Strangers on a crazy adventure

[likesimpossible]

Who: The Doctor and OPEN.
Where: Various places in Wonderland.
When: 3/20 to 3/27.
Rating: PG-13, will update if needed.
Summary: The Doctor is wandering again, and this time, his destinations include Hogwarts, the asylum, and the carnival.
The Story:

The Southeast Tower

The thing to understand about the Doctor is that he has an incurable sort of wanderlust that just never really goes away. Oh, sometimes, it'll lie dormant, just waiting for something to set it and the Doctor off again. Because the Doctor is absolute rubbish at standing still.

So when things began changing around the mansion and different buildings and different things started to pop up, he couldn't help but feel curious. So early in the morning, the day after all the commotion, he was already on his feet and moving about. He hadn't slept, not really, hadn't even napped either. He slept when he was really tired, and since he didn't tire easily, he just didn't sleep.

And what was the point in sleeping when there was apparently so much to see? And the first thing on his list was the tower. When he climbed up those stairs and stepped through the door, it took him a moment to realize what was familiar about this place, and when it hit him, he couldn't help but go stock still and stare about, open-mouthed.

"No, it can't be... Can it?"

The Asylum

Running about Hogwarts (or attempting a stately walk as befitting a professor of said distinguished school) was amazing, but all good things had to come to an end sometime, and of course, there were many more good things lying ahead for the Doctor.

...Including an asylum, of all things. All right, well, that is considerably less good, particularly if you take in the scenes and the hubbub he had only just left behind. But again, the Doctor's curiosity never ever shuts off, so you might find him prowling about down the corridors and in between the rows and rows of beds. Care to join him?

The Carnival

It has never been said anywhere in the history of asylums that they are places meant to allow for pleasant and calming experiences. By the time the Doctor's managed to extricate himself from the asylum, a claustrophobic feeling and just the smallest hint of exhaustion are hanging over him. But what better cure for that than some fresh air and- Is that a carnival over there?

Well, in situations like this, a little fun and amusement and taking in the sights and sounds is exactly what the Doctor ordered.

Comments

+ Carnival +

[jivitadana]

Minato had also done his own share of wandering as quietly as he could, trying to keep out of sight, but also definitely on the lookout for anyone he recognized. He felt alone, although he was far from it with everyone else around, but then again, he had been avoiding people for a reason. He didn't want to bother anyone or be a burden, and should be able to take care of himself even at this age. One who survived to the age of seven should be so lucky to be alive.

Somehow Minato had stumbled into the carnival. The lights and sounds were really distracting, maybe a bit too bright and loud. He was a bit past the entrance, looking up at a booth with games and plush stuffed animals for prizes. He'd never been to a carnival before, and thus he wouldn't stop exploring because his curiosity was getting the better of him, but he had to make sure that if he was spotted that he could find a way out of it. Somehow. He'd think of a plan later for whenever that happened.

I feel like I should apologize for blowing up your inbox. XD

[likesimpossible]

The carnival was a veritable smorgasbord of sights and sounds and stimulation, and the Doctor found himself wishing that he had about eight more sets of eyes so that he could take in everything at once.

He wandered about through the various pathways, not really focused on any particular destination, but more interested in seeing everything there was to see. And when he turned a corner, he spotted a young boy staring up at a booth filled with lovely things that any young person would enjoy. Coming up alongside him, he offered him a friendly grin and an equally friendly greeting.

"Hello there. Are you having a good time?"

No worries! I do the same to yours XD

[jivitadana]

Minato heard someone near him, and some chill spiked up his spine. Whatever happened to not being seen? It was a little too late for that, but when he saw who it was that addressed him, he calmed. He knew who this was, he had seen him before and talked to him before.

He nodded in order to answer the question. He wasn't having a bad time, he could honestly say that. He might've enjoyed the carnival a little more had he not been so little or young, if only because his memories told him that this wasn't exactly the happiest time in his life.

Then, not to be rude but not wanting to talk just yet, he pointed a little at the Doctor to ask if he was having a good time too. The Doctor shouldn't be sad! Minato wouldn't want that at all.

It's out of love, honest! I love your Minato so much. <3

[likesimpossible]

It took him a moment, as all he had to go on was a suspicion, but there was something about the young boy that looked oddly familiar. Perhaps it was the hair, because that was definitely a color that stood out, in the best possible sense, of course. He couldn't help but take a second to compare it to his own plain brown and very not-ginger hair.

"Well, I did just walk in, but I have to say, it's a great spread they've got here. And, sorry if I'm wrong, but you're Minato, aren't you?" Albeit a smaller version, but still, the Doctor thought he recognized him.

Omg what you are too nice. ;o; Your Doctor is the amazing one, and I love him more. ;o; <3

[jivitadana]

Minato gasped softly, a little surprised that the Doctor had recognized him, as if he had forgotten that could've been a possibility. But there really was no reason to be surprised. He quickly bowed to his friend as a sort of simultaneous greeting and apology. He was sorry that he had been a bit frightened. It wasn't of the Doctor himself, he promised.

Minato had to tilt his head up and up since the Doctor was so tall. But that was okay. If he were here, then Minato could relax. The Doctor was someone safe.

He had to think about it for a second, then after a quick gesture of pointing to the Doctor, he pointed to his own chest where his heart was. Was the Doctor okay in general? He looked okay, good even with the way he was smiling, but it was why Minato had pointed out his heart. Inside, was he feeling fine too?

carnival

[becauseihaveto]

While some of the changes taking place in Wonderland seemed nice enough, there weren't that many that were all that enjoyable at night. At least, none that were as enjoyable as the carnival. With the bright lights, various noises, and almost contagious thrum of excitement in the air, it was more than enough to bring a light smile to Abby's face.

Wearing a new dress that she'd gotten from the closet - nothing extravagant, just a plain cotton one in a pale blue color - she'd taken the time to brush her hair so that it practically shined and had even put on a pair of canvas tennis shoes that matched the dress. She looked a lot better than she had when she'd first arrived in Wonderland, that much was certain, and she was starting to feel a little better too. She still had the issue of finding a fresh source of human blood but, for now, she was determined to just enjoy herself.

She paused in her wandering for a few moments to observe one of the games in action. It was as she was turning to go that she very nearly ran directly in to someone. Reaching out faster than anyone should be able to move, she grabbed the person's arm firmly to keep them from falling over nevermind that the motion should have all but yanked her off her own feet. Almost instantly she realized what she'd done and released them, averting her gaze to anywhere but their face.

"I'm sorry."

[likesimpossible]

After the stifling atmosphere of the asylum, the stimuli and excitement generated by the flashing lights and music and other sounds from the carnival were very much like a breath of fresh air. As he walked about, the Doctor couldn't help but grin, taking in the sights and the scenery.

It might even be that the carnival was just a little over-stimulating, but that was usually the case with carnivals and the like. So, he wasn't overly surprised when he felt someone walk right into him and grab his arm, presumably to steady both of them from the impact.

Beaming down at her, seemingly unfazed, the Doctor said, "Oh, hello there! Everything alright?"

He guessed Abby had just been a bit distracted by the lights and sounds, much like he had been and still was.

[becauseihaveto]

Abby was a touch surprised at his reaction - most people tended to be somewhat irritated when kids (or someone who looked like a kid, in her instance) bumped into them - and his pleasant demeanor made her peer up at him with a smile on her own face. "I'm fine," she assured him. "I was just caught up in all of," she glanced around then back to the Doctor, "this."

It was as she was looking back to him that she realized something was off. The distractions of the carnival had her in a sort of sensory overload but with a second of concentration she realized that she was right. There was something different about the guy, all right.

He wasn't human. Not unless humanity where he was from had changed their scent somehow. And developed a second heart.

Abby didn't say anything, of course. It wasn't that strange, in Wonderland. There were all kinds of beings around that she'd never encountered before. But meeting someone who didn't have the vibe of a creature of some sort, who looked human but clearly wasn't, did cause a curious gleam to enter her eyes.

"I'm Abby," she finally said, deciding that introducing herself was the best thing to do. Either he'd brush her off and continue on his way or he wouldn't. "I don't think we've talked before, have we?"

[likesimpossible]

Well, in all fairness, the Doctor's done more than his share of bumping into people and otherwise being a nuisance, so it would be a bit rich of him to be irritated with Abby for doing the same to him. Accidents do happen, after all. "I can't blame you there. It's a lot to take in, isn't it?"

He raised an eyebrow when he realized she was just watching him wordlessly. For a moment, a fleeting thought came to him that perhaps she could perceive something about him, but he decided to let that thought lie for the moment. Unless she revealed something about herself, there wasn't any indication that he could tell to say that she was more than an ordinary human girl.

But then, he knew that such things often went well beyond skin deep, so anything was possible.

"I don't think we have, no," he said with a smile as he extended his hand. "I'm the Doctor, and it's good to meet you, Abby."

[becauseihaveto]

Her skin was cold, always noticeably so. No blood flow, after all. But she shook his hand anyway and even offered him a small smile. "It's nice to meet you too, Doctor," she replied. She didn't ask about the name he gave. If he was the Doctor, so be it. He definitely wasn't human. She was certain of that much.

"I wonder how long the carnival will be here," she mused as she released his hand and let her arms fall back to her sides. She peered around, watching silently for a second as a game vendor tried to lure someone over to try for a win. She looked back to the Doctor.

"It's nice, for now." Because that was the kicker, wasn't it? Eventually it was going to change, something was going to happen. It was Wonderland, after all.

( the southeast tower )

[disparage]

"Ugh, no!" It wasn't the answer the Doctor was looking for, but it was a loud enough grunt of frustration to echo throughout the tower. Caroline was sitting down, leaning against a wall. In her hand was her wand, and she held it tightly, so tightly that her superhuman strength should have snapped the wood in half. She shook it violently. She gazed down upon it with a tight, angry frown.

She wasn't dressed in full school gear, but it didn't matter at all. Caroline's frustration was on the wand — the wand that supposedly chose her and would perform her every desired magical spell. Except, the spells weren't working. She shook her wand in her hand violently again. "Work!"

Caroline had been in the Southeast Tower for some time now, completely taken over by its spell. She was a witch, with a side of vampirism, and she was going to successfully cast this spell even if it meant her life depended on it.

[likesimpossible]

No, that wasn't really the answer the Doctor was expecting, and in fact, he guessed it wasn't an answer that anyone would have expected, since it hinted that something was wrong. And, being a curious sort, he had to find out what it was and see if he could help at all.

But even if he hadn't been interested in offering his assistance, such as it was, he couldn't help but wonder if he was speaking to a real, genuine witch. Was she a professor, maybe? He supposed she could be a student, perhaps a seventh year. If she were a professor, he assumed whatever spell she was trying to perform would have worked, and she wouldn't be standing there shouting at her wand.

"Having trouble?"

Obviously, she was, but his question was just the first step in determining what sort of difficulty she was having.

[disparage]

Caroline heard him approach, but had gotten so caught up in shaking her wand to the point where it could've split beneath her strength, she found herself surprised at the voice. She jumped, pressing her other hand to her chest, and turned to face him. Her wand was pointing at him, and once she realised this, she lowered it quickly to her side.

Glancing to the stick in her hand, she frowned at it, silently cursing it, before returning her gaze to his. "My wand won't work," she pouted. She shook it again. "How am I supposed to pass Charms if I can't charm!?"

Opening her palm, Caroline brought the wand up to whack against the bone there, hoping that, somehow, it would jolt the magic right out of it.

[likesimpossible]

That was unexpected. He'd never heard of anyone's wand not working, unless it was broken beyond repair (and held together with Spellotape, but even in that proverbial instance, it had worked, just not as it was supposed to), but it looked to him as though Caroline's wand was simply refusing to perform. And that was more or less unheard of.

"Have you been doing anything to it? Can't think why your wand would suddenly stop working. It's been working till now, hasn't it?" He's just going to pepper questions at her as he thinks aloud about this little problem.

"Now, don't hurt yourself. I hardly think that's going to get your wand working."

[disparage]

"It works when my pen stops working!" She hit her wand against her palm a good three times before grunting. "It worked before! Last night! I was doing a spell to clean my room …" Should she be saying this aloud? She glanced towards him, eyebrow raised, uncertainty written over her face. "But today it just. Won't. Work!" And she hit her wand against the side of her leg as she said each word.

carnival

[selfrespecting]

Martha's at something of a loss when it comes to this event. It's almost as if a whole variety of things have just been mashed together and tossed out for them to try out like ice cream flavors. At least they can be avoided in that case. Martha saw what happened to those who explored the gazebo and she's not all that interested in being a bloke, so she's staying far away from there.

The carnival has a lot of potential to be all kinds of eerie. Killer clowns seem like a distinct possibility, though as Martha nears the site where the hedge maze used to be, she sees plenty of bright lights, rides, and games for their use.

She's still uncertain whether or not she wants to go in. For all she knows, she'll come out with cotton candy hair or something. There is a curiosity she possesses that's difficult to ignore, though, and so she remains at the edges, shifting her weight as her mind changes back and forth.

[likesimpossible]

Martha as a bloke: now that's something the Doctor would have loved to have seen, but it's probably for the best that it's not a thing that's happening. There's enough going on around without the people that he knows shifting appearances and aging up or down.

But where Martha's standing at the edge, there's also a familiar face. The Doctor is there, also standing still, but he's not going to be doing that for long. He still has that insatiable curiosity, and regardless of what might be going on elsewhere, and perhaps because of that, he feels almost compelled to explore the inner workings of this location.

But then he realizes he's not standing there alone, that Martha's there too, teetering on the edge, and he can't help but call to her. "Martha, are you going in for a look?"

[selfrespecting]

When that familiar voice calls out to her, Martha thinks for a moment she might be imagining it. This is the exact sort of place that she could picture going to with the Doctor, only for things to go horribly wrong, so the fact that he's suddenly there almost feels unreal. As if they're in another time or place.

That odd feeling wears off soon enough and she moves over to him with a smile. She's still getting used to him being a regular presence in her life here at Wonderland. She has to admit, it's rather nice.

"I was debating it." But now that he's here, there's no question. She holds her arm out to him. "Shall we go together?"

[likesimpossible]

He's been thinking the same thing about the way the carnival feels. Oh, it looks harmless enough, but both he and Martha have seen places that seemed all right, when in fact, something dangerous was either lurking about or being concealed on purpose. And even if it was a bit soon to say for certain whether something nefarious was happening in the carnival, the alarm bells in the Doctor's head were very softly going off.

And she's not the only one who's glad they're here together; Wonderland is just great, but it's even better to have Martha there as well. They've had some great adventures so far, and as luck would have it, they're getting to have more.

"Oh, I don't know. I guess I never thought of you as a carnival person, but it could be that this isn't your ordinary, average carnival. It would be a shame to miss it, wouldn't it?" By which he means yes, they should go together.

[selfrespecting]

Facing a possibly dangerous carnival suddenly doesn't seem so bad, if she's got the Doctor coming along with her. It's not that she needs him in order to face unsavory things, but rather that he tends to be a bad influence on her. Still, there's plenty to be said for strength in numbers.

"Carnivals are nice enough, I suppose." It's just that she never had much time for them, even as a child. She'd been a workaholic from birth, essentially, but it looks like it's time to try and enjoy herself a little.

So she loops her arm in with the Doctor's and moves into the carnival. Nothing immediately awful happens to them, so that's one upside, at least. "So, what should we try first?" There's food, there's games, there's rides. They might as well enjoy themselves until something goes wrong.

Southeast Tower!

[kickassqueen]

Not a moment after he speaks, Charlie appears from behind him, looking like she's in quite the hurry. She's decked out in full wizard gear - the Gryffindor colors stand out in all that grey. She's got an armful of books and she's been in the tower long enough to have its magic take effect.

She's not really paying attention, looking down at something in her arms when she bumps into his back, letting out a small 'Ooof' as she takes a few steps back.

"Crap, crap. Sorry!" She gives him a frazzled smile. "Got so much on my mind I think it's left the building." Most of what's on her mind is how cool is this place and Oh, God it's been forever since I've had homework.

[likesimpossible]

It's only been seconds, not even yet minutes, but the Doctor is beginning to feel as if something is drawing him in, into this world of magic and books and fantastic things, and really, even though he'd rather not be drawn anywhere, Hogwarts is nothing short of irresistible.

And so when Charlie bumps into him from behind, he's not really that bothered. Because a real live witch has just walked into him, and for someone who is as fond of a certain book series as he is, this is all so very wonderful.

"Oh, that? No reason to be sorry!" No, really, he's beaming almost like a bloke who's won the lottery. "I suppose they're a bit heavy with the coursework, aren't they?" He's basing that on the load of books she's carrying, of course.

[kickassqueen]

"Dude, you don't even know the half of it." Charlie replies, quite cheerfully even. A little too happy to have work to do, but come on - it's wizard homework. She would do it until the end of time if she could.

"I've got a full load this term. Herbology, Charms, Potions...I'm really trying to ace that one. The professor kinda sorta gives me nightmares sometimes."

He's scary, okay.

[likesimpossible]

Oh, so Charlie's one of those types of people: the ones who want to learn everything they can, and thus wind up taking all the classes they can. The Doctor's more or less the same way, which means he can relate to feeling a bit cheerful when it comes to having things to do. Especially when it's wizard homework!

It doesn't even feel odd that here, he's a student. No one's questioned it, and he certainly hasn't. "Oh, and you mean Professor Snape, don't you? Stuff of nightmares, that one."

He is scary.

[kickassqueen]

"I know, right?" She shakes her head in sympathy - if there's anyone she won't cross, it's that guy. And probably the Transfiguration professor but that lady just seems all out cool to her.

"I was just heading off to the Great Hall to work on some of this. The common room is pretty loud right now." She makes a show of rolling her eyes, but she's smiling - it's all in good fun, she gets it. "Where were you going?"