Who: Daniel & Rose What: Running into a familiar face When: Monday Where: Daniel’s Autobody Shoppe Rating: Low Status: Complete upon posting!
Rose felt like she owed John and Arthur a little treat and asked John if she could use Arthur for the day. She thought it would be best to have Arthur checked out after the strange holiday weather, make sure he was in peak condition. She felt bad for asking John to use him so much, it was the least she could do.
She had heard of a new place opening up and decided to try it out. She didn’t know the first thing about cars and wanted to make sure Arthur had only the best! She dropped John off at work before heading to her destination, fiddling with the radio to find a good station. K9 had helped them fix that aspect of Arthur, something Rose was grateful for. If only the dog could be a mechanic as well and do a whole survey of Arthur!
She pulled the car into the waiting area and got out, taking the keys with her. There was only one other person in the waiting area so she walked up to the counter, leaning against it and looking around for someone to help her. - At times, Daniel couldn’t help but marvel at some of the people that came into this place. Of course, he shouldn’t be too critical since they were the ones paying his rent on the place, but the things these people did to these cars was almost criminal. Everytime he popped the hood up, it was a surprise as to what was under it. Belts that were worn down almost to the last scrap, duct tape holding critical parts together. Once, a car came to him that spit fire out of the exhaust. That was a treat.
Though he was always a little annoyed at the state these cars were in, he appreciated the challenge and some of the cars were ones he’d always loved. Working on them was a little gift for dealing with the people who brought them in.
Looking up from one of the cars he was working on, Daniel noticed a young woman standing by the counter. Pushing himself up and pulling a rag out of his back pocket, he wiped away some of the oil on his hands as he walked towards her.
“Morning,” he greeted. Daniel was always a little surprised at how much that Northern accent had crept into his voice. “What brings you in?” - Rose was looking down at her phone as she waited to be helped, but as soon as she heard that voice her head popped up. Her mouth dropped and it took her five to ten seconds to be able to talk again.
“Wha-...it’s...it’s YOU!” She couldn’t help but beam at the man in front of her, the man from her dreams. “You’re here! You’re actually here standing in front of me! I had hoped, but I hadn’t seen you online and-” Rose stopped talking, realizing there was probably a reason she hadn’t seen him online; because he wasn’t there. And usually if someone wasn’t online, then they hadn’t started to dream yet. Well, this would be a good test. If he seemed to remember her, maybe that meant that others were dreaming as well? She gave him an embarrassed look, pulling her lips inward until they all but disappeared.
“Sorry, um...yeah, sorry thought maybe you were someone else? You looked familiar.” Yeah, that was a good explanation. Rose gave herself a mental shake and smiled at the man. “Anyway! I’m here to have my friends car looked at. Kind of just an all around check up? I wanted to see if it was possible to have it done today.” She couldn’t help but feel a bit antsy, as she wanted to talk to him about the dreams! But what good would it be if he had no idea what she was talking about? She’d have to find a way to get him on the network. - “It’s me,” Daniel responded with something that maybe should have sounded more like a laugh and less like a judgement. He was amused and just as equally baffled because even getting a good look at the woman, he didn’t recognise her, even though her accent was familiar enough. The more she went on however, the less amused and more baffled he became. He’d come across a fair share of nutters in his life, but this was something else. Followed by the quick turn and backtracking only made it seem more off.
“Well.” For a second or two, he just looked at her, wondering if she even meant to be here. Then she went into asking about the car she must have come in with and that he could handle. “That I can help you with,” he responded, just attempting to forget whatever it was that just happened. “Let me take a look at the car and I’ll be able to tell you how long it’s going to take. After I get an idea, I’ll have you fill some paperwork.” He paused to lean over the counter to check and make sure the receptionist had made coffee before going off on her break.
Straightening himself back out, he looked at the woman. “Daniel, by the way,” he stated. “Now let’s see how this car runs, shall we?” - Rose couldn’t help but give him a sheepish grin at his reaction. Wonderful, he probably thinks you’re a nutter. If only she knew how close she was to the mark...Still, he agreed to help with Arthur which turned her grin into a full smile. “It’s nice to meetcha Daniel! I’m Rose. Rose Tyler.” She raised an eyebrow, wondering if the name might resonate with him.
Seeing no reaction, she nodded her head outside, where she had parked Arthur. “Arthur’s right in front,” she said, not thinking it strange the car had a name. “It’s the blue car that’s old.” Rose wasn’t even sure what type of car it was, let alone its age; but he seemed to be an older model which made sense for John. Rose couldn’t imagine him driving a swanky, souped up car; the image alone made her want to giggle. But she refrained as she showed Daniel out to the car. The last thing she needed was to make Daniel think she was completely far gone. - “A pleasure, Rose Tyler” he replied with a quirked eyebrow. Rose’s arrival was certainly a break from the routine the morning had started with, which wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. Daniel couldn’t say he minded things that were out of the blue or overly exciting, something had had set him apart, somewhat, from the rest of the people up in the North. It wasn’t that they were boring by any means, but Daniel had lived on the edges of battlefields, had fired his issued weaponry more than a couple of times and that excitement was still in his blood. Not many of those he met up there could say the same.
As they came up on the car that matched Rose’s description, Daniel couldn’t help but think that he recognised the car. It looked vaguely like the car of one of his cousins, but it had been over fifteen years since he’d even seen the damn thing in person. Even so, he felt like he remembered it. At the same time, it was a stretch to believe it was the same car.
“Let me take a look at the old girl,” he somewhat mumbled as he looked at it, holding his hand out for the keys. Turning back to look at Rose, he thought to ask her, “You have a way of getting out of here if this tune up takes a while or are you just going to wait in the office?” - Rose couldn’t help but grin when he used her full name. It was just like the dream and it sounded so natural coming from him. Even the accent was spot on! She wanted to burst out with questions and information at the same time, wanting him to have dreamt and know what was going on. But surely if he had started dreaming as well, he would have recognized her! Unless...unless he had had adventures before meeting her. She frowned to think of this and wondered how long it would be until he realized she wasn’t completely mental, but excited to see an old friend from a past life.
Never thought that could happen she thought to herself, watching as Daniel looked the car over. Not to mention that this old friend was an alien and could travel through time and space. Rose mentally shook herself from the craziness in her head, trying to focus on what Daniel had said. “What? Oh...no, no other transportation. I can just wait in the office though, no big deal!” She was surprised to find how much she just wanted to stay around this man, the one who occupied her dreams. Even if he didn’t recognize her, she knew that he would feel that connection they had...he had to, right?
“How long d’ya think it’ll take?” - Saying her name out loud like that was just a habit he had of tending to echo the way people introduced themselves to him. Not a lot of people these days gave their first and last names out at a first meeting and well, Daniel also had something of a rude sense of humour at times. It was weird, well, she was weird. Rose seemed to recognise him instantly and he had literally no idea who she was. Though he was quick to put it off as her being mental, there was something about it that bothered him.
Instead of ruminating too much on it however, he put his attention into the car. “It’s not going to much much fun in there,” Daniel commented, looking back at her before leaning over the engine again. For the most part, the old junker looked like she’d been well taken care of, most of her issues just the result of the fact she was old and probably should have been turned into scrap a long time ago. Daniel loved old cars, but not every old car was worth keeping well past it’s prime. That, of course, was his opinion. He was here to try and keep this old girl running, not share the notion he believed she belonged in a junk yard.
“I’m guessing a few hours if she runs as good as I’m thinking she does.” Leaving the bonnet popped open to be able to hear the engine, Daniel leaned over the driver’s seat and turned the engine over. It managed to turn with a little determination and he stepped back to see how it looked in motion. “I’m amazed it still runs,” he commented under his breath, more to himself than to Rose.
“So what’s the plan, Rose?” Daniel placed a hand on the car door, about to get in and drive the car up to the shop proper so he could put it up on the machinery inside. “You going to go wait in the office?” - Rose didn’t really care about how long it would take or if there was anything to do in the waiting room. She had her phone, battery fully charged, so she would just stay on that. But now that Daniel was here, she wanted to try and be around him, ask him questions and get to know him here outside of the dreams. Would that be too weird? She pulled in her lips until her mouth looked like a straight line. Well, he already thinks I’m bonkers, why not go all the way there?
“Yeah, I think I’ll wait,” she said, tucking her hands into her back pockets. “Um...this is probably an unusual request and I can completely understand why I may not be able to, but...could you show me what you’re doing?” Rose tried to think of a reason why she wanted to stand by and see what he was doing. Really, she just wanted an excuse to strike up a conversation with him, but she didn’t want to come off desperate as well. “I mean, always good to know what’s going on in there in case anything happens! Arthur is a pretty old car and I know nothing about them if something were to happen.” Alright, she felt desperate. She gave him a smile, hoping it would cover up just how awkward this moment was turning out to be. - “Alright then,” Daniel responded, about to get into the driver’s seat and move the car in when Rose started talking again. It wasn’t a really unusual request, but most of the people who came in usually didn’t have any real interest in how the car ran, they just wanted to get it fixed and then take off. Daniel didn’t mind the people that wanted to stick around to see what went on under the bonnet of their car so long as they didn’t hover or attempt to beat him to death with a million questions, something he’d warn Rose of right now.
“I don’t have a problem with you staying around, but you need to keep a safe distance.” Gesturing over to the main garage, he continued. “Anything in there could go wrong. I don’t need anyone getting hurt that’s not on the insurance.” His words might have sounded a little harsh, but despite what he thought about Rose, he didn’t want her to get hurt and not just because it would bring insurance agents down on him like a plague. Rose was strange, he wouldn’t say otherwise, but she wasn’t intolerable and he never wanted anyone to get hurt.
Getting into the car, he moved it up so it rested on one of the jacks before putting it in park and shutting the engine down again. Popping the bonnet again, he propped it open and just stood, looking at it. “What do you want to know about her,” Daniel inquired, never taking his eyes off the various belts and parts. - Rose was actually surprised that she would be allowed to stay and watch, but she would take it; any excuse to stay by him to try and strike up a conversation. Even if he hadn’t started dreaming, she wanted to get to know him more here, outside of the dreamland. She had been telling others (and herself) that despite how the dreams felt, they were just that: dreams. You didn’t have to become something in there if you didn’t want to. Despite what she might have started feeling for the Doctor, this wasn’t him, this was Daniel.
She didn’t think he had a harsh tone to him, mostly because it made sense; anything could happen and she definitely didn’t want to get knocked out because she wasn’t paying attention. “You’ve got it,” she said, a smile on her face. She did go through the office as he drove Arthur in, watching him park the car before moving out to watch him work in the garage.
She studied his face, the one that continually popped up in her dreams. It was crazy to see him standing next to her, as if he were a celebrity she was a fan of. It took her a moment to comprehend what he was asking her. Shite, what was her excuse?
“I really don’t know anything about Arthur...or any other car for that matter. If something goes wrong, I just wanna know some common things that I could check on, ya know?” She took a step closer, glancing down at the work Daniel did, catching a few side glances at him as well. - With a terse nod, Daniel was going to hold Rose to that something of a promise. He figured she was more smart than curious and wouldn’t go out of her way to get into trouble. Daniel had seen a lot of people come through with their cars and some just had no sense of self-preservation. Just because Daniel had no problems laying under the car when it was on the jack didn’t mean he wanted people just walking under it or peeking to try and get a good look at what he was doing. Daniel had to have a little faith with all the equipment he had because no matter how many safety checks he did, it could still come down on him without a moment’s notice.
There was something like excitement in that, and that was the most exciting he got since coming back from the frontlines. It wasn’t that Daniel wasn’t looking for exciting, no, because it still ran in his blood, it was that he was trying to avoid it with the same intensity as he wanted it too. It was a weird balance and that’s where he was.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her looking at him quite frequently and he was somewhat curious as to who she thought he was when she first saw him. People don’t react that way for casual acquaintances, and Daniel imagined some of the people he’d served with would react that way if any of them were still living to run into him by accident. It almost made him a little jealous of this man he’d never met.
“It never hurts to keep an eye on the oil and the antifreeze,” he commented, showing her the places to check them in the engine. “Either of those get low and you’ll have a problem.” That said, Daniel checked them both and found that the oil was getting dangerously low. “Now look here,” he said, gesturing at the dipstick. “When you look at it, the level should be here. That said, oil most likely needs changing too if I know anything.” A pause and a smirk. “And I do.”
After that, Daniel got to work under the car itself, finding the oil pan and getting ready to change everything out.
“Any questions right now, Rose?” Daniel called from where he was under the car. - Rose nodded her head as he gave her helpful information about Arthur and wondered if she would remember for the future. “Oil and antifreeze,” she repeated, taking a step closer to see what he was showing her. She had never owned a car before, her and her mum always using the public transport to get them where they needed to go. Everything was completely new to her, but it was good for her to know this stuff; she felt like Arthur was part hers and she wanted to make sure he continued to run despite his age.
She looked at the liquid on the stick, nodding her head to what he said about watching the levels and making sure that they remained at a decent height. She couldn’t help but smile at him with his answer, seeing so many similarities between Daniel and his dream counterpart.
As he went under the car to take a look, Rose walked over to a bench that was in the garage and took a seat, swinging her legs back and forth. She felt beyond ecstatic to have found her Doctor, but wondered if he would ever remember her. She hadn’t heard of people not having dreams, but she hadn’t seen Daniel on the Valarnet; she was sure there was a connection to that and wondered if he didn’t join, would he ever dream?
“What?” She looked over at him, registering the question he had asked. “Oh, no, no questions now. Good to know about the oil though! Got to tell John about that.” She mentioned the name in passing, not thinking that it might resonate with Daniel.
“D’ya go online at all?” - Daniel was always a little surprised when people didn’t know the basics about owning a car, but most people never learned because someone failed to teach them or they left all the maintenance of their vehicles to people like him. While he agreed that not just anyone should get their hands into the engine of their cars, knowing the important things to check before the lights in the dash started going off was a good skill to have. “Oil,” a pause to show her again where he indicated, “And antifreeze.” Another pause. “Keep an eye on both, and you’ll catch a problem before it’s too late.”
“Well ask them when you think of them. It’s easier to answer a question when you have one than sitting through a stream of them.” He laughed a bit to himself from where he was under the car. As the oil started to drain, he moved out from under the car, standing and straightening himself out. Hearing the name John tacked onto this car had him thinking again he recognised her, but fifteen years was a long time and it would be an unlikely coincidence for it to be the same John and the same car he remembered from back then, halfway across the world and in the same place he’d just moved to.
“Online?” Daniel pulled the rag out of his pocket and tried to wipe off the oil on his hands. “Never been the type.” - As he said the component slowly, Rose tried to focus and remember which was which, nodding her head when she had it. “Oil and antifreeze,” she repeated, pointing to the two areas he had shown her. “Right, I’ll make sure to keep an eye on them!” She would have to remember to show John too...although he had to know about this kind of stuff right? Although Daniel had pointed out that the oil was getting low…
Rose couldn’t help but smile when he said he wasn’t the online type. She could almost tell by his demeanor that that was going to be his answer. Still, maybe if she just mentioned it…
“Well if you ever get interested, there’s this place online called the Valarnet. All for local people, a great place to meet people if you’re new to the area.” She paused, thinking Daniel didn’t seem like the social type. “Or to drum up business! A good place to advertise.” She gave a small shrug of her shoulders, as if to say it wasn’t a big deal. Part of her wondered if she was doing the right thing, bringing him into the network so he would dream, if he hadn’t already. Was it selfish? She chewed on her bottom lip, moving on the bench a little.
“Just a thought at least. But tell me about the tires. How do I know when to get them replaced?”