thoughtformed | (no subject)

Oh that's a shame, another little boy's having a party that day and you'll miss it!

I'm not much for parties anyway, you know that.

Oh, I see...

Should you require anything, please let me know. I realize this is a difficult time for you.

I could use a bottle of gin.

But that's probably not the best idea.

Ah, how about simply a glass, then?

I suppose that's better than nothing.

"I'll be over shortly then."

Fifteen minutes later, there was a knock on the door. When opened, it would reveal Koizumi standing there in dark, neutral colors - almost, but not quite, as if in mourning. He was carrying two glasses and a bottle of gin with about three portions left in it.

When he opens the door he looks tired, as if he hasn't slept for a few days or at least not very well. He steps back and gestures for the young man to come inside, flicking his gaze down to the bottle in his hand.

"I'm not even going to ask how you got that."

Taking his shoes off, Koizumi steps into the apartment, giving Arthur a cautious smile.

"Ah, I appreciate that."

Closing the door behind him, Arthur gestures for the boy to go ahead and make himself comfortable.

"I'm sure. Will you be having some? I can get you something else, if you'd rather."

"I was thinking I would have a small glass, thank you." he says, making his way to the table and pouring two glasses, offering the larger of the two to Arthur, then taking a seat at the end of the couch, rearranging some of the clutter so the space was clear.

"Would you like to talk about it, Arthur-san? Or would you prefer we talk about something else?"

Why? What's wrong?

[Because lol living 500 years in the future in a completely different galaxy and not having had much in the way of Earth-that-was history lessons]

It's just a bad day for me.

Nothing to worry about.

Okay. [She won't press.]

Need anything?

No, I..

[Pause]

... I suppose a little company wouldn't go amiss.

And some tea and cake?

... Yes. That sounds marvellous.

Coming right up ♥

... You know you're always welcome in the TARDIS, whether you want company or you wish to avoid it.

... Thank you, Doctor. I rather think I'd like to take you up on that.

I assume you're at your apartment? I'm on my way.

((ooc: Action? Or if he'll just be avoiding people we can leave it at that.))

I am. I'll see you in a moment.

((ooc: He could probably use the company so he doesn't drink himself into a coma))

The TARDIS materializes in Arthur's living room, the door falling open upon arrival. The Doctor leans against the open door, one arms propping him against it. Leaving room for Arthur to slip through, he looks on him with compassion.

"Would you like to talk about it?" he asks quietly.

((ooc: Fair.))

That look earns the Doctor a slightly wary one in return. He moves into the TARDIS and leans lightly against one side of the controls, looking down at them for a moment before he sighs and rubs the back of his neck.

"I shouldn't still be so bothered by this. It's bloody ridiculous."

He shuts the door behind them, walking up to the other side of the controls and calmly typing something on the keyboard.

"Although I don't know all the specifics, from a country's point of view, I think it's a perfectly reasonable thing to be bothered by."

"You don't have to humour me."

Though at least being here would keep him from drinking himself stupid. The last thing he needed somewhere like this was to wake up with another hellish hangover and the distinct impression that he'd somehow embarrassed himself.

"I am being serious, Arthur. But we won't talk about it if you don't want to. Would you like something to drink?"

Remember, when the Doctor offers you a drink, he's not talking about alcohol.

"... Perhaps later."

Something in Arthur instinctively trusted the Doctor. He knows very few people who would know loss like this man does, though perhaps that's part of why he's reluctant to talk about it. The loss of a single colony didn't quite match up to the loss of a planet.

"And yes, I would. Preferably nothing alcoholic."

Sigh.

"I'm trying to quit. It's not working terribly well."

Well, if they weren't going to talk about serious stuff, no reason to stay so serious. The Doctor reverts back to his usual boisterous self, talking animatedly and occasionally hopping or jumping in the middle of a step.

"Well, off to the kitchens then! I've got plenty to choose from, as you'll remember.

I'm not sure what to tell you there. I can't stand the stuff myself.

Ooh, I know! Perhaps you could make a rule where you invite me over everytime you want to have a drink! Then you have plenty of strong non-alcoholic beverages to choose from, and if you still want the alcohol, I'll match you drink for drink, and you'll feel bad about making me drink the horrid stuff!"

The Doctor beamed at Arthur as if this were the most brilliant and also the most obvious solution in the world.

Edited 2012-07-07 07:36 (UTC)

"It's probably best I don't touch the stuff anyway."

While he would defend his alcohol tolerance to the death, he was aware enough of the kind of person he could turn into when he'd been drinking, and the inevitable hangover wasn't something that he wanted to deal with in a place like this.

The suggestion, though, draws a slight grin and he rubs the back of his neck. As simple and, well, outright ridiculous the idea was, he had to say the Doctor had a decent point.

"And this is why I'm proud to consider you a friend. That sounds like a marvellous idea."

"It's a plan, then! You can call me anytime."

The Doctor lead the way to the kitchens, where Arthur could examine all the baffling and alien liquids he stored in the fridge at his leisure.

"I appreciate it."

Arthur seems to be more content right now, anyway - maybe the company was just what he needed. He looks through the contents of the fridge, making sounds of curiosity - there were colours in here that he didn't even have a name for.

He pauses on something a brilliant shade of vermilion that smells almost like pineapple.

"What's this?"

The Doctor is still harboring way too much energy, running over and

"Ooh, excellent choice. That is chronoberry cordial. Tastes like a bit of a mix between pomegranate and peaches, with just a hint of barium-147 mixed in. But that's not even the best part - they're called chronoberries because they enhance your perception of time - sometimes to the extent of seeing just a bit into the future, although those cases are very rare.

Doesn't do much for a timelord, of course, but for anyone else it can be an incredible experience!

"Chronoberry cordial..?"

He raises one eyebrow a little at the description, and briefly considers picking something else, but he can't help his curiosity. Arthur tilts the bottle in his hand and gives it another look.

"I seem to be rather keen on the time shenanigans in this place. First temporal mechanics, and now this."

After a moment of thought, he shrugs and nods.

"Hell, why not. I'll give it a try."

"Quite so. You're on a roll; next you'll be asking me to teach you to fly the TARDIS!"

The Doctor laughs, looking forward to Arthur's reaction to the cordial.

When Arthur drinks it, he'll find the passage of time - not slow, precisely, but become clear, as if he can see each millisecond creeping past. Looking around, he'll sense that everything is in flux; he'll be extremely aware of the endless possibilities based on the choices everyone would make, and he'll sense all those possibilities collapsing into their reality as each choice is made.

Edited 2012-07-09 08:40 (UTC)

"... Could you teach me how to fly the TARDIS?"

He's only half joking, but he grins and takes a sip of the cordial, instantly becoming very, very still. His eyes glaze over for a moment, then he blinks and shakes his head abruptly.

"... Whoa."

"Maybe. It would take a while, of course, but then I suppose you and I have got time to spare."

The Doctor continues to smile wildly as he sees Arthur's reaction.

"There, now you know a little about how I feel all the time! This is how I see the universe.

It's too bad we don't have anything terribly interesting to look at right now, temporally speaking."

Arthur can't do much else but sit there feeling like he might shatter if he stands up. It's not the kind of thing someone like him was ever meant to see, though it does remind him rather keenly of several trips he went on in the 1980s.

"Bloody hell, Doctor.."

For a long moment, he stares at the man as if he gained an entirely new-found respect for him.

"... How do you live like this and not go completely sodding insane?"

"And who says I'm not?"

Then, much more seriously -

"Because that's who I am. My people evolved over billions of years of exposure to the time vortex, the untempered schism. I can't imagine seeing the universe any other way."

"Oh, come now--"

Arthur knows a crazy person when he sees one, having been one himself at one point, and he wouldn't believe for a moment that the Doctor was insane. Of course, he could be a whole different level of crazy..

The explanation is satisfactory though, and he nods, then shakes his head again as the effects of the cordial slowly begin wearing off. He'll take a moment, he thinks, before he tries it again.

"What was Gallifrey like?"

The Doctor looks up at that, gazing into the distance as if he could still see it.

"They used to call it the Shining World of the Seven Systems. The sky's a burnt orange. And on the continent of Wild Endeavour, in the mountains of Solace and Solitude, there stood the Citadel of the Time Lords - enclosed in a mighty glass dome, shining under the twin suns. The oldest and most mighty race in the universe. Looking down on the galaxies below - sworn never to interfere, only to watch.

Oh, you should have seen it, that old planet - the second sun would rise in the south, and the mountains would shine. The leaves on the trees were silver. When they caught the light every morning, they lit the forest on fire. Beyond that, the mountains go on forever. Slopes of deep red grass, capped with snow. "

He watches the Doctor in silence as he speaks, slowly rotating his glass on the table in front of him. Arthur has always had a weakness for being told stories like this, right back into his childhood, and he rests his chin lightly on one palm while he's given the description of the Doctor's home planet. It was something he couldn't ever remember really being that heavily touched upon in the show itself, save for in references to the Time War, and to hear it described with such a tone of longing..

Arthur sighs, gently, and gives a small nod..

"It sounds beautiful. I wish it was possible to see it now."

"It was more beautiful than you could imagine."

The Doctor sighs, coming out of his reverie.

"Which probably only served to cover up all the problems and the corruption."

Wow, you're pathetic!

[Sorry, were you expecting a response?

You're not getting one.

Piss off, Spain]

( Sorry, were you expecting him not to keep talking? )

I mean, really really really pathetic! Hasn't it already been over 200 years? I thought you were over that!

It's so funny! I can't stop laughing!

[Have fun talking to yourself, idiot]

( oh, he is! )

We're your people even bored with the whole thing before it even started? Talk about bad national policy!!

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Action!

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You can make up whatever you want for the drinks.

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