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

[scienceleads]

"It was a little. but it worked out in the end, thankfully. Due to a few versions of you, actually." Multiple versions of him. She'd heard about it, but never thought she would witness it herself.

[notbychoice]

"Saved the day, then? Though I imagine you had something to do with it. Well, you and whoever else was around at the time." Of course, he was convinced in his ability to rectify a situation, but humans deserved their credit too.

[scienceleads]

"Well, in my own way, yes. I was responsible for the treaty." Even though she'd been forced into it. In retrospect, the Doctor probably did the right thing, but it didn't make what she'd almost done any less viable, in her mind.

[notbychoice]

"Were you?" This is all vaguely familiar, but it's a little bit hard to place, like a thing you did when you were five, or ten, or thirteen, and trying to recall that thing years down the road can be hard, if not impossible. "Well, I suppose your contribution to the whole thing was very important."

Treaties usually are, although they're also awfully boring. But being forced into anything's not good, not good at all.

[scienceleads]

"But then, that's what we do at UNIT, I suppose." The boring stuff compared to the more exciting, save the world. "The boring stuff, so people can get on with their lives."

[notbychoice]

"Suppose so, yeah." The world needs organizations like UNIT. Even he has to admit that. People can't all go traveling around through time and space like he does. "When you put it like that, it makes it all sound good."

That last comment slips out almost before he realizes he's said it. It's not that he thinks UNIT is bad, or causes trouble, but he does have slightly mixed feelings about the whole thing.

[scienceleads]

She gave him a broad smile. "For some of us, it is good. I know what you're like, Doctor. From personal experience, and also from what my father has told me. You hated being stuck in one place when you were exiled here. You are who you are."

And she was who she was, most definitely.