Something's not right. Actually, everything.

[doublefirst]

Romanadvoratrelundar realized quite quickly that she was a very long way from Gallifrey.

It wasn't her first thought; that was focused on the brilliant purple-green swirl that towered over her. Surprised, she took a step back, and nearly tripped over some sort of cage. With straps on it, like a harness. Person-sized, about, and apparently broken.

Comments

[thatsortofaman]

The Doctor, on occasion, likes to wander around the city. And if his wanderings happen to take him to this part of the city... well, that certainly doesn't mean anything at all. It is the part of the city where he's extremely unlikely to run into anyone he knows, mostly because hardly anyone ventures here anymore, since the earthquake, and since the reign of Calisto... The fact that his current path takes him right by the warehouse, of course, certainly has no significance at all

[doublefirst]

The voice startles her a little. She'd thought she'd heard something, but she'd been busy trying to work out the planet's size and climate from the level of refraction in the atmosphere. When the noises start speaking, though, clearly that demands her attention.

"The Rift?" she asks, turning around. "Do you know what that is in there?"

The man seems familiar - not in the sense that she's ever seen him before, but in a sense that anyone who wasn't a Time Lord probably wouldn't have a word for. Her mind couldn't sense the other Time Lords anymore, which she'd assumed was some residual disorientation from whatever had brought her here; but there was certainly something about this man that didn't quite fit in four dimensions. In any event, he looked reasonably civilized, which was a promising sign.

[thatsortofaman]

"The Rift," he repeats, as if that's supposed to explain anything at all. "It's more or less a standing hole in the fabric of- ROMANA!" Whatever explanation he was given cuts off as he registers that he knows her face, oh, he knows that face, and his concerned, uneasy grimace abruptly becomes an overeager grin as he bounds the rest of the distance to her, taking her shoulders in his hands.

"Oh, look at you, labcoat and all, ready to take on the universe! I forgot how young you were back then. Well, suppose I was young too... Not quite so young, mind you... Least I'm better looking this time around. Aren't I?" It's amazing he says all of that almost in one breath without tripping over himself, though whether or not the words are at all comprehensible is another matter entirely.

[doublefirst]

"Oh-" Romanadvoratrelundar's attempts to reply was hampered a bit by she had absolutely no idea what was happening to her or what this man was babbling about.

Well, he had to be a Time Lord. That, or he was just completely deranged; but he certainly seemed to recognize her, suggesting he was someone from further along her time track.

Time Lords weren't normally supposed to interact with acquaintances from time zones, because of the obvious continuity troubles; and Romanadvoratrelundar thought she had found another good reason, as she wondered if this man was indicative of what her future would be like. But during such an encounter, it was doubly important to remain focused on the present, so she oughtn't let herself be distracted.

"I'm sorry," she continued, frowning, while these thoughts were running through her head. "Who are you?" she demanded. "-How do you know me?" she added, a second later. Then, "…What's the fabric of romana?"