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[ the video feed flickers onto the face of an older gentleman; unflattering low angle, poor lighting, eyebrows hanging heavy over his eyes and lips tightly pursed. he's wearing a nice, heavy coat over a hoodie and a t-shirt featuring a sick ass space shark, though much of the ensemble's coated in a fine yellowish dust. looks like it could use a wash.

not his main concern right now. ]

Really? [ one corner of his mouth quirks up, wry. ] Cast across time and drifting lost and alone amongst storms of raw negative energy, but you've got social networking. How very... human, I bet a human knocked this up. D'you call it Spacebook or something?

[ original dad joke, do not steal. no apology is forthcoming.

the camera swings round, losing sight of him for a second as he sets the device down on something solid. re-adjusts it until it's centered properly on his face, steady now. ]

Hel-lo, Avagi. I'm the Doctor. Yes, just the Doctor. I arrived on your quaint little space station only recently — not the worst I've encountered. Well done. Probably... well, possibly not even in the bottom ten, but I mourn for some of your equipment. Someone made off with two-thirds of your laboratory, you realize, and ohhh, the state of your computers...

[ briefly aims the camera up at one of the aforementioned storms. ] But I must say, the open-plan observation station is a bold design.

[ casually tossing topics out as he rapidly approaches the actual purpose of this broadcast. this time he points at the screen, seriously, ]

Has anyone established themselves as your de facto leader yet? I'd like to know who to ignore.

The rest of you, tell me about the Ingress as it was, and the planets you've visited. Any of them.

[ over and out. ]

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[ defensively!!: ]

I told them 'well done', it's not an insult! And I've stated some facts, there isn't anything wrong with that.

[ right. ]

[She gives him one of her critical looks, and lets it linger for a while. ]

I think we need to talk about something. It might be important.

[ . . . he goes shifty-eyed under the force of the Look, but straightens up when she speaks again.

"we need to talk about something" is hardly ever a good thing. ]

Er. Okay. Where are you?

I can meet you back at the room.

[It's nice and private, and she's right nearby so it's not far for her to walk.]

Alright, alright. I'm on my way.

[ flicks his device off. he'll be there in several minutes. ]

[When he gets there, she's pacing the room. The sound of him opening the door and entering gets her to stop, and she doesn't say anything before going over to wrap her arms around him. He'll have to forgive her for it.]

Doctor, I think there's something wrong with me.

[Her not sleeping or eating properly combined with her faulty memories related to this place have made her a little paranoid and emotional. He's her Doctor and she trusts him completely, so he needs to help fix it.]

[ his brow's already crinkled with concern as soon as he sees her, paused in the doorway, and the sudden hug only freezes him up entirely for a moment.

but then he brings his hand up, laying it carefully on her back. ]

What—what's wrong? Clara?

[ he's been a bit distracted himself lately, but he has noted that she's not been taking proper care of herself. chalked it up to this entire... rather distressing situation, though. ]

[His proximity is enough to help her feel calm, but his hand on her back does a good job of making her feel grounded. That's what gets her to talk.]

Being here, I keep getting foggy flashes of memories when I talk to people. Like I know them. And when I see some things, I remember other things I don't know the names to. It's like I've been in a place like this before, with some of these people, but I don't fully remember it.

[And he knows her well enough to know why that's so bothersome to her.]

Oh...

[ he clears his throat. it's almost as though this revelation isn't so shocking to him, now. ]

You have been here before, er. Evidently. I'd just been told as much, but I wasn't—

[ sure. could've been a lie, a trick, a case of mistaken identity, who knows. he trails off, but quickly picks it back up: ]

So your memory must be coming back. That's good.

[ it should be good. shouldn't it? ]

Good?

[She nearly hisses, pulling away from him.]

Doctor, I'm telling you my mind is faulty and I'm not in control of it and you're telling me that's good!

[He's the only person in the universe where she can drop the act and show her panic and anxiety.]

No, no no, that's not it.

[ he shakes his head, waving his hands at her. he gets it, he does, but he thinks she's looking at it the wrong way. ]

Something, something about the process of traveling through the Ingress must've... scrambled your memory a bit, yes — after all, you never mentioned this place before — but you're starting to remember again. It's un-scrambling. It's good!

[ trust him...! ]

It's only been a few days, give the fog time to lift.

[Give the fog time to lift.

It sounds like such a simple idea. She should be able to do it. But she can't, not when new memories keep firing off and she's feeling so overwhelmed by them. Time will fix this, both he and Adrien have told her as much.]

You sound like Adrien. I went to him to ask about the memories and get some sleeping pills. He said it would just take time.

[And clearly, that's not what she wants to hear. She knows that getting these memories back is good, but the issue is she's impatient and wants them all back now. ]

[ solemnly intoning, ] Patience is a virtue, my dear Clara.

I suspect sleeping would help the process along. How long have you been awake? D'you need some help?

[ mocks reaching out to poke her forehead. ]

You can save your dad skills for after I have dinner with him tonight.

[She smiles a little, pleased that he's offering to help her out in the sleep department. Her hand reaches up to curl around his bony finger, and she gently guides it away from her forehead.]

I haven't exactly slept since we've been here. Just bits off and on. I didn't want to worry you with it. It felt so stupid, compared to being trapped here with no sign of the TARDIS.

[ he drops his finger dutifully. later, then.

rather than address the insomnia (which is still troubling, but ultimately solvable) and the tardis (which he may just be intentionally avoiding the subject of, now), he says: ]

Dinner?

[ is this what you humans refer to as... a date? ]

[She just shrugs.]

He's popping by in a few hours to get me.

[Really, she's got no idea if it's a date or not.]

I haven't been eating either, so I figured it'd be a good chance to remedy that.

[ does anyone have any idea, ever? he wouldn't know. ]

Well. [ he claps his hands together, once. ] Then good, yes. Go. If dinner with a strange man you maybe once knew will finally get you to eat, as well.

[ really, he supports her fully. told her she needed a new relationship, didn't he? ]

I hope you two enjoy compressed nutrient cubes.

[Her eyes narrow and she stares for a few moments, trying to figure out if he's being sincere or if he's being sarcastic. ]

If you ever stopped and actually ate, I'd enjoy compressed nutrient cubes with you too.

[He is better than anyone at getting her to do things, no matter how stubborn she is.]

[ it's true.

if he's thought to do the things himself. his expression pinches as he pauses to consider this concept, apparently for the first time since arriving. ]

...Oh. Did— did you want to? You never said.

[ or if she had, he's totally forgotten it. ]

I shouldn't have to say.

[She gently pointed out, giving him her trademark sad eyes. She's really good at those. ]

Besides, you don't want to sit and have a meal, do you? It's so...normal. I thought you might think it's dull.

[ the big sad eyes are CHEATING, and she knows it. he stands no chance. ]

Well. [ he waves an awkward hand about. ] I dunno. Maybe I could give it a go. There must be something to it, if you're so keen.

[ ... ] As long as it doesn't take too long.

Edited 2017-11-13 07:21 (UTC)

[That answer is enough to get her to grin, dimpled and excited that he's actually agreeing to it. She may've cheated with the big sad eyes, but she got her way so score one for the needy game player.]

Ten minutes, tops. Promise. We don't even have to talk.

[It feels nice to do this. Banter about nothing important. It almost feels like things are going to slip back to being normal in no time, despite the fact nothing about this situation is normal at all.]

[ for a beat, his expression warms, the corners of his mouth turning up slightly from the force of her enthusiasm. it's such a small, silly thing, but whatever gets her smiling. ]

Good. Don't talk with your mouth full, I hate people who talk with their mouths full. Some things should never be seen.

[ —and then he wanders over towards his side of the room, pulling a few odds and ends out of his pockets as he goes and putting them away. looks like bits of scrap he's been collecting from around the ship, like a nerdy magpie.

he seems to feel the same way about inconsequential banter. ]

A few hours... better get ready.

I'm already ready.

[Memories of his criticizing her appearance when Danny was in the picture fill her head, and she ends up sighing in exasperation. Honestly, Doctor. ]

I think you just like making me feel self-conscious.

Are you?

[ he glances up, distractedly. ]

I can't tell, can I? You're the one who's always [ wiggles his fingers at his own face ] doing thing... It looks like your face to me.

[ she'll always just look like "clara" to him, no matter what. if that last christmas proved anything, she could suddenly be eighty and he probably wouldn't notice. ]

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