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Tweak says, "...Then you mean it."

Jenny Schecter (dont_f_withme) wrote in vas_captio_rpg,
@ 2009-06-02 11:09:00

Entry tags:

!complete, day 09, jenny schecter, location: library, the doctor (ten)

Day 9: Morningtime Meeting
Who: Jenny & The Doctor
What: Meeting in person
When: 10:30 am or thereabouts
Where: The Library
Rating: PGish (may be raised if Jenny drops an f-bomb or two)
Status: Active

Jenny had not slept well at all. Whether she was going to admit it to herself or not, she had been terrified by that clone or whoever it had been calling himself Captain Jack Harkness. In spite of Shannon's assurance that Jack would never behave that way, she wasn't taking any chances. If she saw that face ever again, she was running. And if she couldn't run, she was going to scream. It had kept her inside the library, barricaded in the special editions archive, curled up under a fire blanket on the floor clutching her journal to her chest and only periodically catching a snatch of sleep when her lids fluttered closed out of pure exhaustion.

She woke with a start as the sun's rays finally crept beneath her lashes and roused her tired brain. Scrambling to her feet, Jenny realized where she was only after she'd rubbed her eyes with the heels of her hands and looked around. Breathing in the dust and must of old books, she felt the rumble in her stomach for food. How long had it been since she'd actually eaten?

It didn't take long for her to unbarricade the door, something that registered a pang of fear in her hungry stomach. If it was so easy for her it could have been very easy for anyone else. She wouldn't think about it because her stomach was audible in the empty halls now as she wandered farther into the building in hopes of finding a stash of candy bars of an old vending machine of some sort.

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fromgallifrey
2009-06-02 06:21 pm UTC (link)

The Doctor heard the nearly tiny, broken voice as it came from the shadows. There he went, counting them, taking stock and making absolutely certain that every one of them had an owner and a source. He was starting to think that episode had made him phobic of libraries the way that Midnight made him phobic of tour buses.

The Doctor could hear what direction the voice came from, and even the slow steps; but as of yet, the figure had not revealed herself. "It's me, hello," he said quietly, waggling his fingertips before shoving his hands into his pockets and shifting back and forth a little.

"Who's the owner of that voice back there?" His smile never faltered as he tried to peer into the shadow. "Only fair you at least tell me your name," he prodded playfully, choosing not to move from his spot lest he frighten away whomever was tucked back there.

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dont_f_withme
2009-06-02 10:07 pm UTC (link)

Jenny watched him looking for her and took an unconscious step back. She felt angry suddenly that all of this had to happen this way. If he was the Doctor, she wished she could have met him with an open smile and happiness. He was someone she wanted to get to know better. Someone who's mind she wanted to delve into and explore.

Maybe. Maybe this sense of ease that she felt at just saying the name could spill over into everything else. Maybe she could trust him and if she couldn't, it wouldn't take her long to figure that out. She could run and if she couldn't run, she would scream. It seemed like she'd set her mind on that with just about everyone. A surge of lonliness filled her stomach where it had once been empty with hunger.

Stepping out then, impulsively taking her life into her own hands, she felt the sun spill across her and it blinded her for a moment as she spoke. "I - Jenny, Jenny Schecter," she said a bit louder. She straightened her back and pushed back her shoulders, hoping to appear more confident than she actually felt right now. "We spoke in the journals?"

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fromgallifrey
2009-06-03 08:48 am UTC (link)

The Doctor stood quite comfortably in the silence; the moment of the unknown feeling exciting - far more exciting than what had become the almost mundane course of his recent days. The Doctor would wake, go for a walk, check the journal, watch for Martha, and then work on the modulator. Today's round of exploration was already yielding a fairly high level of intrigue.

Canting his head a little the Doctor held his usual non-threatening grin. He watched as the shadows seemed to shift and a young woman walked from them with steps that seemed almost forced Clearly she was afraid of something. "Jenny Schecter?" The Doctor let his mind think for a moment - whom had he seen attributed with that name? Then it hit him like a pile of bricks and it showed as his head abruptly canted like something had physically impacted him. "Sometimes I just so very, very thick," he breathed, scratching at his head as his mouth spread into a wide smile that rapidly infected the rest of his features. "That's you then, mystery bard, yes?" He'd hoped that it was mostly because he had wanted to meet anyone who had a true appreciation for the word Thespian.

If only he could find someone who appreciated happy primes.

No matter, whether she was who he thought she was or not, it was clear that she was scared and needed someone to at least get her to some place safe. "Are you alright, then?" He asked quietly.

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dont_f_withme
2009-06-03 10:49 am UTC (link)

The closer she got, at the slow, stiff pace she had set, the more at ease she felt. There was something about the way he looked that, where at first she was in disbelief that he could be taken seriously, actually now worked like a calming effect. He was well put together even if not streamlined into one category of fashion. There was no pretension or artifice in his eyes either.

Her face pulled into an immediate smile when he smiled. It caught her so off guard that she wanted to mirror his pleasantness that she quickly rose a hand to her mouth. She touched her smile briefly with her fingers as though she had never smiled before. Then she laughed softly at herself and let her hand fall away. She still felt fearful but not quite so much as she had before.

"Yes, that would be me," she admitted and walked a little more easily out to meet him. For some reason she felt like she ought to shake his hand, that someone of his obvious intellect would be somewhat formal. He didn't seem the formal sort just now but that didn't stop her from extending her hand to him.

Jenny laughed lightly at herself again and waved her hand dismissively in spite of the fact she didn't find it funny. "I'm afraid of everything," she said with a small sigh. "I've been by myself since I got here pretty much and it's just been one thing after another. Yesterday I met Captain Jack Harkness or maybe his clone and he cornered me. I got hurt," she indicated her left arm which was concealed by an ugly mohair bolero she'd been wearing to keep warm but would have been covered with scratches if he could see it.

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fromgallifrey
2009-06-03 12:01 pm UTC (link)

The girl who came forth moved with such rigidity that the Doctor couldn't help but wonder what had set her this way. Had she slept strangely? Been injured? Just had an odd method of locomotion? Whatever the reason as she moved more and started to do so with greater normalcy the Doctor found himself relieved.

As her smile started to be a reflection of his own the Doctor knew that the Bard was going to be alright. Even as she reached up and tentatively evaluated her own expression the Gallifreyan found himself quite pleased that she was suddenly so at ease.

As she moved forward and extended her hand the Doctor found himself sort of surprised. He wasn't used to shaking hands, yet he had twice within this day's very short span. "Brilliant," he said warmly, taking her hand and giving it a shake. Such a funny little gesture, handshakes.

"Everything?" He tried to make sense of that sentiment. There was an awful lot in the universe to be afraid of everything. Surely she didn't mean that. "Captain Jack? Surely not Jack..." The Doctor mumbled. "I'm sure the real Captain Jack Harkness wouldn't harm you - I happen to know him quite well... well, unless you call relentless flirting harmful," His face which had gone serious tried to take on the familiar expression of a smile as he tried to lighten her mood a bit.

"Do you need someone to take a look at that?" Being that he couldn't see any wound the Doctor thought it only made sense to inquire. "I think I read that the clinic is open until noon," He'd also read that the doctor there wasn't planning to make housecalls - which was rubbish. Apparently that doctor needed a bit of an inspirational talking to.

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dont_f_withme
2009-06-03 01:35 pm UTC (link)

Jenny liked the enthusiasm with which he shook her hand. It was comforting to be touched by another human being too so she did not want to let go when the brief gesture was completed. She made herself do it anyway and hooked her fingers together behind her back a little self-consciously.

"I guess not everything but a lot of things that have happened recently haven't helped me feel very safe, that's for sure." Her tone was somewhat serious as she mentally went back over what had happened yesterday. It had brought so many horrible memories back to her mind.

"Oh no. He wasn't flirting. He's kind of a big guy and he came running at me with a big smile, yelling, 'Hi!' or something. I mean, maybe some people consider that flirtatious. I don't." He'd nearly overloaded her with fear. But when was she not nearly overloaded with everything here?

"I - no, thank you. It's just scratches. It bled for a little while but it's okay. I cleaned it in the bathroom last night." She didn't want to go to a clinic. She didn't want to be there with possibly sick or injured people she didn't know. She hated hospitals because the people there always made her feel dirty and about to get some kind of horrible disease.

"So, um, are you here for a book?" she asked conversationally. She was going to try to sound less like a frightened child. Talking to him had already begun to calm her nerves. Talking more should therefore help her more.

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fromgallifrey
2009-06-03 08:09 pm UTC (link)

There wasn't much the Doctor didn't do with enthusiasm. Somehow he'd been gifted with a certain zest for life. It seemed sometimes even when he was just standing still he was only just slowing down so as to better find his bearings before shooting off in another direction entirely.

"I understand quite a few people have that problem," he remarked, thinking quite pointedly at that doctor. Maybe Sarah Jane would go have a talk with her for him - in this case he didn't know how well received he'd be. Sometimes people didn't really favor his special brand of encouragement. "If he wasn't flirting, by the way, he wasn't Jack. The actual Jack would probably flirt with a table." He was serious. Dead serious.

"Actually, I thought it was a real shame that I hadn't been in here the whole time I'd been out and about. Besides, the editions of the books here might give us a clue as to the origins of this town." He walked over and plucked a random volume from a near by shelf. Walking back he mused as he turned the cover. "Moby Dick," he squinted a little, turning the pages to take in the beautifully illustrated book. "What a marvelous little edition."

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dont_f_withme
2009-06-03 08:43 pm UTC (link)

Jenny giggled lightly when the Doctor said Jack would flirt with a table in such a serious tone that she knew he meant it. "In that case, I'm sure it wasn't the real Captain Jack Harkness and just the clone version. I'm glad to know there isn't really an over-sized puppy-like man here in this place with us." She made a mental note to be on her guard whenever she did meet the real Jack Harkness. Last thing she wanted was to be flirted with by someone who would flirt with a table. That didn't sound very bright to her.

Pointing with her thumb over her shoulder in the direction from which she'd come, she said, "There are even older editions in the back rooms. Some of them are entirely in latin and there is a large collection of religious texts from more countries than I ever thought existed in one room." Some of them, when she'd seen them, looked like they might have been from different planets but she'd never admit to having thought that. She'd never believed in aliens or anything supernatural even if she had been brought up a good Jewish girl. God had forsaken her back before she'd ever hit puberty. If he'd ever been there at all.

Following suit, Jenny lifted a book from the shelf nearest her and brushed some dust from the cover with careful fingers. Her eyes widened and she squealed under her breath. "But this is impossible!" She looked over at the Doctor with an excited expression on her face. "This is my book!" How could her book be here in this library full of beautiful editions of classic literature? And covered in dust no less. It wasn't even an edition that had been printed during her lifetime. Not yet, at least. It had lovely pen and ink illustrations.

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fromgallifrey
2009-06-04 09:20 pm UTC (link)

The Doctor heard Jenny's giggle and his hearts leaped a bit. For a girl who had just said she was afraid of everything, she was starting to show signs of life. "If you ever meet him, you'll see why that description of him is quite comical."

"Latin texts?" The Doctor's brow rose curiously. He felt like his Latin was too rusty to be trusted at the moment. Then again, if he was right and the TARDIS was near, he might be able to decipher some of it. The Doctor was actually convinced that the TARDIS was around - otherwise, how would everyone be able to understand one another - especially that Japanese lot.

"You're book? You wrote a book?" He asked this cheerfully, closing up the book with sudden finality as he sidled up next to Jenny. "You wrote a classic, eh?" He was peeking over her shoulder, taking in the words slowly. He couldn't catch much of the plot as she siphoned through the pages, though he thought he might like to. "What's your story, Jenny?" He asked, inquiring about the plot.

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dont_f_withme
2009-06-07 05:37 pm UTC (link)

Now that she had her own book in her hands, something settled down inside Jenny. Something that had been writhing and wriggling for as long as she could remember after she got here. It was like a peace filling her that even the calming effect of being near the Doctor hadn't produced.

Running her tiny fingers over the spine, she flipped through the pages somewhat slowly, looking for any tell-tale sign that this was not, in fact, her book. Everything seemed as it should be though. It was exactly her words in exactly the way she'd written them. She had a dozen copies of the hardcover and paperback editions at home but nothing at all like this. The edges of the pages were even gold!

"It's called Some of Her Parts," she answered, letting her finger trail along the upper portion of a page bearing the title. "It's my memoirs. It was a bestseller but I didn't ever think of it as a classic. They never published it like this while I was alive. How can it look old and worn and classic like this? Is it an anachronism, Doctor?"

She looked up curiously at him, seeking his wisdom because her heart was pounding now with anticipation and excitement. It was really something to think that after she died, or maybe hundreds of years in the future, her book meant something to someone enough to be published like this. It was amazing and it blew her mind.

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