable to keep to one or two friends, as it were, while we're here.

[ it would be practical. sansa has not been practical for most of her life. ]

[thedreamer]

[ It gets even more confusing from here — ]

For some, yes, you're entirely right. It is a profession. For most, the word doctor denotes someone who's a healer, who fixes things, who helps. A learned person, yes, but a guardian of sorts first and foremost. It's why I chose it, the name. And it is a name for me — when you choose your name, it's like...a promise you make. I made a promise to the universe. And more specifically, I'm the Doctor of nearly everything.

[ She's getting a more reasonable explanation out of him than most. He's usually more flippant about it, but her earnestness shifts his reaction a bit.

It would be difficult to offend the Doctor, of course, he loves questions. He might not always answer them, or might not answer truthfully, but he always appreciates them. And he smiles gently when she queries. ]

I have friends, yes, some very close here. But I wish to know everyone, to the extent I can, to the extent you and others would allow me. We are strangers, yes, with at least one thing in common. I wouldn't expect everyone to befriend the whole lot, but it's different for me.

methuselah's feast;

[powersuited]

[ Snow's a frequent presence in the community hall — at least when she's not occupied by fretting over Bigby and his continued healing after being shot, that is — and these days, she's not going to turn up her nose on any version of the stew being served, especially since it seems to have the reassuring ability to warm her from the inside for hours after she's helped herself to a bowl.

Besides, it does benefit her to check in with everyone, even if some faces are more familiar than others, and so she's pleasantly surprised by the young man who drops into a seat across from her, glancing up with a subtly quirked eyebrow before her expression blossoms into a smile. ]

Not at all. But I don't always make a habit of eating with strangers.

[ Which is why she gently offers her hand across the table. ]

I'm Snow.

[thedreamer]

Splendid. [ Food enjoyed with company is always just that touch better, in his mind. So he takes a seat promptly, settling his spoon down beside his bowl. ]

And now we aren't strangers!

[ The Doctor is quick to accept her offered hand, following that with a friendly nod while they shake. His own expression is warm, an easy smile on his face as he gets comfortable. There's food to enjoy, of course, and he absolutely will; never taking it for granted that they have this at all right now.

But when he meets someone new, that tends to take over his focus for a bit while he gets to know them. ]

Very glad to meet you, Snow. I'm the Doctor! Have you been okay recently, particularly with all this — quaking business?

[ Of course, there'd been so much prior to that, and it's only recently started. The Darkwalker turning people on each other, then the Aurora and the strange dreams. He likes to check in on people, even those he's just met. ]

[powersuited]

Now we aren't strangers.

[ Snow's response is a little more measured, but sincere nonetheless; she may not be as effusive as he is, or even some of the younger members of their group — the Interlopers, as they've been called in the past, even though she doesn't particularly care for that descriptor — but that doesn't mean she isn't endeared by the presence of someone who doesn't have any trouble at all filling the silence. ]

"Okay" feels a bit complicated, doesn't it?

[ She offers that in a more commiserating tone, not out of an effort to bemoan her circumstances, even swaying in his direction with the conspiratorial arch of one eyebrow before properly shifting back into her own seat. Even then, however, she stirs the contents of her own bowl with her spoon without really lifting any of it to her lips. Besides, in that moment, it feels important to clarify something: ]

Doctor? Doctor what?

super sorry for this delay!

[thedreamer]

[ Doctor what, she says, and he can't quite help himself — ] Oh yes, if you like! Just Doctor suits me well enough, though.

[ To her point before, he gives it seemingly a moment of deep consideration. "Deep" for him means longer than his usual two seconds before he's jumping into the next thought immediately like a whirlwind. Seemingly giving her his full attention for now, though, he briefly overlooks his food, folding his hands together and focusing. ]

It is, it is complicated and multi-layered and working ourselves into the answer isn't terribly immediate, is it? It's no quick thing. What with everything that's happened lately, that's happening now. It's an interesting word itself, too, isn't it — okay. To describe how you're feeling, to give approval, to offer it by way of accepting an apology.

[ He stops short of launching into explaining the full origin of the word okay, at least. For now. ] Perhaps the better question is — what do you make of it all and, if you could be eating anything but this right now, what would it be? Favorite meal. Technically two questions, both important!

tea time;

[thedreamer]

[ ooc: very, very open to any of the prompts, but keeping this flexible to do more custom starters depending on if you'd like the Doctor stumbling across your character having already indulged in some tea, or vice versa, or a mashup of anything, so just let me know what you're vibing with and I'll write something custom! ]