Lu, feeling out of his depth himself, in the tension in the sick bay of the TARDIS, had found his way out (no small feat, and it had been hard, not stopping to look at everything. He still didn't know who the Doctor was, but getting abducted by . . . whatever had abducted them had to be more in the Doctor's line of experience than it was in Lu's. The man traveled in a bigger-on-the-inside police-box ship packed with more props than the warehouse at the end of Raiders of the Lost ArkHe'd heard the chatter over the tablet, about the replicators, and been tempted to get himself a new, unsoggy pair of shoes-but superstition stopped him. In stories, if you take the gifts or food of an enchanted place, you're condemned to stay there, forever. He doesn't want what this place can give him. He wants to get back home
( ... )
When he hears his name, the Doctor looks up sharply--and then does a double take as he sees the car. The car, and then Luduan. Lu. Sitting in the car with his dog next to him, seemingly enjoying himself.
The sight doesn't quite put a smile on his face, but there is a certain feeling of relief. It's good to see a familiar face. Maybe Lu knows something about this place. Even if he doesn't, the Doctor's always been better with someone at his side.
Nonetheless, he doesn't step closer to the curb when Lu pulls up with his car. No need to be too trusting.
So it is the same one. It definitely looks like the same one-dirty and tired, but at least he's walking under his own power now. Mm, where's the brake on this car? Okay, okay, too many levers, brake, brake, which one's the-got it.
Nos hops down from the seat, wags his way past Lu's feet, and jumps out of the car to greet the Doctor, hopping up to plant his front feet on the tall man's chest.
"Nos." Lu follows his dog down out of the car, grabbing Nos' collar to pull him off of the Doctor.
The Doctor has had a very long day that included no sleep, getting transported to an alien city, and a shock to his still rather unfamiliar metabolism in the form of artificially accelerated healing and detoxing processes. So when 75 pounds of labrador jump up against him, he doesn't quite manage to keep his balance. He would have fallen, but there's a wall behind him catching his stumble.
When Lu pulls his dog back, the Doctor stays where he is for a moment, leaning against the wall and waiting for the world to right itself. He's still not feeling like he thinks he should be feeling. Human bodies are unreliable, but not this unreliable. It might be time to get something to eat. He can't quite remember how long it's been since the last time he had something.
[River's slightly hesitant when she leaves the voice only recorded message for the Doctor, she's worried for obvious reasons but she isn't quite sure what to say to him. But she needs to know that he's alright, and concern wins over her own issues with him - other him - no him. Same person - they both did the same thing to her, and just because she found him in such a state, doesn't make her own feelings any different. But he's clearly undergone horrific trauma, she can't even imagine him adjusting to being human, and she can't not...]
Doctor, it's River. When you're up and about, get back to me. Worried here. Taxon seems to have given me my house somehow, God knows what's going on, but you're welcome to stay until you're fully recovered, if you want.
[She sends through her house location, it's not really an option not to offer.]
[When the Doctor checks his tablet and finds the message from River, it stirs up all sorts of emotions. He still doesn't know why or how River would even be here. She can't be an earlier version than he met in the Library, because that had been her first encounter with this regeneration of him. For obvious reasons, she can't be an older version. Something strange is going on.]
[Also, he feels guilt. Guilt and shame and something like embarrassment at the concern in her voice. She knows, she must know. His other self knew, and he would have told her. Maybe that's why she was gone when he woke up. Maybe that's why they were both gone. He doesn't really feel like examining this line of thought any more closely.]
River. Don't worry, I'm fine. If you could send me the location of your house, I'll stop by later. I found Luduan, you remember him? The man with the dog. I'll bring him along. Maybe we can find out what's going on.
[He's avoiding reacting to her offer, for now. He's fine. He is fully recovered. The TARDIS took care of that.
( ... )
[the reply's almost instantaneous, not that she was checking every five minutes for a response, not at all. There's relief in her voice, 'I'm fine' being a phrase she's heard so many times that although it's not necessarily true, he's at least sounding more like the Doctor she knows.]
I'll see you when I see you then, just let yourself in if I'm not there. You might never have done it before, but you do enough in the future. I'm used to it.
[the smile in her voice audible, teasing almost. A no pressure invite, a free and easy 'whenever' invitation. It's the basis of how they've always worked, no reason to change a formula that works. Plus, it makes her feel like this is normal, in a place where everything is far from normal, despite her immediate surroundings.]
The Doctor doesn't send a response; River's message doesn't necessarily need one, and he's still not sure how to talk to her. 'He does it enough in the future.' Does he? He remembers what River said about "her" Doctor--the Doctor in the TARDIS, next stop everywhere. He can't really see that in his future.
But then, he can't see much of anything anymore. Time has shrunk to an instant, all he can sense is the moment he's in. His future might hold all these things, he doesn't know--can't know.
Be that as it may, he'll drop by River's house at some point. He does want to talk to her. At the very least he wants to know how she came to be here in Taxon.
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The sight doesn't quite put a smile on his face, but there is a certain feeling of relief. It's good to see a familiar face. Maybe Lu knows something about this place. Even if he doesn't, the Doctor's always been better with someone at his side.
Nonetheless, he doesn't step closer to the curb when Lu pulls up with his car. No need to be too trusting.
"Hello, Lu."
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Nos hops down from the seat, wags his way past Lu's feet, and jumps out of the car to greet the Doctor, hopping up to plant his front feet on the tall man's chest.
"Nos." Lu follows his dog down out of the car, grabbing Nos' collar to pull him off of the Doctor.
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The Doctor has had a very long day that included no sleep, getting transported to an alien city, and a shock to his still rather unfamiliar metabolism in the form of artificially accelerated healing and detoxing processes. So when 75 pounds of labrador jump up against him, he doesn't quite manage to keep his balance. He would have fallen, but there's a wall behind him catching his stumble.
When Lu pulls his dog back, the Doctor stays where he is for a moment, leaning against the wall and waiting for the world to right itself. He's still not feeling like he thinks he should be feeling. Human bodies are unreliable, but not this unreliable. It might be time to get something to eat. He can't quite remember how long it's been since the last time he had something.
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Doctor, it's River. When you're up and about, get back to me. Worried here. Taxon seems to have given me my house somehow, God knows what's going on, but you're welcome to stay until you're fully recovered, if you want.
[She sends through her house location, it's not really an option not to offer.]
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[Also, he feels guilt. Guilt and shame and something like embarrassment at the concern in her voice. She knows, she must know. His other self knew, and he would have told her. Maybe that's why she was gone when he woke up. Maybe that's why they were both gone. He doesn't really feel like examining this line of thought any more closely.]
River. Don't worry, I'm fine. If you could send me the location of your house, I'll stop by later. I found Luduan, you remember him? The man with the dog. I'll bring him along. Maybe we can find out what's going on.
[He's avoiding reacting to her offer, for now. He's fine. He is fully recovered. The TARDIS took care of that. ( ... )
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I'll see you when I see you then, just let yourself in if I'm not there. You might never have done it before, but you do enough in the future. I'm used to it.
[the smile in her voice audible, teasing almost. A no pressure invite, a free and easy 'whenever' invitation. It's the basis of how they've always worked, no reason to change a formula that works. Plus, it makes her feel like this is normal, in a place where everything is far from normal, despite her immediate surroundings.]
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But then, he can't see much of anything anymore. Time has shrunk to an instant, all he can sense is the moment he's in. His future might hold all these things, he doesn't know--can't know.
Be that as it may, he'll drop by River's house at some point. He does want to talk to her. At the very least he wants to know how she came to be here in Taxon.
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