surprising and uncanny

[un_gloved]

Rogue had the script for Much Ado About Nothing in her hand as she strode brusquely down the beach. It was not her copy. It was, in fact, Wesley Wyndam-Pryce's copy, and she would not give it back to him.

"Because," she continued, "you're startin' to talk funny! Funnier'n usual. You need a break, English." She smiled brightly at him over her

Comments

[dr_robchase]

He'd stopped because he'd seen the dolphins, but he'd been out there because the construction at home was giving him a headache. Also? Home. It was still weird to think about it. He had been swimming in the water when he'd seen them in the waves and wandered to shore, toweling off as he gaped at the dolphins while a distressing thought came to mind.

I swear, I hope the Doctor doesn't speak dolphin.

[sortofaman]

The Doctor, as it turned out, did. But since most dolphin conversation took place underwater or involved movements that weren't possible without a blowhole and flippers, there wasn't much he could do about it without mechanical help.

"They want you to get back in," he said, scritching his head and kicking his sandals off.

[dr_robchase]

Chase glanced over his shoulder, giving the Doctor a wary look and then a groan as he shook out his wet hair. "You understand dolphin," he deadpanned. "Oh my god, I'm dating Dr. Doolittle," he mumbled under his breath, but brushed off granules of sand as he headed back for the water.

[sortofaman]

"Nominally. Your people end up forging an alliance with them in a century or two. And by your people I mean your people people--the Aussies get there first." The Doctor wandered down further, the waves lapping at his feet, content to watch.

[dr_mchot]

The exclamations about dolphins from the woman she'd met had caught her attention and Addison's reverie was completely disturbed. She hadn't seen dolphins since the NICU conference in Hawaii when she'd briefly debated jumping for it and letting the dolphins ride her to freedom.

And now, here they were.

"Still gonna take me someplace?" she deadpanned to the creatures who couldn't hear her.

[jamesmadrox]

"If I had a rocketship, I'd take you to the moon," said Jamie with a rather melodramatic sigh as he approached her. "Of course, if I had a rocketship, I'd probably just get you off the island period."

He didn't get too close as there was the matter that he was covered in all sorts of dirt and sand, and he suspected he didn't smell all that great, but dolphins were just too good to pass up. Adjusting the strap of his dufflebag, he turned towards the water.

[dr_mchot]

That got a genuine laugh out of Addison and she slowly peeled her sandals from her feet. "If you had a rocketship..." she echoed, shaking her head. "I mean, that's a make or break in the turn on department, I think you know."

[jamesmadrox]

"Rocketships or the fact that I look like the middle part of Castaway?" asked Jamie, raising an eyebrow.

[pokerplayereyes]

Having finally left the compound, Ned had found his way back down to the beach, hands shoved in his pockets, head bent, trying to learn the path without entirely looking it. It was the force of a very long habit. When he saw her from a distance, too far to really hear her, he just stopped, for a minute, watching her with an odd expression on his face.

"Love of gods, Coates," he muttered to himself, but he didn't quite stop looking, either.

It didn't even occur to him to look out to sea.

[un_gloved]

Rogue laughed brightly, turning from the waves to look over at Wesley when something caught her attention out of the corner of her eyes. She turned further, hands at her hips, and saw Ned Coates.

She offered a slightly chagrined smile, waving, and then a brilliant one, turning her hand to very distinctly wave him over.

[pokerplayereyes]

Head still down (what was she wearing...or, rather, what wasn't she wearing in order to arrive at this point?), Ned made his way over to Rogue.

"Still ain't dead," he said, with a smile. "You look cheerful."

[un_gloved]

"I am," she said, still beaming, pushing some of her hair out of her face and off of her shoulders, and pointing out toward the sea.

"Look! Dolphins!"

[cryptogam]

Stephen was fond of many animals - sloths, honey-buzzards, albatrosses, and wombats, among others - but dolphins were one of his favorites. He had often seen them swimming alongside ships, and would happily watch them for hours as they sported in the waves. He had wondered if there were dolphins in the island's waters, and was surprised and delighted to see that there were.

"They are indeed splendid creatures, are they not?" he said to the enthusiastic young lady who seemed as excited as he was about the dolphins, though perhaps for different reasons. He pulled off his boots and stockings and waded into the surf to get a closer look, shading his eyes against the glare of the sunlight on the waves.

[un_gloved]

"Yeah," Rogue said, holding her hand to her forehead, wading into the water as well. She didn't know the man, but there was something sort of electric and inspiring about the swimming mammals' presence.

"I'd love to get closer but I'm scared they'd run off."

[cryptogam]

"A friend of mine, in my own time, has gone swimming with them many a time; it seems they are quite fond of humans."

Stephen had been planning on going swimming in any case, to exercise his formerly-injured arm, which had grown weak from being immobilized for six weeks. Now he briskly unbuttoned his shirt and breeches, and waded further into the water.

It struck him that six months ago, he would have been mortified at stripping nearly naked in front of a woman; now he had grown so used to seeing men and women alike going about in hardly any clothing that he felt only a mild twinge of discomfort. The water would soon cover him, in any case.

[un_gloved]

Rogue grinned, shucking off the cutoff shorts and throwing them lightly over to land by her t-shirt and Wesley's tie, then ran forward and dove into the water with abandon, and a joyful sort of whoop.

[sortofaman]

Chase was down the beach a bit, and the Doctor had spotted Rogue standing there, looking off towards the dolphins as if they were the most amazing thing she'd ever seen. And he knew, if she was the Rogue he'd heard of, she'd seen a lot.

"Can you swim?" he asked.

[un_gloved]

"Yeah," she said, flashing the Doctor a smile. "I was plannin' on it, 'n now- look at them. They're so beautiful." One jumped and she gave a small kind of cry, of absolute delight.

[sortofaman]

"They wouldn't mind if you came in," he said, smiling back at her and then watching them. "They know you're here and they're putting on a bit of a show. For their own pleasure as well, really, dolphins don't play around for anyone unless they want to."

[un_gloved]

"And how d'you know all that?" she asked, smiling more, brilliantly and genuinely, thrilled at the thought of it but hesitant to believe it.