[Video]

[parallels]

[There is a moment of static before a brunette girl with a round face appears on the screen. She taps the screen a few times as if too make sure it’s properly on.]

Ah, here it goes! Thank goodness for computer skills or else I’d have had a hell of a time even getting this thing on, let alone connected to the internet. ...Assuming we're using some kind of internet. [She pauses and tucks some of her hair behind her ear]

Right so, waking up in a palace, bit of an usual form of kidnapping if you ask me. Not that I'm complaining. Take that over an alien dungeon any day. Still, not where I expected to end up.

Anyway, introduction and information seeking time; my name’s Clara Oswald and I’m in search of a job. Back home I was a nanny, not sure if they’re in high demand here, but if anyone has a precocious kid or two who needs some extra supervision, I’m your girl. Other than that… got a Literature degree but… that’s probably as useful here as it is back home. [Not very, says her tone.] Oh! And soufflés! I can bake soufflés... or more honestly sometimes I can bake soufflés. It’s a skill in progress. Still, could lend a hand or two at a bakeshop, I’m not entire hopeless.

[Then there’s a pause and she bites her lip as though considering if she really wants to ask the next question. Oh to hell with it, she’ll ask.]

And has anyone seen a bloke who calls himself the Doctor? Floppy hair, purple tweed jacket, bowtie and a ridiculously big chin? It’s maybe unlikely, but with his knack for finding both me and trouble, I figured it's worth at least a try. [And though she tries to keep her face calm and her demeanor cool, there's definitely a trace of concern and urgency in her voice.]

Comments

video

[refusing]

[Rose doesn't know this girl. She's never seen her before in her life. So therefore, the fact that she mentions the Doctor (and the version with the tweed and bowtie, no less) has her a bit sulky.]

He's not here, not anymore.

[She gives out a sigh, because she's not going to let this turn into another Sarah Jane situation, especially not when this other girl is probably confused about what's going on. So she tries really hard to smile and be reassuring.]

The Doctor? He was here, for a bit after I showed up. But 'fraid he's not now. He's just...gone, yeah? Please don't get upset or anything, but it's just us here. I mean, there's other people from other places too. But pretty sure it's just us here that've traveled with him.

[She's just going to jump to conclusions that this girl travels with the Doctor at some point. Why else would she be asking for him, and have mentioned aliens? She realizes that she's rambling a bit, and she bites at her lip. She's sulky still, but she's making an effort.]

[parallels]

Not here anymore? So he was here?

[Well that's weird. And this girl seems to know the Doctor. Perhaps a past companion? Or a friend from this city if he was weird before.]

Not upset just... wondering what happened to the person I was with before I got here. And... you know the Doctor. Well, that's good. Better than nothing. I'll take what I can when I end up in a city on the back of a turtle. You are...?

[refusing]

He wasn't exactly the Doctor I'm traveling 'round with, same man, different face. But he was here. Bowtie, tweed, and everything.

[Rose shrugs, not sure if the other girl knows about regeneration or any of that. But it's nice to act like she might, it makes things feel more familiar and at ease instead of trying to compare notes on what the either does or doesn't know.]

What sector are you in? Thinking it might be easier to do this face to face. [A pause. Oh yeah, right. Her name had been asked.]

My name's Rose Tyler, by the way. What about you, what's your name?

[parallels]

It's Clara Oswald.

And that's the my Doctor. Or the one I know best anyway. Which one do you travel with?

[She smiles, trying to be friendly. There is something familiar about this girl, like a face long forgotten. Perhaps Clara, or not her but one of her echoes, saw this girl with the Doctor in the time stream. But all of it was a jumble, a mess of lives lived and ended. All she remembered was the Doctor, and still many of those meetings were fuzzy.]

But yeah, face to face, sounds like a plan. I live in the Earth sector. They gave me this flat and everything. It's surprisingly nice.

[refusing]

What do you mean? You know more than just the one face?

[That takes her by surprise. Entirely by surprise. If she knows more than just the one that was here, it must mean she knows one of the faces of her Doctor. It takes her a moment or two to get over that bit of shock, so she can properly answer.]

Um...brown suit, spiky hair? Freckles, if you look close enough. [She's trying really hard not to smile like an idiot as she describes him, but fails entirely.]

Before that, leather and not as much hair at al? [And adorably big ears, but she won't say that part out loud.] I dunno what that face'd do if he saw the one that was here mucking about. Either of 'em, actually.

[Hm. That's something to think about and laugh at later. But for now, she's standing up and sliding on her shoes.]

video;

[imaginate]

[Oh, another one of the Doctor's people.]

Hey Clara. You just missed him.

[A beat.]

How good are you with the souffles?

[parallels]

So I keep hearing.

[She exhales slowly out of her nose, feeling a bit put out.]

...I'm. still a student. But an excelling one!

[imaginate]

Sorry. [Nothing else he can say, really.] There's a bakery in town, closed, but the stuff still's there, if you'd like to take it over.

[parallels]

Just used to him being around when weird things happen. Being here alone is... new.

[But she smiles at the information.]

Taking over an entire shop might be a bit bold, even for me.

Video;

[chiot]

I saw summin' like that, yeah. [ And he raises an eyebrow--this girl looks pretty neat, buuuuut. ] I can tell you where he is, huh? For a few Juulan you got startin' out.

[parallels]

Oh. Information for a price? Is that how things work here?

[She seems more amused than anything though.]

[chiot]

D'you wanna know where he is or no, huh? 'Cause I know--Gavroche knows lotsa stuff here. [ SO GIVE THE TINY CHILD MONEY ]

[parallels]

Unfortunately for Gavroche, I've already heard down the grapevine that he's no longer in the city.

Clever try though.

video;

[sciencewhizard]

All the refugee kids I've seen seem able to take care of themselves, or they like to think so, at least. [ What kid doesn't? ]

And the kedan kids are all a bunch o' little urchins. [ He still has bruises on his arms and back from the last time they decided they wanted piggyback rides from the guy who could move really fast. ]

Wally West here. Resident piggyback ride giver.

[parallels]

Kids always like to think that. And most can better than you think. Still, some help never hurts.

[She grins.]

Sounds like that makes you pretty popular amongst certain populations.

[sciencewhizard]

Right? I'm like the most popular guy around. [ And he might just believe that, or at least seem to. ]

So- this Doctor guy- I've heard him mentioned around a few times, but I never got to meet 'im. With a name like that, is he a cape?

[parallels]

I can see the charm already.

[She blinks.]

A cape?

audio,

[wintershepherd]

[ Someone who likes kids enough to make them their job gets auto points in Jack's book. ]

There's plenty of kids here, mostly kedan but some who've come from other places like we did. Word of advice though, you'll get a lot farther being their friend than trying to be their keeper.

[parallels]

Oh, believe me, I know. It's an important balance to strike.

[wintershepherd]

So how many alien dungeons do you wake up in?

[parallels]

Three.

And that's not including the ones I didn't wake up in.

[donttouch]

Is he a popular guy? Or there something I'm missing, with people always asking about doctors? _{( Usually the Doctor, and it's only happened twice, but hey. )}

[parallels]

Sort of.

He knows a lot of people and goes a lot of places. Popular in that sense.

[donttouch]

Well, chances are if he ends up here he'll let you know. Hard to miss people, on these things.

[parallels]

He was here but left.

At least that means people can leave. So it's a comforting disappointment.