comment is free
It had become fairly obvious to me, even just casually observing him around from time to time, that the Doctor had occasional mood swings where he would up and do shit. It wasn't entirely poor impulse control, either, because it usually wasn't risky behavior. It was just that I would run into him at the weirdest times, doing random things.
Like making a cake at eight o'clock on a Sunday night.
I was personally slightly startled, but not entirely--Sunday dinner was long gone, and even on a schedule that didn't match a standard western work week, Sunday night was always slow. It seemed to be as constant as the Doctor being slightly cracked out on sudden productive ideas. At one point, he had told me once when he was in the clinic, he had made a hibachi grill in an afternoon. I thought I knew some productive people, driven people, but this definitely beat everyone hands down.
"Evening, Dr Hadley," he said, looking over his shoulder and offering a slightly distracted smile. "Told Jane I'd try to sort out a new recipe for her to have for tea this week, as she's been busy. Got lemon and lime flavour and it keeps coming out a bit too sour. You'd think Jamie Oliver'd know what he's on about, but he never had to cook on a desert island...would have made an ace programme, really. Desert Island Cooks. Five foods you'd bring to a desert island. Like to see him do something clever with a banana."
I wasn't going to pretend to understand what the hell he was talking about.
"Doesn't that ever...bother you?" I asked, getting myself some juice. Someone'd found the papayas, apparently.
"What d'you mean."
"Running around for hundreds of years doing the intergalactic vigilante thing, and now you're stuck on an island, most exciting thing going is playing fast and loose with cake recipes."
He gave me a skeptical look, the one I'd begun to know, not only from him but from others, as you totally worked for Greg House. "Haven't you ever heard of working with available light, Remy?"
I was mid-sip of my juice. "That sounds like a self-help book."
"Maybe it is..." The Doctor sliced a lime in half and the room grew even more fragrant with citrus. "You have to take what you've got, do the best with what you have. You find a way to live, if it's a tolerable situation. Basically..." He leaned on the counter and looked straight at me. "You have to not only make the best of things, but actually enjoy it instead of resenting it all the way through life. I spent a long time never facing the collateral damage for the things I did. I'm now forced to learn to live otherwise...and I'm going to have a hell of a good time while I'm at it."
He realized then that he was gesturing with a rather large knife and looked embarrassed. I didn't really care; I was thinking of Nate and Brad and what the hell this was. I still hadn't exactly figured out what I'd signed up for, not like anything I'd ever wanted to deal with at home, but I knew that it was the best thing going.
"Yeah, but cake?"
"Cake," said the Doctor, "is a good time in and of itself. Grate some lemon rind and maybe I'll let you in on the secret."
That was an offer I couldn't refuse, and I caught the grater as he slid it over.
Welcome to the Doctor and Thirteen therapy hour. One or the other, new through Wednesday. Turning off comment notifs so I don't get them twice, if I miss your initial tag, please poke me.
Like making a cake at eight o'clock on a Sunday night.
I was personally slightly startled, but not entirely--Sunday dinner was long gone, and even on a schedule that didn't match a standard western work week, Sunday night was always slow. It seemed to be as constant as the Doctor being slightly cracked out on sudden productive ideas. At one point, he had told me once when he was in the clinic, he had made a hibachi grill in an afternoon. I thought I knew some productive people, driven people, but this definitely beat everyone hands down.
"Evening, Dr Hadley," he said, looking over his shoulder and offering a slightly distracted smile. "Told Jane I'd try to sort out a new recipe for her to have for tea this week, as she's been busy. Got lemon and lime flavour and it keeps coming out a bit too sour. You'd think Jamie Oliver'd know what he's on about, but he never had to cook on a desert island...would have made an ace programme, really. Desert Island Cooks. Five foods you'd bring to a desert island. Like to see him do something clever with a banana."
I wasn't going to pretend to understand what the hell he was talking about.
"Doesn't that ever...bother you?" I asked, getting myself some juice. Someone'd found the papayas, apparently.
"What d'you mean."
"Running around for hundreds of years doing the intergalactic vigilante thing, and now you're stuck on an island, most exciting thing going is playing fast and loose with cake recipes."
He gave me a skeptical look, the one I'd begun to know, not only from him but from others, as you totally worked for Greg House. "Haven't you ever heard of working with available light, Remy?"
I was mid-sip of my juice. "That sounds like a self-help book."
"Maybe it is..." The Doctor sliced a lime in half and the room grew even more fragrant with citrus. "You have to take what you've got, do the best with what you have. You find a way to live, if it's a tolerable situation. Basically..." He leaned on the counter and looked straight at me. "You have to not only make the best of things, but actually enjoy it instead of resenting it all the way through life. I spent a long time never facing the collateral damage for the things I did. I'm now forced to learn to live otherwise...and I'm going to have a hell of a good time while I'm at it."
He realized then that he was gesturing with a rather large knife and looked embarrassed. I didn't really care; I was thinking of Nate and Brad and what the hell this was. I still hadn't exactly figured out what I'd signed up for, not like anything I'd ever wanted to deal with at home, but I knew that it was the best thing going.
"Yeah, but cake?"
"Cake," said the Doctor, "is a good time in and of itself. Grate some lemon rind and maybe I'll let you in on the secret."
That was an offer I couldn't refuse, and I caught the grater as he slid it over.
Welcome to the Doctor and Thirteen therapy hour. One or the other, new through Wednesday. Turning off comment notifs so I don't get them twice, if I miss your initial tag, please poke me.