adoctorsworld | Marvelous little things.

Marvelous little things.

[There's so much about this world that utterly fascinates him. The daemons, the magistrate. Everything.

Well, aside from the fact that he spends almost every waking hour - there's a lot of those, actually - searching for his window, for a way back because... he'd left. He'd seen an opportunity, a coward's way out, and he'd escaped. And now... he can't find his way back. He'd agreed to this grand adventure because he thought the window would stay open... and it hadn't.

So now, he wanders. Every day he wanders around the city with his Aardwolf, searching for just a peek into another world, for him to look in and see a spaceship, seen an old wrinkled face, see Earth. Just for one fleeting moment.]

Ahhhhhh I know, girl. [He drops to a crouch, scratching behind Litost's ears and giving the curious little daemon a grin.] We'll find it, though. Don't you worry.

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[So many worlds and windows, all of them teasing, tempting someone through with the promise of escape- or even just on accident, from curiosity; what could it be on the other side of that window? But all of them, every single one, snapped shut behind them, lost by the time they'd awoken. Awoken to any sort of creature at their side, small, large, bestial, adorable- it didn't matter. There was very little fear between them, despite the initial shock. Rose had been more than a little startled to find what her soul was, that was for sure.

And speaking of, there's a rather .. small, for his species, lion of all things, padding along, slow and careful. Scouting. Casting. Searching for something or someone. Namely, as it seems, the Aardwolf and her person, if the sudden little canter towards them is any indication.

Ever seen a lion galumphing towards you, Doctor?]

[Actually, yes. He has seen a lion charging him before. Funny story, that. Involved a quick trip to Africa and a certain shape changing alien posing as a little baby claimed to have been eaten by a Dingo of all- or was that Australia? The past always tends to blend a bit, when you get to a certain age.

But either way, Litost is reacting immediately to the lion coming towards them, getting up and sprinting towards him, leaping all the world like an animal about to attack... except aardwolves are rather peaceful in general, aren't they? Not scavengers, not hunters.

Simply playful little beasts taking a handful of fur in her maw and trying to vault up onto Jua's back. And meanwhile, Ten's simply pushing himself to his feet, hands finding his pockets as he saunters on towards the two daemons.

There are a few things that make this torment bearable, that make knowing he'd abandoned his world for just a moment, and had lost it forever... and one of those things is Rose Marion Tyler.]

[Jua had a terrible, really, truly, awful habit of running off ahead of her. If Rose was jeopardy friendly, then Jua was the epitome of jeopardy itself. Constantly running into situations and usually ending up... well, no. Usually he didn't have much of a problem scouring into places. Big ol' lion in the midst? Most other creatures steered clear- as did their other halves.

He also seemed to have quite the penchant for a certain aardwolf, dropping his chest to the ground with a mighty whuff, easily letting the smaller not!hyena hop onto his back. Playful was right.

And of course, there's that one Rose Marion Tyler skidding around the corner in an attempt to keep up with the sudden burst of speed her daemon had put on. Can't blame him; even daemons make friends.]

Jua--!

[Daemons are reflections of their partner's soul. They are everything their people are, all their feelings and emotions, their hopes and desires, their quirks and their eccentricities. So is it really so hard to believe that Jua and Lito were such good friends already, knowing who the other was even though they'd never met? The bond between Rose and the Doctor was a profound one, transcending universes and the very nature of time itself, Rose had made sure of that a long time ago, when she'd been glowing gold and he'd had to kiss her to save her life.

But just because the daemons knew each other, didn't mean the Doctor knew who to expect to round the corner that day. He figured it was someone he knew, considering his normally careful daemon's utter pleasure in seeing the other bit of soul, colliding and settling on his back, leaning up and trying to nip at the space behind one of those large ears playfully. But he never, in a million years, would have expected one Rose Tyler to show up. That's just not how his life worked anymore.

So, he stands, the welcoming grin on his face fading back as the hearts in his chest clench and begin to beat wildly. Rose. Rose. Standing right there, all blonde hair and full lips and blazing eyes. In the flesh, and so unlikely to be whisked away anywhere any time soon. He could have time with her.

The thought flits across his mind, suddenly, that maybe this was why he'd been so drawn to that window, that this would always be how it is with Rose. Him choosing her over the fate of the world, but he squashes that thought nearly as quickly as it comes. There's no benefit to being angry, to being bitter. No, right now, the only thing he can be, past the shock and startlement, is happy.

Even if you can't quite see it through the shock just yet.]

Rose.

[She sees the lion and his new companion before anything else- they'd met halfway between their people, and Rose was only just skidding to a halt a few feet behind. What .. was that? A hyena of some sort? The tail looked too full... the creature itself too little.]

Jua.. Who's-- [Her name- on a voice she hadn't heard for a good couple of days now. One glance, and her face is lighting up like it's Christmas Morning.]

Doctor! [She certainly looks younger, doesn't she, Doctor? Excuse her while she trips around Jua's flailing tail in the hopes of getting herself a Time Lord hug.]

[As soon as Rose starts grinning, as soon as she sees him, sais his name, and lights up like that, he can't help the matching grin from spreading across his face. But its tense, filled with a twinge of sadness that's almost completely overtaken by the pure relief flooding through him.

His hands abandon his pockets and oh he can't help it. She might be stumbling around her daemon's tail and meandering towards him - he's noticed how young she looks, as if she'd been plucked right out of their first adventures together, but as he's noticed that she must notice how much older he looks, even if he doesn't age like humans do - but he's running full out all of a sudden, almost as if he thinks that if he doesn't run, if he doesn't get to her as quickly as possible, she might just vanish.

But there are no Daleks here this time, no threats that will cause him to try and cheat regeneration. Not this time. So he reaches her, throws his arms around her, and picks her up in a hug, spinning around once to loose a bit of momentum before just... holding her, letting his face half bury in the crook of her neck as he holds her a bit more desperately and tighter than she might remember.

And perhaps the biggest give-away that something is wrong is simply the fact that... he hasn't said anything. Since that first stunned blurting of her name, all he's done is cling and smile. His throat is simply too closed up for words.]

[Jua seems all too happy to see Rose and the Doctor suddenly glomming on to each other, spinning and hugging and yes- he's beaming just as brightly as Rose is, all scruffy, still growing main and massive paws, shoulders wriggling under the lighter weight of the aardwolf.

Rose herself is doing just as she'd planned- latching around the Doctor's neck and, well. The spin is a bit of a surprise. She hasn't noticed yet how much older he looks; humans can be so slow on the little details sometimes. But she is noticing how he's holding her; so much tighter than he has before (and that's saying something), face buried in her shoulder, hair tickling her cheek and... well, she can't set herself down just yet. Not until he does. Damn her short legs.]

Was wonderin' if you'd show up!

[He clings to her for a little while longer, simply swinging her back and forth, leaning back a little and taking full advantage of his height, keeping her trapped in his embrace for a little while yet, at least until a little bark catches his attention, a gentle reprimand from the daemon currently hopping down from the lion's back and padding over to her partner, bumping against his legs and... oh alright, then.

He lowers Rose, releasing his hold on her with a breathless, almost nervous laugh.] What, me? Miss out on the opportunity for adventure in another universe? Popping in through a window that shouldn't exist without the space-time continuam falling apart at the seams?

[The smile he's giving her, though... oh that smile is practically painful to look at. Its the smile of someone who's lost so much recently, the smile of a man who's been apart from the woman he loves for far too long, who had thought he'd lost her forever until just a few moments ago.

But more than that, its a horribly sad smile, and one that has his daemon pressing fully against his leg, a warm, reassuring presence. After all, his emotions echo through her as well.]

Wouldn't have missed this for the world.

[Even when he does put her down, her hands are only sliding down to his elbows, never quite letting him go- it would have been less obvious for him on their last reunion, but for Rose? She was still very much absorbed in that 'lack of personal space' thing they'd had. Sure her older self would have had it as well, but at the time... They'd been a little busy at the time.

Her eyes drop, however, at the side of the little not-hyena, pressing herself against the Time Lord's legs. Well then. That answered her question of what the hell Jua was up to. Sure she was more connected with him than anyone else, but she couldn't tell everything that he could. And...

And her smile was faltering slightly. The look on his face.. She'd never seen him look so pained before. Happy, yet so incredibly sad at the same time. Maybe she'd seen similar looks on his previous face, but not this one. So she slides her hand down, laces fingers with his in a silent gesture; she was here, no need to worry, Doctor.]

.. Is it really gonna be that bad? Shouldn't we.. Find a way back, then?

[However torn such a decision would be. Jua seemed to reverberate with her worries, easily rubbing against the backs of her legs- she could have leaned back and practically sat on him, for goodness sake.]

[He's missed this. The ability to just reach out and touch Rose. That's what had been so heartbreaking in their first farewell, even in their second. In the first, she'd wanted to touch him, and he'd wanted to touch her. To just reach out and hold her, maybe give her a farewell kiss, but he hadn't been able to. They'd been projections, the both of them. Him on that beach, her in the TARDIS. And the second time... he'd had to watch as she kissed his double, as she took his hand and held him while the Doctor... he'd had to walk away, to make the break clean, just so he could, maybe, move on a little. Let her be happy as he sailed around and saved the universe.

So this... being able to touch, to have her lacing her fingers between his... its the best gift the universe could give. Even if he's quickly figuring out, by her seeming lack of reaction, that she's... from so far behind in his timeline. Probably before she'd ever found herself trapped on the other side of the void. She knew him, though. Knew this face. And that's really all he could have asked for. Rose in any form.]

Nah, not that bad. Pretty common phenomenon in this universe, apparently. Just haven't quite figured out how it works just yet. The science behind it all.

[He rubs his thumbs over the backs of her hands, his smile faltering a little as he tries to think of what to say, of what to... do.

But that's what daemons are for, aren't they? Speaking up when their partner can't. Which is why there's the smooth, gentle voice of a female, her accent the same as the Doctor's, but her voice so much calmer, almost like a river rushing gently over rocks, the gentle babble of a brook in the middle of a still forest.] He's lost his window. There is no way back right now.

[Not too far behind their first dose of the universe ripping them apart- but so much farther behind him in all senses of the word. Still; she knew his face, and he knew her. Of course he would. Even if something .. just seemed off about him. Like the slight aging to his face, the weariness. He looked so tired and it .. made her worry.

She might even have tried to ask about it, had the smooth, feminine voice from below not echoed up at her. Rose was left blinking, if only for a moment, her bottom lip finding a home between her teeth in a matter of seconds.]

So... like the rest of us, then. It's like everyone's closes as soon as they've swallowed someone up.

He likes to think himself special, you know this better than most.

[That little statement, as teasing as it is, has Ten suddenly pulling his hands away from Rose, sputtering and reaching down to pick up his daemon, walking her a good fifteen feet away, putting her down, holding her face and pressing his lips into a thin line at her. Always handy, his telepathic abilities, as limited as they were. With a being born of his soul it was so easy to give her an embarrassed reprimand that has her laughing as he walks back to Rose, hands stuffed into his pockets again, another grin on his face. A bit of an easier one, this time.]

Right, sorry, bit rude, her. [But he can't help the gnaw of curiosity that has an eyebrow quirking up.] When did you find the window, then? Looks around... [He glances at her, the look of her face, the clothes she's wearing, the way she's standing.] Around 2012?

[...It's kind of hilarious seeing someone, namely a .. daemon, she's fairly sure they're called, call him out like that. Oh sure, Rose did that all the time, but with how the Doctor had suddenly whisked her off for a scolding... Oh, she and Jua were in giggles by the time he returned.]

So jus' like you then? [And then she sobers.] Yeah, but- It .. wasn't for you? [Was he from a different time than her? Was that .. how did that even work?]

Yeah, just without the good looks, of course.

[Its a miracle how he's managed to keep this conversation normal until now. To make it seem like his life hasn't completely fallen apart since he'd last seen her. To make it seem like yes, they're from different points, but that's okay.

Until now, that is. As he opens his mouth and finds himself at a loss for what to say. No clever lies, no witty statements. Just... nothing. He has no way to explain to her the time that's gone by, no way to glance around the truth because just outright lying felt... a little too horrible, for some reason.] ... No. Its... been a while since then, for me.

[And that's all he's saying.]

[Jua is bumping her legs again, as if bracing for some sort of support; she was worried, and it was agitating him, leaving him restless and wanting to fix it. To stop it. Whatever it was.

She drops a hand to his mane, but that's about it.]

A while... [She's prompting, or trying to. How long had it been?]

Well it can't have been that long since you saw me, can it? .. Did I get lost again or did you not wait up for me or something? [There's only the slightest teasing edge to her tone. She knows he never did it on purpose.]

[And just like that, the moment's broken. And he's just taking in a sudden inhale of breath before turning his head to the side, rubbing at the back of his neck as Lito makes it back to his side, reaching up and licking at the bit of hand peeking from his pocket, trying to reassure him, to calm him down. To help him through the bit of lying and dismissal he's about to do.]

Oh no, hasn't been that long. Dropped you off just a little while back for a quick vacation with your mum. Beaches, Norway, kids running around everywhere. Your mum settled down again, though. Has a little one of her own, wanted you to babysit for a bit. Just popping out to check on non human friendly planets while you're gone.

[Another breath, and he's able to look at Rose again, a grin slapped onto his face.] Had a nice little visit to Mars a bit ago, met a few people I'd always wanted to.

[Even as he rambles on, Rose is narrowing her eyes. It wasn't always hard to tell when he was lying, but there were times... Except the mention of her mother has her pulled right back on track, presumably right back to where he wanted her mind to be.]

Wh-- Mum's got a kid? [Not sure how to feel about this.] I've- I get a little brother or sister? [Jua looks much more animatedly excited at the prospect than Rose is letting on. Cheater, giving everything away.] And- Wait, Mars isn't human friendly? ..Shame. [Welp. Seems he has her convinced.]

Yap! [He's suddenly exclaiming, enunciating far too much, practically popping the 'p'. A grin bursts out over his face as he reaches forward, grabbing Rose's hand and turning around, pulling her forward if just to have an excuse to hide his face for a moment.

Because while his voice is cheerful enough, his face is slowly crumbling, and he knows it.] Depends on when you go to Mars, really. Bit into the human future and you'll get colonies, cities, great giant bubble domes and a mini-Earth.

[Good thing, too. For now. There are some things he will tell Rose in a heartbeat, others... he just doesn't know how to tell her. And this is one of those things, those things where he's simply at a loss. Because the bottom line is he doesn't want Rose to know. He wants to keep her happy, to keep her in that mindset where they would be together forever, where Canary Warf never happened, where she never had to spend so long fighting to get back to him to save the world.

And while his voice is cheerful enough, a bounce in his steps as he drags her along, she might be able to notice the tension in his shoulders, the way his daemon keeps giving hesitant little glances at both of them. Something is wrong. Very, very wrong.]

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Marvelous little things.

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