abraxaslogs | ❂ open!

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❂ open!

Who: river & you!!
When: over the first week of december!
Where: nocwich and castle thorne
What: exploring nocwich for that good cross-faction CR and then a week later when river's canon powers return with a suckerpunch
Warnings: possible mentions of human experimentation, torture, and child abuse. there are content warnings for canon themes and an opt-in/opt-out post for her psychic abilities over here, please check it out!

☾ backdated - nocwich

[ being new to abraxas - alarmed and terrified at being stolen away, having spent the first day traversing castle thorne in a daze as she tried to accept the reality of this world - there is no small amount of trepidation as she steps through the portal to nocwich. as far as the theoretical physics of it all, a portal is more outlandish than teleportation, which makes more sense from a logistical standpoint. although she's not a fan of the molecular deconstruction of her body just to be reassembled elsewhere, so maybe a magic portal won't be so bad...

anyone by the castle thorne portal might hear her mumbling about this for a long while before she finally takes a deep breath and steps through.

more than the notion of magic being real how is magic real, river's main curiosity is the fact of being allowed to go to nocwich at all. she isn't used to her captors being willing to let them leave, even if it's on a tight leash. nowhere close to freedom, but it falls to the back of her mind the moment she finds herself in the bright and lively nature of oleuni square.

with no money to spend and no inclination to buy anything in the first place, river spends her time just wandering around looking at everything with eyes the size of saucers. with a staunch lack of propriety, she'll pick up anything she's curious about and may or may not put it back where it belongs. she watches the performances on stage with rapt attention, stares a little too long at any non-human folks walking about, and otherwise seems to float about in a happy daze as she wanders alone through the streets.

might be best she's not left unattended for too long, lest she overstay her welcome and disturb the locals. ]

☉ current date - castle thorne

[ despite her early misgivings and intense mistrust of those what brought them to this world against their will, there is so much about the castle that excites the childlike wonder that encompasses river in her entirety. it's stunningly beautiful, and she spends a lot of time aimlessly wandering around ( generally barefoot ) as she takes in the architecture, hangs out in the gardens, and puts her fingers all over anything that even remotely looks magical.

more often than not, it looks like she's having fun. she might get shy or suspicious when people approach her, especially any of the thornean mages, but she does well enough to explore with a brightness to her features.

in many ways, it's a blessing of her eyes being closed, her mind shut to the influx of noise and chaos that ordinarily floods her senses. river knew better than to hope the silence might stay forever, but it still catches her by surprise when the moment comes during breakfast on her eighth day. like a tidal wave crashing over her, the thoughts and emotions and worries and fears and secrets and everythingeverything around her overloads her senses.

anyone in the dining hall might hear a loud scream and the clatter of dishes as river flings herself out and away from the table. she winds up on the floor, eyes wide and shaking like a leaf in the wind, ready to be blown away by the slightest breeze. she rambles in distress, seemingly without seeing anyone in front of her even as she sees everything. ]

No, no no no. No! You can't - you can't be here, you can't! Qǐng shàngdì liánmǐn - stay away!

[ tears in her eyes and screams in her ears, river may be hard to console as she tries and fails to fight back the rising tide of panic. let's just hope nothing sharp or pointy finds its way into her shaking hands... ]

[ ooc: as a reminder, hover over any chinese text for a translate, and please hop on over to her opt-in/opt-out post to let me know how you'd like me to play her psychic abilities around your character. feel free to reach out to me at ragemarshmallow on discord or

varooooom if you want to plot anything out! 💚 ]

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Serenity, beautiful name for what I imagine is a beautiful ship. Big fan of ships, me. Got one of my own, though not here, obviously. If I had, well, we'd be having an entirely different conversation.

[ He can easily accept that the captain isn't hers and neither is she a member of the captain's crew. Seemingly. There are more questions in there to sort out and he is the curious sort by nature, but he'll leave it go for now. Answers often reveal themselves in time. ]

Sky dancing! We're onto something, I can feel it. Now, most important —

[ He threads his hands together briefly as he looks around for an open area. ]

Where. But why where, anyway? Anywhere can be where, you only need to stand and make it happen, eh? Okay! There.

[ A lot of words seemingly with no purpose, but he does nod his head to their left, to an open space and is he really doing this, guess so! ]

Go easy on me, bit rusty, usually do more of the horizontal dancing.

[ But as he wanders off towards that empty space (hoping she'll follow, but going for it anyway), he does get into a handstand position now and...yes, it's basically just a handstand, but he attempts to do some clumsy, not-at-all spectacular maneuvers with his feet, kicking them up and out, passing them back and forth and sideways while trying to do a slow and uncoordinated spin around on his hands. ]

[ he has a ship. as far as river is aware, he's the first to mention space travel in this world, which rockets up her interest in him - only to raise doubly so as he rants his way through where and why and how neither of those things matter when it comes to dancing.

she doesn't expect him to hop right to it though, so she follows with bright eyes and laughs in delight at his display. after clapping and cheering him on for a moment, she joins in herself by cartwheeling into a handstand.

she's much more controlled about it - 'a creature of extraordinary grace' - as she twists and turns and jumps around. it almost seems more like a fusion of dancing and fighting while mostly upside down, grinning happily the entire time. as they both goof off, a small group of locals start watching them curiously, so she jumps back to both feet and gives the doctor a small curtsy when she's done. ]

Bù lā wò, that was fun!

[ It's his instant thought, that she's far more coordinated, and actually and most assuredly knows what she's doing. Of course, he does, too! Yes, there's definitely a technique to his random kicking about and flailing of limbs. He knows exactly what he's doing. It's only that put up against her display, he's hardly a match.

Quick to right himself once she's curtsied, the Doctor's grinning, slightly breathless in his excitement. But with an exaggerated flourish, he waves one hand in the air, folding his other hand behind his waist and doing a little bow at her while giving a friendly nod to the small crowd they seem to have gathered. Customary, right, like a call and response after one curtsies and the dance ends? He's sure he's seen that somewhere. ]

Bravo, indeed, though you might have mentioned you're actually a veteran sky dancer.

[ He looks briefly back over to the stage, to the area they'd left moments before. ]

Hope you don't mind the detour! We'll catch the rest of it later, not to worry. I'm the Doctor, by the way. And you, my sky-dancing friend?

[ Before she can answer, he scrunches up his nose at himself. ] Sky-dancing friend...no, no, I can do better than that. Bookmarking that for later, to be improved upon.

[ he moves so quickly from one grand idea to the next that all river can do is follow along, a bright and happy smile on her face that falters briefly when he calls himself a doctor. he's a stranger and she can't see what's in his mind, can't tell if he's playing games or tricks ( a very important distinction ) to win her trust. but his ideas are nonsense in all the best ways and no doctor has ever danced with her, besides.

so her expression changes but only just so, confusion taking the lead on her curiosity. ]

A doctor? Not here to take her away?

[ they told her she could dance and they lied. he says he doesn't know her name but he could be lying too, could be a liar. she hopes not, but she knows better than to hope for anything at all. ]

[ Here to take her away has only one connotation, in his mind, and he's immediately protective. Not that it takes much to stoke those instincts in him. Granted, they've all been taken away and ripped out of time from wherever they were before, but the notion that she has to actively worry about a doctor coming to take her away certainly unsettles him.

As quickly as his delight sparked and grew, it just as quickly fizzles now and his eyes soften. What might a doctor who wanted to take her away say? What might they (he presumes there was a collection of theys purporting to care for her) have falsely promised to reassure her?

You'll be fine.

Here to help.

All things the Doctor would say himself, so he measures his words carefully. ]

Here to keep her safe. And her, too. Him. And them.

[ The Doctor nods to faces in the crowd passing them by now. Everyone around them. ]

[ it's hard to find the right words when the alliance says such pretty things as they pull the wool down over everyone's eyes. they proudly proclaim that their victory over the independents created a safer universe for everyone, and river takes one step back away from the doctor as she stares at him with wide eyes.

he isn't dressed like a soldier, doesn't talk like an operative. his hands aren't blue and his feet reached for the sky, wild and free. he's different but she doesn't know how, so she simply asks: ]

How?

[ how does he keep people safe? what does "safety" look like to him? is he really different or is it more of the same hidden beneath a friendly face? ]

[ Daleks, Cybermen, Sontarans, Weeping Angels, Zygons. They hurt and they hurt and they hurt. And he stops them, over and over. But is it really stopping them when they keep hurting? Can he claim to keep people safe when he's lost far too many?

So what is it, in the end, that he really does? What is it that he never stops doing? ]

Trying.

[ It wouldn't inspire confidence, perhaps, he well realizes. It's her stepping away from him like he's something to fear that has the Doctor dropping all pretense of bravado, making him more candid than he might otherwise be as he worries more for her. ]

If I get it wrong, I don't stop trying. Safe — you're where you want to be, and if anyone tried to harm you or anyone else, they'd have to come through me.

[ it's not particularly confidence-inspiring but there is a certain charm to that - the liánméng would never admit to being flawed. mistakes are eradicated to make sure nothing tarnishes their sunny facade. it's why they'll never stop looking for her: she's a mistake, one they can't afford to let loose into the world.

he says he would keep her safe by trying. what more could you hope for from a man that admits his flaws? she's quiet for a moment as she toys with the edge of her sleeve. ]

"Safe" is a subjective value. Can mean different things to different people, can be influenced by external factors.

[ she considers him carefully, no longer looking to be on the cusp of turning tail and running but still on guard. ]

"Protect" or "defend" might be more accurate in practical application. He's a defender?

[ that word might sit a little better on the tongue. ]

[ Defender — ] Has been before, many times. Planet saver, people defender. And hopes to be again, here especially.

[ What happened to her that she hears the word doctor and assumes someone is here to take her away? Safe is subjective, she's right. What would make her feel safe in a world like this, where no one may perhaps be coming to take her, but where she has also been taken away from where she was before. ]

The people, the doctors who took you away and made you not safe, was that...where you were right before you came here?

[ He's also mindful not to sound too overly prying, even if that's generally his default, being the curious sort. So he offers — ]

I was in my ship among the stars. I'd just left the clouds above London, actually. Do you know of that city?

[ 'planet saver, people defender.' so he's a space traveller too - but she perks up when he says london, her caution inching back toward curiosity. ]

We don't have a London anymore. Been to Londinium once though, for a field trip. They have a lot of museums.

[ maybe he's from a different time, or a different universe altogether. she still isn't convinced the liánméng isn't hiding somewhere in abraxas; her fear of going back to that place holds her in a vice grip, especially after only recently being freed. she contemplates whether or not to tell him, but he's a 'planet saver, people defender,' so maybe it's okay. ]

We were in the stars too. Further out though. Captain likes to say things like "corner of no and where." Haven't been planet-side in a while. No doctors - except my brother.

[ the only doctor she'll accept. maybe this one too, if they can dance together again someday. ]

[ Brother. Doctor. Doctors who might take her away, who did something to her. Many somethings. Many awful somethings, he presumes. Doctor, though, of course. He scrunches up his nose a bit, scratching at his head now. ]

Oh, I'm slow! So slow sometimes. Notorious for it. Dreadful! I should have explained — I don't lead with it, even now. I go roundabout, every which way, need to begin at the beginning. Doctor — capital D — the name I chose a very long time ago. The Doctor but not a, not like your brother. Not like those others. I can mend a cut, fix a wonky shoulder in a pinch, but I'm not a physician. [ He may have a loose degree in there somewhere. He's studied medicine intermittently over the years, but that's hardly the point now. ]

More like...everything else. Engineering, physics, time and space travel, philosophy, history, pottery, glitter-based paintings, and cheese-making.

[ He smiles briefly, winding himself down and trying to forcibly wrench himself back to the point. ]

Sorry! Carry on. So we're both star travellers, a bit, eh? Londinium — different universes, corner pockets, tucked away. Museums! Oh, I love those. They have many in the Free Cities, in fact. Your brother — he didn't come through with you here, or did he?

[ Silly question, Doctor. Where else would he be now but here with her if that were true? The Doctor knows where he'd be if his own sister were stood here, or any of his family. ]

[ she listens to his long-winded explanation with rapt attention, trying to let the fear and paranoia bleed out of her. capital d doctor, not of medicine but everything else. like a doctorate, doctorish, although she's not sure where you can go to study glitter-based painting and time and space travel.

it's all fascinating and strange, the things she loves most as one that knows too much and is still foolish enough to yearn for more. she wonders how much she could learn from him, if given the chance - but he mentions the free cities, and frowns a little at the things that divide them. ]

Not here. [ if only - ] They pulled us out of a fountain. In Thorne.

[ very much alone without simon here. she fiddles with her sleeves some more, her curiosity getting the better of her. ]

Do you get to do everything in the Free Cities? Engineering and physics and cheese-making.

Out of a fountain...

[ His voice sounds briefly far away, just mentally recalling his own initial experience when he was brought here. He knows far less people in Thorne as of yet, but what he does know of it intrigues him. Closer quarters than the Free Cities, a heavier reliance on magic. All of it curious and fascinating in a world of ever-unfolding strangeness. ]

They brought me to the barracks first, in the Free Cities. I stayed all of one second. Maybe a second and a half, to account for taking a breath. [ He has no love for the military, though some of his most beloved friends are military officers. ]

I don't get to do everything there, though, not yet. Very annoyingly, I'm finding I might have to take the longer way 'round. It's dreadful, honestly! [ He is...absolutely not the patient sort. He wants an audience with the Prime Minister, but apparently his credentials are meaningless here. Imagine! ] Not yet, though — two of my favorite words. Between the pair of them is a whole universe of possibility still. Like the very real possibility that I'll have all the makings to craft the most perfect block of cheddar any day now.

[ He goes from silly back to serious in an instant now, voice softening. ] Have you been without your brother before?

[ not yet. he makes it sound so nice, like a promise of more to come, and the possibility that it'll be something good when you get there. she can't tell if it's a form of optimism or just the exuberant way he seems to barrel through things, his mind going a mile a minute the whole time, but it makes her smile faintly.

to answer his question, though, she lowers her gaze. ]

Yes.

[ he's a smart man; maybe he can figure out for himself that it was when 'the doctors took her away and made her not safe.' she was all alone then, much like she is now. river gives the doctor a meaningful glance and then looks around at their colorful surroundings in this strange place of nocwich. ]

Never been allowed to wander like this, though. Can't do everything, but... it's a lot.

[ she turns back to him with another faint smile. ]

She might get into trouble without him.

[ seems like something he might know a thing or two about. ]

[ And he does note that quickly, given the context of everything she's explained already. His over-curious mind wants to know more, but he's not about to turn this into an inquisition, not when they'd already perched on a precarious foundation with the memories his own name had conjured for her. In his experience, he's found, more about her will reveal itself in time if trust is earned. Not that it always applies, of course.

Yes is enough for now. Still, he'll worry a bit overmuch about her. Check in on her as much as he can.

He stuffs his hands in his pockets for a moment, rocking a little on his heels and leaning in just a touch closer, whispering with a faintly conspiratorial smile in return. ]

I might be old friends with trouble by now so I can't promise to keep you out of it, but I can absolutely promise to be in it with you, even if we're not always near each other. We'll make do, eh? And you can visit my ship in the Horizon anytime you like! Well, once you're sorted out going there the first time.

[ He leans back away now, though still with a gentle smile on his face. ]

If we're — possibly — going to be partners in not-trouble, what do I call you?

[ she considers him in silence for a long moment - what might be considered an awkwardly long moment, by most people's standards. she can't help it; she's still not sure what to make of him. fascinating and brilliant, a mind full of nonsense and lips that fly just as quickly as his rapidly fleeting thoughts. a doctor but not a physician, a very important distinction to make.

it's in her nature to be curious and he is a walking mystery. she wants to know more. he said he'll keep her safe by trying and if there's trouble, he'll get into it with her. so it's okay, right? ]

River.

[ said quietly, then she adds with that same very faint smile, trying to be brave in a big world where she is terribly alone. "partners in not-trouble" sounds fun. ]

A sky-dancing friend. Hěn gāoxìng rènshí nǐ, the capital D Doctor.

[ A familiar name to him, someone he loved once, long gone now, like they all are inevitably. River will go back to Thorne, and while nothing is promised or certain tomorrow or the day after, he knows there are very good people there (and all over here) who will do absolutely everything they can for her.

For now, he's quick to smile back at her, dipping his head in a little friendly bow. ]

I'm glad we've met, River of the stars, and I hope we meet again soon. I won't be far if you ever need me, just talk to me here.

[ He taps the side of his head for good measure. ]

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❂ open!

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so sorry for the delay!

no worries at all! ❤️

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wrap here? ty for this thread, I loved them ❤