annexedlogs | [Open/Catch-all] Don't you let them see your troubles

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[Open/Catch-all] Don't you let them see your troubles

Who: The Doctor and you!
What: A new place, lack of tech and friends means the Doctor is reluctantly getting his bearings while internally freaking out
When: Over the course of September
Where: Central Command, The Mage's Sector, Electric Heart + Mini Missions
Content Warnings: None, but will update if anything arises

the worst neighbour ever — central command

[A grounded, TARDIS-less Doctor is a bored Doctor. With no missions on the horizon and a reluctance to even participate in them, the Doctor has reverted to what he's always done when he gets bored: build.

Any neighbouring rooms in the residential parts of Central Command would have likely heard a lot of noise over the last couple of days including, but not limited to: dragging, banging, whirring, wielding, shouts of success, annoyed muttering and pacing at varying times throughout the day. Maybe you've been woken up by said noise or maybe worse, kept up by it. Either way, there's a very simple piece of paper that reads, "Do Not Disturb" slapped onto his door. Attempts to get him to shut up usually don't work and he might even poke his head out every once in a while to tell someone to go away because they're the ones disturbing him or give them some earplugs before shutting the door in their face.

The finale of it all results in a small 'boom' from behind the closed door to his room. It's enough to make some of the walls shake, the lights flicker, and moments later a tall man wearing goggles throws the door open coughing violently as smoke begins to spill out.]

Where are the extractor fans when you need them? I should have installed those first.

get in loser we're going to do research — library @ the mage's sector

[Typically when he lands in a place that he doesn't have any information on he'll do his research. Well no, that's a lie. He'll usually just dive right in and get to know a place via the locals if there are any because nothing is better than first hand experience. There are plenty of locals, but, ah yeah the talking bit. He's had his fill of talking to people which means that research is a very valuable and secondary option. That's how he stumbles upon the library in the Mage's Sector. It isn't quite as extensive as the one in the TARDIS - nothing ever will be - but it's got enough books here to satisfy his thirst for knowledge.

It's a good thing that this place doesn't close because once he's sat himself down with a large stack of books in a comfy armchair with a desk in front of him the Doctor isn't keen on moving. Passersby might notice that the titles and topics vary; all of them are about the Broken World and its history, the planet's vegetation, fauna, and local animals, technology, and the customs of the planet - but there's also one slipped in there that very obviously reads, 'Horsemanship For Dummies'. Is his notebook filled to the brim with notes about horse training? Maybe. It's none of your business. Linger long enough nearby and he might ask/tell you:]

Could you keep your breathing down?

guitar hero — vr @ the electric heart

[If you've never seen a Time Lord going through a mid-life crisis (can you even have a mid-life crisis when you're 2000 years old), now's your chance.

The Doctor has been shredding - quite literally - on the VR's version of the electric guitar all day. He's somehow found a pair of Rayban-esque sunglasses and is currently jamming out to a tune that some might recognize. Turns out that it's tied to a game that looks a lot like a familiar Earth rhythm-based game and he's doing an eerily good job of keeping up with the fast chords and beats he has to hit. By the time the song ends, the points total up on the screen announcing him as the current high score holder. While no one is playing with him (yet), there's definitely room for people to join in on another guitar (axe battle anyone?), drums, or any other instrument you fancy (is that a trombone flickering in the background?).

Maybe it isn't a visible mid-life crisis, but trust us he's definitely brooding about something because he doesn't seem the least bit pleased about securing the high score as he punches in 'Doctor Mysterio' into the name section.]

wildcard — pick your own adventure!

[The Doctor can be found in various places across the Witches Camp scavenging for parts, building things, or putting in time between the library, Central Command and studiously avoiding the infirmary. Need someone to bicker with? Do you also want to tell him his hair is unruly? He's your Time Lord.]

[ ooc: prose is absolutely welcome, I'll follow your lead. I'm also happy to throw up private top levels as a general catchall for the rest of the month. Feel free to reach out to me via journal pm or discord for plotting! ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Probably. That would be stretching ourselves thin, given there's a lot in general to familiarize ourselves with.

[He's also got a bit on his plate by way of projects as it is. Between equipment Vader wants them to have set up and, well, Rokuro's tethering plans...]

We can just sleep less.

[He's joking. Mostly. He already doesn't sleep.

The Troop is stunning as they enter it; it's whimsical but there's a hum of it being alive. It's not just the spores that shake loose every so often or the way the light filters in through the gaps of the mushroom caps. It's the shift beneath their feet and the way everything around them seems to breathe.

The Doctor can't help but pause as they enter looking up in wonder.]

I didn't know what to expect but it wasn't this.

Something I already tend to do, not entirely on purpose.

[It's easy to get lost in his work after all.

Tech follows the Doctor's gaze as he looks around now that they've properly entered the place.]

I thought it might be similar to Felucia, but there is a distinct difference to the atmosphere.

[Too quiet. No creatures so far as he can hear, and yet the place isn't exactly still. It's strange. Fascinating too.

Tech brings out his tablet, tapping at its settings to scan for lifeforms outside of themselves.]

Do you need the same amount of sleep as normal people do? [Some clones built for soldier-type things had been built to be more efficient. Cybermen for example.

Almost in tandem the Doctor brings out his sonic probe to scan the area around them.]

Books I've read said that this place is alive. I believe it. Shall we?

[The canopy seems to shift overhead, several mushrooms that are shorter and closer to the ground seeming to bend and turn in their direction. The Doctor doesn't seem to notice it too entranced with everything above them but maybe Tech will.]

More or less. We were engineered to be top soldiers from creation, but for the most part still have normal human needs.

[He glances over as the Doctor brings out his own device with just the faintest hint of a look of amusement.]

I'm inclined to believe it as well. I'm picking up no active signs of life aside from ourselves, but that's not completely unexpected if the consistent output of spores has adverse effects on such.

[Tech starts along with a nod, continually keeping an eye on their surroundings in between checking his tablet for any interesting readings. His steps slow as the movement catches his eye, subtle as it might be, but he does tend to notice such details. He continues after the Doctor, warily.]

...is it strange to suggest that I think we're being watched?

Noted. It'd be a shame to not need to eat. Sucks the joy out of life if you ask me. [He noticeably doesn't comment on the sleeping bit though. If people were able to go without less sleep they'd have time to accomplish so much more - at least that's what he thinks.]

They're sending us in small batches, aren't they?

[The Doctor was at the briefing but was he listening? Hard to say. He's also going to keep walking but has his eye more on the readings than anything else. It's only about several minutes later that he remembers they're meant to be doing. He beelines for a cluster of mushrooms that are releasing spores and he caps them in mid-air in a test tube.]

Hm? Maybe. Probably. This is a living organism with kilometeres upon kilometers of mycelium underground.

Having more options to eat rather than cafeteria food or ration bars is definitely an experience here.

[Tech might be inclined to agree about the sleep.]

They are, but not all at once and it is a rather large area to cover for exploration. But I also mean in terms of anything else that might dwell here, although if this is a living organism then it stands to reason that creatures would prefer to avoid the place.

[The sense of being watched is definitely unsettling. Tech hums thoughtfully, nodding at the Doctor as he steps over to study one of the larger stalks of fungi. Right, samples. He tucks his tablet away, slipping out a bottle from his pack and a pocket knife from a belt pouch.]

Ration bars. [He pulls a face behind the mask that Tech can't see but his tone certainly implies that he thinks the name alone sound unappealing.]

I would. Or maybe I wouldn't. Depends on if the Troop function like normal mushrooms and use non-organic matter to survive.

[Either way he sounds excited about the prospect as he continues to collect the spores that the mushrooms seem to be raining down on him. When he's collected several he turns back towards Tech - but not before several mushrooms from the same cluster he had been collecting from roll under him causing him to stumble as he lets out a muffled yell.]

The focus is most definitely in nutrition and not so much on flavor.

[But it's what he's been used to, although it hasn't stopped him from reading about random cuisines and food culture of other worlds whenever he had time between missions. Getting to experience such things himself is quite new.]

True enough. I suppose there could be something that's perhaps found a way to coexist here, but I have not heard any mention of such.

[Tech flicks open the pocket knife, moving to skim a bit of the stalk for a sample, frowning as it seems the stalk itself is leaning back. Further attempt is momentarily halted as he hears the Doctor, and he turns, abandoning the task to check on him.]

Are you all right?

[Tech after this remind the Doctor to give you his slowly growing list of foods that he's cataloguing in the market.

The Doctor isn't hurt physically except a smarting face and mildly hurt ego and his spore collection is still firmly in his hands when he picks himself off the ground. His feet continue to get tangled up in the mushrooms and he enters into a bit of a hilarious struggle in trying to get to his feet. When he finally does he's breathing heavily.]

I think the mushrooms are trying to trip me.

[Thankfully Tech isn't one to laugh, but he's staring as it seems that every time the Doctor tries to find his footing there's just a mushroom there. He reaches a hand out to help steady him once the Doctor's upright.]

...so it would appear.

If this place is alive, do you think it's taking offense to our presence? Or perhaps more to the point, our objective?

[He's hoping that his glaring through his mask is deterring the mushrooms but they seem to ripple in a way similar to laughter. Or maybe he's just seeing things.

He stands up with Tech's help and brushes himself off quickly tucking away his spore samples into his bag.]

I'd say so. If you were a living being and someone was trying to collect parts of you, you probably wouldn't take as kindly to it, would you?

Despite being considered property from the start, no, I would not.

I don't suppose we can...ask?

[Even suggesting it sounds a bit silly now that he's said it aloud, but these mushrooms are behaving in ways they usually do not, so far as his experience has gone.

He stoops down to give an experimental poke at them with a finger.]

[Thankfully that's not a stupid question because the Doctor talks to creatures and beings that don't look like they can talk quite frequently.

He joins Tech beside the mushroom waiting to see if anything happens. It's the type of mushroom that they'd been tasked to collect and they could just take it but the Doctor is far more interested in seeing what happens. The mushroom seems to react how a mushroom normally would to being poked - by doing nothing. But then a beat later it lean away from Tech's touch.]

I don't think it liked that. Or it's teasing you.

Given that I'm unfamiliar with potentially sentient mushroom behavior I can't really discount either suggestion.

[He draws his hand back, eyeing the mushroom to see if it moves back before letting his gaze rove along the fresh patch and up to the ones that tower above them.]

Really at this point it could be either.

[The Doctor's eyes never leave the mushroom and it seems to lean back into place after Tech moves his hand away from it. After another moment of contemplation the Doctor moves his hand back and forth towards the mushroom and it moves in the same way it had when Tech's hand was there.]

Did you want to try and speak to one of the other ones and see how they respond?

[Tech slowly gets up again, glancing back down as the Doctor experiments with the mushroom again. He doesn't quite make a face at the suggestion, finally shrugging as he fixes his goggles, looking to one of the larger ones nearby.]

Doesn't seem like it would hurt...

[He steps over, studying it as he puts away his tools from earlier. How did you even address a mushroom? Diplomacy isn't exactly a strongpoint, and even if the mushrooms have no obvious language he can't help but feel underequipped without his helmet. Taking as deep a breath as he can manage with his mask on, he sighs, looking up at the thing.]

Ah, excuse us for our rude behavior. Obviously we're rather new to this place as a whole, but this is our first venture into your ah...territory? We've been tasked with gathering samples from you for potential medicinal use among other things. Would that be permissible?

[At this point it's becoming more of a game. The mushroom the Doctor is interacting with seems to sense that the Doctor doesn't really have any hostility towards it and soon enough several other mushrooms pop up around it, moving in a nebulous wave in response to the Doctor's hand movement.

Despite his gaze fully focused on the new mushrooms that have arrived on the scene, he's still listening to Tech's attempt at mushroom diplomacy.]

Yes - what he said. We don't want to harm you although I imagine any collection might result in it which is why we're asking. We just need some gills, roots, stalks, and spores - sorry about earlier by the way I thought the spores were the least invasive thing to collect! [He straightens up and the mushrooms he was playing with seem to wilt a little in disappointment. Meanwhile the mushroom that towers above Tech remains silent and still. But after a moment it shakes, releasing spores and showering Tech in them.] Is that a yes?

Edited 2022-09-20 17:21 (UTC)

[Whatever Tech had been expecting, this clearly isn't it. He recoils at the fresh shower of spores. There's no way that can be healthy. In afterthought he wonders that he should be collecting them, but he's a bit preoccupied in trying to dust himself off as steps back.]

Was that really necessary?

[He shakes his head, squinting back at the mushroom before he glances at the Doctor.]

I can't tell if that was approval or refusal.

[He tugs out one of the vials from his bag to catch some of the motes yet floating around since they're there, only to stagger back at a sudden sensation of vertigo.]

Well how else would you expect a mushroom to give us their spores? It's probably a reluctant if you must.

[The Doctor doesn't seem too concerned about the shower, but then again, he's not the one standing right under it. He does look back down in time to see Tech stagger and he's quick to extend a hand out so that he doesn't trip over the mushrooms that have suddenly cropped up behind him.]

Between the two of us we should have enough spores. [And then to the towering mushrooms above them -] What about the rest of those parts? Are there mushrooms that are at the end of their life cycle we could take?

[This would be so much easier if he could speak to them telepathically. But something as big as this well...it might be the equivalent of being run over by a T-Rex.]

[Fingers just barely manage to grasp the Doctor's hand, leaning himself forward as he tries to keep himself steady. He's for the moment completely oblivious to the fresh growth of mushrooms behind him.]

Agreed. [More than enough, really. He caps the vial and stows it away, giving another shake of his clothes.

If a shower of spores was the result of asking nicely then perhaps he's appropriately wary when the Doctor makes his more specific request. The loud creak that sounds does not make him feel any more at ease. ]

I'm not sure I like the sound of that...

[He's still feeling vaguely dizzy but it doesn't keep him from looking in the direction he'd heard that noise, eyes widening at the large stalk just to their left as it begins to list towards them, enough so that it uproots itself as it begins to fall.]

Doctor, watch out!

[Meanwhile he's looking around still feeling very much like a kid in a candy shop. There's a lightness to his features underneath the mask as he looks up and around them waiting for a sign of any acknowledgement.

The loud creak followed by Tech's warning shout prompts the Doctor to spin around just in time to see the mushroom falling towards them. He lets out his own shout of surprise, fingers curling on the first part of Tech within his grasp as they stumble backwards out of the path of the mushroom. The small little mushrooms that had appeared in the undergrowth that had initially tripped them up seem to sweep their feet out from under them, rolling over themselves in a cascade so that they hardly have to use their own feet - depositing them just a hair's inch away from the fallen mushroom cap.

There's a moment of stillness as the Troop's silence settles in around them again before the Doctor lets out a burst of laughter. Leave it to the Doctor to sound pleased as punch despite almost getting crushed under a giant mushroom.]

Thank you! I think that was a yes? Was that a yes?

[Already feeling off-balance as it is, it doesn't take much for the Doctor to yank him back, much less for Tech to fall as the very ground seems to move beneath them.

He coughs, pushing himself upright to sit.]

That was too close.

[All the movement doesn't help his already disoriented senses, and even sitting there he still feels like the landscape around him is slowly twisting itself in a knot. At least from the Doctor's sudden exclamation, it sounds like the man is largely unhurt.]

I'm not quite convinced that it wasn't trying to kill us. [Tech mutters, making an attempt to get up and quickly aborting it in favor of closing his eyes for a moment.]

Do the details really matter? We aren't currently crushed under a mushroom.

[The chip hasn't stopped his Time Lord biology from working so he's got a bit of a leg up on Tech in terms of still feeling okay in the forest. Realistically he knows he probably too far behind Tech which means they should probably get working.

He hauls himself to his feet and immediately rushes to the roots of the mushroom bringing out the tools they had been given to start collecting some of them. He goes a full several minutes before realizing Tech isn't doing much. Craning his neck around the side of the mushroom he spots him.]

What are you doing? Are you still upset about the mushroom trying to maybe not kill us? You really shouldn't take it so personally.

True enough.

[He's pulled himself into more of a kneeling position, but the sensation that everything around him is moving hasn't much improved enough for him to trust his feet. At the Doctor's words he gives an exasperated sigh.]

This has nothing to do with any issues I might have against the Troop. I...do not think that exposure to the spores is doing me any favors however.

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