OTA: Ten Foward

[adooronceopened]

She should be dead. She should be... but she wasn't. How could she possibly be alive? She took a deep breath, feeling easy breath enter her lungs for the first time in years. She could breathe easily, which was perhaps a surprise, though if she wasn't dead, perhaps it shouldn't have been. She looked all around her and then down at herself. She was... wearing the gown she had worn from when the Doctor had broken through the mirror and saved her from being beheaded.

She turned this way and that, feeling the familiar weight on her bones. She took a deep breath, relishing in the air feeling her lungs so deeply it ached. How was this possible? Was this the Doctor's doing? Could he do something that impossible? Was this heaven, perhaps? She pressed a hand to her hip, trying to keep calm. She didn't know where she was, certainly, but that didn't mean panicking would allow her to think any clearer.

The Doctor wasn't here, so then, this might not be his doing. This place lacked the beauty of the palace. Calm yourself, Reinette. She kept telling herself. As she looked around, well, to be honest, she had never seen something like this place before. As she gazed about, she noticed the vast windows gazing out into...

She picked up her skirts and hurried over to a window, gazing out. Stars? Beautiful and... and so much closer. Had the Doctor been able to keep his promise?

Oh, but how? So many questions and so little time... or perhaps now she had all the time in the world. Everything seemed so strange. A brief jolt of fear shot up her spine and wrapped around her brain. What if this was the ship of those monsters? Had they truly succeeded in getting her at last? If that were true, then she would have to be very careful and find some way back home, even if it meant her death on the slow path once more.

Perhaps that was the strangest part of all. She could still remember being so bone weary and exhausted, barely able to keep her eyes open. She remembered the king holding her hand, staying by her side as she could barely lift herself out of bed. So what was all this then? Where was the tiredness? Where was the exhaustion? She looked back out the window, alone in such a strange room. Reinette needed to think clearly, needed to understand just what was happening. She'd need to find someone to speak to and ask where she was, and for that matter, what year was it. Everything after that would take... time, would take planning. But she could do very little when everything was so unclear. Perhaps even his majesty was here?

She yearned for a friendly face, or at least, a helpful one.

At the sound of movement, she stood up and brushed the front of her gown. Carefully, she placed a calm, collected, and pleasant expression on her face, slipping the familiar mask on. As a courtier, it was easy enough to do, and frantic screaming and pleading was not at all going to endear her to whomever her captors might be. She glided over to the person and inclined her head.

"I beg your pardon," she started, not sure how she would be treated here. "But I am in need of assistance. I am afraid I am a bit unsure of my situation. If there is someone I should speak to, pray tell, instruct me towards their direction and I will handle things from there."

Comments

Assuming she poofed into the guest quarters or something.

[orions_shadow]

Speaking of monsters, a black furred two legged beast raises his head from the couch. He must have blended in in the dim light for her not to see him. He stares at her for several moments when he spots her, because holy hell in a hand basket, you don't see that every day.

He yawns, briefly showing his formidable, but not adult predator's teeth then turning his head to her again.

"Are... You a princess?" He asks groggily, "Or a fae?"

Isn't Ten Forward the name of the bar? That's where she is

[adooronceopened]

Reinette had faced clockwork creatures that wanted her head. She saw strange, deadly creatures inside of the Doctor's mind. Furthermore, she not only faced, but essentially maintained the French court. So, at meeting a black beast with fangs? She took a deep breath, still privately reveling in the feeling, ready to run.

However, then it... spoke. Well then, that was something... new. She tilted her head at his question and the sides of her mouth twitched.

"I am not a princess, nor a fae, though you are quite the generous sort to consider me either."

I dun goofed! Misread it even if I read it like three times. Bad eyes like whoa.

[orions_shadow]

Run after someone? It would be fun but how far would she even get in that poofy frock? Not very far he'd have expected. He gazes upon her, not a princess? She sure looked like one!

"Those were my only two guesses." Since Fae came in all shapes in sizes you never know. "I've never seen anyone dressed like that even for costume."

[not_the_question]

The Doctor had been on his way back to his room from one of his several trips to see the TARDIS. He nearly walked right passed her. After all, she was in his past. More than a thousand years in his past...

But her voice, or perhaps the soft French accent he heard was what made him stop and pay attention to her. And he couldn't help the small smile that graced his lips. His Scottish lilt is somehow softer than usual. Such is the affect this women will always hold over him.

"I'm sure you would handle them and entirely on your own, if I let you. But it wouldn't be proper for me to let a courtier from the Eighteenth Century to wander this place unaccompanied."

And he might have forgotten that he's wearing entirely the wrong face to be talking to her so familiarly.

[adooronceopened]

At such a greeting as that, she searched his gaze. He spoke as if he knew her, which was entirely possible. She was, after all, the king's mistress... or, former mistress, as death had a habit of making someone the "former" everything. She had to wonder what young woman was giddy at the chance to take her position...

A thought for later, as it would not serve her well to brood when answers needed to become forthcoming. He knew her...

But he knew her in a very odd way. The way he phrased it...

She searched his gaze, seeing only fondness there, more still, familiarity, but she hadn't a clue who he was, though the feeling seemed to be just on the edge of her consciousness, as if she should know him. Reinette was not foolish enough, however, to demand answers, to force him to explain himself, not yet in any case. Instead, she merely smiled, easily, gently, and for some reason it didn't feel like the forced smile she used in court.

"Such a gentleman, however could someone say no to such an introduction as that?"

[not_the_question]

The Doctor chuckles at her question. "Oh you'd be surprised. My current companion has problems with doing what she's told."

Oh. Maybe it's too early to mention other women yet. He pulls a hand across his face and suddenly realises he's not in his Tenth Body and Reinette has no clue
who he is. He clears his throat.

"As to being a gentleman, it would be impossible to not be around you. But I have you at a disadvantage. A quite unfair one. You once said that it was 'tremendously impolite' for me to not age."

He really doesn't think he needs to offer her any further clue, but perhaps he might.

A bit later?!

[major_egret_msfsod]

It would probably be somewhat after Reinette had arrived that she'd bump into Jackal; after all, since Jackal didn't really frequent Ten Forward much, it would most likely be in the hallways. The clothes she wore--red-tone camo fatigues--obviously didn't quite fit in with the uniforms that seemed to be common, here, and certainly didn't fit in any better in 18th century France. Moreover, the woman herself looked stern, an impression of her demeanor as well as the intensity of her eyes and her quite short-cropped hair, almost more like a guardsman than anything else.

Even so, she paused to give Reinette a brief, appraising look, before speaking--her voice, too, was rather low, only adding to the austere impression.

"Lost?"

Sure!

[adooronceopened]

Reinette was no closer to actual answers than she had been before. She understood things better. This ship was called the Enterprise, she was now upon it, somehow or other, she was alive, and there were others of different times also aboard. It was also incredibly far into the future, but no clockwork monsters were after her head.

Which led her to her current situation of needing to find a place to rest. While she didn't seem to suffer from the pain in her lungs, everything was overwhelming and exhausting to understand.

She was wandering the halls, not her smartest strategy, but staying still wasn't going to provide her any answers. At the question, she paused and moved her hands in front of her, clasping them together. She took in the other woman and was unperturbed, having dealt with Rose so many of those years ago, though Rose had longer hair and a more welcoming air about her.

Reinette gave a small incline of her head.

"I admit that yes, this is all very new to me, though any assistance would certainly be welcomed."

[major_egret_msfsod]

Rose had, at her strangest, been a bit presumptuous and a bit vulgar (in the old-fashioned sense, that is); qualities that were a bit peculiar, perhaps, especially in combination, but hardly alien. This one was definitely something different.

Jackal nodded to that--or, perhaps, in greeting, as she introduced herself.

"You are a new arrival, then. Major Egret, MSFSOD. What do you know so far? And is there anything you need urgently?"

She was at least courteous, albeit in a strict, businesslike, regimented sort of way; which perhaps made sense if she really meant 'Major' in the sense of a military officer.

[madman_inabox]

Eleven was busy trying to convince the replicator in Ten Forward to produce fish fingers and custard without much luck. Sure it made something that looked like it, smelled like it, and even felt like it, but something was off. The Doctor assumed it was the flavor of the custard. Something just wasn't right about that.

After his fourth attempt, he decided to give up for now and turned quickly on his heel, his purple coat spinning out behind him a bit, and almost dumping the concoction on someone in a very, very fancy dress. He knew that dress, and the person wearing it.

His grin at seeing her again was involuntary, "Reinette?"

[adooronceopened]

She blinked and the surprise was on her face for only a moment at being addressed so informally and the sheer joy the gentleman seemed to have at seeing her. It was not an entirely new feeling for her. Many were just as pleased to see her as those who could barely stand her presence. She took a step back just in time, hopefully nothing he had been holding had gotten on the dress. She wasn't sre she'd be able to get another one anytime soon.

Still, she offered a smile as she quirked a brow. Allowing her panic to shift into amusement for now.

"I'm afraid you have me at a disadvantage, sir. You seem to know me quite well, and yet I cannot say the same."

Although... there was... something. It itched at the back of her mind.

[madman_inabox]

That's right. Reinette had no idea about this face. He didn't look like her Fireplace Man anymore. When she saw what he was, what he remembered in his head, this face hadn't existed yet. But his grin didn't go away even as he introduced himself, "I'm the Doctor."

[the_tailor_spy]

He had been faced away when she approached him, so chances are they'll both be somewhat surprised when he turns to face her. Her for rather obvious reasons. Him because, well. He's never seen a human garbed so...well. Elegantly? Yes, that would work. As would elaborate. Pity the two cannot be combined in his lexicon.

"Well! We can see what sorts of assistance I can provide, surely. Though I am only a...recent immigrant here, if you catch my drift."

He looks her up and down, especially the look on her face.

"And I suspect you do."

[adooronceopened]

While he took the time to examine her, an action she wasn't unused to, she watched him as well. A different being, certainly, and one who didn't seem to expect to see her. Well, that was in her favor. Not being expected meant that they hadn't actively sought to bring her here..

"Any information is more useful than none at all, I'm sure you can agree," she offered with a smile, presenting a demure image. She gave a small incline of her head.

"I am seeking answers regarding my sudden arrival here."

[the_tailor_spy]

Whoever made her garments was skilled, that was for sure. He's getting a lot of ideas. Given that "tailor" had always been a beard, this might surprise any who knew - but in this sort of place, the cover might be a means of sustenance.

"Ah, yes, very true. Well, then..." he looked thoughtful for a moment, every inch of him radiating 'helpful, honest alien'.

"Yes. I believe there I can help. Where should I begin? I will, of course, translate for what I presume is a different time...?"

And a bit later still...

[immutablysam]

Sam has seen the woman moving around the ship, talking to some of the others. It's an older memory, some sixty years old - odd, given that Sam looks like a teenage boy - but Jeanne
Antoinette Poisson is not easily forgotten, and it's an odd sort of relief to be contemporary with /someone/ on this ship.

Similarly, Sam's frontier garb shouldn't look too out of place to La Marquise, given that Benjamin Franklin's popularity in France led to quite a number of frontier curiosities and artistic renderings becoming quite popular in France, even if Sam wouldn't stand out as much - if she even existed in the dimension this Madame de Pompadour came from.

"Getting your bearings?" asks the apparent teenage boy, sitting casually at one of the tables. "I'd offer you a drink for your nerves, but afraid they don't serve actual wine here, and the synthehol wine just ain't right."

[adooronceopened]

"If it is not French wine, then all other wine may as well not be right," she offered with a smile. What a strange... boy? Certainly the other was dressed as one, much as Rose had been. Howver, there was a gentle curve to the jaw, a lighter voice.

A Castrato, perhaps? They had fallen out of practice, but there were some who still did the barbaric act. Or perhaps, as with all things, the colonies merely became incredibly fond of it after the rest of the world had seen its rise and fall.

[immutablysam]

Sam has been at the passing thing a long time - a lot longer than most humans live, but Madame de Pompadour is no normal lady, and did awfully well for herself on her wits and observational skills.

"Fair enough, 'cause they definitely don't have French wine here. Sure, they'll say their replicator things can fake it, but if they can't get beer right..."

[shanjifyo]

There was a woman at one of the tables nearby, dressed all in concealing white, with long white hair and skin as white as paper, writing in a journal of sorts. If Stahma was going to be trapped here for some length of time again, as seemed to be the case, she'd decided she might as well keep track of things. Her usual diary was back home, unfortunately, but a few words with the replicator had provided her with a blank book and a pen.

She didn't notice, at first, when the other woman arrived, but then there was a flash of fabric and sparkle from the corner of her eye and she glanced up. A human woman, young, with her blond hair pinned up, dressed in clothing more elaborate than Stahma had ever seen in her life. She may herself have been nobility, but Castithan women were taught to be modest and avoid excess; while her own clothing was extremely well made and occasionally decorated with beads or metallic accents, this woman's dress was something else altogether. If Stahma had been a student of Earth history, perhaps she might even have recognized the centuries-old style, but she wasn't, and didn't.

Carefully, she closed her journal and tucked it away, standing up, smoothing her long skirt with her hands. Her eyes met the human woman's, then; Stahma smiled, the usual expression, automatic and completely insincere, a mask rather than a real smile. Her own posture was almost perfect, practiced, a highborn woman's graceful bearing — that, at least, was probably recognizable.

"Have you just arrived?" she asked, sounding nothing but empathetic and perhaps a little curious. "I will answer whatever I can, but I'm afraid I have only been here a few weeks myself." Not precisely true, but Q whisked her back home the last time before she truly got a chance to get her bearings. She'd been considering this as something of a new start.

[adooronceopened]

Reinette could discuss, at length, that her being all in white was just excessive as Reinette's attire in simply a different manner. Being modest and avoiding excess had it's purpose, of course, but even modesty could get excessive. She saw the mask and was quick with her own, after all, one did not grow up in the French court without recognizing your own manners. She could play this game quite well if needed. She was not the King's Mistress for nothing.

"Indeed I have, but you're too kind to help in what ways you can, for which I thank you," she offered back just as politely and even allowing the possibility she might be sincere in her voice. She was, to some extent. Reinette had no information on anything that just happened. What information she could get, if it were true, would be incredibly useful. But there was certainly no reason to find herself in some sort of debt to this woman.

[dictaphonic]

Will had been getting used to sudden arrivals on the ship. They happened often enough, after all--although seemingly in waves. He'd been wondering whether that somehow corresponded with Q getting bored, but that would be a difficult thesis to test since he'd never managed to meet him.

But all of that aside, even though a woman appearing in Ten Forward wasn't unusual in itself, he couldn't help but be surprised by this woman's appearance. And, not being even half as good at etiquette as she was, he stared at her for a long moment. And by that point, she was coming toward him, so he quickly snapped himself out of it, embarrassed.

"Oh, yes, hello! Um, hopefully I can help." He gave her a friendly but nervous smile, still a bit overwhelmed by her very regal demeanor. "Well, we could find one of the crewmen, if you want. But to be honest, people appear here out of nowhere all the time. I actually did just a few months ago! So, um. Maybe I could explain--if you think that would help?"

[adooronceopened]

It was easy enough to catch him staring, since he hadn't even turned away in embarrassment when she caught him. More still, she was quite used to all eyes being on her, endeavoring to always be the king's center of attention, thus making her the court's center of attention. When he finally found himself, she smiled.

"Any help would be greatly appreciated, and perhaps yours might be even more essential," she offered kindly inclining her head. "As someone newly arrived, I'm sure you know what someone like myself, that is, so unaccustomed to what I've been brought to, as you might say, might like to know first and foremost. Besides, I would am certainly not adverse to the company."

[dictaphonic]

"W-well, if your style of dress is anything to go by, I have a feeling that I might have a bit more experience with this sort of travel than you do. I mean, time travel. ...I shouldn't have said that. Sorry, I'm sure that's a bit of a shock..." He looked almost like a deer in headlights as he spoke, as though part of him knew that what he was sharing was a mistake, but another part of him couldn't stop the words from flowing. Quickly, he continued with: "Um. But you're right, such a sudden jump, particularly without any warning--or vehicle, for that matter! It is terribly jarring. I remember the feeling from--oh, I'm babbling." He snapped his mouth shut, almost as if he needed to physically stop himself. "Sorry. Erm, nerves."

The force of her presence and personality continued to keep him flustered. But, trying to make good on his promise, he quickly gestured to the empty seat across from him. "Have a seat! And...we can order you some tea? And...um. You might want to forget all that for now." His expression was sheepish. "Really, the gist of it is, a very powerful being known as Q has sent us all here without so much as a by-your-leave! I'm not certain about his motives, but most people seem to think it's a sort of joke to him." He made a face. "But people disappear sometimes--presumably heading back home. Not that I can promise that, but I do think we'll find a way back eventually no matter what." The firmness in his tone showed that he meant that. After all, though he hadn't yet mentioned him, he knew that there was a remarkable man here on the ship who was sure to find a way out--more than one of him here, in fact.

"And so far it's been a very safe place to stay. There was one attack, but even that was handled very swiftly and, to my knowledge, with no loss of life!" Not that he had even seen the Klingons personally--he'd been too busy helping to get the shields back up to stop more from teleporting aboard. "That's the basics of it all, really..." That said, he watched her nervously, wondering how she might react to information like that, especially considering the era of origin that he was guessing.

[thelasttimelord]

[Forever late, but stalking your threads, and just wanting to say your Reinette is/was gorgeous.]

[adooronceopened]

Thank you so much! That's incredibly sweet of you!