apocalypsehowcomm | Log - Catch-all for September/October

Who: Donna Noble

thedoctorsmate & OTA
When: Throughout September/October
Where: Around the City
Summary: Happenings from the TDM and Donna snooping around town
Warnings: scopophobia; paranoia

I. Mired Way
"'Cha see that?" Donna whips her head to one side, searching the dark trees for whatever had caught on the edge of her vision. The sense of being watched is nearly overwhelming in a way she really doesn't like. The spotlight is all well and good, but only when you know where the rafters are and who's bloody well controlling the lights so you can yell at them to shut it off. "Over there! There it is!" She turns her head again.

"Oi! Whoever you are in the bushes, we came in here to get you, so maybe stop playing Where the Wild Things Are and come out on the path!" Annoyance. Better to project annoyance than the deep-seated fear that's gathering in her throat. She knows whatever that thing is, it's not who they came in looking for... but the way back seems unfamiliar and far more overgrown than it was a few seconds ago, and she doesn't know what else to do.

II. The Path More Traveled By
"This seems... nice." Too nice. Donna looks up through the break in the trees as she and her companion walk along. "I mean, if I'd hopped a fence to go dog-walking, I reckon this is the way I'd go mind you. It's not all creepy. Somehow, I thought it was gonna be creepier. Was the last time I was in here. Where even are we in the park? I dun' think my phone's GPS is working." It has them jittering around the entirety of Dogtown, as far as she can tell.

She glances over at the other person. "Well, don't look a gift horse, right? Maybe it'll be easy finding this bloke and telling him off, yeah?"

III. Girl Friday Around Town
Donna's a modern woman, and one who prefers to have a relatively active social life, even in Gloucester. Maybe especially in a place like Gloucester. It's why she can be found at the General's Store, scoping out some fancier trail mix options and hemming and hawing over that choice. There are a few other knickknacks she's also eyeballing as potential Christmas gifts. She hadn't had the connections or the money to do this last year, but by golly, she'll be starting early this time!

You might find her at one of the local cafes, sitting out on the patio and sipping an iced coffee while she scrolls her phone, taking in what's left of the summer while she still can.

Or maybe you'll find her at the library, sneaking around the shelves or tapping away at one of the terminals. She's clearly trying not to be noticed with mixed success. There are a few points where she straightens up and pretends at being a librarian when she spots someone moving toward her.

Or maybe you've been invited by Donna (or someone else) for an after work drink at one of the local bars. Donna has something fruity in-hand, and she's talking animatedly, either to you or someone nearby. "Have you seen the latest pictures from the new space telescope they've got? Bonkers what they're doing these days. I mean, I've seen a lot of that stuff from close up, and it's just... spot on, right there! Can you imagine how many people this is going to inspire? My granddad would be so happy. God, I hope he makes it all the way to now back in our world."

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She takes the proffered hand so she can yank herself free and try to find solid ground again. "Bet it was a teenager." A pause. "No offense." Is he a teenager? He's a young adult, at the very least, probably not too far away from being one. "They're just the sort who'd see a fence as a challenge. Bet a bunch of them are starting to look at Dogtown as some sort of 'test of courage' nonsense."

Had she participated in such things when she'd been younger? Yes. Had she been an idiot to do so? Also, yes.

Steve barks out a laugh.

"No, you got me there. A couple years ago, I would've been all over it. High school, right? Look good, get a cool story, impress some girls," and yes he does throw in a wink with that, just because he can. "All that end of the world social life stuff."

Man. Simpler times. He wouldn't wanna go back to being a total asshole, but it was nice having a couple of years where he thought he understood basically anything that was going on ever?

He gestures to their surroundings, just generally. A little handwave.

"Now you and me are out here all over it for like, actual end of the world stuff, and we're not even gonna get a cool rep. So maybe we drew the short straw."

"We could still get a cool rep if something 'horrible' found us, but we chased it off." She puts on an affected expression of fear, lifting a hand to her lips for dramatic effect. "Oh, I was so scared. There were these giant dragonflies, but they were, like, actually dragons. Breathing fire. I thought they were gonna roast me, but then-" A pause. "What was your name again, love?"

She doesn't mind playing the damsel here for a good story.

Finally. Someone who gets it.

It sounds like the kind of thing the kids would fight against in their nerd game. Like he'd pick them up and not hear the end of how cool the fire breathing dragonflies were until he dropped them off at home.

Which isn't the worst thing to be reminded of. If he's honest.

"I'm Steve. And you're... Donna, right?" He feels good about his odds. He's never really known a Donna before. "I thought it was so cool how you got one by the tail and slammed it into a tree. Huge fan."

"Steve, that's right. Steve Number Two." Sorry, Mr. Hair Man, there's a handsome getaway driver she knows who gets to be Number One. "I mean, me with that tree was nothing to you hopping on one and riding it through the trees for a minute there. Never seen anything like it. Definitely betting on you for any bull-riding competitions after seeing the way you maneuvered that thing and drove it straight into the marsh. The backflip off at the last second was bloody well inspired!"

She's getting into the spirit of it, a grin touching her lips. It's much easier imagining how they're best imagined terrors over dealing with real ones.

He's never been a Steve Number Two before... what a weird feeling. Poor all Steves number two out there.

At least he gets an imaginary backflip out of this deal. Robin would probably never let him do a pretend backflip. Like, just on best friend principle.

"Our talents are wasted with this company. I'm telling you. We're a private investigators service waiting to happen."

"Noble does sound like a detective name." She can't help lifting her chin. "And I did actually get to solve a series of murders at a dinner party with the Agatha Christie. Fun stuff!"

A pause. "I mean, it was awful, too, with all those people dying, but like... it was cool to meet her and solve the mystery?"

"So you've got the name, the experience, and it turns out murder mystery dinners happen in real life. And you solved it."

He's turning over Agatha Christie without touching on it just yet because he knows he knows the name, but he has to remember what from or he'll feel dumb trying to get into it. Maybe in a second.

Right now it's clearly empowerment hours.

"Donna!" Like!!! "This career is basically destiny for you!"

Oh, Donna likes this one. They've got a good crop of Steves in this place, young and older.

"Well," she says, lifting her chin and strutting just a bit, "had a bit of help from Ms. Christie, herself. And my mate, the Doctor. He was all right. Nearly got himself poisoned, but I saved his life." Sort of. In a way. "You ask me, I- Oh!"

She breaks off and stumbles as one foot plunges into the muck up to her knee. When had they wandered off the path and into the boggy areas? She's not... sure. But she doesn't like this. Not one bit. "Flipping hell. Give us a hand, would you? It's gone all mushy over here."

Life just loves to do this. It's always something, and it's almost always something horror movie-ish and gross.

He doesn't know what he expected.

Which doesn't negate that Donna sounds badass, but it's also like come on, Dogtown, every goddamn time with this.

(Where did the path go, though? Crap.)

"Oh, gross. Yeah, I've got you."

He moves over to try and help her get un-mucked.

"Thanks." She wraps a hand around his and tries to pull herself up. Given it just feels like she's sunk in a little, she's not expecting too much resistance. It means she's not at all expecting the feeling of fingers wrapping around her ankle. Donna yelps as her leg is jerked, she's pulled deeper into the bog.

"Something's got me! Something's got my leg!" And she has no idea what. Are there... mud snakes in Massachusetts? Maybe a bunch of them would feel like fingers?!

And that's the official turn from gross to horrifying. Clear and present danger to this cool lady he's been patrolling with.

(It's a very Upside Down kind of thing, but he's not going to think about that, he's not.)

"What the hell-?" What would even be down there? Swamp monster? Does Dogtown do swamp monsters? "Okay, I know I just said this way too casually but I'm totally serious right now. I've got you."

Good luck to whatever it is, honestly. It's only winning this contest over his dead body.

Donna squirms, trying to kick against whatever has her, but there's no real force she can muster through mud. "Get off you-you-whatever you are!" she shouts down at the bog.

A skeletal hand reaches up out of the mud and reaches for her coat. "Don't you dare!" She shouts, pulling harder on Steve's arm. "Why's it got to be skeletons!?"

Local guy begging the powers that be for being a student athlete to be good for something right now.

"Because-" he tries to stomp down on the hand grabbing at her coat. "We're apparently in too much high goddamn demand to get a nice clear patrol!"

With the added effort, her leg starts to pull up, even with the other hand still wrapped around her ankle. Donna extends, getting her foot that's out of the muck onto a stable platform and pushing. She's going to be paying for this with a pulled muscle in her thigh or calf, she's almost certain, but she'll take that over joining the bog-people.

"Give it a break," she snaps at the skeletons again. "You're dead. Rest the weary, flipping bones, will you?!" And with that, she pops free, stumbling into Steve's midsection as she grapples him for physical support. Then the more emotional sort as she stabilizes.

"Oh, god! Thank you!"

Log - Catch-all for September/October - Open

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