Moving Forward Part 04 - Chapter 34 - Encounters
Title: Moving Forward Series Part 04 - Chapter 34 - Encounters
Author: othermewriter
Most Awesome Beta: lostwolfchats
Previous Chapter: Moving Forward Series Part 04 - Chapter 33 - The Stone Rose
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chapter 34 - Encounters
Curiosity got the better of me then. "What?"
"Well..." he stated with a northern drawl “My dear Rose do you want to go out or stay in?"
Much as I am tempted to say stay in, I can't help but consider that the only bathing available was the small water basin with cold water and I'm not keen on spending the next couple of days reeking of sweat and sex.
‘Verity do you think…’
‘Best not. With the way things have been going recently I don’t want to chance us getting separated in both time as well as space.’
"I guess out." and by the smile on his face I can tell he had already come to the same conclusion and had something specific in mind.
“Than out it is.” He states giving me one of his biggest grins and holds out his hand revealing a TARDIS key.
"Ah, kind of got one of those, Bad Wolf here remember?"
"Not one of these, well not as Rose." he states flipping the key in his hand to reveal the perception filter grafted to its back and smiling like a loon.
"You think you're so clever."
"Oi, genius me." he states mock offended as he slides the chain over my head then proceeds to pull another altered key out of his pocket looping it's chain over his own head. "Now no running Ms. Tyler." he states pulling the door open slightly to peer into the hall.
Moving up behind him I state in his ear. "Oi yourself, not the one that usually causes us to have to run." I tease back with a smile as I follow him out into the hall.
As he takes my hand he asks quietly mischievous with hint of seriousness. "Better then beans and toast?"
"Better with two" I state as I squeeze his hand.
"Better with you." he say smiling, one of his genuine smiles, that I still see far too infrequently.
----------------------------
As I pull out the keys I can tell she hasn't put it together and when she does her smile is bright as the noon sun.
As we move into the inn area on the ground floor I switch over to telepathic communication, and grimace as I realize one of the last times I spoke so frequently like this outside the TARDIS was during the war. This earns me a concerned look from Rose.
'I had a feeling that these might come in handy' I ignore the look not wanting to share my grim thought and instead state, 'Depending on the species they may or may not be very effective, and they will do us no good with electronic surveillance, but no reason we can't use them to explore a bit here.'
'Not like were libel to run electronics here.' she quips back.
'You would be surprised some of the places you find it out of it's time.' I state flipping the key about my neck.
-----------------------------------
As he makes teasing comments I hear a bit of an interesting conversation and stop to listen. "...Have gone missing recently."
"Yes, had you heard about young Octavian and his sister? The vanished right after their father paid that new sculptor that everyone is raving about.
"Never thought he would amount to much that one, but he has finally come into his own, wouldn't have thought he would ever be any good based on his early statues, complete rubbish they were, in fact some of them were down right hideous."
"Suppose it was that school he went off to awhile back." the first man states sounding dubious.
"Truly Thesius, you have to admit it the likeness between Octavian and Olivia and their statues is uncanny, so lifelike you would almost expect them to start speaking."
Looking over I can tell The Doctor can barely contain his curiosity and in silent agreement we step back around a corner and slip off our keys.
'Give me a moment then join me.' comes the Doctor's quiet thought as he strides off.
"Pardon me patrons but did I hear you mention that there a competent sculpture around?" The Doctor asks coming up to the two men. "You see I would love to have a sculpture done of my new bride."
"Well, just rumors you know. Word gets about, but a wealthy citizen such as yourself I am sure could find plenty of sculptors."
"No, no, whoever does her statue must be truly exceptional to capture her true beauty." With that I feel myself blush in embarrassment and quickly join him before he says more.
As I step into their line of sight he smiles and with a completely straight face states, "A real goddess of fortune she is." and I can barely contain a laugh at his reference to the statue we saw in the museum and hide my smile behind a ruse of humility.
“That she is citizen,” states Thesius. “I can see why you would consider yourself a fortunate man to be married to such a young beauty.”
The smell of arousal that suddenly accompanies that statement surprises me as well as makes me feel uncomfortable. I can feel the doctor bristle even as he steps between us and states. “So what do you know of this sculptor that everyone is talking about, what was his name again?”
“Ursus” The man’s friend states distractedly as he not so surreptitiously eyes the necklace that the TARDIS had provided me. I move a bit closer to the Doctor’s leather clad form. He casually loops his arm around my waist distracting him and making clear his protection, both men take note and I can almost see them realize he isn’t someone that they wish to cross.
******************************
Three Months Earlier:
******************************
“Ursus, you are a fool if you think that anyone will purchase that hideous thing!” are the jeering words from his elder brother Claudius.
“Seriously what were you modeling off of Ursus the freaks in oddities show that came through last month?” come the irksome words of his other brother Tadilus.
Claudius’ words are a sneer, “Come now Tadilus can’t you see he is using himself for the model?” With that his brothers laugh in great peals as they turn and head for the road into town.
Ursus grinds his teeth at their tormenting knowing well his father’s favorites will never be punished for their harassing words. Always others have praise his brothers work but soon he will he will show them. Soon his masterpiece will be complete and then the temple vendors will clamor for his works instead of theirs.
***********************
An hour later he hears a voice he has never hear before, “I’m looking for the man named Ursus. Would you happen to know him?” Asks a man in rich black garb that just screams wealth, but whose face has an oily, sinister smile.
“What you want him for?” comes the growl from the huge man, working away at a statue with hands too large for its arms and head to small for it’s shoulders.
“I have a proposition for him that I think he might find very profitable.”
“I’m him, what kind of proposition?” He asks pausing chisel in hand curious in spite of the uneasy feeling the man creates in him.
“First I have a question for you Ursus. What would you give to be a sculptor to rival one of the rich masters? What would you give to have all the beautiful ladies in the market fawning over your work?
“Anything!” he replies.
“Then Ursus I do believe I have something to show you. Do you have a chicken or small bird perhaps?”
“Yes.” He replies with confusion at the change in subject.
“Bring it to me.”
“Why?” he asks suspicious.
“I have a small demonstration for you. Something I think you wish to possess.”
Looking long and hard at the man for a moment he turns and walks to the side of the house were there is a small coop of chickens. A moment later he roughly pulls out a squawking chicken holding it up to him.
The man in black steps forward, and suddenly Ursus wonders what the man is up to as he states “Watch very carefully now”. With that the man pulls from his belt a pair of heavy gloves like those used by a smithy and dons them. Confused he continues to watch. Smiling in a way that makes Ursus skin crawl he reaches for the chicken. As the bird stiffens instantly at the man’s touch startled he abruptly lets go. In his hands Ursus watches in fascination as brilliant feathers are replaced by marble, the transformation radiating out from where the man’s hands are touching the bird. Mere moments later the man is placing in his still up raised hand the stone bird.
“Witch craft he mumbles” as he stares at the stone bird in awe, every feather, every detail complete down to small twists where the man had been holding it faithfully duplicated.
“Now what would you give me in exchange for my marvelous gloves?”
Moving Forward Index
Author: othermewriter
Most Awesome Beta: lostwolfchats
Previous Chapter: Moving Forward Series Part 04 - Chapter 33 - The Stone Rose
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chapter 34 - Encounters
Curiosity got the better of me then. "What?"
"Well..." he stated with a northern drawl “My dear Rose do you want to go out or stay in?"
Much as I am tempted to say stay in, I can't help but consider that the only bathing available was the small water basin with cold water and I'm not keen on spending the next couple of days reeking of sweat and sex.
‘Verity do you think…’
‘Best not. With the way things have been going recently I don’t want to chance us getting separated in both time as well as space.’
"I guess out." and by the smile on his face I can tell he had already come to the same conclusion and had something specific in mind.
“Than out it is.” He states giving me one of his biggest grins and holds out his hand revealing a TARDIS key.
"Ah, kind of got one of those, Bad Wolf here remember?"
"Not one of these, well not as Rose." he states flipping the key in his hand to reveal the perception filter grafted to its back and smiling like a loon.
"You think you're so clever."
"Oi, genius me." he states mock offended as he slides the chain over my head then proceeds to pull another altered key out of his pocket looping it's chain over his own head. "Now no running Ms. Tyler." he states pulling the door open slightly to peer into the hall.
Moving up behind him I state in his ear. "Oi yourself, not the one that usually causes us to have to run." I tease back with a smile as I follow him out into the hall.
As he takes my hand he asks quietly mischievous with hint of seriousness. "Better then beans and toast?"
"Better with two" I state as I squeeze his hand.
"Better with you." he say smiling, one of his genuine smiles, that I still see far too infrequently.
----------------------------
As I pull out the keys I can tell she hasn't put it together and when she does her smile is bright as the noon sun.
As we move into the inn area on the ground floor I switch over to telepathic communication, and grimace as I realize one of the last times I spoke so frequently like this outside the TARDIS was during the war. This earns me a concerned look from Rose.
'I had a feeling that these might come in handy' I ignore the look not wanting to share my grim thought and instead state, 'Depending on the species they may or may not be very effective, and they will do us no good with electronic surveillance, but no reason we can't use them to explore a bit here.'
'Not like were libel to run electronics here.' she quips back.
'You would be surprised some of the places you find it out of it's time.' I state flipping the key about my neck.
-----------------------------------
As he makes teasing comments I hear a bit of an interesting conversation and stop to listen. "...Have gone missing recently."
"Yes, had you heard about young Octavian and his sister? The vanished right after their father paid that new sculptor that everyone is raving about.
"Never thought he would amount to much that one, but he has finally come into his own, wouldn't have thought he would ever be any good based on his early statues, complete rubbish they were, in fact some of them were down right hideous."
"Suppose it was that school he went off to awhile back." the first man states sounding dubious.
"Truly Thesius, you have to admit it the likeness between Octavian and Olivia and their statues is uncanny, so lifelike you would almost expect them to start speaking."
Looking over I can tell The Doctor can barely contain his curiosity and in silent agreement we step back around a corner and slip off our keys.
'Give me a moment then join me.' comes the Doctor's quiet thought as he strides off.
"Pardon me patrons but did I hear you mention that there a competent sculpture around?" The Doctor asks coming up to the two men. "You see I would love to have a sculpture done of my new bride."
"Well, just rumors you know. Word gets about, but a wealthy citizen such as yourself I am sure could find plenty of sculptors."
"No, no, whoever does her statue must be truly exceptional to capture her true beauty." With that I feel myself blush in embarrassment and quickly join him before he says more.
As I step into their line of sight he smiles and with a completely straight face states, "A real goddess of fortune she is." and I can barely contain a laugh at his reference to the statue we saw in the museum and hide my smile behind a ruse of humility.
“That she is citizen,” states Thesius. “I can see why you would consider yourself a fortunate man to be married to such a young beauty.”
The smell of arousal that suddenly accompanies that statement surprises me as well as makes me feel uncomfortable. I can feel the doctor bristle even as he steps between us and states. “So what do you know of this sculptor that everyone is talking about, what was his name again?”
“Ursus” The man’s friend states distractedly as he not so surreptitiously eyes the necklace that the TARDIS had provided me. I move a bit closer to the Doctor’s leather clad form. He casually loops his arm around my waist distracting him and making clear his protection, both men take note and I can almost see them realize he isn’t someone that they wish to cross.
******************************
Three Months Earlier:
******************************
“Ursus, you are a fool if you think that anyone will purchase that hideous thing!” are the jeering words from his elder brother Claudius.
“Seriously what were you modeling off of Ursus the freaks in oddities show that came through last month?” come the irksome words of his other brother Tadilus.
Claudius’ words are a sneer, “Come now Tadilus can’t you see he is using himself for the model?” With that his brothers laugh in great peals as they turn and head for the road into town.
Ursus grinds his teeth at their tormenting knowing well his father’s favorites will never be punished for their harassing words. Always others have praise his brothers work but soon he will he will show them. Soon his masterpiece will be complete and then the temple vendors will clamor for his works instead of theirs.
***********************
An hour later he hears a voice he has never hear before, “I’m looking for the man named Ursus. Would you happen to know him?” Asks a man in rich black garb that just screams wealth, but whose face has an oily, sinister smile.
“What you want him for?” comes the growl from the huge man, working away at a statue with hands too large for its arms and head to small for it’s shoulders.
“I have a proposition for him that I think he might find very profitable.”
“I’m him, what kind of proposition?” He asks pausing chisel in hand curious in spite of the uneasy feeling the man creates in him.
“First I have a question for you Ursus. What would you give to be a sculptor to rival one of the rich masters? What would you give to have all the beautiful ladies in the market fawning over your work?
“Anything!” he replies.
“Then Ursus I do believe I have something to show you. Do you have a chicken or small bird perhaps?”
“Yes.” He replies with confusion at the change in subject.
“Bring it to me.”
“Why?” he asks suspicious.
“I have a small demonstration for you. Something I think you wish to possess.”
Looking long and hard at the man for a moment he turns and walks to the side of the house were there is a small coop of chickens. A moment later he roughly pulls out a squawking chicken holding it up to him.
The man in black steps forward, and suddenly Ursus wonders what the man is up to as he states “Watch very carefully now”. With that the man pulls from his belt a pair of heavy gloves like those used by a smithy and dons them. Confused he continues to watch. Smiling in a way that makes Ursus skin crawl he reaches for the chicken. As the bird stiffens instantly at the man’s touch startled he abruptly lets go. In his hands Ursus watches in fascination as brilliant feathers are replaced by marble, the transformation radiating out from where the man’s hands are touching the bird. Mere moments later the man is placing in his still up raised hand the stone bird.
“Witch craft he mumbles” as he stares at the stone bird in awe, every feather, every detail complete down to small twists where the man had been holding it faithfully duplicated.
“Now what would you give me in exchange for my marvelous gloves?”
Moving Forward Index