the sun is here today, but I requested a storm

[sortofaman]

Life had not seemed to go the Doctor's way lately, which was less that it hadn't gone well and more that it had gone entirely too well, was almost good to the point of complacency. Even so, something was hiding under the surface, always just lurking there and ready to emerge. Yeah, people came and people went, and apparently some mass

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[polly_okeefe]

What on earth was that noise? Whatever it was, it seemed insistent. Curiosity got the better of me, and I stepped off the path and made my way through the jungle. I realized that I was heading for the treehouse when I heard another sound beneath the everpresent 'ding's -- the sound of someone swearing.

When I emerged into the clearing, I wasn't particularly surprised to see the Doctor there.

"Your, um, thing seems to be trying to tell you something," I said, giving him a wry grin.

[sortofaman]

"How astute, Miss O'Keefe," the Doctor replied, though not with any vitriol, just some slight frustration. He looked up at her, brows raised in exasperation at the detector, then jammed the switch again.

It kept dinging. And dinging.

"It's telling me that we're all in a spot of bother. Like it'll be if it doesn't.shut.up."

[polly_okeefe]

I came up to into the Treehouse, popping my head into the entrance, and saw the Doctor staring down his device. Or trying to. I looked around at the mess of tools and parts and came up with something he might be able to use.

I held out a hammer.

[sortofaman]

ding. ding. ding.

The Doctor looked slightly reluctant to take the hammer, but then the dinging seemed to get just a bit louder and a touch more frequent.

"Percussive maintenance. A good thought, Polly." He tapped the switch with the hammer, then harder when it didn't work.

[polly_okeefe]

There didn't seem to be a bigger hammer to hand him, so I ducked back a little, anticipating shrapnel, and waited to see what would happen next.

[sortofaman]

It kept dinging, almost like a petulant child defying a parent, and the Doctor almost felt bad for what he did next: whacking it hard with the hammer.

The case finally opened, and he disconnected the bell bit. "Finally. Thank you for your assistance."

[polly_okeefe]

Well, that danger past, I climbed up the rest of the way into the treehouse and found a spot on the floor that was clear of odds and ends. I was careful to touch nothing, having heard plenty of stories from my parents about cafes in Switzerland where the management stored the paper napkins, in case physicists came running in, desperate for the equations they'd lost.

"So, that thing that goes ding," I said. "What is it supposed to do? Detect stuff?"

[sortofaman]

"Exactly!" said the Doctor, pleased, and he offered Polly a bright smile. "It detects stuff. And dings when it does. Therefore, we can logically conclude that apparently we are all utterly swimming in timey-wimey stuff, which basically ruins any sort of chance I have in detecting any differences in the space-time continuum here, such as when people arrive."

[polly_okeefe]

"'Timey-wimey stuff'," I echoed. "That's a scientific term, is it?" I looked down at the device. "Mind you, I'm not surprised. Given all of the places and different times we've been pulled from..." I gave him a sympathetic smile.

[sortofaman]

"Close enough. I could give you the technical information, but it wouldn't say much more than that; and I'm not that surprised, just slightly frustrated by the fact that I couldn't narrow the data worth a damn." The Doctor rubbed his forehead.

[polly_okeefe]

"Well, I'd help," I said, grinning, "but all I know is how to hand over the right tools. I guess that's worth something. How have you been, Doctor?"

[sortofaman]

"Honestly, or are you just asking for politeness?" the Doctor asked, but his tone was kind. "Because there's always two different ways to answer."

[polly_okeefe]

This wasn't the answer I expected, which is why I thought about my own response for a brief moment. But then I looked at the Doctor seriously. "Honestly."

He deserved nothing less.

[sortofaman]

"I'm bored," said the Doctor. Even if that much was fairly self-evident--despite the frustration, he had almost looked pleased to be bashing at the timey-wimey detector, it was something to do.

[polly_okeefe]

The answer made perfect sense. Earlier, he'd told me that the Island had given him a chance to slow down and perhaps that was what he had needed, but I couldn't see a man like him wanting to slow down forever.

But what was there to say about it? There was no way I could help, except...

"I understand," I said. I gave his shoulder a squeeze.

[sortofaman]

It really depended on the day. Sometimes the Doctor appreciated the transition, others...he just wanted to do something. "Thank you," he said quietly.