190th page

[ladybirdbook]

(April 21st-24th)

Wow, happy reunion. You lost some, you gained others. Two of them are meatheads. Awesome. Give them shit to carry since you don't have any horses. Once you've all made acquaintance and had tearful reunions and UST encounters, it's a good chance to sleep in for the night. It's a very deserted city so you can sleep peacefully.

When the sun rises then, time to tie your shoes and set off to adventure! Hurrah! Tumbataure's season three premiere!

[Mission: No more lazy! Decide what to do and pack your bags, you're back with the fellowship. LOTR walk montage. I bet you missed that.]

Comments

[armedarchaeologist]

Ah.

[nods sagely.]

Yep I know how that goes. Well if it's any consolation, I'm about 90% certain I'm here right now and at least 80% certain you're here right now...

[reaches out and surreptitiously pinches her on the arm.]

85. Call it a solid 85%. Which is not bad odds, as these things go. As a friend once told me, "If you immediately know the candle is fire, the meal was cooked a long time ago."

[recurred]

[ow]

[rubs at her arm and cracks a small smile]

I'll keep that in mind. Thanks.

[armedarchaeologist]

No problem. I'm going to go see about the others, what they want to do now.

[smallsmiles back at clara and makes a beeline to intercept hook.]

[recurred]

[watches him leave before turning around and heading back to the castle for one last sweep before they go]

[crossmyhearts]

[should really have brought his wizard costume if there was gonna be a lotr montage. seriously guys no one ever tells him anything.]

[anyway stumbling his way out the castle. nearly falls, does three twirls, and looks around.

ah. so that's where he is. great.] Clara??

[recurred]

[about half way up the steps when she stops and looks up from doctory stick legs]





[drops bag]

[how do i words]

[crossmyhearts]

[hears the bag drop and turns--]

[big smile, has quite possibly never looked this happy before ever.]

[it's okay if you can't words, what you need is a doctor. so just let him run over there and hug you.]

[recurred]

[yes doctor hugs are the best replacement for words, she's totally fine with this. clinging to him like the clingiest thing to ever cling. maybe crying a little. because she's a girl.]

[crossmyhearts]

[replies in kind, even lifts her off the ground a little.]

[it's only when he tilts his head back that he notices her crying.]

No! Why are you crying, oh you humans and your happy crying, just--

[wipes tears off her face. with the sleeve of his jacket. yes, you better appreciate that. also don't point it out but there's a tear at the corner of his eye.]

There.

[recurred]

[any other day maybe, but no not today]

[takes a deep breath and smiles and not smiles but then smiles again. patting him down almost to assure his presence]

You're really here. You're okay.

[job well done clara oswald. she's too excited now not to hug him again, this time with a giggle and and extra squeeze]

[crossmyhearts]

Yes, I am. [still with a smile] And so are you.

[let's just keep hugging until forever, that sounds like an excellent idea. closes eyes and rests cheek on top of her head, and oh here's his breath. hadn't even noticed he was holding it in.]

[recurred]

[listening to that double heartbeat as if it were some sort of metronome.]

This isn't the end. [seriously was having ' i thought i was dead ' thoughts. martyr jumping into a timestream and all, she wasn't expecting some sort of tumba afterlife waiting at the end.

still it's even more confusing. which is why she finally pulls away to look up at him. mister usually can answer things but probably cant]

Why?..How?

[crossmyhearts]

Of course not. I said I would get you out, and I did.

[tingling fingertips against each other. stares at her with an expectant grin on his face.]

I just don't know exactly how I did it yet.

[recurred]

[stares at him for a moment, reading, judging just a little]

Of course. Take all the credit before the credit is due.

[crossmyhearts]

Must you doubt me? I do things all the time, lots of things, more things than I can remember, and sometimes I have no idea how I do them.

[stands a little straighter, curving the corners of his mouth downwards in a full-of-himself manner.] Maybe I just... wished really really hard.

[recurred]

[smiles at that before taking a breath]

Well if that's the case, I'm glad you didn't wish just one really hard.

[crossmyhearts]

Well, to get you out of there? I probably had to wish really hard... times eleven.

[arches his nearly inexistent eyebrows at. then looks a little more serious.] Clara-- it was brilliant. You were brilliant.

[recurred]

[smile grows a little before she looks down. humbled or emotional or something, before looking back up at him]

Saving the universe, it's what we do. [reaches up and takes the sides of his face]

I'm just glad to see you with this face again. And that chin.

[crossmyhearts]

[grinning cheekily at her] Ohhh, you like it! You think I'm good looking, don't you? You--

[opens his mouth in fake shock, pointing an accusatory finger at her] You snogged me! We weren't even in the snnnn-- TARDIS! We weren't even in the TARDIS and you snogged me. Hah!

[looks so smug. straightens bowtie.

yup. still got it.]

[recurred]

[takes a step back before stepping forward again]

And you enjoyed it. [accusatory. yeah.] Funny how I've been up and down and sideways through your life, and the first thing you remember is me snogging you.

[looks him over and folds arms. assessing]

You really liked it.

[crossmyhearts]

[pfffffffffff]

Well... it wasn't half-bad, I guess.

[well this is awkward. but time lords aren't embarrassed, please, that's preposterous.]

Anyway! So how long has it been here since we left? I'm guessing a couple of days at best? The place doesn't seem all that different, at least... [looks at her] Were you waiting long?

[recurred]

[simmers down to the topic change, rolling her weight onto her heels before turning around]

Something like that. Hook and I arrived sometime yesterday afternoon. The machine didn't work on a bunch of the others either, but it seems to have worked for some.

[good for them and all. hopefully they'll just stay out]

[crossmyhearts]

[skips up to stand next to her]

So some did go home. Odd... we should have all gone through the same portal, so on principle... but then again, we did get to go back for a while, so whatever brought us here the first time might have done it again, only it brought us to the last place we were in. Yes, well... [last glance at the castle]

The machine isn't working anymore, though. Seems it was just a one-way trip. Or two-way trip, if you consider those of us who came back. What about the ones who stayed? Are they still around?

[recurred]

[picks bag up again and adjusts it over shoulder]

They reunited with us some time in the night with two new people. [scrunches nose at the thought]

I think one of them's a Gaul.

[crossmyhearts]

A Gaul!! Now, there was a Roman once, but that-- [sad look for a second. shakes it away and moves along]

That, I have to meet. Him, I mean, not that. Obviously. I probably should refrain from calling him 'that'.

So we'll catch up to them now, yes?