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Tweak says, ""Arise, watchtower! Astion!""

Jareth (goblin_king) wrote in labyrinth_rpg,
@ 2009-03-22 20:29:00

Entry tags:

armand, arrival, caspian, cathal, cimorene, claudia, complete, day four, edward cullen, faith lehane, gabrielle, giselle, hermione granger, ianto jones, jack harkness, jareth, juniper golding, legolas greenleaf, mercy thompson, ned the piemaker, nymphadora tonks, olive snook, pandora, robin of locksley, rose tyler, sarah williams, schuldig, severus snape, tara maclay, the doctor, willow rosenberg, xena, yaten kou, yuna

Who: Jareth and everyone!
When: Day Four, evening
What: The King 'invites' everyone to his masque...
Where: Jareth's castle
Rating: Anywhere from G to R, I suppose
Status: Complete

It had been raining earlier in the day, but it had cleared up a short time ago. Jareth looked out the window of his massive ballroom, empty for now, and felt a little bit disoriented by the fact that the Labyrinth had just disappeared. Of course, he'd made it happen, but it had been a long time since he'd felt so exposed. But he couldn't very well have people needing to wander through the Labyrinth, could he? And the two who had been running it had been transported to the castle already, and he knew from the screams of rage that they were being dressed at this very moment.

The king smiled and turned away from the window, checking out his ballroom. It was quite spectacular, with a large orchestra pit, many snack tables, and, of course, lots of empty space for dancing. This, he figured, would be a night to remember. He snapped his fingers and peered into the crystal that appeared there, scrying on each and every person he'd brought to the Underground. Some, he knew wouldn't come on their own, and he sent crystals floating out to ensare them. Of course, some might just be strong enough to resist that pull, so he had goblins standing by to bring others in. Whether willing or not, everyone would be attending, he'd seen to that.

Dressed in his finery, with an evil looking mask in the guise of a leering demon, he walked over to his throne. Draping himself casually over it, he waited. People would be arriving anytime, now. He didn't fool himself for a moment that some wouldn't take this chance to attack him, which was why he wasn't precisely there. Anyone who tried to attack him, he knew, would find their useless effort wasted against what was no more than a projected image.

He gestured, and a goblin slave brought him a glass of wine. This, he was convinced, was going to be a night to remember.

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plusone
2009-03-26 09:13 am UTC (link)

There were a few screams and some people running from the giant creature set to attack Mr. Sparkly King, but Rose had never been much of a screamer. Besides which, she found the creature fascinating. Now, at least. On her fifth mission, when she'd come across something relatively the same size completely on her own, it hadn't been so great. But she'd caught sight of Jack throughout the night (because a mask couldn't hide what leather trousers did for Jack Harkness) and she knew from chatting with the others that she wasn't the only one with some experience in the paranormal.

Besides, if the attack was successful, maybe they'd go home. And that had all the potential in the world.

But the girl who was facing their 'king' looked bewildered and, before Rose could get much closer to see exactly what the creature was, it had vanished with barely a motion from the goblin king. Well, then. Rose stood where she'd been, in the shadows a bit, watching with stunned silence. In some ways, it was the most amazing thing she'd ever seen. But, for the most part, she was horrified. The King wasn't much to look at, but he obviously wielded power. And she'd learned, from experience, that power in the wrong hands was possibly the worst thing that they could face.

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timelordlastof
2009-03-26 10:32 am UTC (link)

If there was one thing that could get the Doctor away from a snack tray, it was the sound of screaming. You would have thought that someone had shouted 'Free money!' the way his face lit up and his eyes danced around. "That's more like it!" he said happily, heading off at a dead run toward the sound of people losing their minds. His cape billowed out behind him, and the Doctor wondered if he might not want to adopt that look. Cape running was funner than trenchcoat running!

He ran right up to the chained beast as if it was his own mother, and actually pouted when it disappeared. He was going to have to talk to that little girl that seemed to control it, but before the Doctor could take more than two steps in her direction, he saw something that derailed his purposeful step completely, making him actually trip over a chair leg and go sprawling.

He didn't even notice. "Rose!" the yelled word came out sharp, clear and short, and then the Doctor was running again, toward his old companion. Please don't let me get shot again, he thought, as this was all sort of deja-vu-y, but still. Hey, whatdya know, he made it unscathed, and skidded to a stop in front of Rose, looking down at her sweet face, his own joyous. "Hi."

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plusone
2009-03-26 12:37 pm UTC (link)

But what might have been deja-vu-y for the Doctor was anything but for Rose, who as far as she knew, hadn't seen him in years. Granted it wasn't quite the shock that seeing Jack had been--men from other dimensions weren't quite as terrifying as men who were dead--but she gaped at him in shock. For one, even if it wasn't a masque, she'd have known that voice anywhere. She'd been haunted by it for damn well long enough. But she hadn't exactly expected that voice to be yelling her name across this crazy new world she'd wound up in. And honestly, as long as she'd been trying to find him, she'd never expected him to be here.

But...well, Jack was, after all, so the odds weren't completely against it, were they? Besides which, Rose was too bleeding grateful to argue. "You're here?" she yelped, and before she could talk herself into any sort of sense, she all but threw herself into his arms, clinging to him for all she was worth. It felt like him, it smelled like him, and God help her if she was going to sit and overanalyze this one. It was him and she refused to believe anything else. "How? When did you get here? Have you been here long?" It was all mumbled against his shoulder, though, because she finally had him and didn't plan on letting go any time soon.

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timelordlastof
2009-03-26 11:11 pm UTC (link)

The Doctor knew a lot of things. He knew that he'd experienced a year she never had, that she was meant to still have been in a parallel universe, that she was supposed to end up with his alter-ego/doppelganger person. He knew that he couldn't give her any details of the time that he'd spent that she had yet to live, and he knew that if the time came, he'd have to go let her live it.

But he also knew how wonderful it felt to have her in his arms again. His mask fell off and clattered to the floor when she jumped on him, but he didn't notice in the slightest. All he knew was that Rose was here, Rose was safe, and Rose was back where he needed her to be. Right next to him, her arms around his neck and her face buried in his shoulder. It was a very good day.

Not bothering to put her down, the Doctor hauled her and her massive skirts over to somewhere to sit, setting her close at his side and cupping her face in his hands, not willing to let go of her. He'd killed himself the last time he'd said goodbye, and now that he had it to do over again, he didn't know if he could. But he didn't need to think about that. Oh no. She was here, and he was grateful.

"The TARDIS got controlled. A couple of days ago. No," he answered in the same succession with which she'd asked her questions, a mischievous little smirk playing around his lips, just like it used to when she'd been around. "Blimey it's good to see you," he said with a disbelieving shake of his head. "Tell me what you've been up to, Rose. I want to hear all of it." That way, he'd be able to figure out what he could tell her, and what he couldn't.

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plusone
2009-03-27 09:17 am UTC (link)

There were so many things she wanted to ask him. What he'd done, what he'd seen, where he'd been, and lingering in the back of her mind, who the hell was Martha, anyway? But all she could do was stare at him. Mask gone, she could focus on just how little he'd changed. It was a sharp reminder to her that one day, she'd have gray hair, crow's feet, and the rather horrifying effects gravity had on the human body. And he? He'd change, certainly, but into a whole other being all together.

But that was the future and she'd be lucky if she even saw him during it. She'd once asked how many people he'd traveled with before her and gotten no answer, and she found she didn't really want to know about ones who would come after her. All that mattered was that, despite everything, he was here. Her mission back home didn't even matter any longer.

Rose leaned into him, a bright smile on her face. There was plenty she could say, but there'd be time for that. He wanted to hear it? She'd share, but the gory details would have to wait. If there was time, he'd learn. "Torchwood. Still. Private missions, really, my own personal project." To find him, but again, she had to judge when to tell him that carefully. "Busy with Mum and the baby, never thought I'd see her with a child again, it's the strangest thing. He's growing up into a posh little prince, really."

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timelordlastof
2009-04-01 10:34 am UTC (link)

The Doctor listened to her talk, lining out everything he already knew. Because really, in asking, he just wanted to figure out where she was in her own timeline, so that he didn't mess things up even further than they already were. He wondered if this planet would be vaporized with all the rest, if Rose didn't get back. If Jack didn't get back. He had to get the TARDIS working again, and get them back to their proper times.

"She called him the Doctor, right?" he asked with a grin, automatically, remembering the little joke Jackie had played on him. Then he winced. He wasn't supposed to know that the baby had even been born yet.

"Right so um, Jack's here, but you know that, since he was the one that told me you were here," he said quickly, trying to cover his slip. He really didn't want Rose to know all that had happened. He didn't want to relive it again, even if it wasn't going to happen now.

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plusone
2009-04-01 12:36 pm UTC (link)

Rose lifted an eyebrow, oblivious to his line of reasoning. She knew him well enough to know something was up, but she also knew that in this place and in their strange circumstances, something could be anything. Instead, she found the little joke rather amusing. Laughing, she shook her head. "Course not, don't be ridiculous, you're lucky she even lets your name be said, let alone name the baby that! No, they named him Tony, it was the only thing they could both agree on."

Course, she hadn't planned on letting him know he'd been public enemy number one around the Tyler house for a fair bit, either. It hadn't been his fault she'd had to be left behind and it definitely wasn't his fault she now took the riskiest missions offered. That part was entirely her.

He looked so...normal. Somehow, a part of her had thought if she didn't find him in time, he'd look different. Regenerated, maybe, or maimed or...or something. But he was definitely the same man, and she absently reached out, touching his cheek briefly. "Yeah, I definitely know. We talked for a while. Since, y'know, someone we both happen to care a great deal about neglected to mention that Jack might still be alive." And, whild she'd been furious when she'd found out, she couldn't be now. Not with him in front of her, real and solid and just complete. "God, it's really you. Forget me, all that, what in this universe have you been up to?" Her hand dropped relatively quickly, however, when she remembered the last time she'd seen him, she'd been blubbering her feelings out on that blasted beach.

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timelordlastof
2009-04-01 07:54 pm UTC (link)

The Doctor laughed, glad she hadn't caught that properly. This was one of the times that he definitely wouldn't look at her like she'd dribbled down her shirt. "Jackie loves me, I don't know what you're talking about," he teased, preening. "So she's good then? And Mickey and Pete?" he inquired. Sure, he knew the answer, but still, it was polite, right? And seeing as how he was walking on eggshells trying to not foul things up completely, he made an uncharacteristic effort to be polite.

His eyes closed briefly when she brushed his cheek, and the Doctor let out a little sigh. "Yeah, sorry about that. In my defense, I didn't see Jack again for a good year after that bit, and well..." he shrugged. "I regenerated, and we were busy," he grinned. That had always been the case, it seemed. No time for idle chatter when you're saving the world, after all. Then again, with the gob he had on him, fitting it in shouldn't have been that bit of a problem. "Truth is, I wasn't ready to accept Jack at that point, Rose. He's...wrong. I'm alright with it now, but he's still wrong." He laughed. "You should have seen the TARDIS try and shake him when the fool jumped and hung on to the outside. Went all the way to the end of the universe trying to shake him loose.

"Oh, you know. Saving the world, righting wrongs, getting in trouble," he smiled. The details, of course, weren't all that important. He caught her hand as it fell and stood up. "I think I still owe you a dance, Miss Tyler," he offered, helping her to her feet and leading her out onto the floor. With a big sweeping movement, he swung her out and then back in, holding her close to his chest, just happy to have her there.

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plusone
2009-04-01 09:18 pm UTC (link)

Correction, Jackie liked him. Jackie tolerated him because her daughter loved him dearly and her life had often been in his hands. And sometimes, every once in a while, Rose really did believe her mum had grown to care for the Time Lord. Mickey had, and if anyone had a reason not to, it was him. So it stood to reason that Jackie cared more than Rose suspected. It was just hard to tell when her mum was pleading with her to move on.

Still, he'd asked. "They're doing well," she told him, leaving out the part where they were all trying to talk sense into her and get her away from her 'impossible mission'. "They never thought I'd see you again," she added with a wry laugh. "Told them stupid laws of dimensions wouldn't stop me. Course..." She waved a hand around the room carelessly and shrugged. "This? Wasn't exactly what I had in mind." Still, she'd met some incredible people, found Jack alive and well, and now this. Being swept off her feet, quite literally, by the man she'd grown to care for more than any other.

Rose accepted the offered hand, grinning widely. Oh, it'd probably make her cry later, once she was alone and all the feelings and emotions the night had dredged up were allowed to wash over her. But for the moment, she was back in his arms, where she belonged. "Hmm, and to think you once told me you couldn't dance," she teased, nestling into him happily. "When do I break it to Jack that he no longer has the best dance moves here? He was so proud of it, too." The fabric of the tuxedo jacket was smooth, much softer than that of the trench he usually wore. She wondered, briefly, if he still had it. Who was she kidding, of course he did, it was the Janis Joplin one! "You look rather dashing in a tux, too, have I ever told you?"

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timelordlastof
2009-04-02 10:43 am UTC (link)

The Doctor smiled softly, and reached up to brush a lock of her pretty blonde hair behind her ear. "I didn't think I would either," he admitted in a quiet voice, and then chuckled at her resilience, grinning in a very egotistical way, making fun of her without having to say anything about it at all. She had created her little dimension cannon, and it had worked better than anyone could have ever hoped. And he'd done the same thing. Made fun of her. "It's not a terrible place," he said with a shrug. "I'd still like the option to leave though," the Doctor grumbled. He felt so...ordinary, being stuck here without a working TARDIS.

The Doctor laughed at her teasing of Jack. "I don't know, but make sure I'm there for it. The look on his face would be priceless," he chuckled, shaking his head. Wrong or not, he did care for Jack. He was a good man, and they'd been through far too much together for the Doctor to not cherish his friend.

"And you..." he said with an impressed shake of his head, spinning her out before pulling her back in tight against him, unwilling to have her out of his arms for more than a few seconds at a time. "You look absolutely breathtaking, Rose. Even for a human," he added on with a little teasing wrinkle of his nose. He was so torn. Try his best to keep Rose's personal timeline intact, or go with his gut? It was stressing him out, and he didn't like being stressed out. He didn't operate well that way. The song ended and the Doctor didn't move his arms from around Rose. "Want to get out of here?" he suggested, searching her eyes.

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plusone
2009-04-02 12:45 pm UTC (link)

He'd answered one of her many unasked questions; he was trapped there as much as any of them. The TARDIS was stuck, and it was such a rare thing that it made her pause, if only for a second. Again, she wondered what sort of creature Jareth had to be to control one of the most ancient beings in existence. She'd seen the TARDIS trapped only once before, and it was when it had crashed them into the dimension where she was currently living. Well, where she was living when not being kidnapped by flamboyant goblins.

But thoughts of solving their current mystery slipped, at least temporarily, from Rose's mind at his compliment. She flushed slightly, but grinned and rolled her eyes playfully at the added comment. He'd told her that before, going back as far as when she'd first met him. The dress she'd worn back then had actually been similar in nature, though much later in style. If she'd known all she had to do was dress like some old-fashioned princess to get his attention, she might've tried much sooner. "I have gotten a glance or two," she told him with a smug smile. "Course, now that I have you on my arm, I'm getting quite a few more." No, she wasn't flirting, of course not, that would just be silly.

Well. Okay, maybe a bit. But she had lost time to make up for!

At his suggestion, her smile turned a bit shy, but Rose nodded. There was too much to talk about to be surrounded by all those people. That and, well, he really was getting the appreciative look or two. Selfish though it might be, she'd fought too long and too hard for this moment to share it with anyone, even others feeling as stranded as she was. Even Jack wasn't allowed to ruin this moment for her.

She slipped her hand in his, twining their fingers together as she has countless numbers of times in the past. "Where to, Sir Doctor? She's here, then? The TARDIS? Would it be... I mean, could I see her?" Rose wasn't entirely sure when she'd picked up his habit of addressing the wooden box as a female of her own identity, but it hadn't taken her long.

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	timelordlastof 2009-04-03 11:31 pm UTC (link)
	[ooc: started a thread, since they're ditching the dance] (Reply to this) (Parent)

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