Seasons Change

Subject: Re: Seasons Change Tue Sep 10, 2013 10:26 pm

Shooting a look back at Ramona, the Doctor bit back a grin of amusement at her uttered curses as she struggled through the grass. "You know... If you fight it the entire way there, you'll end up being too tired to look around. Just walk, ignore the grass." He said cheerfully, kicking one of his feet through the grass as he spoke only to frown and stop suddenly, looking down at his boot with a curious expression. "Well, your new." Crouching down, he plucked at the vine wrapped around the leather of his boot, feeling a grin spread across his face again as it tightened slightly from his attention. "Easy, I won't hurt you. Might be easier if you just let go." He muttered, gently unwrapping the vine and setting it to the side in the grass to continue on.

Subject: Re: Seasons Change Wed Sep 11, 2013 2:59 pm

Robin looked over at the Doctor as he pried the vine off his foot, frowning slightly. "Hm. Vines that are alive. Well.. no, they're supposed to be alive.. not like that though. Cool, haven't seen that yet." Her frown lifted into a smile as she continued on, batting the grass out of her way as she went. A few steps later, she found herself flat on her face in the shade of the tall blades. Groaning in annoyance, she picked herself up and looked behind her to see what had tripped her. Tunneling into the ground was another vine, gone as soon as she had seen it. "Well sooorry," She frowned, crossing her arms. "Didn't think you'd take that offensively," She mocked, sticking her tongue out at the ground where the vine just was. Turning around, she managed to get a steady walk once more, thinking over the probability of sentient plants in her head.

Subject: Re: Seasons Change Wed Sep 11, 2013 7:30 pm

She came to screeching halt as she watched the Doctor pluck at a twitching plant.. No not just a plant. But a vine. Much like the weed... Okay. Suddenly Robin face-planted and groaned in irritation. Muttering things about sentient plant life and moving, alive vines and plants and just- Ramona was about done and they hadn't even started yet. She never was much of a green house kind of person, truthfully she had a pretty black thumb when it came to plants. So she just stayed clear of them, avoiding grass when possible and not daring to buy flowers for the holidays. Here the plants were alive it would seem and that was just the worst in Ramona's opinion. How did she explain the death of the local plant life? 'Oops I accidentally touched it!' Yeah right, like that'd go over well with the natives. Ramona bit back a sigh and stood still, watching the Doctor and Robin trail away over a short hill. He'd notice her absence soon enough and he'd bite at her to hurry on and his usual thing. She snorts.

Then she curiously turns her gaze down on the grass the tickled at her sneaker soles and a thought struck her. With a quick glance to the Doctor Ramona decides it's now or never, with tongue between her teeth she tries her hardest to keep one part of her mind closed while simply- reaching out for something. She kept her eyes focused on the ground and found herself grossly immersed in the task of finding some sort of something within the ground, vines that moved had to have some kind of brain right? At least they did in her books.

Subject: Re: Seasons Change Wed Sep 11, 2013 8:28 pm

Reaching the top of the hill, the Doctor took a deep breath and grinned brightly, his eyes wandering over the small settlement in front of them curiously. Honestly, he never came here before, always considered the planet to be a little dull in comparison to some of the others he'd visited. Turning to Robin, he opened his mouth to say something only to realize one of their party had gone missing. "Hold up, where's Ramona?" He said instead of the random comment he had prepared to make about the low huts being like their early ancestor's homes back when they were barely more than apes.

Turning around in a full circle, he finally spotted her amid the pink grass, seeming to focus on something hidden in it. "Oi, pick up the pace. We're moving on and unless you want to stand there talking to the rocks, I'd suggest you move your feet." He called to her, his usual grin flashing across his face before turning to Robin. "Come on, she stays behind, it's her choice." The Doctor said in a lower tone before resuming the walk down the hill towards the small village.

Subject: Re: Seasons Change Wed Sep 11, 2013 8:45 pm

Robin rolled her eyes, letting him walk down the hill on his own. "Do you do this to all your companions? Geez, give her a mo." Sighing, she turned around, running back down the hill after the woman. It wasn't likely she was just standing there for no good reason, so what was she doing? Finally making it to her, managing to almost fall on her face again, she grinned brightly. "Come on, then. The Doctor's never planning to wait on anyone, probably not even if they were drugged and couldn't walk. Well... No, he'd just help them. Hopefully. ANYWAY! What's down there?" She asked curiously, glancing down at the dirt under their feet. Maybe she saw a vine? Bloody things were gonna get annoying fast of they didn't leave them alone.

Subject: Re: Seasons Change Wed Sep 11, 2013 10:29 pm

As predicted it wasn't but a few minutes more before his voice bellowed across the grass, friendly but still a warning. She cried out in pain as she was jostled from her mental exploration and gripped her head, temples pulsing and an aching laced through her nerves. That was definitely something she would never get used too, but she HAD been expecting him to call for her. She should have been able to at least calm the reaction, Ramona was disappointed in her lack of strength on the matter. She was also suddenly reminded that the Doctor had yet to give her any pointers and was instead traipsing across a planet with both she and a young lady in tow. Oh yeah! She'd agreed to it.

Just about then Ramona was about to give up before something brushed against her back-side, making the flesh of her lower-back tingle. She turned just a mite to see and found wide, blue eyes staring back at her. A dog of some sort with flopping ears, long nose, and just as long body. It almost reminded her of a hyena/jackal mixed with great dane and malamute. It just didn't have a name, and just as quickly as it was smiling it was baring it's teeth and Ramona felt it was time to move forward. With a squeak of surprise and fear she threw herself into the grass once more with every intention of fleeing, but upon looking back the thing was gone. And she was left to look ridiculous in the pink grass as she struggled to catch up to the other two. "Oh come on!"

Subject: Re: Seasons Change Wed Sep 11, 2013 10:35 pm

Biting back a groan of irritation, the Doctor turned to see what the commotion was coming from behind him and blinked at the sight of Ramona struggling in the grass as one of the creatures from the planet simply stared at her in what could only be described as bemusement. "Ramona, I told you, they were docile." He said conversationally as he strode back over, hands tucked away like normal as he studied the dog-like being in front of him. "Hello, I'm the Doctor, this is Robin and Ramona." He said cheerfully, gesturing to his two companions before leaning over and studying it closer with a sudden frown.

It looked like several small vines were growing from it's legs, it's yellow blood leaking down to the ground with each step it took. "Ah... Right." He murmured, his eyes trailing along the vine, tracing it along the grass until it disappeared into the pink farther back. "Time to move. Up you get, on your feet." He said, his tone still casual as he leaned down and helped Ramona to her feet by grasping her upper arm and pulling up until she stood once more. "Robin, Ramona, stay close. Don't touch anything and don't wander off." He said quietly, his sharp eyes darting around the field quickly until finally spotting a large vine growing from the ground not more than ten feet from where they stood.

Subject: Re: Seasons Change Wed Sep 11, 2013 10:42 pm

Robin was about to say something, but there was the Doctor, suddenly right next to them as always. Wow, did he always have timing this bad? Well, no... this wasn't necessarily bad... eh. Hand already reaching out to pat the dog on the head, she frowned as he gave the instructions, already following through with the action. "What? Why, what's wrong this..." She trailed off, seeing the vines in the poor creatures legs. "Oh God..." She backed up, glancing up at the Doctor, then back to the bloody plants. What.. but.. the dog seemed to happy! How was it just doing that while it was going through.. that! She shook her head, leaning forward and glancing at Ramona to make sure she didn't have anything growing out of her. Okay, good. "Doctor, what's going on? What is that?"

Subject: Re: Seasons Change Wed Sep 11, 2013 11:05 pm

She snorts shortly before pulling away from the Doctor and putting at least two feet between herself, Robin, and whatever that thing was and whatever was happening to it. She hadn't noticed it before, the yellow vines plunged into its legs, curling and twisting through different access points up the bone and into the shoulder. The hound like creature seemed perfectly at ease and yet when she looked closer at its eyes there was a hint of fear there. A symbiotic relationship maybe? Fear of fate catching up to it, dying? Who knew, but it made Ramona sad and she bit her lip.

"Should we... ya know" Or she hoped they knew. That was the first thing that came to mind upon seeing into its eyes, she had a hatred for seeing things suffer. Especially animals. Always the ones to come up last in the game of life, we thought we were so special. Ramona pursed her lips and despite the aching that lurched against her skull, reached out for the creature. If only, if only just to give it some comfort for whatever pain it may be feeling. As she did so she unconsciously stepped close to the Doctors side and found her fingers gently folding into the hem of his leather coat.

Subject: Re: Seasons Change Wed Sep 11, 2013 11:14 pm

Staring at the creature in thought, the Doctor didn't realize Ramona had stepped up next to him until a slight tug on his jacket finally called to his attention. Shifting his eyes over to look at her, he raised an amused eyebrow at her grip on his jacket and reached over, gently untangling her hand from the leather and gripping it in his hand lightly, offering her the only comfort he could giver her as he turned to look back at the dog like creature, watching as the vines steadily grew into the skin, causing the thing to whimper in sudden pain and collapse onto it's side, twitching slightly.

"Blimey... It grows fast. Look." He murmured under his breath, leaning forward slightly to study the oddly moving bulge under the skin as it waved about, steadily moving upwards towards the head. "I'm sorry." The Doctor said quietly to the FungiDog, his eyes locking onto it's as it looked up at him with a pleading expression in it's eyes before it's body seized up and fell still. Straightening back up again, he frowned at the body, his eyes slowly tracing the contours of the vine inside as it shifted around still. Before he could say anything more, it suddenly began sliding away from them into the grass, being pulled deeper into the pink until it vanished completely.

Subject: Re: Seasons Change Thu Sep 12, 2013 1:16 am

Robin watched the vine and its movements with wide eyes, taking a step back. "Doctor what just happened? That vine... i-it..." She trailed off, crossing her arms around herself. That was not pleasant. At all. Then a thought struck her, that they should keep checking the ground for any sign of the vines. Glancing down at her feet, she jumped, seeing one creeping towards her. "Doctor, we should go..." She risked a stomp on the vine before backing away from it, having it follow her slowly.

((terrible short reply, sorry))

Subject: Re: Seasons Change Thu Sep 12, 2013 10:28 am

It was like a locomotive had been let loose in her chest, raging against her ribs and struggling to force its way through. Ramona was quite firmly scared of the whole thing but that just wasn't hard to do these days. After their first excursion and her encounters with Siren she'd made a point of training herself for moments like these. Needless to say running had become her best friend, that and utter silence which she was still working on. Still she'd thought that maybe, just maybe she'd have a little better control over the settings by now, turning the knobs to keep the fear on a lesser level and yet she found it slipping through the cracks. Her eyes were wide and puckering with the moisture being drawn from them, but she dared not close them, not even to blink.

The vines were slowly emerging from the ground, shoving fresh, maroon earth out of their way to reach up for Robins legs and feet. Was this a feeding habit of theirs? Didn't they just have a dog? She grimaced at the memory and her grip tightened on the- When did she come to hold his hand? Confusion worked it's way under her skin like an itch and Ramona drew her hand away from his, eyeing it suspiciously before looking down at her own. Like a child just discovering that her fingers didn't disappear just because she couldn't see them. Just as quickly that hand was back inside of his own and she was tugging as hard as possible, gold eyes locked onto the stunted huts in the distance. It was just down the hill a ways there! More-so she was interested in escaping the massive yellow thing that erupted in a volcano of moss, pink grass, and gelatinous dirt not ten feet away from them. She didn't bother trying to pinpoint anything special, she was ready to be gone. And she felt like Robin and the Doctor might want that too. Maybe.

Subject: Re: Seasons Change Thu Sep 12, 2013 3:25 pm

The Doctor was staring, mesmerized by the plant as it stealthily made it's way towards them, it's vines reaching out as it crept along the ground until a sharp tug on his hand jerked his attention away. "Ah, right. Right. Off we go, unless you want to be eaten by a plant, then by all means, stay behind." He said quickly, his other hand reaching out and grabbing Robin's hand, tugging her along behind him, his feet crunching across the grass as he jogged along, keeping them ahead of the plant, his eyes moving towards the buildings up ahead and already spotting the closest. "Come on, keep up, move your feet. Honestly, you've been around for a few thousand years and still can't run without tripping!"

Subject: Re: Seasons Change Thu Sep 12, 2013 3:46 pm

Robin yelped as she was dragged along behind the Doctor, away from the vines. Yanking her hand free, she huffed and puffed as she tried to keep up. "Not everyone's a super fast Time Lord, Doctor!" She called, wanting to sound more witty but not bothering to out in the effort while running like she was. Finally reaching a building, she darted inside after the other two, immediately checking to see how safe this place would really be. The first thing she noticed was that it was a bit primitive... And there was no floor. Great. "Um... Doctor? It's still ground..." Climbing up and sitting on the first high surface she saw, being a counter, she crossed her legs on top of it. It would probably reach up here, but oh well it worked for now. Whoever owned the small home must have left much earlier. In a hurry, too. The place was a mess.

Subject: Re: Seasons Change Thu Sep 12, 2013 4:02 pm

Ramona perched atop the counter in a far corner, Robin only a few feet away and the Doctor trying to find a spot that would hold his weight. And with good reason! The place was a lot more... primitive than she's expected. She'd almost expected something like her first planet, mundane dirt and wood on the outside, something bright, shiny, and metal on the inside. Alas her hopes were dashed and she was left with a sensation of hanging, mind clawing at something useful that might help them, help her. Dirt stained her backside and chipped off down her hoodie, making her squirm and itch at the sides, she didn't dare take it off though, or lift it. You might say she wasn't all there at this point in time, clothing-wise speaking and suddenly she was flushed. She hated dirt in her close, more so down her pants and that's just where it was going. Somewhere she hoped Robin got some in her pants to.

Subject: Re: Seasons Change Thu Sep 12, 2013 4:11 pm

"What do you expect from fungi-dogs? Chrome? Tiles? They have no hands, Robin." The Doctor murmured, his sarcastic comment coming out more biting than he intended and flashed a smile over at the girl to ease the tension before resuming his pace around the small hut, his eyes studying the floor. "Ah, right, I know, hold on a 'mo." He said suddenly, crouching down and pulling his sonic out, fiddling with the settings quickly before pressing it to the middle of the dirt floor and turning it on, ignoring the odd tingle he felt on the bottoms of his feet from the residual effect while standing on the dirt.

"Resonance, packed the dirt to near-rock hardness." He finally said, standing up and stamping a heavy boot against the floor, grinning widely at the hard impact it made. "It's fine, I'll work on the walls, you girls stand in the middle there and keep an eye out while I'm working, yeah. Eyes open, don't even move from the middle." The Doctor stated firmly, pointing the sonic at them with a sharp look before turning to the wall beside him and running his hands along the surface, searching for a crack to patch before doing the same thing he had done to the floor.

Subject: Re: Seasons Change Fri Sep 13, 2013 3:31 pm

((Mom took my iPod, this is the only reply I'll have time to make today :/))

Robin nodded, jumping off the counter and hurrying to the middle of the room. Oh, wow. Okay, yeah, definitely different flooring now. Hopefully enough to keep the vines out. Spinning slowly to keep an eye out for the creatures, she found the place mostly sound, if not fixable... And then there was the door. Problem? Um, yeah, cause there wasn't one. Just a big gaping hole in the side. "Too late to run somewhere else? Maybe even the TARDIS?" She asked, pointing out the gap. It probably was too late, those things would be there any second, and there was no way they could all outrun that thing and make it back. Of course, there was always that rude comment about having to be faster than the others with you, but there was no way either of them could beat the Doctor there, and Ramona was a grown woman. Didn't take much thought to know that wasn't hopeful.

Subject: Re: Seasons Change Fri Sep 13, 2013 5:36 pm

She slipped quietly down from the shelf, testing her wait tentatively on the now hardened ground. There was definitely a change in the composition, something more compact that sent pins and needles through her spine. Her thighs gradually began to tingle and burn and she was suddenly more aware than ever how hard she'd been running. She was quick, fast and if on flat ground might have been able to keep up with the Doctor. But with that grass it was just an excersize trying, even out of necessity. She sighed shortly and brushed the hair out of her eyes, glancing over to the Doctor and watched him as he strode around in small circles, checking everything twice for malfunction. Though Robin did have a point. The door was rather wide open and unattended.

Ramona pursed her lips and tugged at the hair that bounded across her shoulder.

Subject: Re: Seasons Change Sun Sep 15, 2013 10:25 am

Looking over his shoulder, the Doctor studied the opening with a slight frown then cast a slightly sheepish smile at the two girls. "Ah. Right." He murmured, striding back over to the opening and crouching down to study it closer. "Hm... I can't close it up, we'd be stuck inside an airtight room. I have a respiratory bypass, but it only works for so long, not to mention you two don't. We'll just have to keep an eye on it, now won't we?" He said brightly, trying to turn their dark situation into a better one as he flashed a bright grin in their direction.

Turning back to look out into the light, the Doctor watched the village curiously. Not a single soul was present. Nothing moved besides the leaves of small trees as a gentle wind blew through the vacant walkways. "Seems we're alone here. Whatever those plants are, they've wiped out this village and moved on. The ones we saw in the meadow were possibly stragglers left behind. Seems to be some sort of advanced growth that caused it's sudden attack on the species here. Seems to thrive in a living body more than the ground... Seeded inside from either breathing it or might be brought into the bloodstream through small cuts... Pollen or spores..." He trailed off and looked over at Ramona and Robin with a worried flash across his face. "Check for any cuts on exposed skin, make sure there is nothing at all."

Subject: Re: Seasons Change Sun Sep 15, 2013 2:52 pm

Robin frowned, glancing out the door nervously before checking herself for anything. She knew she had the brand on her cheek, but she highly doubted that counted as a cut. Looking over her arms, she found no red marks. Good so far, then. Checking her legs, she instantly regretted wearing shorts. "I have a few scrapes from the grass, but I don't think anything is bleeding. That wouldn't count as a cut right?" She really hoped it wouldn't, because what just happened to that dog did not look pleasant. Casting a nervous look at the Doctor, her eyes flickered over to Ramona, who, even though she had a bit more covered, she hoped wouldn't find anything.

Subject: Re: Seasons Change Sun Sep 15, 2013 8:38 pm

Ramona scrunched up her nose and intertwined her fingers within the hem of her hoodie, curling them under to brush comfortingly at the flesh there. She'd always made a habit of wearing as little as possible and earlier in the library she'd come to regret it. Books made nasty cuts when they wanted too but she doubted it was anything worse than Robin had. Still she wheezed out a nervous breath and tested the bandage that rested on her right hip. And she found herself casting a weary glance from as far up as she could go to her toes. Nothing except the typical holes and rips in her pants, not even grass cuts from running. Her eyes traveled to Robin and she cast the girl a small smile before wandering back toward the shelf. Running her hands along it's edge and feeling the small grains of sand get stuck in her palms. It was a great reminder to let you know that everything was real, and there was always the chance of dying. Bet it was great to be the Doctor right about then.

Subject: Re: Seasons Change Sun Sep 15, 2013 9:04 pm

"Right... I'm not sure about your cuts..." The Doctor murmured, eyeing her legs for a moment then absently scratching the back of his own leg from a small twinge of sympathy. "Just tell me if you feel any itching or burning, pain of any sort actually." He added, turning his sharp gaze onto Robin's face before looking over at Ramona, giving the girl a once-over before nodding his approval and turning back over to the door, watching as a couple bits of cloth and paper drifted across the walkway.

"That plant can't be native here. I would remember hearing accounts of anything like this. Nothing, nothing at all comes to mind. Best suggestion would be that someone introduced it into the planet's ecosystem then left it here... Most likely didn't warn the natives either." He said idly, thinking over everything he learned since their arrival a few moments ago, his eyebrows drawn together in thought. "Did either of you see anything odd besides the plants? And the dogs, I mean strange that looked like it shouldn't be here."

Subject: Re: Seasons Change Sun Sep 15, 2013 9:47 pm

Robin crossed her arms, trying to keep the thought of pain or itching out of her head. It was like in grade school, if the teacher said there were lice, the whole class started itching their heads. Right now she wouldn't be able to tell that apart from real itching, so she had to think about something else. Like the vines. Yes. That was something. So was the thought of unnatural life forms. Aliens. There. Think about that. "I don't think I saw anything, just the dogs and vines. Even if I did, I don't know what the local species are. You see anything?" She asked, turning to Ramona. Hopefully not, the vines were enough to deal with on their own.

Subject: Re: Seasons Change Sun Sep 15, 2013 11:38 pm

Ramona gave a half-hearted shrug from her spot near the corner before turning back to her own little world. Plants, strange planets, noxious weeds- sounded a lot like Britain and America once upon a time. She swore up and down through middle school that it wasn't just coincidence that all these plants and crazy animals were dragged across the pond. It was secretly a form of natural warfare, but of course her teacher threw that idea out the window. Dumb teachers, they didn't know anything if she had to say. Her teachers were still dumb and getting dumber, the nun-woman tried to claim that aliens didn't exist. Boy did Ramona have a wake-up call for her... plus some other dirt on the woman she had carefully hidden away. Who knew when she'd need it. Ramona absently lifted her hoodie enough to finger her bandage again, giving the Doctor and Robin a glance before pulling it back down. They were engrossed amongst themselves and she didn't want to alarm anyone. It was a covered wound anyhow.

"Sulfurous sediment, sure that wasn't good for the people here," she gave a small chuckle.

Subject: Re: Seasons Change Sun Sep 15, 2013 11:43 pm

"May not be good for you, but other species find it highly nutritional." The Doctor said absently, his fingers drumming on the side of the entry way as he studied the outside with a small frown of concentration. "As long as we can find a way through that meadow without being wrapped up by those vines, then we should be alright..." He murmured quietly, thinking out loud as he debated on what they should do rather than just stand there, he hated standing. Blimey, how long had they been in there anyway?

Turning to look at Robin and Ramona, he flashed them a grin before flipping his Sonic into the air over at the older girl then tossing his Jacket over at Robin. "Be back in a 'mo. Have to check something, setting 43 ought to keep them at bay, if not, fiddle with them until you come up with something that stops them. In case they show, that is." He said quickly, crouching down to tie his boots a bit tighter to his legs and running a hand over his head. "I have to check on something. If I don't get back in about ten minutes, I want you to run back to the TARDIS. Robin, you have your key, get inside, then find that green button I warned you about last week. Press it and emergency programming will kick in and send the both of you back home."

Then without waiting for them to reply, he turned and strode out of the small hut towards the center of the town before pausing a few feet away and turning back. "Don't leave this hut for ten minutes. I mean it, Do. Not. Leave." Lifting a hand, he pointed it at them with narrowed eyes before flashing them a grin and vanishing around the corner.

» Time to change
» A change of mind
» A change in pace?
» A Change in Plans
» change of heart