WHO: Blue Sargent & Rose Tyler WHAT: Stargazing & snacking as friends WHEN: Back on the Atomica (backdated) WHERE: Spaaaace WARNINGS: Nah
Blue had never considered herself good at making friends. Everyone she’d gone to school with had been so normal, and of course she’d despised the Aglionby boys until Adam and Gansey and Ronan had somehow won her over, in that order. She still hadn’t had a close female friend. All the women that lived at 400 Fox Way didn’t count, even the ones that she wasn’t directly related to; they were family.
So she didn’t really know how to make friends, except by inadvertently getting swept up in an intense group friendship while on a magical adventure. But here she was on another kind of magical adventure -- a portal to other worlds, and currently, space -- and everybody here was weird in some way, so why not try?
She’d suggested stargazing in the park as a place to meet, because that was her favorite thing to do on the cruise. She got there early and went to her favorite spot -- a tree with large, partially exposed roots that she could lean against and still have an excellent view of the stars. Trees and stars -- the two things in the universe that Blue’s strange, magical soul longed for the most. Hopefully at least one of them was something that Rose could appreciate, too; she definitely seemed interested in stars, at least.
It was cooling down in the park as evening fell, but it never got too cool; still, Blue tugged her knit cap on, buttoned up a sweater that Persephone had once knit for her, and pulled on her fraying, fingerless gloves and settled in to wait for her friend.
--
It hadn’t been easy for Rose to get over the slump that came after the Doctor’s disappearance. Of course it helped to know the Doctor wasn’t truly gone, she was fond of both regenerations that were still currently on the ship. Rose enjoyed getting to know the both of them, along with Clara, Albus and Helena. It was an excellent group to be a part of and while she was becoming better friends with Ron, Hermione, their daughter along with Fred & Kady, there was a part of her that still felt like she wasn’t branching out enough.
Her friendship with Blue was a new one, but it was nice all the same. They agreed to hang out more, and Rose loved Blue’s idea to go stargazing. Rose had only done a little bit of it while they’ve been on the ship. It was difficult since the stars and constellations were very unfamiliar. Rose certainly felt torn about being in space. On the one hand, this is what she was used to, this is what she longed for all the time being stuck on Pete’s World. To be back among the stars, traveling to new worlds. On the other hand, she knew the Displaced had very bad memories associated with these travels. Rose was no stranger to near death experiences, but out of respect for the others that had justified fears, she tried to keep her excitement under wraps.
As Rose walked into the park, she zipped up her jacket and walked to the agreed location. Seeing that Blue was already there waiting for her, she gave her new friend a smile and a small wave.
“Hey!” Rose cheerfully greeted. “This was a good idea, I haven’t been out stargazing in a while.” Rose tried not to focus on the pain that she was with her Doctor the last time she had gone out stargazing.
--
“Hey,” Blue said, grinning. She patted the spot she’d left beside her, a nice patch of grass up against the same exposed tree root. “I come up here a lot. ’ve always just liked to look up at the stars. It’s amazing that they’re so much closer here.”
She paused, looking up at them again. “I wish there was a way to get even closer without getting burned up.”
--
Rose sat down next to Blue and immediately looked up at the sky above them. Just being able to see so much, it provided some much needed comfort. It was familiar and wonderful. “I haven’t been up here lately, but I’ve definitely missed it,” she replied. “I know what you mean, even traveling with the Doctor, it was nearly impossible because of the bright light and getting burned up.”
Rose looked over at Blue and smiled. “Do they have anything on the ship about the night sky? I would hope so but if we’re traveling to all different worlds that supposedly are in different galaxies or universes, it might always change. Have you kept track? Have the constellations changed at all?”
--
“I haven’t kept careful track,” Blue admitted. “Gansey and I looked for constellations from home, but we couldn’t find any. We made up a few new ones earlier on in the trip, but…” She squinted. “I don’t see them now and I haven’t been keeping track of when I stopped being able to see them.”
She liked to think of herself as a scientist, or at least an aspiring one, but whenever she looked at the stars she was distracted from rational, objective observation by the longing deep in her soul. A longing to be closer, somehow, to become part of the stars even though by all laws of nature she shouldn’t be able to. Even true tir e e'lintes hadn’t managed to become one with the stars, at least as far as Blue knew from her father, and she was also half human. “We could probably find something on the ship if we looked, I bet.”
--
“Hm. I wonder if either of the Doctor’s have looked, but you’re right, I bet there would be something on the ship. If they have all the destinations in mind, maybe there’s a star map to go along with it. Right now, I’m pretty content, not knowing is half the fun anyways. Imagining if what we’re seeing are stars or planets that are just close enough for the light to reflect.” Learning something new was also fun, but that could wait. Right now looking up at the night sky brought Rose peace. She felt more at home among the stars than she did anywhere else.
“Did you end up doing any fun while we were on Naboo?” She asked Blue.
---
“I did hear that the bridge seemed like it was just a fake,” Blue said thoughtfully. “So if there’s a real star map that they’re using to navigate, I’m not sure they’d have it anywhere we could see it. Still might be worth looking, though.”
She supposed it was possible that this view was fake, too, but if it was, it was a good enough fake to fool her eyes and her tree spirit soul.
Brightening at the mention of Naboo, Blue nodded. “We did a lot of exploring. Went to the forest, of course--” Rose maybe didn’t know her or her friends well enough yet to know they would always go explore a new forest, but she could know it now-- “And also the underwater city. That was amazing.”
--
“Well,” Rose started. “Poking around where I’m not supposed to is what I do best.” Rose laughed. “We could easily talk one of the Doctor’s into coming with us, they love to poke their nose into places they’re not supposed to.”
Rose did hear the same comments, that it was fake. It was strange, by now, if they were back home, she and the Doctor would have probably found out some kind of sinister plot aboard the ship. Rose sincerely hoped that they wouldn’t find trouble now, but she’d be lying if she said she didn’t miss the thrill a little.
“I did visit the underwater city!” Rose chimed in. “You’re right, it was incredible. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like it before, well other than what I had seen in the movies, but seeing it in person was better.”
--
Blue grinned. “Sounds like fun. A star map adventure hunt.”
She wasn’t sure she’d say that poking around where she wasn’t supposed to was what she did best, but it was certainly something she’d done frequently. Looking for hidden things was probably more along the lines of what she did, and even still, was that what she did best? She was probably taking it way too seriously, but even for a joke, Blue was too egotistical about her image to be untruthful.
“It’s just amazing,” she agreed, “What humans can do when they put their mind to it. I wonder who it was that went, I want to build an underwater city, and just went and did it.”
--
Rose laughed, not to make fun of Blue but because what she said was right. “It really is amazing. The one thing the Doctor taught me is how humanity survives once we started heading out there.” Rose lifted her hand and motioned to the stars. “Not that it’s the only thing, one of the best parts about traveling is going to different planets, meeting the people and seeing how different it is compared to home. You’re just in complete awe of what can be accomplished.” There was a part of her that almost mentioned New New York, and how they had a cure for everything, but the truth behind those cures was much more cruel and terrifying.
“I’m glad I get the chance again to visit, even being in Tumbleweed feels like an adventure in its own way.”
--
“Before I got here, I thought just seeing different countries would be something,” Blue said, shaking her head. “It never even occurred to me I could visit other worlds.”
She sighed happily. “I always knew the universe was so much bigger than Henrietta, though. The town where I grew up,” she clarified, unsure if she’d told Rose that particular detail yet. “And my mom always said I was meant for adventure. She’s a psychic. I wonder if she knew this part was coming.”
If she went home, would she even remember to ask? It didn’t seem like people usually remembered. She knew most people at home wouldn’t be able to sense or guess at the portal stealing anyone away even being an option. But Maura had looked into Blue’s future and seen her traveling. Of course it was possible that even if she had been able to see Blue in other worlds, she wouldn’t have realized what she was seeing.
--
Rose smiled. “It was the same for me. A time where I honestly didn’t even think I’d really get out of London. It’s strange because so many of us know that the universe is big, but at the same time it’s really hard to wrap your mind around just how big it really is.” Rose let out a big sigh. “Then you go out and it’s almost an overwhelming sensation and even then it’s hard to grasp and you get into this mind set that you just want to keep going and going.” There was a small pinch in her chest. Deep down Rose knew it was foolish and naive to think that she’d be traveling with the Doctor forever, but it didn’t make it hurt any less.
Rose blinked, pushing the thoughts once again away. Bright side. Look at the bright side.
Thankfully Blue’s comment snapped her out of it. “Psychic, really? I’d say it’s possible, you never know, right?” Rose paused for a moment, sitting up she looked over at Blue and smiled. “I don’t know about you, but I’m a bit hungry. Fancy a snack?”