Visit to the Beach (Open)

[clevercricketer]

The Doctor wandered a while longer throughout the TARDIS, but as usual, found himself opening the door to the console room once again. He wandered about the center controls, running a hand along the edge, as if he could coax it like a canine to play along. He came to one panel and paused. Had that indicator been there before? He would have

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[first_in_time]

Now that Barbara was covered up adequately, all the feathers were out of her hair, and the paint washed off her face, she decided that it might be best if she had some time away from Ian. Just for a short while. So she walked the corridors of the TARDIS and tried to think of all the things she could do to better occupy her mind.

But of course, she found herself in the console room. Again.

She went to turn and leave but a rather interesting looking gentleman was talking to himself in the corner. In past experiences on board the TARDIS, it wasn't always wise to talk with people she hadn't met before whilst being on her own. This was, however, the Guardians' TARDIS, not all of time and space, and she still wasn't certain if she believed whether or not the Master was as terrible as people were saying.

((I can't remember if they've met or not...I think they have but let's just say she can only see part of what he's wearing. Or we can do a whole new introduction))

[clevercricketer]

((They have already met, and since it's dark and we can say he's hiding behind the main part of the console there's no need for a new post. ;) ))

Hiding was indeed the right term for what he was doing as he pulled out his half-moon spectacles and peered down at the console, before looking up. She was mostly obscured from his view with the console between them but he straightened up with a smile.

"Hello again!" It felt like it had been a while since they'd run into each other in the pub. How long ago had it been? He honestly didn't care at the moment. It was just nice to have a familiar face around, one that wasn't the Master. He looked around and found the lights, raising them a little so they weren't lurking in the dark.

[first_in_time]

"Doctor," she smiled warmly in greeting. It was still strange to call him that, considering he wasn't an elderly man with a walking stick and grumpy attitude.

"...what are you doing?" Barbara asked, risking a couple of steps toward him.

[clevercricketer]

"Just indulging a little curiosity." He smiled warmly and waved her over. While he was't entirely amused at the sudden appearance of a new feature on the console, he still wanted to show Barbara and see her reaction. "The Guardians appear to have provided a map of our location ." He pokes at the map and moves it to demonstrate how to manipulate it. "I can't determine where we've landed without going outside, but considering the roads, I would estimate there is a small population on this island. Perhaps a modest level of technology, even."

[first_in_time]

"The map has changed," she said curiously, peering at what the Doctor had found, "last time there weren't any roads. Just jungle and varying stages of hill above sea level."

Not that she felt any better or worse for going outside. She still felt there was a possibility that tribes might try and catch her for some kind of punishment because she was doing something that she didn't know was wrong.

"You're going to go out there, aren't you?" because she knew that look in his eye.

[clevercricketer]

"Last time? Changed?" He gave her a perplexed look, and then chalked it up to the Guardians mucking about with landings and time, again. A moment later he was smiling again and reaching for the door control, pulling out his hat as he moved toward it. "Of course I'm going to go. It looks like they have a rather extensive beach. Care to join?" He offered an elbow gallantly. He hardly did that anymore, especially with Tegan, and Nyssa when she was around. Still, something about it felt right, perhaps a shade of his old self slipping into his mannerism.

[first_in_time]

Barbara gave the elbow a small, skeptical look. She knew how their trip would end; they'd be chased or attacked or captured. It would be safer in the TARDIS. It was always safer in the TARDIS.

But she found her arm looping around the Doctor's elbow with a sigh and a small smile. "Yes, last time. And we encountered tribes of men and women that didn't like us being together, according to their customs, men and women weren't allowed to be anywhere near one another outside of a full moon."

[clevercricketer]

"Interesting. Who was with you?" He honestly meant his expression of interest as he opened the door and stepped out onto a dirt road, surroundd by a field of red-orange grass. It wasn't Gallifrey but it certainly was a close match, as far as the grass went anyway. The trees were a more yellow shade of orange, and their reflections gave the blue sky an almost purplish hue in the afternoon light. The Doctor stopped hardly a step out of the door, a brief flash of uncertainty on his face before picking right back up and pointing down the road with a smile.

"The beach should be this way. I wonder what color the sand will be... You were saying about the 'last time'?"

[first_in_time]

"Ian was with me." Barbara looked up at the beautiful sky as the Doctor walked her in the direction of the beach. "They kept trying to tie him to a totem pole," she added in a displeased tone.

"I haven't ever really seen you as a beach person," she commented curiously.

[clevercricketer]

"That's rather unfortunate, I imagine they might have been an interesting culture to experience if they'd been more open to your presence." He almost pouted, he didn't like the idea himself of Ian being tied up. He considered both Barbara and Ian to be good friends at this point, and hearing they had been in trouble made him pat her hand on his arm gently, still smiling. "Beaches are lovely places, very peaceful and can have a great biodiversity. They also make excellent places for a pick-up game of cricket."

[first_in_time]

Well, the Doctor would be close to the truth in relation to what was going on between Ian and Barbara. They were certainly close and considered one another good friends but recently it had taken a few more steps forward. Although that would probably halt for a while after being caught out by the Captain.

The very memory of that made Barbara cringe.

But, she smiled at the Doctor. "You never once mentioned a fondness for cricket when we traveled with you," which was just as well, or else she'd never have been able to talk about anything interesting, what with Ian being so keen himself.

[clevercricketer]

He gives her an amused smile and straightens up, almost proudly.

"Well, back then it was more of a passing interest. These days I'm a bit more, well, active." He holds his hat down as a gentle seabreeze picks up, carrying the faint scent of ocean. He takes a breath and looks down the road, which is now sloping gently toward a short line of trees, beyond which the sound of waves can be heard. "Excellent! Almost there, and that breeze is lovely. If we had a few of the others along, we might have been able to have a game and a picnic."

[first_in_time]

"If you've a bat and ball, I'll play," she told him, the smell of ocean lifting her spirits, "I can't promise I'll be any good, however."

[clevercricketer]

"There's a bat or two back at the TARDIS." He didn't even give a glance back however. They were on their way to the beach and he was not about to turn back. "But I do," he dug into a pocket and pulled out a cricket ball, "keep a cricket ball with me these days. Perhaps we can make due with a bit of driftwood, or just a few tosses between friends in the meantime." He smiled as they approached the trees. He gave them a quick glance and didn't notice any threat in them as he parted the branches. The look on his face was one more of child-like wonder, the excitement of seeing a new place for the very first time. "Oh my

[first_in_time]

While Barbara may not have visited the beach in quite a while, she knew that foot prints were common. All that being said, however, the emerald sand and unusual sea colour. It reminded her of the beach she'd visited with Ian not long after boarding the Guardian's TARDIS, where the sand was blue and the sea was pink. Although the gravity was more troublesome then rather than now.

"This is rather beautiful," she smiled at the Doctor, letting him go to scoop some of the sand into her hand.They should have brought vials or jars with them, for Ian would have loved to experiment on the sand to work out why it was emerald.

[clevercricketer]

The Doctor was already on the case as he scooped up a small handful of sand as well, pinching it and studying it closely with a squint. He gave it a cursory sniff and then a taste test, making a brief face before he looked out at the ocean in thought as he mulled over his findings.

"Iron oxide, I believe. Same sort of thing you use to make green bottles on Earth." He smiled, amused. "Perfectly safe to take a stroll, and harmless in combination with the water, though I don't know what else is in the ocean here, or whatever this body of water is." He was still too excited, it was like a little bit of home, but with a reasonably sized body of water and different foliage. For once, it seemed honestly calming so rather than rushing off he just sighed quietly, looking out over the water.