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[ohshutup]

[ ᴏᴠᴇʀғʟᴏᴡ ᴛʜʀᴇᴀᴅs. ]

Comments

for mmiab

[ohshutup]

[Continued from here.]

Hi. [She reaches up, swiping a finger under her eyes. It comes away just barely stained with damp mascara. With her clean hand, she offers a polite, buttoned-up handshake.] Clara Oswald. A few years early.

[Her skin is corpse-cold.]

[mmiab]

[ it's a hand he accepts, even if it feels strangely formal. it has no reason to, but he knows he means more to her than that now, and it's barely ever handshakes with him anyway. still, he takes her hand, because she's offers it, and it's all he has to offer in return.

and her hand is— cold. there's little display made of it, expression kept as neutral as he can manage, but he casts a swift glance up at her. pointed, concerned. it smooths out - he's smiling again. ]

Clara. A pleasure. [ a few years. ] Funny thing, time. I haven't been pulled out of it in a while. Shame it's muddled us up.

[ohshutup]

[She pulls her hand back a bit quickly, and takes a deep, deliberate breath, just for show. It rests still and cold in her chest.]

It's alright. We met out of order to begin with.

[Her smile is narrow and nostalgic. That ridiculous monk's robe, his beaming face - it's all etched in her memory as clear as day.]

for assholic.

[ohshutup]

[A distinct "my bad" expression.]

Whoops. I assumed our stay in space was enough of a prerequisite for frankness.

[assholic]

Maybe I was just hoping someone that didn't know Trump was president wasn't going to be talking about ships and time travel.

[So sue her. Though, to be fair, the 'Incident' had happened before Trump.]

[ohshutup]

So sorry to burst your bubble.

[She gives an apologetic little smile.]

The universe is a bit more complicated than that.

[assholic]

Yeah, I'm starting to figure that one out.

[And in figuring it out, she was hating it just a little bit more.]

I'm really going to need that drink soon.

[ohshutup]

I can't help you there, but there's a bloke in a waistcoat who seems to have brought the space station's wine collection with him.

for winecasks.

[ohshutup]

[She listens to his story, amused and sympathetic, and gives a little nod.]

Partially. I went to uni for a different kind of art - literature. Wound up teaching it to children, like I always wanted. [And it was wonderful, some of the time, when they weren't sticking gum to their desks or texting each other from across the room or calling her names.] But that's all in the past.

[winecasks]

Ah, an educator! A thankless job. Even one student like me can make for a wholly sour experience, I imagine.

[ With his lack of motivation, it was surely just as frustrating a job to teach him as it was for him to paint those pictures. He smiles all the same, his frustration melting back into the haze of his drunkenness. ]

But I wouldn’t know. If it was what you wanted, it may be that you actually enjoyed it.

[ohshutup]

I enjoyed it well enough. It didn't fit in with the life I wanted, though.

[No job would have, really. She would have needed something that let her take off for weeks at a time without a word of warning.]

Wasn't always thankless, though. I loved my students - even the worst ones, sometimes.

for micromania.

[ohshutup]

Save the day. That's sort of my thing.

[It's a joke, but said gently. She looks Farah in the eye, utterly genuine.]

I'll protect everyone I can. You don't need to worry.

[micromania]

Alright. [ Farah can...take Clara at her word, on this. She's lived here longer, after all, and Farah doesn't know the first thing about Clara's life or history or background. ] What do you do at the library?

[ohshutup]

Shelve things, mainly.

[She tugs her coat aside to show the name badge on her blouse: "ᴄʟᴀʀᴀ ᴏsᴡᴀʟᴅ - ʟɪʙʀᴀʀɪᴀɴ", it reads.]

Not by trade, mind you. I was a teacher back home.

[micromania]

Oh. You decided not to do that anymore or...? [ Farah is curious about people by nature, but still this might be a bit excessive. ] Sorry! I'm just. When you say you'll protect everyone you can, what do you mean?

for skye.

[ohshutup]

[Oh, or is she?? The other boot is coming off now!]

I never could back down from a challenge.

[morethan084]

Clearly.

[Especially since she's still working on getting the jeans off.]

Alright, I guess I can accept your apology for saying that coffee is awful.

[Except she never apologized.]

[ohshutup]

[She pauses, the boot hanging from her toes.]

I didn't say all coffee is awful, just espresso. It's all fine if you put milk in it.

[morethan084]

[Skye tends to drink it black with sugar, but, she'll bite her tongue for once.]

Fine. You can keep the jeans, I guess.

for clussy.

[ohshutup]

(( From here ))

[She listens raptly, trying to keep the concerned confusion out of her brow. They met in space, then. He's not... well, he's of no relation to her. She swallows deep, deep down the faintest twinge of disappointment.]

If I know two things, it's that being forgotten's the worst- [Experience talking.] -and that I wouldn't have left you by choice.

[One minute in, and she's already charmed.]

Now tell me about this space ship.

[clussy]

Oh yeah. No. I- I definitely know you would never leave me by choice. (A small smile begins to curl over his face.) You've told me that before too.

(That was the thing about Clara. Her feelings towards him seemed to be consistent and unconditional no matter when or how they met. That was the kind of thing that secured her in his heart for so long, even after losing her for a few months. Maybe they weren't related by blood, but Eddie had never really felt that way. It was hard when you were a kid and all you wanted was a mom who felt like a real mom.

Made the whole blood technicality seem real unimportant.)

The...ship.

(Eddie pauses, sucking in a quiet breath.)

It was...weird. Weirder to me than you, probably. Since I'm from the fifties and all, when I first showed up everything was just a foreign world to me because it was so futuristic? I was way scared when I showed up cause I didn't have any of my friends and I knew no one. You were the first adult though who really...(His voice wavers again and he stops, looking at her.)

You helped me a lot. Like. I wasn't in danger or anything- well. Not from monsters anymore. But you were always just there. Sorry. Um- the ship had a lot of weird stuff about it. It would take us to different worlds each month that we could go out and explore. Some of the worlds were real pretty while other worlds were pretty dangerous.

for bri.

[ohshutup]

I'll fish you out if you do.

[She says it lightly, like it might be a joke, but she's keeping a quick eye. If a single goddamn thing happens to this girl, she's ready to tear throats out. Turns out that primal mother's instinct never really goes away, huh?

Brianna's shifty eyes certainly don't go unnoticed though, and Clara can't help the ghost of hurt in her own stomach. Of course, the girl has no reason to think this is anything but a trap. Clara's never done anything but be irritating and stifling towards her, and in the tension of the Dome it isn't like that's about to evaporate. So, with softening eyes, Clara drops all her gear and sits down on the riverbed.]

I don't give a damn what team you're on, alright? I'm not about to pull anything.

[fayzedandconfused]

[ Brianna laughs, softly, a little surprised. Yeah, okay, maybe she's not great at hiding what she's thinking. And Clara's obviously not dumb. ]

If you do, I know where you live. [ But, after a few moments, she extends a hand. ] But okay. Truce?

[ohshutup]

[She's already started moving her things, but now doesn't seem like the time to say it. Instead, she reaches out and gives Breeze's hand a firm shake. Her own is no bigger, but oddly cool. Maybe it's just the shade of the forest.]

Truce.

[She uses the handshake to pull herself back up, and then she gestures towards the water with her head. Her ponytail swings.]

Go on, then.

[fayzedandconfused]

[ Brianna hops down the bank and crouches next to the water in an easy, catlike motion. She lets her blistered hands rest in the current for a few moments and can't help exhaling in relief as the burning subsides. The blisters fade to pinkish scars, half-healed spots on her fingers. ]

So water heals. Good to know. [ She cups some in her hands and splashes it on her face, then shakes her head rapidly to get the water out of her eyes. ] Wonder if it's just these blisters or if it helps with other stuff, too.