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Clara Oswald ([personal profile] bossily) wrote in [community profile] ximilialog2021-10-23 01:41 pm

open ; catch all for October

CHARACTERS: Clara Oswald & OPEN
LOCATION: Around the station
DATE: 10/17-10/21
CONTENT: Clara pops back onto the station after a canon update
WARNINGS: Mentions of death


I. Twice Returned
[Time is such a funny thing, really. In her time spent traveling with the Doctor, she's come to understand that it can be such a meaningless thing. Except for when it's important. And in the series of events that have just unfolded for her, time feels incredibly important. Vital, even.

The thing is, she remembers being on the station before. Remembers her friends there, and the missions. And she remembers the orbs. It had all been one big adventure before. But then she was sent back, gone in a blink of an eye. For those close to her, it's not likely they even will notice she's gone. For her though, time passes more slowly. Hours turn to days away, and days to week. Before she knows it, years have passed. Time spent aging and growing, developing into a different person. Clara Oswald has a home on Earth maybe, but she no longer feels the same sort of attachment to it that she once had. With the loss of Danny Pink and the intensity of her connection growing stronger with each adventure after, Clara's left more and more of her life on Earth behind.

Sure, it's fine to tap in and out of London to check in on people like Rigsy. People who are friends. People who -

Well, people who Clara's willing to die for. Her reckless streak has finally caught up to her in the form of a chronolock. One that's recently taken her life. Or maybe it took her life billions of years ago, things are a bit fuzzy at the moment. She recalls coming back, recalls learning the Doctor spent billions of years in a personal hell because of her dying. She recalls stealing her own TARDIS, recalls making the one person she loves more than anyone forget everything about her.

She had done it for his own good, and the good of the universe. It's a bit hard to justify staying together when you know an entire prophecy was written as a warning to keep you apart. It won't do to have their relationship bring on the hybrid.

Which is exactly why she's confused as she's pulled back into the station and has to try and sort things out. Is the Doctor still here, she wonders. Have billions of years passed here too? Only a few days? Weeks?

Time had started to feel meaningless for her.

That was before the raven swooped in and changed everything.

Now it feels increasingly important to pinpoint exact moments in time. Her fingers press against the inside of her left wrist as she slowly navigates the hallways. There's a heartbeat there. But there shouldn't be. When she bumps into someone as she walks she owlishly blinks up at them, her fingers slipping away.
]

How long has it been since the last mission?



II. Sunlight Room
[For those that know her well enough, it's easy to tell that something is a little off. She looks a little older in her face, her eyes holding a maturity that she had previously been lacking. She's seen and been through so many things in her time away that being back here almost feels surreal. It doesn't feel like it should be possible.

But she's the impossible girl, or at least she once had been. She knows from experience that anything is possible. Usually she's the one forcing the impossible to happen. There's almost something comical about the fact that she finally was in full control of her own destiny. She had the ability to be the Doctor in her own right, traveling whenever and wherever she wanted. She could face her death when she was ready and go back to it the long way around.

She finally had all the control she wanted, only to have it torn away from her again. But she knew now she had a distinct purpose for being here. She couldn't remember her regret from before, but knew that it couldn't be as important as the one she wanted to undo now. She would do whatever it took to protect the Doctor. Even if it meant rewriting time itself.

She stands in the sunlight room, head tipped so she can peer up at the artificial light. It's almost like she's looking for something. She hears the sound of someone walking past and reaches out to grab hold of their hand. There's no words at first, no sign of what she wants. Really, she's just desperate for some kind of contact right now. A reminder to anchor her to the reality of being back and having a purpose again.
]

Do you think this station had a purpose before we all arrived here?


III. Kitchen

[Apparently coming back to life and getting her heartbeat back means that the threat of being caught between her last heartbeat and death doesn't have to be an immediate threat. What is the immediate issue is that no amount of food seems to be enough. Clara's typically anxious over the amount of supplies on the station and worrying about whether or not everyone has enough. She started her hydroponic garden to help ensure the children have plenty to eat. But now that concern is far from her mind as she camps out in the kitchen and eats.

She spends hours grazing her way around the kitchen, only pausing when she catches sight of someone else entering. Her mouth is usually full when this happens, and she swallows what's in her mouth to try and awkwardly smile.
]

Right, so...I can explain.

[She still thinks supplies are an issue and she should apologize for just stuffing her face this way.]


IV. Personal Quarters - closed close CR
[Clara spends as little time as possible in the room she shares with the Doctor. She finds herself not really wanting or needing to sleep those first handful of days back, only getting some catnaps here and there around the station. But when she finally feels disgusting and in ready of freshening up, she makes her way back to her quarters at long last.

After cleaning up and getting a change of clothes, she spends an extraordinary amount of time looking in the small mirror hanging on the wall by her bed. Typically her ego doesn't see any issue with admiring her reflection. Her purpose for looking today has little to do with how amazing her hair looks or how on point her eyeliner is. No, she's far more concerned about something else. It's easy to pretend like she hasn't been gone at all with the others. When it comes to the Doctor...well, she has her concerns. He'll be able to tell she's different immediately, just from the look in her eyes.

But it's the number that's tattooed on the back of her neck that she's worried about. Is it even still there? Clara gathers up her short hair to lift it up and turn in a way she can look at what she's afraid will be there. And sure enough, the numbers 001 are there, taunting her. There's no escaping the chronolock. Even here in another dimension and possibly even another universe entirely it follows her. It's a reminder of what she has waiting for her. Of what she has to hide from the man that's willing to tear the fabric of the universe apart if it means protecting her.

No matter what happens, the Doctor can never know her fate.

She's so caught up in her thoughts that she doesn't hear the door open at first. Her close friends know they're always able to just come inside, and it's likely the Doctor could pop back in as well. As soon as she realizes she's not alone her hair is dropped, hopefully masking any sign of the fact she's marked with a permanent countdown. She forces a smile, though it doesn't quite meet her eyes. She's able to keep her tone as fond and teasing as ever, which is a win. Banter is exactly what she needs to cheer up right about now.
]

Let me guess. You want me to come see something you've done that shows how amazingly clever you are?

callada: (esa locura que nos es natural)

II

[personal profile] callada 2021-10-23 08:09 pm (UTC)(link)
[Since the last mission, Rosinante has been spending more time in here, too. It's somehow comforting, to sit in the sun with the trees and flowers around him, even if it's nothing like home.

He enters, expecting to be mostly alone, maybe find some time to read the book in his hand, but he sees Clara there and she looks... pensive. He'd wondered where she'd been hiding lately, but maybe like many of them she wanted some time to get away for a little while.

Best not to bother her - except she grabs hold of him, and he stops in his tracks and looks down at her with a frown.]


Possibly. Viveca hinted at that to me before the last mission when I asked.

[He'll continue on that thought, but first, what's this about all of a sudden, anyway?]

Are you all right?
callada: (I bet Doffy uses mascara)

[personal profile] callada 2021-10-23 10:21 pm (UTC)(link)
[Well, all right. Can't do much other than to accept that. She's fine, just been thinking, and doesn't that describe all of them here some days? He sure knows how easy it is to get stuck in his own head, reflecting on everything that goes on around them as they do their best to get these orbs back under control.

So he lets it be, then shakes his head.]


Not often, no. I just ask her things now and then in the hopes the answer that comes back shines some tiny light into the darkness we're always in. I asked her once about what defenses the station had in case we ended up under attack here in space, and she said that there's no need. That the station is impossible to find, and that we and the orbs are safe, and that she spoke from experience. And in other network conversations between her and other people, she admitted there were people here before us who were supposed to have their own regrets reversed by the orb.

[No, it's not a firm answer, but it's pretty damn close to one, and it raises lots of its own concerns. What happened to the people before them?]
callada: (Cool Dude TM)

[personal profile] callada 2021-10-23 11:04 pm (UTC)(link)
Would you please? She'll start to get annoyed with me if I keep coming back to her over and over.

[All right, so he's sort of teasing, because he's going to keep asking anyway as things come to mind. Viveca already knows it's in his nature to do so - she was happy to point out, in fact, just how much she knows about him.

Poor Clara looks uncomfortable staring up at him like that, and he has nowhere he needs to be, so he pulls his hands away from hers so he can sit himself down and lean back on his palms. Like this, he's only just shorter than she is.]


And if she answers, let me know what she says.
callada: (me abandonó sin avisar)

[personal profile] callada 2021-10-23 11:31 pm (UTC)(link)
Yeah, of course. Go for it.

[And he smiles back, because if she looks calm and reassuring, then he can appear to be too. He ought to actually be, probably, but in his experience it's never a good sign when someone asks if they can ask a question. The questions that follow tend to be heavy, or personal.]
callada: (an ominous storm on the horizon)

[personal profile] callada 2021-10-24 12:58 am (UTC)(link)
[Ah. So she's not all right, because people who are all right tend not to lose track of time like that. The smile fades as he looks at her with a mix of curiosity and concern through his slightly overgrown bangs.]

About a week. Why do you ask?
lateness: (145)

iv.

[personal profile] lateness 2021-10-24 01:12 am (UTC)(link)
Claraaa! Clara, are you in —

[ The Doctor enters their shared quarters in a flurry of his usual, enthusiastic movement, bowtie and suspenders arranged just right. His usual long coat is left draped over some piece of furniture or what-have-you, discarded without a care. This space is beginning to resemble the closet in the TARDIS, honestly, and thankfully no Nannybots have sought to tidy it up or they'd be in for a (rude) surprise.

When he spots the woman in question, his arms are still up like he's been trying to dispel the extra energy within him, and then he stops short. Lets them flop back to their sides. And squints.

Something's different. Something's very different. ]


Did you do something with your hair?
lateness: (o97)

[personal profile] lateness 2021-10-24 01:30 am (UTC)(link)
Hugging. Yes, all right, hugging's good.

[ There's a different sort of energy in the room right now, the Doctor can practically taste it on his tongue, and the hug — while nice — does nothing for the way the cogs start to turn and whirl in his brain. It's all very ... hm. Strange.

Still, there's no hesitation when he pulls her into his arms in kind, squeezing her just as tightly as she's squeezing him. ]


Hello, Clara. I didn't forget the waffles, you know.

[ Because that ... must be what this is about, right? ]

Shampoo?

[ No — no, there's a reason for this. There's — ]

You smell different.
lateness: (106)

[personal profile] lateness 2021-10-24 01:49 am (UTC)(link)
I'm always being weird.

[ At least that much is true. There's another pause as he tilts his nose to sniff her hair, very much like a puppy trying to figure out his surroundings by smell alone. He gets a scent of the stardust too, only its not from him that he's smelling it. ]

I don't know.

[ It's an honest answer as his (delicate) brows knit together in thought. Still, he won't let go of her for as long as she wants him not to. ]

You didn't pick up one of the soaps from the drop-off, did you? Though I suppose it really is all first come, first serve — found a bag of satsumas in that mess, I thought you might like one.
attackbrows: (➤ 149)

iv.

[personal profile] attackbrows 2021-10-24 01:56 am (UTC)(link)
[Okay, yes. You got him there. He is here to share something clever. She didn’t have to go on and spoil the surprise (if there is any at this point).

The Doctor leans next to the door frame with a wry smirk on his face. He hadn’t picked up on any cues (just yet). All he knows is that Clara has been running all over the place, trying to keep things in check in her usual control-freak manner.]


Would it surprise you if I said I have a fresh batch of biscuits waiting for you?

[Because he doesn’t but it’s the thought that counts.]
callada: (se siente bien estar aquí)

[personal profile] callada 2021-10-24 02:04 am (UTC)(link)
[He regards her quietly for a good few seconds, but it feels even longer. She went back?]

On the network, people were talking about a couple of us who vanished mid-mission. Natasha and Shuri. Supposedly it was some kind of mistake that they got sent back.

[But that's not really the same as this, is it? Clara was gone and returned to them. Is that good? Bad? He's glad she's here, but is she?

Well, he's not looking any less worried.]
lateness: (o73)

[personal profile] lateness 2021-10-24 02:12 am (UTC)(link)
Busy doing what?

[ It's said as the Doctor pulls back too, providing himself with enough space to reach into one of the pockets of his trousers and pull a perfectly orange-coloured satsuma from its depths. He presents it like it's a precious gift, and in some ways it is. They've been eating a lot of strange space-food lately, a lot of interesting cuisine on Braccia. (None of it bad, of course, just different.)

Something as lovely and Earth-like as a satsuma somehow feels ... novel. ]


I've kept the rest in the kitchens, though I suspect half of the crew will have found them by now.
callada: (revivir ese momento surreal)

[personal profile] callada 2021-10-24 02:23 am (UTC)(link)
Been wondering that a while now.

[He straightens his back and frowns, letting his arms settle over his knees. This is the stuff that keeps him up at night, that kept him occupied during too much of their time in Braccia.]

They're incredibly powerful and incredibly dangerous, and here we are concentrating them all in one place. If I were to guess, the Commander of this station, or someone else involved, has made a deal with them.
attackbrows: (➤ 217)

[personal profile] attackbrows 2021-10-24 02:34 am (UTC)(link)
[The mere mention of Danny is enough for the Doctor to arch an eyebrow. She knows. It’d been so difficult for him to hold his tongue all this time. Not having to spoil the adventures they will have together for as long as they can run. So it’s no surprise that while his expression looks disconcerted, his arms easily wrap around her tiny frame for him to (finally) take a deep breath. His cheek brushes against her hair.]

I think you owe me a batch this time around. [The Doctor pulls away slightly so he can see her face.] When were you going to tell me?
Edited 2021-10-24 02:35 (UTC)

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