Hello, I'm the Doctor. (vworp) wrote in helladjacent, @ 2017-06-10 07:37:00 |
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Entry tags: | !jumps: the good place, character: dolores abernathy, character: the doctor |
Who: The Doctor and Dolores
What: Meeting on the Doctor's first day
When: We'll say day 6
Where: Library
Warnings: Low
Status: Complete
The Doctor had explored the hotel, having no real desire or need to sleep. She was especially pleased to discover bananas in the kitchen and was only stunned between which variety to pick; the Gros Michel or the Cavendish. For the most part, the Gros Michel was extinct after the 1950s, but The Doctor wasn’t terribly concerned because she had traveled to parts of Earth’s timeline where it was still the dominant banana crop.
The Cavendish had only become popular after the 1950s and replaced the Gros Michel afterward, and it was also a perfectly good banana, perhaps not quite as sweet or flavorful but delicious in smoothies. It went extinct in the 2030s. Depending on who the Doctor met, could determine what kind of banana she should have on her. It was a difficult call.
In the end, she selected the Gros Michel. The Cavendish just didn’t taste the same in sundaes. The Doctor didn’t have ice cream for sundaes, but one problem at a time.
And so, she walked the hotel with her bunch of extinct bananas, happy to hand them out, aware that one should always bring a banana to a party. When she stepped into the library to see who might have been there-- readers were promising-- she scowled loudly at herself, seeing Dolores’s Old Western style of dress.
“Ah! I should have taken the Cavendish! Hello, would you like a banana, anyway? I’m the Doctor. Probably not that special to you. Well, I tried. I had a fifty-fifty shot.”
Dolores spent a lot of time in the library. Even this week, when she’d been spending a lot of time painting, she did a lot of it by the library windows. It was always foggy, but just the right amount of light shone through for her to paint by. She’d finished Doc’s portrait of his two friends earlier in the week, and now she’d moved onto the portrait of Arnold that hung in her room.
For the most part, it was finished. She might add a few more details, but she left it on a table by one of the windows so it could dry a little more while she searched the library for a new book. She never really looked for anything specific, since she didn’t know enough books to look for anything in particular, preferring to let the books find her.
She was used to finding people in the library, and new people were a fairly common occurrence. New people with bananas, however, were not. She couldn’t help by smile, looking at the bunch of bananas, and then at the woman carrying them.
“The Doctor?” she asked. “I didn’t know the hotel had a doctor.” As to the bananas, her smile turned a little sheepish. “I’ve never had a banana before.” And she didn’t usually bother to eat at the hotel. “My name’s Dolores, by the way.”
The Doctor’s mouth gaped. “You’ve never had a banana before? Well, today is your lucky day. Dolores, would you please eat a banana with me? You’ll love it. Bananas are fantastic.”
The Doctor broke off one from the bunch and extended her hand. This was why she loved travelling with others. The Doctor had been to so many places, that it all tended to run together. Bring someone new, however, and it was like seeing and tasting and experience it all over with fresh eyes. Since they were stuck, and the Doctor was in no rush to get out, she decided she might as well enjoy it.
Once Dolores had a banana, the Doctor broke one off for herself and peeled it carefully in front of Dolores so that she didn’t try to eat the peel. “So where are you from? Must be somewhere rough if they don’t have bananas there yet.”
Dolores took the banana from the Doctor and peeled it, looking at it curiously. She’d seen bananas before, or she at least knew what they were, she’d just never had a reason to eat one.
“I’m from a little town called Sweetwater,” she said. “I lived on a cattle ranch with my parents.”
She took a bite, and immediately made a face at the texture of it. Eating new things was easily one of Dolores’s favorite things to do. It was sweet, but sort of strange. She couldn’t decide if she liked it or not.
“I don’t know what I was expectin’, but… that wasn’t it,” she said, with a chuckle. “Where are you from?”
“Nowhere anymore. I travel. Been traveling most my life. Like to see a little bit of everything. So you’re American? Circa Eighteen-Seventy….” The Doctor made a face. She couldn’t quite place the year, which was odd. Sometimes she could smell it just by tasting the air. It was probably just the hotel. So she changed the subject.
“I like your paintings. Friends of yours?”
Dolores tilted her head slightly at the Doctor, brow furrowed a bit because she seemed a little… strange. Of course, plenty of people at the hotel seemed a little strange. She wouldn’t think about it too hard. Instead, she glanced at her painting of Arnold standing next to its original on the table.
“A friend from back home,” she said, and nodded, before she looked at the Doctor again. “Do you have one of one of your friends in your room?”
“I don't know,” the Doctor said. “No one told me my room came with a friend, just furniture.” It was hard to say how literal the Doctor was taking Dolores, but she didn't look particularly curious or interested in going into her room to find out. Mostly she was content to chat and eat her banana.
“Have you been to your room yet?” Dolores asked. The Doctor seemed far more cavalier about her situation than most other new guests did, which wasn’t a bad thing. Just new. “How long have you been here?”
“Nope. Beds aren't really all that interesting,” the Doctor said. To answer Dolores’s second question she looked up into the air, “About four hours, three minutes and a handful of seconds.”
The Doctor shrugged.
“Sometimes I feel the same way,” Dolores said with a chuckle. “I’m surprised you’re takin’ it so well. Most people aren’t so comfortable when they get here.” Most people also didn’t offer her bananas. She took another bite of hers, still not sure if she liked it or not. It was sweet, at least.
The Doctor shrugged.
“Well, I travel. Also I’ve been kidnapped before. I can’t say I care for the Hotel’s methods but I like everyone I’ve met so far.” She offered Dolores a wide grin. The Doctor was a little dopey at times, strange and quite possibly mad, but she was friendly. “All and all, I’d so far put this at the top of the list of favorite kidnappings of all time, although also potentially the most dangerous.”
The Doctor frowned a little at that and then realized she was in the room with a very nice young woman, “But I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about it.”
If Dolores was bothered by the Doctor’s comment about how dangerous the hotel could be, it didn’t show. She already knew about its potential, and she was trying not to focus on that part; she’d died enough times. Death wasn’t something she was afraid of.
She was more refreshed by the Doctor’s attitude, even if she was a little strange. Everyone at the hotel was a little strange, herself included.
“You’ve been kidnapped before?” she asked, and another thought occurred to her. “You said you travel… how far do you travel?”
A slow grin spread across the Doctor’s face. “Pretty far,” the Doctor nodded. There was no use keeping it a secret. Everyone in the hotel had been to all kinds of places, though like the Doctor, the Hotel seemed to have a strong bias for Earth(s).
“My ship is a bit like this hotel. It goes to other worlds, other times. Not really designed for other dimensions, but it’s done that, too. Don’t recomend it. Would love to see how the Hotel compensates for the dimensional barrier when it travels. ...I hope it compensates for the dimensional barrier.” That was an unnerving thought, though all of existence hadn’t collapsed on itself so they were probably fine.
“What have you seen so far?” the Doctor asked Dolores.
If it weren’t for the hotel, Dolores might have been more confused by the Doctor’s answer, but her expression still lit up with curiosity. The Doctor had travelled to different worlds and times willingly- Dolores couldn’t imagine how many were out there.
In response to the Doctor’s question, Dolores picked up her large pad of watercolor paper, and flipped it open.
“I don’t have one from the first week I was here. We were somewhere dead people come back as somethin’ called zombies,” she said, frowning slightly. “But the next week…”
She flipped to a painting of Cinderella’s castle.
“We went to a place called Disney World. After that, I was asleep for a week, but last week we went to London.” She flipped the page again, this time revealing a painting of Big Ben in the snow. “And now we’re just… nowhere, I guess.”
The Doctor smiled fondly at the paintings. They had a quality she couldn't place. Something significant. With a smile she realized; they were lovely.
“That sounds terrible,” the Doctor said of the zombies. Though it wasn't the first time she had heard of such a thing. Sometimes it was an alien virus or parasite to blame. Usually it was an alien virus or parasite to blame.
“Being nowhere-- that would be a neat trick. Obviously we’re right here, which technically makes it somewhere.”
The Doctor wasn't too concerned about the fog.
“But there’s nothin’ out there,” Dolores said, closing her book and looking out the window at the fog. She was trying not to let it bother her, but after almost a week of looking outside at nothing, it was a little disconcerting.
“I hope we go somewhere next week. The hotel’s so strange this week.” On top of the neverending fog outside, everything inside was white, fake, and sterile. It was unnerving. “And bananas are probably the only thing you’re goin’ to find in the kitchen. At least until next week, I’m guessin’.”
“Better than lint,” the Doctor said, and then shuddered slightly as though remembering something.
“There’s a lot of fog out there. Carmen-- have you met Carmen? I like her-- Carmen mentioned if you ran straight out, eventually the fog would redirect you back in. I was thinking of trying it out sometime. Maybe hang a clothesline…”
Dolores shook her head.
“No, I haven’t. And I haven’t been outside, either,” she said, looking mildly surprised that anybody had gone outside. She’d just assumed they shouldn’t. And if there was nothing out there anyway, what was the point? “Did she tell you not to be outside when the clock chimes at the end of the week?” Because if the Doctor was going to experiment, the least Dolores could do was warn her.
“No. I got that from the several times it was mentioned on the Hotel’s closed intranet. Have you used the PDAs? They're brilliant. Loads of good information there.”
The Doctor took hers out and waved it around. “Highly recommend them.” She then tossed hers into the air and caught it in the pocket of her leather jacket. Now she was just showing off, and she beamed proudly at Dolores to see if she saw that sweet move.
“I have, although admittedly, I don’t use it often,” Dolores said. Even now that she knew how to use them, she still thought they were strange. She did go on and read the posts on the Network, at least.
She smiled at the Doctor, and chuckled; she’d met plenty of people who liked to show off in Sweetwater, but usually it was with a gun.
“Very impressive,” she said, deciding to humor the newcomer for the moment. “I’d like to get my paintings back upstairs, but… do you need any help findin’ your room, or anythin’?”
“Do humans have a preoccupation with going to their rooms now? Did I miss that? Anyway, would you like me to help you carry your paintings? I've got two whole hands. Very useful.”
While the Doctor had always had two hands in all of her previous regenerations, she didn't take it for granted that would always be the case. Regenerations were tricky like that.
Dolores shrugged.
“I was just offerin’,” she said, tucking her pad of paper under one arm, and picking up the two portraits of Arnold, hers and the hotel’s. “If you wanted to carry that, I’d really appreciate it.” She nodded to her case of art supplies on the table.
The Doctor picked up the art supplies. “Well, as it just so happens, I'm an expert at carrying things. Loads of experience. Excellent cardio.”
She shifted the case in her arms and looked brightly at Dolores.
“Thanks.” Dolores smiled, and lead the Doctor out of the library. She’d been spending less and less time in her room, especially with her roommate gone, but she did want to return her things. Plus, she had a painting to deliver to Doc, as well.
The walk up to her room was relatively short, and she paused outside of the door.
“This is me,” she said, unlocking her door with the PDA. “Thank you so much again for helpin’ me.”
“Of course!” The Doctor said. She waited until Dolores was inside and her hands free before handing over the supplies. “It was lovely meeting you.”
Once the supplies were handed over, the Doctor gave a wave and then headed off to continue meeting the residents of the hotel.