{Data Stream 15} - Dream a Little Dream

[hisoldgirl]

[those pesky spheres, always turning on when you least expect it. and it's now happened to the TARDIS! who, against all odds, is sleeping. this is quite the rare occurrence, like seeing the planets align or Keith Richards speaking legibly. but anyhow, she's curled up on her bed, her expression drawn as she shivers and whimpers, locked in a nightmare she can't quite understand or see clearly.

that's what you get for staring at that little window by the holodeck, apparently :|

at any rate, nightmares suck, and she eventually sits up, terrified and screaming, before noticing her sphere and turning it off immediately]

Comments

[oliverplus]

[ohhh, he doesn't like seeing the TARDIS upset like that! just ignore the bandages and bruises on his face] TARDIS? TARDIS, don't go! What happened?

[hisoldgirl]

[turns it back on after several minutes, once she's no longer embarrassingly upset] I am well, Oliver. Nothing has happened. [eyes him] Unlike yourself.

[oliverplus]

[yeah, he's going to try to ignore that one] But something upset you.

[hisoldgirl]

[yeah, don't think so] I was startled, that is all. It is of no concern.

What happened to you?

[oliverplus]

Startled by what?

[scratches his head, looking away] Oh, just some of those creatures. It's healing.

[hisoldgirl]

It is nothing.

[sets her jaw] I do not believe you.

[oliverplus]

TARDIS, come on.

What do you mean you don't believe me? Don't believe what?

[hisoldgirl]

You are being evasive. You would not look at me when you answered my question. I have come to understand those are cues for when one does not intend on telling the whole truth.

[oliverplus]

Yeah, but... [well, that brought him up short] That is what happened. I got attacked by those creatures.

[hisoldgirl]

What were they?

[oliverplus]

That I don't know...

[hisoldgirl]

[purses her lips, because she still doesn't believe him, but will let it go for now] At least you were not injured badly.

[oliverplus]

[if that's what she thinks, he's happy to agree!] Yeah, see? Nothing to worry about.

I'm more worried about you.

[bit_impossible]

[it's times like this when the broken link between them hurts the most--when his dear, beloved ship is in pain and he can't even tell until he hears her screams from the entryway into their suite.]

TARDIS?! [immediately runs down the hallway, dropping a bag of trinkets he picked up for his experiments on level 23. the suite seems so much larger and the bedroom so very far away to him now that he's scared and absolutely clueless as to what's hurting her.]

What's wrong?

[hisoldgirl]

Doctor? [she hasn't moved from the bed, huddled in a corner and staring at the door, waiting for him to come through, though she's rather wary. almost as though she thinks it might not be him

when he appears, however, she simply shakes her head, doing her best to look composed]

It is nothing. I am fine. I ... dreamed. I have never done that before. It startled me.

[bit_impossible]

[oh he's not buying that for one second and stares at her down his swollen and bandaged nose before joining her on the bed and hugging her tight. he winces slightly after jarring the broken fingers on his left hand, but he doesn't care in the long run.]

I can imagine it did. What did you see?

[hisoldgirl]

[yeah, see, those injuries? far more important to her than a dream] Nothing I could identify.

Doctor, when did you become so injured? [touches his nose gingerly] What happened?

[bit_impossible]

[too bad he thinks the opposite] You can identify quite a few things; could you be any more vague?

[winces ever so slightly at the touch. he's still annoyed with it being swollen like this.] Wouldn't believe me if I said I ran into a door, would you?

[hisoldgirl]

[this could go on a bit, the back and forth] The images were out of focus. They were indecipherable. I simply know it was horrific. I could sense that.

[pulls her hand away at his wince] No, I would not.

[bit_impossible]

[easily. he frowns hearing that--but darn it, he's curious] They might've been out of focus, yet you knew enough that they frightened you. What did they look like?

[sighs, sitting back] I got into a fight with those creatures.

[hisoldgirl]

[thinks about it a long time before] Fire. They were burning. All the skies were burning, but I could not see why.

Oliver said much the same.

[bit_impossible]

[unconsciously, he grips her hand with his good one hearing that.] There can be any number of reasons for such a thing.

Did he? Well, I earned the injury to my nose. I was...showing off. [looks away a bit sheepish.]

[hisoldgirl]

I have never seen the stars burn so fiercely. But all the images are fuzzy. Dark shapes that shone like metal in the dying throes of suns. It felt ... sad. Why, Doctor? Why would I see such a thing when I close my eyes?

[squeezes his hand back at that] What happened?

[bit_impossible]

I'm not sure, old girl. I haven't met a single person yet who can explain why dreams and nightmares occur and show us the things they do. Personally, I think they're cruel tricks of the mind. What worries me is you falling asleep like this in the first place.

[rubs her hand with his thumb while he speaks.] Oliver and I were ambushed by a large group of those creatures and we, erm...changed into these spandex outfits and strange looking helmets. I leapt up on top of the creatures' heads to get away and hoped Oliver would follow suit.

I kind of lost sight of him after that. The creatures grabbed my legs and threw me to the ground. After freeing myself from them, I tried to find Ollie and he'd been trapped by four creatures. [smiles a bit wryly] I launched myself at his attackers, but I couldn't get them off him, not completely. Then another one grabbed my hand and in my struggle to get back to Ollie--it broke my fingers.

[hisoldgirl]

[nods] I dislike sleep. It is an inefficient use of time. But even those few times I have had to rest while in this body, I have never been assaulted by dreams. This is the first time I have ever experienced this. I do not understand it. I do not understand why it frightened me so.

[scoots a little closer, resting her head on his shoulder while he rubs her hand] He said he fought those creatures but would give me no further information. I am pleased you have informed me in detail of what occurred. Though why did you not request my assistance? [gingerly takes his hand, examining it] I should be protecting you from injury. I do not like being unable to help.