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[bit_impossible]

[He almost doesn't give in to sleep, figuring he can put it off a while longer, but the past few days have been mentally draining for him. Battling one's own inner demons and fears can do that to you, especially if you've been avoiding them for hundreds of years. After seeing others nod off without a incident--and after turning over what he saw in the broadcast in his mind, compiling all that with what he's seen and heard so far about the Captain and Commander--he finally decides that perhaps he'll close his eyes for a short kip. Nothing too long; just enough to renew some of his mental energies.

When he awakes, however, he expects to see the expanse of the library, shelves lined with holobooks and the like, but instead finds himself looking on a sight he hasn't seen in nine months.]

[The console room of his TARDIS.]

[A broad, excited grin spreads from ear to ear, his eyes lighting up. Immediately, his fingers dive for the central column as he whispers a fond, intimate greeting to his ship, but he can barely feel her dials, or the cool metal of the switches and knobs. Just a touch, a teasing little touch; a reminder of what he should be feeling but can't. The smile fades somewhat from his face as he backs away, his legs barely nudging the yellow pilot's chair. He's sensing a pattern here. Especially since he can see the Sphere still hovering nearby.]

So...only another dream, eh? [His voice is tinged with sadness, but that smile's still there.] If only for a little while...

[He begins to walk around the circumference of the console room, hands yearning to reach out and feel her walls and each of the roundels--every bit of her he can reach, really--properly beneath his fingers, but he restrains himself from doing so. Soon enough, he stands before the hallway leading off toward the inner passages of the TARDIS. Part of him wonders how far he can go before he reaches the end of this dreamscape, but he only takes a few steps into the hall before he stops.

It's the sounds coming from within that give him pause, however.

For a long moment the Doctor simply stands there, closing his eyes. All around him, he can hear the soft murmuring of voices, laughter, and even singing. He recognises each and every voice despite not having heard most of them for centuries.]

"Oi, Doctor, I thought we were going to Blackpool! Surely it doesn't take that long to get there."

"Hey Professor, where've you got to?"

"Heya Doc! Whatcha got planned for today?"

"Doctor, still recalibrating the TARDIS? Would you like my help?"

"I need to return to U.N.I.T. HQ, Doctor. Really, I don't know how you talked me into this..."

[And so the voices continue to call to him. He doesn't even know where to begin. His poor ship must be packed to capacity!]

"Doctor..."

"Doctor!"

"...Grandfather?"

[That last voice makes his hearts stop and his eyes fly open, but he still only sees the empty hallways. Further down, past his field of vision, there are doors opening, closing, being thrown open and slamming shut, but no one actually comes to greet him.

But the voices are enough. Just to hear them again... To hear all of his friends again...

Finally, the sweet, beautiful humming from his TARDIS fills the air and he finds himself closing his eyes again, letting her soothing music wash him over with warmth--or is that contentment? Whatever it is, he feels at peace...if only for a little while.]

If only...

Comments

[flareofgenius.livejournal.com]

She's magnificent.

Only part-? How big is she?

[bit_impossible]

Isn't she? [beams proudly at the central console, his fingers ghosting over the controls. he really wishes he could feel them properly.] She's far, far, far greater than the Crucible, and that's still only the start.

[flareofgenius.livejournal.com]

[She's going to stare in awe for a moment, because- well, the Crucible's larger than the Blackbird, the largest ship (well, pretty much the only ship anything like this, besides the Epoch which is… pretty small, actually).] Wow!

Can I come and see?

[bit_impossible]

Certainly! [he's hanging on to this dreamscape for a while, so it's not going anywhere.]

I know I was in the library before I fell asleep. Try looking there.

[flareofgenius.livejournal.com]

[She has no words for how thrilled she is, so she'll just be right over, grinning all the way. It widens when she steps inside, and turns to get a proper look- first at the area generally, and then at things in particular.] Amazing!

[bit_impossible]

Isn't she? I'm only sorry we're going to be restricted to just the console room--but this should be enough for your first look around.

[flareofgenius.livejournal.com]

Something of the ship's, huh? [Her smile turns a little wry. Not for long, though, given that she's looking at the console now.] Still, it's good to see something, isn't it?

[bit_impossible]

Oh yes! This is enough... Well, for right now, I should say. I'd like to have my ship back in perfect working order so I can finally leave, but...

[flareofgenius.livejournal.com]

But it wouldn't really solve things. And… if anyone got stuck… [She doesn't really like that thought. So, different track. And, well, she's curious.]

How would that work?

[bit_impossible]

No, it doesn't solve anything, remaining in this dreamscape for much longer... [he almost says how he almost wouldn't mind being stuck in it for a while, especially if the owners of those voices physically manifested and actually came to greet him.]

How does my ship work you mean?

[flareofgenius.livejournal.com]

Yeah. Dreaming forever doesn't help anything. [She only heard what the others said, but exactly how much help was Enhasa when Zeal fell?]

Yeah. [She grins. She's kind of got an idea of what some of it might be for, but… well, their two worlds probably weren't exactly near each other.]

[bit_impossible]

Well, you have to keep in mind that she isn't any normal ship. She's a Type-40 TC, or time travel capsule. Her name itself stands for Time and Relative Dimensions in Space--don't think I've told many people here that.

Are you still sure you want to hear how she works? It's going to be frightfully complicated from this point on.

[flareofgenius.livejournal.com]

Time and Relative Dimensions in Space?

[She just looks thrilled, grinning… well, madly.] Absolutely.

[bit_impossible]

{he grins and launches into a terribly detailed and very, very, very complicated explanation of how the TARDIS bends time and space around it to arrive at its destination. fortunately for Lucca, that's only the short version. as it is, the full explanation, filled with running around the console and showing off buttons/switches/levers/etc would take days to explain, and as it is, the short explanation takes close to an hour to achieve.]

[flareofgenius.livejournal.com]

[She doesn't catch all the details, but more than enough to get a good picture. She'll probably put down some notes later, see if anything gets back with her so she can investigate the Epoch again, or at least ask Gaspar exactly how the Conservation of Time-Space works back home.]

It must be pretty amazing, travelling like that! All the places you could go to!

[bit_impossible]

I've been to countless places and times! And there's so much more that I've yet to see.

[flareofgenius.livejournal.com]

I guess there would be.

What kind of place did you like most?

[bit_impossible]

Oh, well, I like just about anywhere! I'm not too choosy. If I feel like sand and sun, I can choose any number of locations to experience at any point in time.

For example, I could choose to visit the diamond sands of Aosca VI in the year 634,798 but knowing what I do about the erosion patterns and climate conditions of the planet, I'd get an even better view of the Great Aoscan Ocean in the year 7316. Not to say that the beaches in 634,798 aren't fantastic--and they are; they're absolutely superb--but there's something about the land in 7316 that gives it...extra sparkle.