(no subject)

[just_the_doctor]

The Doctor's back down in the bar today, plus book. This one he borrowed from the magical library that Asar-Suti provided him a key to.

Don't worry, it's just one of the histories. Nothing innately magical about the book itself. Those seem to be charmed not to be able to be brought out of the room anyway. At least, not by him.

So, it's perfectly safe to come over and have a chat. He'll even offer you tea.

Comments

[supersymmetry]

Fred's at the next table over with a book of her own. It's not magical at all, just physics, though a bit more advanced than she's used to, by virtue of having been written sometime in her future.

It's rather making her head hurt, which is why she looks up from it to smile, absently, at her neighbor, who she notices has his own book.

"I hope yours makes more sense than mine does."

[just_the_doctor]

The Doctor looks up and registers that, yes, the girl was speaking to him. He stands up and walks over behind her, looking over her shoulder.

"Ah, yes. Well, here's your problem. This '12' in the exponent is actually a '2'. The '1' was originally a smudge."

[supersymmetry]

"...oh. Oh!" she exclaims, her eyes lighting up in sudden revelation.

"Of course! That makes... well, some more sense, anyway, mathematically speaking. The rest of it's still up in the air, because I think it's written a few centuries ahead of where they are in my world. Technically I probably shouldn't be allowed to know this, but well, it's just physics, it can't possibly change THAT much, right?"

She looks vaguely sheepish and pushes her glasses up, as they'd slid down her nose and she didn't want to be one of those people who peered at people over her glasses, like a librarian or something. Not that there was anything wrong with librarians.

[just_the_doctor]

Yay for geeks with glasses!

"I expect you'll be fine. This whole theory gets refuted about 230 years further up the line," he notes. "Something to do with the speed of light not being constant after all."

[supersymmetry]

"...oh. Damn. Guess I'm wasting my time with this, huh?" she asks, looking even more sheepish.

"So are you from the future, or have you just been here long enough to finish all the physics books in the library?"

[just_the_doctor]

"Future, past... all the same to me, really."

Now he looks a bit sheepish.

"Time traveller," he clarifies.

[supersymmetry]

Fred brightens considerably at this.

"Time traveller? Seriously? They figured out time travel in your world, or your time? I don't suppose you're allowed to tell me how, and besides I think that'd be cheating, like reading the last page of a book before you read the first, and I'd probably be really disappointed to know the ending, but... time travel."

She's not quite squeeing, but close to it.

"I'm sorry, I'm being really rude. I'm Fred Burkle." she says, and offers him a hand to shake.

[just_the_doctor]

"No, I'd have to say that I probably shouldn't tell you how. You look like the kind of enterprising young woman who could pull it off, and that might throw things just a bit off kilter in your world. But I will say this. Consider the energy you could harness from black holes if only you had the right collector."

He shakes her hand.

"Pleased to meet you, Fred Burkle. I'm the Doctor."

[supersymmetry]

Fred wonders if that's a name or a title, or perhaps both, but she's too polite to wonder it aloud.

"Oh, if I pulled anything off it would probably be by accident, but you're probably right, even considering the fact that I can't get back to my world. There's the distinct possibility that my existence here is already the kind of paradox that makes... well, that makes that happen." she says, with a nod towards the observation window.

[just_the_doctor]

"Oh? You're here already, then?"

It's about the only paradox that could cause that sort of catastrophic effect.

[supersymmetry]

"Um. Sort of?" Fred replies, back to the sheepish again.

"It's... complicated. She's not really me. She's blue."

That tends to explain a lot.

[just_the_doctor]

Ah. Now he can place the similarity in voice and appearance.

"Illyria's your future," he says with dawning recognition.

[supersymmetry]

"Yeah." she says, with a sad little nod.

"And I feel compelled to apologize for anything she might have said or done to you, since it's clear you've met her and that never goes well."

[jedi-exile.livejournal.com]

The Exile is passing by, and she glances at his book with slight interest, only to find she can't read the words.

Because she's arrogant or lazy or something, and only knows Aurebesh. So she's standing there, dumbly, just looking.

[just_the_doctor]

Funny thing about books with translation charms on them. Stare at them long enough, and the script will shift into something you can read.

Which is why the Doctor looks confused when the words go from Gallifreyan into another language.

"Oh! Hello!" he says brightly when he notices the woman standing behind him.

[jedi-exile.livejournal.com]

She blinks as she realises she can read it. "How'd you do that?" She asks softly, scratching at her nose.

[just_the_doctor]

He grins.

"Wasn't me. Translation charm on the book itself. Takes it a minute, but it calibrates to your brain waves and shifts to a language that you recognize."

[jedi-exile.livejournal.com]

"Clever, that." Kira nods. "Though, now you can't read it. 'S in Aurebesh...unless you can read that too."

[just_the_doctor]

"Not currently, no. Probably should, though. Looks brilliant. What is it, 35 character alphabet? That's fantastic."

[jedi-exile.livejournal.com]

"Pain to learn to write, though. As a child, writing my name just got too complicated, and I'd sign all my papers with a krill." Kira laughs. She blinks, wondering why she's telling this guy that story of all things. "'Cause krill's the first letter of Kira." She explains belatedly.

[just_the_doctor]

"Oh, I see. Yes, I can imagine it must be. Still not as hard as some languages I've seen, at least. Pleased to meet you, Kira; I'm the Doctor."

He sets the book down and offers her a hand.

"Have a seat, won't you?"

[jedi-exile.livejournal.com]

She shakes his hand then sits. "Just...the Doctor?"

She tilts her head. "It's like me, sort of. Only I have my name and...the Exile."

[just_the_doctor]

He nods.

"Just the Doctor, yes. I probably had another name once, but that was a very long time ago, and I can't seem to recall it. So, tell me, is your title literal or figurative?"

[jedi-exile.livejournal.com]

"Literal. Exiled from the Jedi because I fought for what I believed in. Granted, I did kill a lot of people I shouldn't have..." She shrugs softly. "I'm paying for it now though."

[just_the_doctor]

"Unfortunately, that happens a lot. Winners write the history books, after all. Whether you're a terrorist or a freedom-fighter depends on little more than geography when all's done."