![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
cosmic_celeryTitle: Excerpts from the Relatively Sequential Diary of Perpugilliam Brown
Fandom: Doctor Who
Summary: Peri gains some insight into the Doctor.
Alternate link: Teaspoon
Length: 1,140
We said goodbye to Turlough today. Saying goodbye so soon seemed wrong somehow, but who knows? Maybe I’ll see him again someday.
I have to say that because he saved my life and brought me along for all of this. How could I not want to see him again? Even if he's still a creepy redhead. I wonder how the Doctor's dealing with it.
/////
Can’t find the Doctor. We’re in some horrible swamp. I don’t think he left the TARDIS, but I can’t be sure.
/////
I found him in the library sitting in one of those big, cushy, high backed chairs. Facing the fireplace, he had a book on his lap, but he wasn’t reading it, just sort of staring into the fire like he had something on his mind. I felt like I was intruding, but I really did want to ask when we were leaving, so I shuffled my feet a bit to get his attention. He must have heard, because he dropped his eyes back to his book before turning to smile at me.
“Peri.”
“Doctor, I was…I was just wondering when we’re going to get out of this swamp. It’s awful.”
“Oh, soon enough. All mires and quagmires are eventually forged. I just need to look over a few things before we depart.” He tapped the book in his lap fiercely. I took that as my cue to leave, but I just had to ask about Turlough.
“Do you think we’ll see him again?” He frowned at the book.
“Who?”
“Turlough.” Who else could I have been talking about?
“No, I don’t think so.” He closed the book entirely at this point. I’m not sure if that was a good or a bad sign. I attempted optimism.
“Well, nothing’s impossible, right? Maybe you’ll meet him again someday. Or we could go back for a visit.”
“Yes. Maybe.” I’d heard that yes before. Usually after questions like ‘Do you think we could get a pet monkey?’ or ‘Do you think I could go to Peru for spring break?’ It meant no. Always and invariably. But why wouldn’t he want to see Turlough again?
I wonder if it has something to do with time travel, or if he’s just afraid of going back.
/////
I just heard him hurrying through the corridor past my room toward the console room. I poked my head out to ask if we were finally leaving, and he looked at me as if he’d forgotten I was even on board! He stuffed his hands into his jacket pockets and looked at the ceiling.
“Ah. Well. Just making a quick stopover on Earth. Nothing exciting.” Then he made a few excuses about me not needing to come along and left. If he was human, I’d say he was acting funny.
I’m going to follow him.
/////
Maybe I shouldn’t have followed him.
The TARDIS had landed in some sort of residential area, and it was bright out. As I stepped out, I shielded my eyes from the sun and saw the Doctor walking down the street. It seemed like he was going to visit a particular house, but at the last minute, he crossed the street and just stood there watching. I thought he might cross the street again, but at the last minute, he stepped back into the shadow cast by a wall of box shrub and I couldn’t see him anymore.
I looked across the street instead and saw a woman had stepped out of the house carrying a sketchbook. She lifted her face and squinted into the sun for a moment before sitting down on one of the front steps, flipping open the book and starting to work. She couldn’t have been older than thirty-five: petite, with short-cropped hair that suited the long line of her neck. Pretty. I looked back to where the Doctor was standing, but he was still hidden.
I was still trying to discern his shape from shadow when I heard the door of the house bang open. A young girl with long, brown hair had bolted out of the front door into the yard, closely followed by a tall, blond man with a young face. Both were smiling when he scooped her up in his arms. Together, they went to sit on the steps, but the second he sat down, the girl was up again, seemingly on a mission to climb a tree. The man let the girl go and looked over his wife’s shoulder. She tilted her sketchpad up so he could get a better look at what she was drawing and he smiled and nodded at whatever it was. They leaned against each other and watched their daughter attempt to climb a tree. It was a sweet scene.
I was starting to wonder if the Doctor had somehow left, so I made my way as quietly as I could a little bit closer. I snuck around to the other end of the shrub wall from where the Doctor was standing, and finally I could see him clearly. He was standing stock still watching the family, and had shoved his hands deep into the pockets of his beige jacket.
At that point, I knew I was definitely intruding on something I shouldn’t have seen, so I started to turn back.
Then I stepped on a leaf.
A dry leaf.
The sound caught the Doctor’s attention and he whipped his head around. I’ll never be sure if the emotion that played across his face was fear, anger, or something else entirely. But whatever it was, it caught me and I couldn’t move.
Across the street the woman laughed and yelled out “Nyssa! Not so high!” The Doctor’s face softened and he looked back to the family. I went and stood beside him until they all went back inside the house and he started walking back to the TARDIS. He was at the door before I had the nerve to say anything.
“Doctor?” He stopped with the key in the lock. For a long time he didn’t say anything and I thought he might be thinking about leaving me behind.
“Her name is Tegan. We traveled together for a long while and that’s all you need to know.” He opened the door and walked in, immediately busying himself by setting up coordinates on the console. I decided to press my luck while I still could.
“Do you love her?” His answer was immediate.
“No.”
I’ve heard that no before, too. I wonder if Time Lords always say yes when they mean no and no when they really mean yes.
I would have pressed my luck a little further, but he was already on about seeing the Great Pyramids, and how the sun sets on the Nile, and I didn’t have the heart to stop him.
Fandom: Doctor Who
Summary: Peri gains some insight into the Doctor.
Alternate link: Teaspoon
Length: 1,140
We said goodbye to Turlough today. Saying goodbye so soon seemed wrong somehow, but who knows? Maybe I’ll see him again someday.
I have to say that because he saved my life and brought me along for all of this. How could I not want to see him again? Even if he's still a creepy redhead. I wonder how the Doctor's dealing with it.
/////
Can’t find the Doctor. We’re in some horrible swamp. I don’t think he left the TARDIS, but I can’t be sure.
/////
I found him in the library sitting in one of those big, cushy, high backed chairs. Facing the fireplace, he had a book on his lap, but he wasn’t reading it, just sort of staring into the fire like he had something on his mind. I felt like I was intruding, but I really did want to ask when we were leaving, so I shuffled my feet a bit to get his attention. He must have heard, because he dropped his eyes back to his book before turning to smile at me.
“Peri.”
“Doctor, I was…I was just wondering when we’re going to get out of this swamp. It’s awful.”
“Oh, soon enough. All mires and quagmires are eventually forged. I just need to look over a few things before we depart.” He tapped the book in his lap fiercely. I took that as my cue to leave, but I just had to ask about Turlough.
“Do you think we’ll see him again?” He frowned at the book.
“Who?”
“Turlough.” Who else could I have been talking about?
“No, I don’t think so.” He closed the book entirely at this point. I’m not sure if that was a good or a bad sign. I attempted optimism.
“Well, nothing’s impossible, right? Maybe you’ll meet him again someday. Or we could go back for a visit.”
“Yes. Maybe.” I’d heard that yes before. Usually after questions like ‘Do you think we could get a pet monkey?’ or ‘Do you think I could go to Peru for spring break?’ It meant no. Always and invariably. But why wouldn’t he want to see Turlough again?
I wonder if it has something to do with time travel, or if he’s just afraid of going back.
/////
I just heard him hurrying through the corridor past my room toward the console room. I poked my head out to ask if we were finally leaving, and he looked at me as if he’d forgotten I was even on board! He stuffed his hands into his jacket pockets and looked at the ceiling.
“Ah. Well. Just making a quick stopover on Earth. Nothing exciting.” Then he made a few excuses about me not needing to come along and left. If he was human, I’d say he was acting funny.
I’m going to follow him.
/////
Maybe I shouldn’t have followed him.
The TARDIS had landed in some sort of residential area, and it was bright out. As I stepped out, I shielded my eyes from the sun and saw the Doctor walking down the street. It seemed like he was going to visit a particular house, but at the last minute, he crossed the street and just stood there watching. I thought he might cross the street again, but at the last minute, he stepped back into the shadow cast by a wall of box shrub and I couldn’t see him anymore.
I looked across the street instead and saw a woman had stepped out of the house carrying a sketchbook. She lifted her face and squinted into the sun for a moment before sitting down on one of the front steps, flipping open the book and starting to work. She couldn’t have been older than thirty-five: petite, with short-cropped hair that suited the long line of her neck. Pretty. I looked back to where the Doctor was standing, but he was still hidden.
I was still trying to discern his shape from shadow when I heard the door of the house bang open. A young girl with long, brown hair had bolted out of the front door into the yard, closely followed by a tall, blond man with a young face. Both were smiling when he scooped her up in his arms. Together, they went to sit on the steps, but the second he sat down, the girl was up again, seemingly on a mission to climb a tree. The man let the girl go and looked over his wife’s shoulder. She tilted her sketchpad up so he could get a better look at what she was drawing and he smiled and nodded at whatever it was. They leaned against each other and watched their daughter attempt to climb a tree. It was a sweet scene.
I was starting to wonder if the Doctor had somehow left, so I made my way as quietly as I could a little bit closer. I snuck around to the other end of the shrub wall from where the Doctor was standing, and finally I could see him clearly. He was standing stock still watching the family, and had shoved his hands deep into the pockets of his beige jacket.
At that point, I knew I was definitely intruding on something I shouldn’t have seen, so I started to turn back.
Then I stepped on a leaf.
A dry leaf.
The sound caught the Doctor’s attention and he whipped his head around. I’ll never be sure if the emotion that played across his face was fear, anger, or something else entirely. But whatever it was, it caught me and I couldn’t move.
Across the street the woman laughed and yelled out “Nyssa! Not so high!” The Doctor’s face softened and he looked back to the family. I went and stood beside him until they all went back inside the house and he started walking back to the TARDIS. He was at the door before I had the nerve to say anything.
“Doctor?” He stopped with the key in the lock. For a long time he didn’t say anything and I thought he might be thinking about leaving me behind.
“Her name is Tegan. We traveled together for a long while and that’s all you need to know.” He opened the door and walked in, immediately busying himself by setting up coordinates on the console. I decided to press my luck while I still could.
“Do you love her?” His answer was immediate.
“No.”
I’ve heard that no before, too. I wonder if Time Lords always say yes when they mean no and no when they really mean yes.
I would have pressed my luck a little further, but he was already on about seeing the Great Pyramids, and how the sun sets on the Nile, and I didn’t have the heart to stop him.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
on 2009-05-29 09:27 am (UTC)(where you say 'queue' i think you probably mean 'cue')
no subject
on 2009-05-29 09:37 am (UTC)Thanks. :)