[Open Post] Yup! I'm about, doin' a bit of research...

[bnans_r_good]

We're not entirely sure what happened to the Ninth regeneration of the Doctor during the earthquake: we do know that before he found her, the TARDIS vanished off the lawn (an event witnessed by Jack Harkness, who at least had the good sense to not dive after her and hang on like a barnacle like he did that one time which resulted in the TARDIS

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[genial_umbrella]

Genevieve has resumed studying - she's currently doing some reading which her history teacher gave her, on the aftermath of the Second World War, and is doing a lot of blinking, a lot of staring.

Of course she'd heard of the Marshall Plan, even benefited from it personally. What befuddles her is the Cold War.

How did it come to this?

[bnans_r_good]

She might hear someone humming "Luck be a Lady", and a tallish fellow passes by her. He'll stop humming and back up, eyeing her books, head tilted.

"Hullo. Doin' a bit o' light readin'?" he asks, cheerily.

[genial_umbrella]

"Hardly," Genevieve replies with a small sigh. She frowns, waves the book at the Doctor. "Is this really what happened, Monsieur? Do you know?"

[bnans_r_good]

If she allows, he'll take the book from her and scan the pages, flipping through several. "Mostly what happened: The U.S.S.R. and the free world -- self styled; got a bit too much like the other side in their own way -- in one big Mexican stand-off, each side waitin' for t'other to make one foolish move," he says, a little high-handedly. "Called it a cold war, but it was more like a slow boil war, like bunch o' teakettles on simmer, makin' noise, threatenin' t' boil. Wasn't just folks on Earth gettin' their knickers in a knot: a few groups from beyond saw a chance to get a hand in the pot, 'specially durin' the Cuban Missile Crisis."

[genial_umbrella]

The book is plucked, and Genevieve blinks at the Doctor, only catching on to the most blatant subtext in his analysis.

"... I'm sorry, Docteur... you are... an alien?" Given her friendships with the Karovans and her boyfriend being a superhero, she's not discounting that possibility, at all.

And aliens got involved?

[bnans_r_good]

"Time Lord, from the planet Gallifrey," he replies. "Your lot on Earth, aliens relative to me. All depends on point of view and where yer standin' in time and space."

He was a different man when he dealt with those opportunists elbowing in on the Cuban Missile Crisis, but still he remembers it like it was the day after tomorrow.

[genial_umbrella]

"Ah, yes, of course," Genevieve agrees quickly, to cover her embarassment. "I'm sorry, from where I come from, we've only barely begun walking on the moon..."

[bnans_r_good]

He grins at that. "Man's first step: a little one, but the start of greater steps to come," he says. "Come the fifty-first century, you lot will be well-spread out through the Milky Way Galaxy, usin' the Earth name for it, generational ships spread out among the stars, colonies on dozens of habitable planets and space stations."

[genial_umbrella]

"That's a long ways away, though," Genie replies thoughtfully. "... my Karovan friends didn't say they were from the future, or at least, not that far in the future."

Pause.

"And I'd know if they were."

Because one of them is a bit of a yabber-mouth.

[bnans_r_good]

"Oh, there's folk already livin' on a lot of the planets your lot will find: some friendly, some less so. Some that look human, but evolved a little different from you lot on Earth," he says. "Some that look completely different: been to one place inhabited by singin' slugs: friendly lot; smell a bit odd till y' get used to it."

[genial_umbrella]

"Singing slugs?" Genevieve replies, chuckling. "Oh, that must have been a hoot!"

[bnans_r_good]

"Yep! Odd-lookin', but it's their main claim to fame: folk from all over the galaxy come to their planet for their concerts," he says. "Sounds like a bunch o' giant teakettles whistling on pitch."

[genial_umbrella]

"That must be so strange," Genie repeats, eyes wide. "So very strange."

Pause.

"... did they take on students?"

That would be even stranger.

[bnans_r_good]

"Unfortunately -- or fortunately, dependin' on yer POV -- they didn't: got special vocal cords. Have to be born with 'em or y' won't be able to hit the kind o' multi-note tones they make," he says.