RP with seriousmarauder

[bit_impossible]

He couldn't help pulling a face as plumes of fog rolled in over his feet the moment he'd opened the TARDIS door. "Well, certainly wasn't expecting that," he muttered to himself. Bit of fog never harmed anyone, and he thought it was better than water rushing in--or worse. Then again, he hadn't been expecting...well, whatever that had been to happen to the TARDIS navigational systems.

A chill ran down his spine the moment he stepped out to give the TARDIS a few moments to herself. Any amusement or puzzlement he felt disappeared, replaced with a feeling that someone had just walked over his grave. The little hairs on the back of his neck stood on end and he felt his body tense up all over. Now, he'd been in his share of dark, dank, and frankly creepy, cold places before, but this one seemed to be vying for the "Most Disquieting Place He'd Been to in the Past Month" award. Something in the air unsettled him to some degree, penetrating straight to his very bones...

But then he realised just how much of an idiot he was being--a fact he'd never, ever admit to anyone ever--and began walking down the unwelcoming corridor he'd turned up in. The moment he turned the nearest corner, he came to a stop, his eyes widening slightly.

"Ah, sorry, I should have knocked," he said casually, his eyes quickly scanning the creature before him. The hand he saw peeking out from the tattered sleeve ends left him with no desire to shake hands with it, and the brief sight he caught of the thing under the hood. Bit of a dog's breakfast, he thought. "Didn't think anyone was home." A shriek right then pierced a hole in his lie. "Well, I thought there might have been someone else at home." He paused, trying to find the eyes of the cowled creature floating menacingly towards him. "Yeah...I'll just be running now. Bye!"

And he ran--or rather he started to when he noticed his way back to the TARDIS had been blocked by another creature exactly like the other one. "Ohhh, that isn't fair!" he groaned, back-pedalling, and darted down the other end of the corridor.

Comments

[seriousmarauder]

In this particular end of the corridor, speaking of a dog's breakfast, was a very large, black dog. Well, large, but incredibly skinny. Even in dog form, Sirius was still being starved, as he had been for the past five or six years. He'd lost track of the time.

Still, despite the fact that he was feeling rather weak, the sound of the stranger's voice caused him to glance up curiously. He barked when he saw him -- the brilliant, mad stranger who was running about in Azkaban. The bark was clearly a pay attention, I can help sort of greeting, and he barked again for emphasis.

[bit_impossible]

Oh, now things just kept getting stranger! He thought he heard a dog barking, but there was no possible way an animal was--but no, there it was again! He stopped, catching himself on the stone wall before he lost his footing, and saw the dog in the flesh. For a moment, he wondered whether the dog was part of the guard duty around this place, but he couldn't help noticing how gaunt it was.

Still he was cautious and glanced behind him. Those creatures were gaining. Just what the hell were they?

"All right, I don't know how you got here or why, but I'm not leaving you behind," he said, turning back to the dog. "I need to get back to my TARDIS! ...You wouldn't happen to know any short-cuts, would you, boy?"

[seriousmarauder]

Sirius glanced at the metal bars in front of him for a moment, trying to gauge whether or not he was thin enough to slip through them yet. Luckily for both of them, he was.

His head was a bit clearer now -- almost like a fire had been lit. Somehow, he knew that if anyone could help him escape, it was this mad bloke with a...what had he called it? A TARDIS? Sirius answered with another bark. Of course, he had no idea where the thing had been left...or what it was, for that matter, but he knew which direction the Doctor had been running from.

So he lead him away from the Dementors, ducking into unguarded corridors and passageways, searching for a strange scent that didn't quite belong -- and then his nose found a big blue box. Sirius stared, confused, and pawed at it rather curiously.

[bit_impossible]

He'd been about to use his sonic screwdriver on the lock when he saw the dog slip through the gap in the bars. How anyone could treat an animal like that was simply beyond him, but before he could even begin entertaining any notions of paying those creatures back for what they've done, he was distracted by the dog's bark again. He tore off after the it, surprised that it had enough energy left in it to run.

When he saw where the dog had led him, his face split into a grin. "Ohhh, you're brilliant!" he exclaimed, taking a quick moment to fiercely scratch behind the dog's ears. "Is that what they do here? Lock up people and brilliant dogs?"

He didn't expect to get an answer though and quickly dug the key out of his pocket and stepped into the TARDIS. "In you get!" Then he glanced up and saw those creatures beginning to fill the end of the corridor. Seemed the ones he'd met had friends. "Now!" he added.

[seriousmarauder]

Sirius licked the Doctor's hand fondly at the attention. It had been too long since he'd had any sort of contact at all, in either form. He darted into the TARDIS without hesitation, then stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the interior.

Merlin.

It was beautiful. Sirius had no idea if he'd finally lost it, or it was all a dream. If it was, he never wanted to wake up. He explored the place a bit, sniffing things, and wagging his tail in excitement. He couldn't even feel the Dementors in his head anymore -- it was as if something was blocking them out. Like they were in an entirely different place.

[bit_impossible]

After slamming the doors shut, he ran up to the console, murmuring coaxing and encouraging words to his ship in apology for interrupting her. Then he paused and peered around at the dog. Part of him was certain that had he not shut the doors, it would have run a circle around the outside of the TARDIS to make sure it wasn't just seeing things.

"All right, up you get," he said after a moment and patted the yellow seat behind him. "It was a bumpy ride getting in here, and I doubt it'll be any better on the way out." That and he really didn't want the dog to get injured from being tossed around like a die in a cup.

[seriousmarauder]

Sirius' doggy expression was one of clear amusement as he hopped up on the seat. He wondered if this brilliant blue box could actually fly...at this point, he would believe anything.

He had a million questions to ask, but he wanted to wait until they were completely out of danger before he changed back. The paranoid part of his mind was also a bit terrified that his new friend would dump him right back in Azkaban again if he discovered he was human.

[bit_impossible]

The moment the dog had jumped up, he grabbed a few stretch cables and attached them so they criss-crossed around the dog's chest. "Sorry about this," he said and tried moving it from side to side, but the dog barely budged. "Might be a bit uncomfortable, but trust me, it'll be worth it."

And he whirled around, his hand shooting out to yank back on a lever. No sooner had he done that, the TARDIS began to lurch and buck wildly, the insides of the central column pumping away. Sparks began flying up all around the console, but those never stopped him from dashing to another section to turn on the stabilisers, one hand firmly holding on so he wasn't thrown away.

However, that move only seemed to make things worse, so he switched those off, secretly glad he'd only tried to make a jump in space, and immediately put on the brakes. The TARDIS shuddered to a halt and greeted him with a small cloud of smoke. He quickly extinguished that, coughing all the while, and finally he turned rather sheepishly toward the dog.

"Well. That was fun, wasn't it?" he asked as he released the poor thing.

[seriousmarauder]

Sirius shot the Doctor an annoyed look, but he was grateful for being released. He was grateful for everything, really, and he nuzzled the man's hand again for more petting. He found, yet again, that he couldn't quite place that smell. It was almost as if the stranger wasn't actually human at all. He added that to the list of questions.

[bit_impossible]

He cracked a smile and started ruffling the dog's fur, scratching behind its ears. Whether he noticed the annoyed look he'd received or not, he doesn't let on.

"What do you say? We check out where we are first and then get something to eat?" he asked eagerly.

[seriousmarauder]

Sirius barked in agreement, wagging his tail again at the mention of food. He hadn't had a proper meal in years. He was curious to know where they'd landed, though. Hopefully not somewhere with people, because then he would have to stay in dog form. He wandered over to the door, waiting for the Doctor to let him out.

[bit_impossible]

He was right on the dog's heels and pulled the door open. Beyond the doors was a cloudy sky, fields of green grass and purple heather swaying from side to side, and in the distance, the sound of ocean waves crashing against the rock.

"Ohhh, not bad," he said, stuffing his hands into his pockets as he stepped out. He took a deep breath, letting the smell of the heather fill his lungs. "Not bad at all, if I do say so myself! We could even make a picnic out of it here. I don't think the old girl will be up for much travelling for a while..."

[seriousmarauder]

Sirius ran a few circles around the area, pleased they seemed to be alone. After a moment of hesitation, he stopped in front of the Doctor.

Then, he wasn't a dog anymore.

The process was a bit painful when he had so little energy left, but he managed it somehow. Sort of. He collapsed on the grass, and firmly avoided the Doctor's gaze. He knew he probably looked a bit terrifying, and he almost wished he could disappear into the tattered grey rags he was wearing. He refused to think about a certain invisibility cloak.

"Thank you," he murmured hoarsely, distracting himself from his own thoughts. "For everything. Who are you?"

[seriousmarauder]

Sirius took in all the directions, and snorted at the implication that he might get lost. Padfoot was brilliant at finding his way around, as the Doctor already knew. So he shifted again -- the transformation was a bit easier this time, since he'd had something to eat -- and managed to find things easily enough.

A good long shower was exactly what he needed. It took him hours to scrub out all the filth, and to get rid of that awful beard. He brushed his teeth and hair, too; he kept the length, but at least he was able to tie it back now. He found some suitable clothes in the Doctor's amazing wardrobe.

He chose a simple pair of trousers and a jumper...he didn't want to wear anything that would attract attention. He nearly went for a gorgeous leather jacket that caught his eye, but then he remembered he'd given away his flying motorbike. He eyed himself in a mirror when he was done.

He still looked like a corpse, in his opinion, but at least he was a bit more presentable. He wandered back to the console room when he was done. "How is she?" he asked the Doctor, hoping the ship wasn't too damaged.

[bit_impossible]

The Doctor hadn't noticed how much time had passed, so lost he was in running every diagnostic possible on his poor ship--and taking a few moments to replace some burnt out wires and components that had bit the dust from the last spray of sparks. As far as he could tell, there was no reason for him to even be in a Britain where magic existed and babies could defeat evil wizards, though he thought that was rather amazing but embarrassing for the wizard. The ride through the vortex had been smooth; granted, there were the usual bumps and jostles on occasion, but he'd long gotten used to those.

By the time Sirius finally joined him, he was letting a panel of metal grating fall back into place with a clanging slam. He'd found the source of the problem and was mentally kicking himself for not realising it sooner--and more importantly, for having ignored the problem for so long. At least the trip hadn't drained the old girl of power. Unfortunately though, he couldn't pilot her until he'd either repaired or created from scratch the two small, but extremely complicated parts he held in his hand.

"Well," he said slowly, tucking the parts away safely into his pocket. "She's seen better days." He smiled apologetically at the central console, resting a hand on the time rotor. There was a note of fondness in his voice as he spoke. "We were lucky to get out of Azkaban, you know. Logistically, we shouldn't have even been able to make the jump from there to here, but my TARDIS is rather brilliant. Always there to save me when I need her most..."

He fell silent for a moment, then spun round to face Sirius again. "That means I'm going to be stuck here for a while. And though I know my way around Britain--and, well, the rest of this planet, really--I'm unfamiliar with how things are in this Britain in this time period." He stopped there, leaning back against the console, and hoped Sirius caught his meaning.

[seriousmarauder]

Sirius smiled a bit, fully catching the Doctor's meaning. "I'd be happy to show you around then, Doctor. If you wouldn't wandering around with Padfoot again, that is," he replied hesitantly. If he was going to introduce the Doctor to wizarding Britain, he certainly wouldn't be able to do it as himself, unless they avoided everywhere that was remotely interesting.

"I haven't really got anywhere to stay, except...no, wait. There is one place...it's hidden away in muggle Britain, actually, but if we can find a fireplace to use and some floo powder, I could get us there," he replied thoughtfully. He didn't particularly want to go back to his old home, but nobody was living there now, and it was the most well-hidden place he could think of.

[bit_impossible]

"Ohh, I wouldn't mind at all!" he said cheerily, grinning broadly. "It's been a long time since I've travelled with a canine companion, well, to be fair, he was a computer as well, so technically I haven't truly travelled with a real dog. Then again...I won't have done anyway, since you're really human..." He realised he was getting very off-track and shut up.

A moment later, he'd been about to say that finding a place to stay would be of no trouble for him--he was well-versed in finding lodgings for the night no matter where he went--but he instead gave Sirius a puzzled look. "Flue powder? I've got a fireplace, one of several actually, in the library but you don't mean soot, do you? There's plenty of that there." To his recollection, he hadn't bothered giving any of the fireplaces a good cleaning in the past couple centuries. Thank goodness for the TARDIS air circulation and purification systems, he thought.

[seriousmarauder]

"You mentioned that before," Sirius replied, curious again. "I'll admit I don't know much about technology...that's mostly a muggle thing. But a robot dog sounds like fun."

He rolled his eyes at the Doctor's questions. "Floo powder. Comes from the floo plant, which...we might be able to find around here somewhere, actually. Hang on, I'll see if I can't sniff some out." With that, he shifted into Padfoot again, pawing at the door until the Doctor let him out.

Once he was outside again, he sniffed around the area until he found exactly what he was looking for, and he barked excitedly.

[bit_impossible]

He made a mental note to brag all about K-9 later as he followed Sirius out of the TARDIS and back out into the field. For a moment, he stopped, taking a deep breath, the smells of the heather and sea air filling his lungs. At least there were plenty of things for him to learn about. It would keep away that itch he always felt when he'd stayed in one place for too long... Or at least he hoped it would.

The barking snapped him out of his train of thought and he ran over, so very tempted to make a Lassie joke. "Hello there..." he said, squatting down and peering curiously at the new plant. "Just the one, you think? Or should we grab a bunch?"

[seriousmarauder]

Sirius shifted back into himself, wincing again at the transformation. He managed not to collapse, though, which was an improvement.

"Let's take several, just in case." He carefully picked a few, and gestured for the Doctor to do the same.

"Your fireplace won't be connected to the floo network, but if we can figure out how to hack in somehow, it might work. Otherwise, we'll have to find one that is," he explained, hoping they would be able to find a house nearby. Preferably an empty one.

[bit_impossible]

He plucked a few out of the ground, exercising about as much care as Sirius exhibited. After all, he didn't know what part of the plant they'd need.

"The 'floo network'?" he asked incredulously, highly amused. "How exactly would you hack into a fireplace, a pickaxe?" Part of him also wondered, cheekily of course, if he could use iPlayer on it.

[seriousmarauder]

Sirius rolled his eyes. "It connects all the fireplaces together. Muggle fireplaces aren't generally connected unless you get special permission from the Ministry. There are a few unlocking spells I could try, but I might not be able to get a good result without my wand," he sighed, feeling ridiculously helpless.

[bit_impossible]

He'd always wondered if a wand was vital for the casting of magic, but now that he knew, he couldn't help wondering what a crutch it must be. Then again, he felt somewhat lost if his sonic screwdriver broke and never dawdled in making another. That lesson was well learnt long ago.

"So what exactly would happen in a bad result scenario?" he asked, heading back to the TARDIS with his bundle of floo plants.

[seriousmarauder]

"In a bad result scenario, we wouldn't be able to get in, and we'd have to do a bit of breaking and entering, if we can find an empty house somewhere," Sirius replied, a sly smile gracing his gaunt face as he followed the Doctor back to the TARDIS. "You don't mind a little crime, do you, Doctor?"

[bit_impossible]

For a moment, he was afraid that the attempt would damage his TARDIS in some way and almost reconsidered his decision, but hearing that was a relief. As he led the way through the console room, heading towards the nearest workshop, he glanced over his shoulder, a mischievous glint in his eye.

"It's not a crime when you've got the key," he said cryptically.