NLoT: The Same River (Meddler, Eleven, Amy, Sisi)

[Rob "the Meddler" Goodfellow]

He went back to work on the console. "Besides, they're not us. They're a divergent probability line. Something we could have been, had we - the Doctor, particularly - made different choices." There was a humming sound, and he pulled a dense block of circuitry out of the navigational station. "They're not our past. Just an anomalous intrusion from the dustheap of History. Neverweres and Might-Have-Beens on a vast scale."

The Doctor - clearly a fan of both word-play and his own voice in this life - dismissed the statement in his own inimitible way, rapidly changing the subject in the process. “By the way, Meds, I need a new randomizer, Amelia broke mine.”

The Meddler slotted the modified circuit block back with a grin. "I've seen you fly your ship, Doctor. Whyever would you need a randomizer?"

He leaned in conspiratorially towards his friend. “We ended up going to a planet where all the dogs sounded like elephants and the cats had six legs. It was brilliant, though.”

"You have the most peculiar tastes, Doctor." The Meddler flipped a few more switches, noting the displays with interest. "But... we're ready. Shall we depart?"

The Doctor huddled close to his friend. “Are you ready, Pond? Let’s go a-infiltratin! Meds, hit the start!” He shared a smile and almost jumped as the excitement built again, and he said to Amy with a wink, “You know how much I always wanted to be a ninja.”

"That was... third, on your Academy upper-divison course list, wasn't it?" the Meddler agreed, tone of voice making it hard to tell if he was joking or not. "Right after Culturesmith and... troublemaker, wasn't it?"

"A ninja, huh?" She nodded approvingly. "Nae bad... Ninja's're pretty cool," she acquiesced.

"Now, don't think too badly of the Doctor," the Meddler added, glancing sideways at Amy. "All of us, in retrospect, took upper-division coursework in 'troublemaker'."

"Guess that'd make me 'th' Ginger Ninja', then..." Amy rambled on and then let out a little giggle. "Dare ye t' say tha' three times fast,"

"Ginger ninja..." the Meddler said once, slowly. Then, "Gingerninjagingerninjagingerninja."

He slammed a lever home. With a groaning roar, the central column of the time rotor flared to life, hiccuped once or twice, and then launched the ancient time vessel into the Vortex. "Next stop," the Meddler announced, "about one light year from Gallifrey - and I never expected to say that again - and then I'll be steering us in manually."

[Deleted]

The passage, as always, was a short one. They arrived at their destination with hardly a notice. There wasn’t the same sound of the time rotor that his own TARDIS produced, and to the Doctor that just removed half the fun. He watched the rotor in the center column settle with frown and an agitated look back and forth across the room. “Is that it?” He huffed to himself.


Shrugging internally and stowing away a reminder to his self that he should attach some bells and whistles to the Meddler’s TARDIS (or at least a string of empty tin cans hanging from the roof), the Doctor went to look out the doors. They were floating in space, listing along outside of orbit of Gallifrey. His hearts beat a bit faster at the sight.


Even from here, the planet was beautiful. A sight the Doctor used to think he would only see again in his dreams. Or his nightmares.


“Come look, Meds,” he called to his friend and sidled over a bit to make room for him in the doorway as well. “Almost like home.”


In truth, it was an exact copy. Every detail, down to the letter, was the exact same as the original Gallifrey. But it wasn’t theirs. It was a wonder, witnessing this event before them. The chance to walk the streets of the capital once more, see the spires reach into the sun, see the mountains of glass… And it was heartbreaking, to know that his own home, the real one, was forever lost.


“Do you think I’m down there somewhere, looking up into space? Almost poetic, don’t you think? Well except for the whole, ‘the other me is a raving mad tyrant’… thing.”


It was an unsettling thought, to say the least, there was indeed another him down there on the planet. Not just another incarnation of himself. He’d been there before, several times now in fact. No, down there on that Gallifrey, sitting in the Presidential villa in the capital, was a whole other version. One who had not taken the chance to escape Gallifrey and fight for peace, but had instead chosen to rule. So many times the Doctor could have taken power for himself, so many people and worlds could have been saved. But at what cost? Freedom? Liberty? Love? The life of a tyrant was not one of an over-abundance of peace and companionship.


What, then, would he do now? The Doctor stood there, staring down at the planet, and felt a dread settle over him. He’d faced many monsters and enemies in his lifetime. Weeping Angels, the Rani, Sontarans, the Master… But he knew, without a doubt, that they would be nothing compared to this. He knew that the greatest enemy he’d have to face would not be an old friend or a time-warping statue; it would be himself.

[Amelia Pond]

Amy frowned. She rather disliked the idea of her best friend having an evil twin - the thought was quite an off-putting notion, after all. What if she ran into the other Doctor? He sounded... not nice.

This was... Gallifrey. Sort of.

"So... Is this, like, Bizarro!Gallifrey, then?" Amy asked, wondering if everything here existed in its polar opposite form, since the Doctor had just pointed out that it looked just like his home, but... not.

She moved to join the Doctor at the door and peeked out over his shoulders at the landscape that stretched out before them. It was definitely 'alien', yet it was beautiful in its own way.

It didn't look so bad.

However, Amy couldn't help but feel like an outsider here, and the beautiful domed city sort of reminded her of her aunt Sharon hollering at her not to touch anything out of fear the ginger might break it, like a bull in a china shop.

"Am I even allowed t' be here?" She doubted it.

Didn't really matter, though - they were already here.

No turning back, now...

[Rob "the Meddler" Goodfellow]

“Is that it?” the Doctor huffed as the materialization sequence completed.

"Yes," the Meddler said, a touch of smug pride in his voice. "Some of us take care of their capsules."

There was a crackling sound in one of the panels, and electricity crawled over the console for an instant. He opened a panel, frowned as he fanned grey-black smoke aside, and stared intently. "Fluid link gimel," he grumbled. "I should have known that wasn't molecularly-pure mercury..."

Mumbling and muttering about "inappropriate timing" and "making me look bad" and the like, he set about pulling the walnut-sized fluid link from the console. As a result, he hadn't realized that the Doctor had opened the door until he heard the whirring sound of the gimbals. Should redo the frictionless coating on that, as well, he thought.

“Come look, Meds,” he called to his friend and sidled over a bit to make room for him in the doorway as well. “Almost like home.”

"In a moment," he said, not looking. "I... I need to do something, first." With that, he left the console room. After a few minutes, he returned with his children. Meridivanalillat wore brown footy pyjamas and nestled against his chest, small arms wrapped around his neck. Kenneth - wearing jeans and a blue t-shirt with a robot on it - trailed in his wake with a toy sword while Morgaine - wearing a rainbow-striped skirt and a pink shirt - skipped ahead with a curious expression.

"Is that it, daddy?" Morgaine asked, staring out the doorway.

"Yes," the Meddler said, shifting a little so he could grab her if she leaned too far. Much as he knew the TARDIS would catch her, it was still unnerving to him to see his child leaning out into space. "That's the Homeworld. Where I was born."

"But not really," Ken pointed out. "You said so."

The Meddler sighed. "You're right," he agreed. "But, it's close."

The world out of time hung in the darkness like an amber orb, streaked with pale yellow clouds. He stared at it, overwhelmed by the feeling of nostalgia it generated.

“Do you think I’m down there somewhere, looking up into space?"

"Yes," the Meddler answered. "Well, down there, anyway. From the records my I and then my crew stole, I know you're Lord President."

"Almost poetic, don’t you think? Well except for the whole, ‘the other me is a raving mad tyrant’… thing."

"Well, yes. Except for that." He stared at the planet. "You married the Archivist, there. Lady Emiliegunnar either never lived in their timeline, or never traveled into our past. The two of you had... three children, I believe. Seven grandchildren so far."

He hesitated, then added: "Of course, Arkityor was never Loomed."

"So... Is this, like, Bizarro!Gallifrey, then?" Amy asked, joining them at the doorway.

The Meddler frowned, trying to place the reference. "The... evil, opposite Superman, right?" He shook his head at that. "No, no, not... not quite. It's more... more a world where we made different choices. Became different people. People we could have been, would have been, had we chose another way."

He fell silent again. Then, suddenly, he dropped to one knee and hugged his children close. "Of all the words of mice and men," he whispered, suddenly imagining a universe in which they never existed, "the most terrible are, 'It might have been.'"

[Deleted]

The Doctor watched as the Meddler brought out his children to get a glimpse of their almost-homeland, kneeling to embrace them.


He fell silent again. Then, suddenly, he dropped to one knee and hugged his children close. "Of all the words of mice and men," he whispered, suddenly imagining a universe in which they never existed, "the most terrible are, 'It might have been.'"


“Well,” replied the Doctor, still watching out the door and lost in reflection, “that, and ‘I’m sorry Doctor, we accidentally lost your Jelly Babies. Terrible.” He shook his head at the sad thought and stepped way to close the doors, the last sliver of sight peeking through them with a twinge in his hearts that struck deep. Everything about this trip was going to be difficult; being down there again, seeing the city under is splendid dome, watching the wind blow through the fields of red grass, the sun setting behind the rising towers.


“I think, perhaps, we should make our way in, eh Meds? We’re not going to accomplish anything here, anyway.” His chest felt heavy and thick, and he forced himself to keep a calm and collected face, regardless of how he was screaming inside his head. Everything about this mission told him it was doomed to fail and he would drag his friends down with him. And yet… He glanced back towards the door, as if looking through the walls back out to the planet below. Somewhere down there, a loom was waiting, and it was the only way to bring River back, and he was going to find it.


The Doctor exhaled shallowly and turned away to face the console, then began setting the controls to lower them to the planet’s surface. He did not look up at his friends, did not say anything else, barely registered anyone else in the room except for the sounds of breathing and the sleepy children yawning heavily.
 

And somewhere down below, he could almost feel, there was another version of himself watching, unknowingly. What would the other him say, he wondered, if he came face to face with the version of himself that had chosen to leave and forsake his own people? If they were lucky, they would never find out.


The Doctor pulled the lever, and rotor began. “For better thoughts, I left behind. For longing lost, return in kind,” he whispered to under his breath. “I’m coming, River.”

[Amelia Pond]

"... It's more... more a world where we made different choices. Became different people. People we could have been, would have been, had we chose another way." He fell silent again. Then, suddenly, he dropped to one knee and hugged his children close. "Of all the words of mice and men," he whispered, suddenly imagining a universe in which they never existed, "the most terrible are, 'It might have been.'"

Amy watched the Meddler and his children, and she got chills at his words. This was the might-have-been Gallifrey. The could-have-been. The almost-was. And, her best friend was down there. President. And, probably not nice.

She hoped they could make this quick...

The Doctor suggested that they get going then, which made Amy re-focus on doing rather than just watching, and as he pulled the lever to start the rotor, he said,

“For better thoughts, I left behind. For longing lost, return in kind,” he whispered to under his breath. “I’m coming, River.”

"Wot?" Amy asked, crinkling her eyebrows. "Wot'd ye say?" She couldn't make out his words, but she could tell with just a glance that he was quite emotionally invested. Apparently, they didn't just need this River Song - her daughter - but... River was wanted, too.

"Don't worry, Doctor. We'll bring 'er back," the ginger tried to assure the Doctor. However, if she realized what he'd done to her - to ensure that Amy remembers none of this - she might not feel so friendly, right now.

"D'we have everything we need?" Amy asked, turning to face the Meddler.

[Rob "the Meddler" Goodfellow]

"D'we have everything we need?" Amy asked, turning to face the Meddler.

"No," the Meddler said, glancing sideways at Amy. "We have clearly misplaced our senses."

He let that hang in the air, then grinned. "But, otherwise, we have everything we need." He rose, hugging his children as he did. "Morgaine, take Meri and go visit your mother. Ken, keep an eye on your sisters and your mother until she's well."

Ken grinned, and Morgaine rolled her eyes. As the three left, the Meddler tapped Morgaine on the shoulder. "And keep an eye on your brother..." he said with a wink.

"Right, then," the Meddler said, moving to the controls. "Here's the exciting part. Now we spiral our way into a landing, riding the currents of the Vortex, under no power whatsoever. If we look like something natural, the Casts and the N-Forms won't spot us." He grinned. "And, if they don't spot us... we live."

The door whirred shut. "Oh, Doctor?" he added as his hands began to move over the console. "Why don't you take Ms. Pond to get a bite to eat? And then Tonks will set you both up with guest quarters. We're looking at three to four relative days - optimistically - and I'll need a clear view of the Vortex for much of the period. And... well, you know as well as I what sort of an impact it can have on an unprepared mind."

With that, he flipped a sequence of switches. With almost agonizing slowness, the time rotor droned out the sounds of the ship's dematerialization sequence.

---

It took the better part of a week, to complete the journey. The last two days were the worst and the most tense. Apparently, they'd learned a few lessons from the last few times his TARDIS had visited this alternate Gallifrey. Once within the Primary Transduction Barrier the casts swarmed in packs, great swarms of disembodied mind constructs perpetually hunting the Vortex for things out of place. On four seperate occasions he'd held his breath as the passive screens of his ship were tested by alien things that would cheerfully tear the sentiences from the passengers and crew and even the godmind of his ship.

But they made it through. Unnoticed by the casts or the n-forms, dismissed as Vortex debris by Temporal Control, they drifted closer and closer to the one place on Gallifrey that a TARDIS could use to penetrate the Homeworld's defenses unnoticed.

The Mount of Initiation.

---

"We've arrived," the Meddler said, wiping sweat from his forehead. Four days without sleep was nothing for him, of course. But four days that managed to combine mindnumbing boredome and hearts-stopping fear was draining.

The time rotor of the Meddler's TARDIS slowly ground to a halt, and he switched on the viewer. Outside was a massive ring of standing stones, surrounding a flat slab of black stone the size of a baseball diamond. Intricate curving figures were enlaid into the stone in molecule-thick silver and gold wire, creating an ever-shifting two-dimensional representation of the whole of Vortex, spiraling and twirling towards the center.

Towards the Untempered Schism itself - a simple ring of dull grey metal tall enough for a man to step through.

"So, Doctor?" he asked. "What do you think? Go as we are, or wear semi-formal robes and hope we blend in?"

[Deleted]

The next four days passed with great anxiety and exhaustion, especially on Meddler’s behalf. Piloting a falling ship while making it appear as if debris was no easy feat. The Doctor considered himself fairly skilled when it came to handling a TARDIS, over a thousand years at the helm of one giving him a great deal of practice; Meddler handled the ordeal splendidly, steering them (if not smoothly) through the Vortex and dangers as skillfully as any could hope to do. When they were approached by the Casts and N-Forms, the Doctor grit his teeth, but still they made it through.



The time he did not spend silently monitoring the situation from the doorway to the control room was split between solemn contemplation of the task ahead and making sure that Amy was rested and ready. And part of that preparation was, he was sad to admit to himself, done without her knowledge. Time Lords always knew another Time Lord when they saw one. They just knew. It was like a tingle at the back of their mind where the artron energy patterns of each individual would resonate against the other, like an eighth sense (six and seven being that of dimensions outside the parameters of understanding to other sentient beings of course) that told them who they were not alone. Along with that knowledge there was a downside though; at least as far as this mission was concerned, for Amy was a human. They would spot her instantly among them as an intruder.



In the days of descent to the planet, the Doctor would further disgust himself at what was necessary to keep them all alive and ensure the success of what they came to do. He felt confident, deep in his hearts, that his friend would forgive him if she found out. It was what had to be done to bring River back. The only problem was, he would not forgive himself. For not only had he tampered with her memory before leaving, he continued to tamper with her, this time affecting her physiology. While she slept, he transferred a thin veil of energy directly into her DNA. It was temporary, of course, and the veil would fade away in about two weeks, but he had no way of knowing what side effects she could have in that time. But it would hide her. Any Time Lord would look at her and see another of their kind. It would not hold up to further inspection, if they were scanned or studied for too long, but casual glances and even short conversation, would be safe.



By the time they landed, touching down on Mount Initiation by the Untempered Schism itself, Meddler looked worn. A low sinking grey had settled under his eyes, four days of no sleep at the controls of the ship having drained him quite a bit. His skin had palled slightly, as if he had been underground and lost touch with sunlight.



Outside the ship, the day was turning to night and the birds were crooning the world to sleep, settling in themselves for rest. Rocky outcrops surrounded them in the indentation where the Schism resided, giving the platform the appearance of a dark, thorny crown with a central jewel, a symbol of the power of the Time Lords and their mastery of time and space.



“Let’s go with the robes,” he answered his friend, breathing in the fresh air with a sudden wave of nostalgia and sorrow, “best to keep as low a profile as possible. Can you show Amy where they are? I need a few minutes..” He exchanged a knowing nod with his friend, sure that Meds could sense what the Doctor had done to his companion to hide her. The Time Lord walked over to an outcrop and stood there, staring down the mountain towards the capital city. The glass dome covering it was like a snow globe pulled from his memories, and standing above it on this mountain, was like watching the world of his past escape from the destruction and haunt him for his actions. The mid-summer evening suddenly felt a little colder.

[Amelia Pond]

It had been a rough few days, while the Meddler worked on inconspicously maneuvering his TARDIS towards the planet's surface. Nevertheless, the leggy ginger stayed at the Doctor's side (save for when she needed to sleep, of course), loyal as always to her best friend. Of course, when he seemed to wish to be alone, Amy understood and instead busied herself with spending time with the Meddler's children - they were such a delightful group of little people - and, she found herself growing excited at the prospect of meeting her own daughter, soon, as strange as the idea of meeting one's grownup child from the future may seem.

While she slept, [the Doctor] transferred a thin veil of energy directly into [Amy's] DNA. It was temporary, of course, and the veil would fade away in about two weeks, but he had no way of knowing what side effects she could have in that time. But it would hide her. Any Time Lord would look at her and see another of their kind. It would not hold up to further inspection, if they were scanned or studied for too long, but casual glances and even short conversation, would be safe.

If one were to examine Amy's energized DNA, it would probably look a lot like her daughter's; however, Amy's Time Lord-enhanced DNA was only a fleeting thing. She would always be 'just human', despite the temporary nudge from the Doctor. However, she wasn't aware that anything about her self had been changed - including her memories.

---

"We've arrived," the Meddler said, wiping sweat from his forehead.

Amy eagerly looked to the viewscreen to see what lay ahead for them outside, and what greeted her eyes was beautiful!

This was where the Doctor grew up?! Amazing!

Outside the ship, the day was turning to night and the birds were crooning the world to sleep, settling in themselves for rest. Rocky outcrops surrounded them in the indentation where the Schism resided, giving the platform the appearance of a dark, thorny crown with a central jewel, a symbol of the power of the Time Lords and their mastery of time and space.

While Amy marveled at Gallifrey in general, and the Schism in particular (though, she had no idea what it was), the Meddler and the Doctor made plans for their journey.

"So, Doctor?" [the Meddler] asked. "What do you think? Go as we are, or wear semi-formal robes and hope we blend in?"

"Let’s go with the robes,” [the Doctor] answered his friend, breathing in the fresh air with a sudden wave of nostalgia and sorrow, “best to keep as low a profile as possible. Can you show Amy where they are? I need a few minutes..”

Amy gave the Doctor an understanding nod, and she turned to follow the Meddler - probably to his TARDIS' wardrobe - to retrieve a few Time Lord robes to wear.

She just loved this - dressing up was her thing!

As they walked away from the Doctor, Amy softly asked the Meddler, "So, umm... Are ye doin' alright, Meds?" She didn't want to say that he looked like he could use some sleep - that'd be rude. But, he did look rather exhaused - and that was saying a lot, since Amy knew that Time Lords barely needed any sleep, compared to a Human. Well, that and, she gathered that he might be feeling similarly to how the Doctor seemed to feel about being back here again, after so many, many years.

---

((OOC: I might suggest, providing we get an active Barbara again, that this could possibly also overlap with Ian & Barbara's honeymoon trip to what River believes is the True Gallifrey in THIS THREAD (it's currently locked b/c we're missing a Barbara right now, but it can always be unlocked whenever that changes). Unless, of course, this idea doesn't pan out for other various reasons... *shrugs*  Just thought I'd toss it out there. *huggles*))

[Rob "the Meddler" Goodfellow]

(OOC: My bad. I'd forgotten I was up in this. My fault for not bookmarking it. I'm up for continuing, if everyone else is. And to prove it, here's my post.)




The time rotor of the Meddler's TARDIS slowly ground to a halt, and he switched on the viewer. Outside was a massive ring of standing stones, surrounding a flat slab of black stone the size of a baseball diamond. Intricate curving figures were enlaid into the stone in molecule-thick silver and gold wire, creating an ever-shifting two-dimensional representation of the whole of Vortex, spiraling and twirling towards the center.

Towards the Untempered Schism itself - a simple ring of dull grey metal tall enough for a man to step through.

"So, Doctor?" he asked. "What do you think? Go as we are, or wear semi-formal robes and hope we blend in?"

“Let’s go with the robes,” he answered, breathing in the fresh air with a sudden wave of nostalgia and sorrow, “best to keep as low a profile as possible. Can you show Amy where they are? I need a few minutes..”

The Meddler stood next to him, lost in his own memories for a moment. "I understand, Doctor," he nodded. "Take your time. It... nearly broke me, the last time I visited."

After another moment he turned and left the control room, silently gesturing for Amy to follow him. As the brazen doors closed behind them, he heard her clear her throat. "So, umm..." she asked, "Are ye doin' alright, Meds?"

"No," he answered. "And neither, I suspect, is the Doctor." For a moment he walked in silence punctuated only by the tak tak of his cane on the stone floor. Then he began to speak, softly.

"The last time either one of us could have had that view - with our Gallifrey, I mean - I was fleeing the bow wave of the weapon I built to murder our Homeworld. And the Doctor...?" He shook his head. "I don't know, exactly, but he activated the weapon. I don't think he intended to survive."

Silence for another moment. "This alien Gallifrey... this Could-Have-Been on a grand scale... is no homecoming for us, Ms. Pond. No expiation, or second chance. It is a whip. A scourge, calling to mind bloody crimes we hoped were buried forever."

He threw open a brazen door, revealing a three-story chamber filled with clothing of all descriptions. "I'll give you the same advice I gave my wife, when we visited here some two decades ago. Wear rust and orange, the color of the Prydonians. It will make it easier for the Doctor and I to bluff you through, and your ignorance will just seem like the inexperience of youth. A dress, no higher than mid-calf, will work. So will robes and slacks." He grinned. "Think ancient China in the movies, and assume a degree of public prudery."

[Amelia Pond]

"Are ye doin' alright, Meds?"

"No," he answered. "And neither, I suspect, is the Doctor." For a moment he walked in silence punctuated only by the tak tak of his cane on the stone floor.

Amy cringed slightly, sorry that their trip here was definitely not a happy one. It was different for her, though, since she'd never been to Gallifrey -- not the real one, nor this could-have-been substitute -- so, she was actually looking forward to disembarking from the Meddler's TARDIS and getting to see the home of the Time Lords, and... she couldn't help but feel a bit guilty for it.

"The last time either one of us could have had that view - with our Gallifrey, I mean - I was fleeing the bow wave of the weapon I built to murder our Homeworld. And the Doctor...?" He shook his head. "I don't know, exactly, but he activated the weapon. I don't think he intended to survive."

Amy cast her eyes downward, while she tried to digest what the Meddler was telling her. The way she understood it, the Meddler built a terrible weapon for the sole intent of destroying his own people... and then, the Doctor was responsible for pulling the trigger, so to speak.

This was some terribly heavy stuff...

Silence for another moment. "This alien Gallifrey... this Could-Have-Been on a grand scale... is no homecoming for us, Ms. Pond. No expiation, or second chance. It is a whip. A scourge, calling to mind bloody crimes we hoped were buried forever."

The normally vibrant ginger brought her eyes, full of empathy, back up to meet the Meddler's gaze. She knew deep down in her heart that neither he, nor the Doctor, were 'bad guys'... If they felt the need to erridicate their own people -- nay, their entire planet -- they must have had good reason. At least, that was her gut feeling, and she wasn't about to question their methods -- they weren't on trial, and they had nothing to prove to her.

"Well... Let's make it a quick stop, then," Amy said. "Just an in-an'-out t' bring back River Song, an' then, we run back t' yuir TARDIS an' get outta here."

He threw open a brazen door, revealing a three-story chamber filled with clothing of all descriptions. "I'll give you the same advice I gave my wife, when we visited here some two decades ago. Wear rust and orange, the color of the Prydonians. It will make it easier for the Doctor and I to bluff you through, and your ignorance will just seem like the inexperience of youth. A dress, no higher than mid-calf, will work. So will robes and slacks." He grinned. "Think ancient China in the movies, and assume a degree of public prudery."

At first, Amy just stared with her jaw slack. This wardrobe looked much fancier than the Doctor's -- not that she'd ever mention it to him. But, even in her awe, she heard every word of advice the Meddler offered her.

"Woah..."

After a moment of just staring at everything, Amy nodded her head and replied, "Right. Rust an' orange. Calf-length, or longer. Like ancient China..." and then, into the breach she went, seeking out something to wear for their journey to this other-Gallifrey: Something elegant, yet modest.

A few minutes later, a swath of rust colored velvet caught her eye. Amy made a beeline for the item and grabbed it down from its hanger. It was a gold and rust colored vintage dress -- perhaps from something like the 1920s? -- and a dark, rust colored velvet hooded robe. As she held it up to herself, she was happy to see that the bottom of the skirt fell below her calves, and the neckline was indeed quite modest. Smiling to herself and quite proud of her find, Amy quickly changed out of her clothes and into the 'Prydonian' get-up, and then she hustled back to the Meddler to gain his approval.

She spun around for him in a full 360 degree circle, showing off her new look, and then Amy asked, "So... How's this? Will it do?"

[Deleted]

The Doctor waited a few moments after his friends had disappeared back into the TARDIS to retrieve new clothes. He peered sorrowfully down at the ghosts of his past, looking into the mirror of his crimes. It appeared it was true that the perpetrator always returned to the scene of the crime, for here he stood above it all, as he had thought he’d stood above it all then, watching in horror and misery as his people and the Daleks warred unending and he took it all away from both of them.


Heaving a soft sigh, the weary travel tucked his hands into his trouser pockets. With a last look down the mountain side to Arcadia, he turned away to go change his own clothes. After so long since he had seen the majestic city, turning away from it, even for the few moments he would be gone to exchange his wardrobe, felt like pulling a ton of brick through the desert on his back. Slowly, determinedly, he entered the ship and made his way to the men’s wardrobe to pull a set of robes from the heavy wooden locker.


Frowning, he discarded his clothes into a nearby hamper and shrugged the elegant robes over his head. Simple white, yet with beautiful golden scroll work around the collar and the lower half of the sleeves. Everyday robes, yes, but of those from a higher standing. They fit comfortably, familiarly, and a wave of nostalgia crashed into him once again. This trip was going to be difficult in so many ways.


He left the room a few moments later though to meet up with Amy and Meddler, but stopped only a few steps into the hall. Spinning on his heel he returned to grab his bowtie, putting it on with a smile. Some things were worth a small exception.

[Rob "the Meddler" Goodfellow]

As Amy scampered off to loot the Wardrobe, the Meddler gave some thought to his own clothing. A suit of Terran cut would be too conspicuous, on this version of the Homeworld. But, then, so would the clothes he'd worn the last time. So he opted for simplicity. Grey slacks and an ivory tunic, trimmed with silver at cuffs and hem. A grey collarless frock coat with silver buttons. Several minutes were spent transferring his various trinkets and tools and devices of interest between the coats.

By the time he was done, Amelia had returned. Despite the gravity of the situation she was grinning like a schoolgirl, turning a tight circle to show off her selection of costume. "So... How's this? Will it do?"


"Admirably," he assured her, letting her enthusiasm wash away some of his own nerves. "You will certainly look the part." With that, he selected a grey skullcap and settled it on his head, covering his hair entirely. "Come now, let us go and see if the Doctor is ready."

---

The Doctor was, of course. Garbed in semi-formal robes, rather than the Meddler's casual clothes, but still ready. The Meddler sniggered at the sight of the bow tie, then made a small gesture that displayed his ivory cane. "It would seem that we all have certain tells we simply will not be without."

Flipping a switch, he watched as the doors swung open. "Shall we?"

[Amelia Pond]

Pleased that the Meddler approved of her choice of clothing, Amy couldn't help but smile some more, despite the seriousness of... well, everything: they weren't supposed to be here... this was the wrong Gallifrey -- heck, it wasn't even called Gallifrey... they would probably all be arrested -- or worse... and, somehow, they had to bring back Doctor Song: Amy's deceased daughter from the future.

"Come now, let us go and see if the Doctor is ready."

With a deep breath, Amy nodded her head in the affirmative and followed the Meddler back to the console room, where they'd left the Doctor, while they'd gone to change into something more appropriate for this trip.

---

Amy smirked when she saw the Doctor's bow tie tacked on over his formal robes.

"It would seem that we all have certain tells we simply will not be without."

"Well... At least he's not wearin' a fez..." Amy commented, and then she offered the Doctor a little wink to let him know she was [mostly] kidding. "Could be worse, ye ken..."

Flipping a switch, [the Meddler] watched as the doors swung open. "Shall we?"

"I suppose there's nae sense in draggin' our heels..." the orange-robed ginger replied, looking from the Meddler, then to the Doctor, and then finally to the open doors and out at Gallifrey 2.0. She seemed as eager to see the planet as the men seemed reluctant...

[Deleted]

Rocky outcrops lined the winding path down the mountain like jagged stone claws reaching in over their heads to close them in, threatening to crush them if they stood in one place too long. The setting sun peaked through the edges with flashes of purple and orange as it drifted away below the horizon. The Doctor's feet felt like lead as he made his way down the path with somber determination. Amy was dressed in a golden dress that could have been fit for casual evening wear, the colors matching hair in a level set. Meddler was dressed modestly in simple yet finely cut garb. He wouldn't stand out in any official setting, but no one one would mistake him for a low class citizen, especially with the way he carried himself.

The Doctor kicked a rock away from him, the tiny stone skittering across the ground and bouncing off the rock wall before settling. He kept it up for a ways down the path, looking for something, really anything, to distract him from his thoughts. What would River be like when they loomed her? Would she emerge the same River they knew and loved? Or would the Loom have an adverse reaction on her, altering her? There were just too many maybes, and not the situation to deal with them.

"I wonder if we might visit the Shobogans while we are here, if we have a chance. You'd love them, Amy. Some of them are great artists, beautiful work, really." He remembered skipping school when he was younger to go visit the them. To the Gallifreyan populace, Shobogans were outcasts and even worse than second class citizens, but the Doctor loved them. Always had. So much culture and love and beauty to be found with them.

To no one in particular, the Doctor said as he stared down the path to Arcadia, "River would love them too."