Cats land on their feet

[notbychoice]

Who: Ninth Doctor and open
What: Nine pays a visit to Hel District.
When: Day 433.
Where: Hel.
Rating: PG-13.



If anyone were to ask Nine what he was thinking, he'd say that the last few days had been a strange little mishmash of confusion, elation, helplessness, and just a little bit of rage. Because what a fine welcome that had been, arriving just before a major catastrophe happened, and on top of that, having to watch from what he still thought of as slightly undeserved safety, knowing that people were still trapped beyond the barrier and drowning.

So, it was with that in mind that, as soon as the floodwaters receded and it seemed safe enough to move about the streets, he threw himself into the cleanup efforts without hesitation, doing his part to clear away rubble and branches and whatever had been left behind as the waters rushed back to reveal the damage.

But in all of this, he realized he hadn't gone to check out the district that he supposedly belonged to. A brief glance at the bracelet reminded him that the district's name was Hel, which brought a grim sort of smile to his face. He changed direction then, heading for that place's welcome hall. It seemed like a good place to start.

And when he got there, it didn't take a second to realize that Hel district was in just as much disarray as the rest of the city. Of course it was; that flood had swept through everything, or at least it seemed as though it had to have done that. So without a second's thought, Nine picked a spot to clear of fallen branches and threw himself doggedly into the work.

Maybe this wouldn't really help anyone, but as he moved on down the street, clearing away debris as he did, he thought that at least there would be open streets to walk on. It was definitely a start, if nothing else.

And, well, it was a start that he didn't declare finished until much later, when the street he'd been working on was clear to his satisfaction, but that wasn't the only reason he'd stopped. He looked down, realizing with a start that he was breathing quite a bit harder than he would have normally, and- Wait, what was that?

"I must be older than I thought, to have forgotten just for a second what it was like to be tired," he said mostly to himself as he placed one hand against the nearest wall to support himself.

But it wasn't just mere tiredness, either. With only one heart going, it seemed as though his stamina had had a limit put on it, and that was so far removed from normalcy that he was still working out how best to react.

[ ooc: Feel free to have your character run into Nine while he's working on shifting debris or afterwards, when he's stopping to catch his breath. ]

Comments

[reallygreathair]

Ten is walking around and notices the figure catching his breath. The ears are already a giveaway as to who it is. He wants to be surprised, but since there are so many other Doctors in Asgard, he shouldn't be surprised. He walks over to see his other self's distress.

"Hello!" he says. "Blimey you look knackered. I don't think I've ever seen you so knackered. What's with that? You alright though?

[notbychoice]

Well, it won't do at all to be seen like this, leaning against a wall and having difficulty catching his breath. Nine straightens up, ignoring that irritating twinge of protest as he does, and he glances at the strange man with equally strange and sticky-uppy hair.

"Suppose I am, a little. Too much moving rocks and branches around, that's all." He brushes some dried-on dirt off his sleeve and nods. "'Course I'm alright. Nothing that a bit of a breather can't cure."

That's not entirely the truth, but if anything, he's finding it just a little difficult to adjust to this body with its single heart and silly physiological limitations.

[reallygreathair]

Ten can't help but laugh. This is just brilliant, if a little disconcerting that yet another version of himself is here.

"Ohhhhhh, that northern accent," he says, smiling. "I always wondered how I picked that up. I mean, yeah, lots of planets have a north but I don't remember ever having an accent so thick."

[notbychoice]

"Oh, I don't know, it isn't so bad. You get used to it. Kind of have to, since it's not really going anywhere." Or at least it wasn't. It's sort of a moot point, now, thanks to regeneration.

"Hang on, did you just say 'I'?" That can only mean one thing that he knows of. Well, it could mean that he's playing him for a fool, but he doesn't quite think that's it.

[reallygreathair]

Ten gives him a knowing look. He must be starting to guess who he is.

"Yeaaaaaaah," he says with a shrug. "Sorry, I don't have my sonic with me but yeah. Hello."

He waves his fingers at his past self.

[notbychoice]

He is starting to guess, and it's actually confusing him, just a little. "Hi. So, if I'm understanding this right, you're me. But there's someone else who said he's me, so which one are you?"

He waves back, still mulling this over. The man with the bowties introduced himself exactly that way, and he assumed he's the one he regenerated into, but then where does this one with the pinstripes and trainers come into play?

[cyborg_cop]

John didn't normally do the whole, you know, manual labor thing. But it wasn't going to get done if he didn't pitch in, and besides, he was kind of bored. Still, he had his own rules: no sense working too hard.

He was strolling back, from the coffee shop he'd finally found. Hey, they could drop him in some post-flood city with some nonsense about saving the world, but the man was going to keep his priorities.

John held out the coffee--he hadn't sipped it yet. "Look like you could use this. And probably a shower."

[notbychoice]

It was either throw himself into the cleanup effort or wander around the city uselessly, and that didn't sound appealing to him in the least. So he set himself to work, not really paying any attention to anything except that and the occasional passerby.

Like the man with the cup of coffee. The scent of it made him wrinkle his nose a little, because really, he preferred tea. But he didn't expect him to know that. "I'm alright, but thanks." Although he wouldn't argue with the shower part. All this working was definitely enough to make him break a sweat.

"What's your name?"

[cyborg_cop]

"More for me, then." He shrugged, easily. Not everyone can appreciate a good joe.

Tea was fine, but it was sort of like the wine of caffeine: elegant and classy, and John was neither of those things. He was more a coffee guy: walk up and punch you in the face. That's John "Coffee" Kennex.

"Kennex. John Kennex." The wry grin was probably extraneous. "New here. Guess I missed all the excitement." As usual.

[notbychoice]

"Exactly. More for you." And as far as he was concerned, he wouldn't lose sleep over it. Not that that was expected, because it was only a cup of coffee.

But, well, the Doctor wasn't elegant or classy either. In fact, he was rather rough around the edges, but he still liked a good cup of tea now and again. "Well, John Kennex, I'm the Doctor, and I'm guessing you arrived after the flooding?"

Lucky man, although when he stopped to think about it, he probably wouldn't have changed the timing of his arrival even if he could.

[cyborg_cop]

This is the thing with good deeds, this right here. John doesn't even know why he tries anymore.

"The doctor. The doctor of what?" Scuse him for being a little wary. Last 'doctor' he talked to was trying to get inside his head.

"Yeah, missed all the flood stuff. Sounds, you know, Biblical."

[earnedthename]

Kate's been doing a circuit of the districts all day - mostly to look for Lucky, on the off chance he's in the city but can't find his way home, but she stops and lends a hand where she can. What's the point of superstrength if you don't use it for good, right?

She pauses when she spots the man working - alone, it looks like, not with some of the organized teams around the city - and after a moment of watching, heads toward him. Maybe he prefers being alone, but it's worth asking.

"Need a hand?"

[notbychoice]

He's been working with the organized teams, or at least he was to start with at the castle, but then he branched off to have a look at his so-called home district, and at some point, just got back to working on his own. It's a little easier to pick out what needs to be done right away and what can wait, but he won't begrudge anyone who decides to approach him.

Straightening up and stretching out his stiff muscles, he nods. "There's a lot of things needing shifting around here. I won't say no, if you want to help out."

And, besides, if he remembers correctly, the first person he spoke to upon arriving here said something about making friends, so that's something he's also going to try doing. He'd have done it anyway, with or without being told, of course.

[earnedthename]

"That I can do."

Kate smiles and steps forward to study the mess a little more closely, after a moment hefting one of the heavier-looking tree limbs so she can set it aside. She's getting better at figuring out how to use her strength when she needs it - not quite so good at making sure she's not using it when she's trying to be careful, but she's working on it. She hasn't broken anything important yet.

"You know," she says conversationally, "a year ago I would've been surprised water could do all this, but... I got stuck in New Jersey during Sandy. And Brooklyn after. Now I'm just glad Asgard doesn't have cars that could pile up."

She's pretty sure she couldn't shift one of those, even with her new superstrength.

[notbychoice]

"That's good, then. Better to be useful than not, I'd say."

And of course, he means that in the best possible sense, because speaking for himself, he can't stand the idea of not being useful. Helping people when he can is something he strives to do all the time, that and having brilliant, fantastic adventures, and the day that he stops being able to do those things, well... It'll feel like he's just stopped being at all useful.

"Water's a very strong force, yeah. Especially if there's enough of it." He'd probably say it's unstoppable, but that bit's arguable, given innovations with dams and that sort of thing.

[gluegun]

She's still trying to get her bearings, all things considered. Alison spends the day wandering the city, her map clutched firmly in one hand as she tries to orient herself. For the most part she ends up herding native children away from the most damaged areas of the city, and decides that's the best help she can give. She's at a moment of rest when she spots Nine-- he seems normal enough, so she takes a step towards him and smiles thinly.

"You probably shouldn't push it," she says. "As committed as everyone is to rebuilding, there's no use killing yourself over it."

[notbychoice]

"Why not, though?" Well, aside from the obvious answer that he might wind up working himself to the point that he collapses from exhaustion, but he'd rather push himself and do his part to clear things up than sit around idly. "I mean, have a good look at this place. There's piles of things everywhere, and some of it could really hurt a person, if they were to step on it or fall on it."

So, yes, he's going to keep moving, until the place is cleared or he falls flat on his face. Preferably before that latter thing happens.

[gluegun]

"They can look where they're going," she says, as though she hasn't spent the better part of the day herding people away from said rubble. It's a bit of a disparaging remark, so she shrugs and tries for something more casual. No need to let everyone know she's judgmental and paranoid.

"I hear there are people around with super strength. They might be able to do the job quicker." Unless this guy has super strength, but it doesn't seem like it.

[notbychoice]

"They can, yeah, but that doesn't mean that they will." In his experience, people who've lived through something like floods and witnessed other people die aren't always in possession of the best powers of observation they've ever had. "Better to be safe than sorry, anyway."

No, he doesn't have super strength, but the idea of sitting out of the work just because he's not the most muscular person alive isn't something he likes. "Well, 'course they could, and I'm sure they are, but what about the rest of us?"

He probably could find something else that doesn't involve shifting heavy rock, but it's what he wants to do, and he's just a bit stubborn once he gets set on something.

[gluegun]

"No one's telling you not to help," she says, primly. "But you're not going to be much good to anyone if you don't rest every once in awhile."

Most people have been so busy with the reconstruction efforts, and it's almost an entirely new phenomenon to her. People get tired back home, sure, but they don't work themselves physically to the point of utter exhaustion. That's just stupid.

[scienceleads]

While Kate hadn't met this Doctor personally, UNIT's files were good - more extensive than anyone might know or suspect. And this version of the Doctor hadn't had much interaction with UNIT itself, but he'd certainly made himself known around the Earth.

Taking a break from the clean up operation she was helping out with, she merely handed him a bottle of water. "You might appreciate this, Doctor."

[notbychoice]

It was probably a good thing that he hadn't had a great deal of interaction with UNIT, mainly because there was a good chance of them being at loggerheads practically all the time. The Doctor could be stubborn, frustratingly so, and sometimes, he wasn't good at smoothing over relations between himself and other people.

But the funny thing about being the Doctor is that there's a bit of a tricky process involved with regeneration, namely that the memories don't just disappear with each new face and personality. So on some level, the Doctor recognizes Kate, even if he's never met her, at least not with the face he's currently got.

People certainly seemed generous around here with their offerings. Realizing he was just the slightest bit thirsty, he accepted the proffered water. "Oh, thank you, I do appreciate that, actually," he said as he unscrewed the lid and took a long drink.

"It's Kate, isn't it?"

[scienceleads]

"You recognise me? I haven't actually met you before," she admitted. "I do know of you, though, obviously."

She was curious how this version of the Doctor differed to the others.

[notbychoice]

"Think so. Though I haven't seen you before, at least not like this," he said with a shrug.

And by that, he meant not with this particular face.

[scienceleads]

"Curious. I didn't know that memories worked like that across all Doctors," she said, genuinely curious about it. "And no, we haven't met before. I wasn't working at UNIT at the time you were around London."