I'm Only Slightly Mental

Taking a deep breath of fresh air, Sonya stood just outside of the TARDIS doors with a slight smile on her face. It had been years, thirty of them in fact, since she had been on Earth. That day still fresh in her mind as she strode away from the blue box she had called home for every single day of those years. The Doctor was busy tinkering away with Lady and for once, she just wanted to wander around on familiar territory instead of bickering with him about how he was doing the wrong thing with the wrong tool yet again. Besides, a quiet walk ought to ease her mind as it constantly went over the painful memories that had been awakened in her. Tucking her hands into her pockets, she shook her head with a slight smile while turning a corner and walking along through the crowds of people, completely loosing herself in the simple pleasure of being back on Earth.

Stopping suddenly, Sonya sniffed the air with wide eyes. Coffee, she smelled coffee, and not just any coffee, the best coffee on the planet. That could only mean she was near a rather painful place in her memory as she slowly turned to face the cafe. This was her last happy memory, and even though the images were colored brightly with laughter and smiles, it still came with painful thoughts over how things had gone so wrong so quickly. Widowed only a month after at her own hands... Her husband dead and without a single chance to really enjoy marriage. Her neck twitched slightly, jerking her head to the side in a tic of irritation before crossing the road and wandering into the cafe. A cup couldn't hurt, a small cup of steaming coffee to warm her and chase away the cold thoughts that plagued her over the past few years. Ducking her head down slightly, she slid into her usual booth, hands tapping on the table in front of her absently as she waited for someone to stop and ask what she wanted. As long as no one she knew stopped by, she was sure it wouldn't be too bad. After all, the Doctor didn't even know she left, she just wanted to walk, that was all.

With a soft sigh, she cupped her chin in her hands and closed her eyes, ignoring the odd looks sent her way at their color as they flashed slightly. Even with the Child gone from her, they stayed that blasted golden color, no doubt would cause several bad reactions should she run into anyone she met while in that state. A slight shudder wracked her body at the thought of Robin. Poor Robin, how could she do such a thing then even dare to hope that the young girl would forgive her? Shaking her head, Sonya opened her eyes again and stared at the printed wood pattern on the table she rested her elbows on, studying it for a moment, lost in thought over the cautioning words the Doctor had given her just before they landed. In truth, it was only a pit stop before they went off somewhere else again. He was worried about her need to run, her need to wander and not be cooped up and warned her against leaving. Of course she didn't listen, but then again when did she listen to him? He was pushy and irritating lately, telling her she couldn't search out her friends just yet, she had to wait, wait until she was completely better.

And honestly, she felt fine, still a bit irritated at how slow she was when it came to certain topics, but in total, she was only mentally twenty years off from her physical age, there were a few gaps in her memory that wouldn't be filled in for another few months, if not another year at least. But once they were filled in, she could go off on her own again and do as she liked. In truth, she knew the Doctor was only worried about her immature reaction to many things, in fact she was startled herself with the odd memories that popped up. A husband, she found that out herself one day while sitting in the library, pouring over a book about Gallifrey history. Then the crushing realization of what had happened to him appeared in her mind right after and sent her into hysterics to the point of where the Doctor found her curled up on the floor, rocking back and forth with tears coating her face. Sonya later found herself waking up in the Med bay once again with a very agitated Doctor scolding her about unlocking memories she didn't have yet too early. Of course she didn't mean to, it just happened really, but he just gave her that look that told her just how stressed he was with her situation then left her alone for the rest of the day. Idly, she reached up and played with a bit of her hair, still staring at the table in front of her as she slipped farther away into her thoughts, completely ignoring the outside world and time as it slowly passed her by.

((Mah sistah! She returns! *glomp*))

Robin sighed, ignoring the looks she got from others as they passed her. Forget them, she could sit on this bench if she wanted, and if they had a problem with her being upside down, it was none of their business. Her send relaxed, crossed over her stomach as she stared at the people as they passed. The Doctor was late. Again. Not a big deal, though, people watching was fun. Some of the tattoos she saw in the past hour alone had made her almost choke trying not to laugh. Then one figure caught her eye. She couldn't see them clearly... But she saw her eyes. Her golden eyes. Oh god... Was it Sonya? Could it be? Would she even bother with coffee anymore? Well on one hand, if it wasn't her, it was probably some sort of alien. On the other... There was no telling what kind of damage she could have planned. But... It was Sonya. Could she dare face her again without getting killed or abducted? Sucking in a sharp breath, she flipped over onto the side walk, pretending she didn't hit her head on the way down. No matter who that was, she had enough reason to investigate. The Doctor could wait. Crossing her arms, she but her lip, starting her stroll into the shop. At the very least, she could snag a doughnut.

Once inside, she immediately began searching for the figure from earlier. Her heart picked up the pace as she spotted her, forcing her legs to move her over there. It wasn't going to be that bad. She wasn't defenseless.... Eyeing the woman cautiously, she debated reaching over and tapping her shoulder. No, she'd get herself in trouble that way, Sonya or not. Closing her eyes and letting out a low breath, she forced her voice above a whisper. "Sonya?" There. Loud enough for her to hear yet quiet enough to ignore if it happened to be someone else. Thinking over what she just did, she held her breath, counting to 3 before quietly trying to slip away. Unless she turned around. Then she'd have to face her torturer. Oh God what did she just do?

Lucius had rarely spent his days in London. It was busy, big, scary, but homey. The orphanage had made one of their rare bus trips to the city though Lucius had lost the group a long time ago. At least he knew where to go and what time to go there, he just hoped his supervisors didn't call the cops before then. He was walking down the streets, weaving around the lanky people rushing down the pavement as he searched for a shop of interest. It didn't take him much longer for the bright yellow sign of a candy shop came into view. After checking for traffic, he ran across and passed people who were rushing out of a building with coffee in hand.

Pushing open the door, Lucius began to browse the buckets and buckets full of addicting sugar, salivating and trying to calculate how he could spend his money to get the largest quantity of candy.

Sonya froze at the familiar voice that softly spoke her name. The very voice she wished/denied was really there as she slowly turned her head to face the younger girl, carefully shaking her bangs into her eyes so the gold color wouldn't be as noticed behind the filter of her hair. "Hi, Robin..." She murmured quietly then quickly looked away again, unable to stand the sight of that blasted collar and brand standing out like a neon sign stating what she had done to her. Vividly, she went over each memory that had came forward over the past month. Her torture, her words... Hunching her shoulders slightly, she tried to ignore the girl and appear smaller than she was, wanting her to leave but at the same time wishing she would stay. It had been so long since she saw anyone she knew besides the Doctor, she craved the contact but knew things like this wouldn't go over well with anyone.

"Just here for a quick visit then off I go again." She said idly, still staring at the table in front of her, hands nervously playing with the cup in front of her as she struggled against the urge to look up at the young girl beside her again. To see her face, to look in her eyes, just one more look, one more then you can go. Just a quick glance, she won't even see your eyes if you did it... Shaking her head sharply, Sonya got to her feet and tossed a few notes onto the table next to her unfinished cup and strode towards the doors only to bump into a small boy. "Sorry..." Sonya murmured quietly, casting a side-glance over at him before pushing the door open and striding out into the sun.

Robin stopped her retreat at the sound of her voice. She simply stared, having no idea what to say to the woman. She sounded so... Upset. But Sonya didn't get emotions anymore. So what was this? Just a trick to get her to come after her again? The voice, that she could have replicated easily. But the small glomps she got of her face told her this must be real. Why, though? Why? Was she suddenly sorry for what she had done? As she stop to leave, she found herself spinning to watch, but not following. Hm. Alright, so far it didn't look like she'd get killed, and se wasn't going to leave her sad like this. At least not thinking she was mad at her. Scared, at least. Taking a deep breath, she raced out the doors after her, knowing she'd regret this later if she accidentally made it worse. "Sonya!"

Lucius had gathered as much as he could in those white paper bags, going to the cashier and paying a full ten pounds worth of goods. He left the shop with a grin plastered on his face as he walked in the direction he came. He was just about to pass the café when some lady ran into him. The impact caused him to stumble though he managed upright, only his bag fell and spilt some of the contents onto the dirty ground. Well, that was a darn shame. Lucius stood staring at it a few seconds longer before bending down and picking up the bag, careful to shake the uncontaminated pieces back into place so he could indulge on them later. He stared after the woman, curious as to why everyone was always in a rush. Why couldn't they just pause and enjoy the moment as it came to them? Rushing only meant the time you have now will be over quickly without it ever being appreciated.

Kicking as the dust, he turned his head to peer into the shop only to see a familiar redhead. It was at the sight of her that he was uncertain what to do. So he simply stood there, waiting to see if she would notice him or not.

Sonya hesitated for a moment, tempted to turn around and respond to Robin's voice. Just as she was about to do just that, a car honked, jerking her from the thoughts that resounded in her head. Shaking it quickly, she turned and strode across the street, trying to put some distance between her and Robin. Why did she have to follow her? Wasn't it obvious that she should just go home, get away from her. She was dangerous to anyone and ought to just go lock herself away in her room on the TARDIS, away from all of these innocent people, away from them so she wouldn't end up rubbing off her darkness.

Ducking her head down, Sonya turned into the park there and began strolling along the pathways, not really caring where she was going but the only thing on her mind was to loose the younger girl behind her before she caught up. Then again, she did have shorter legs, it wouldn't be too hard to loose her if she just focused on where she was going rather than wandering aimlessly.

Robin slowed to a stop before she reached the street, completely unsure if what she should do. Eyes wide, she spun around, looking for something to explain what the hell was going on with Sonya before spotting Tyler holding a bag of something outside the cafe. Brilliant! "Tyler! Come 'ere!" her voice sounded frantic as she jerked around to see just a slice of Sonya's retreating form. Well crap. Groaning in frustration, she took off after her, sprinting as fast as she could as not to lose her. Something was obviously wrong, and if there was any hope that Sonya was back to herself, she was going to seize it. Arms coming up to block branches of trees as she took a quick shortcut towards the Time Lord, she completely forgot about wanting Tyler to help her a moment ago. Finally seeing a path to loop around and cut the woman off, she took it, her breaths labored as she forced herself to keep going. She had to talk to her, she just had to. Frustration growing as Sonya took an unexpected turn, she sped up, nearly crashing into her as she finally caught up. "Sonya! What... What happened? What's going on?" She choked out as she fought to catch her breath, hand already gripping Sonya's arm.

Lucius blinked as Robin emerged from the shop and beckoned him over. Her tone was alarming and caused him to perk, looking around right along with the redhead as if he knew what she was looking for. Whatever it was, it must be important. And suddenly, she was shooting off in a seemingly random direction. He yelped and clutched his bag of goods tightly in his right fist as he sprinted after her. It was at times like these he was glad he did not lack in the physical capability area. Robin was always in sight and he only had to dodge branches that were swinging back at him to keep her that way. The turn was unexpected, causing Lucius to skid as he changed his direction to keep up. Though the girl managed to stop before running into Sonya, Lucius ran right into the back of her and had the wind knocked out of him.

As he recovered he paced back a couple of steps so there was a comfortable distance between the three of them. Lucius' eyes trailed up to Sonya and he recognized her as the girl who he ran into. Literally. Twice in one day, that was something new. "Robin...?"

Once Robin touched her arm, Sonya froze completely, unwilling to move away even though her mind screamed at her to do it anyhow. "Robin, let me go, please." She said quietly, struggling to keep the strain in her voice low for the boy's sake as he stared at them. "What I did... Its unforgivable. I don't want to see your face because of the memories that will come with it." Pulling on her arm gently, she tugged away from the younger girl's grip and stepped away from her, hands tucked into jacket pockets and eyes staring firmly at the ground. "I wasn't right in the head then. I'm nearly better now, it's a long story but you don't need to know it. Now just go. Take your little friend here and just go."

With that said, Sonya turned away from her friend and began walking down the path again, wishing silently that she would listen to her for just this one time and walk away but knowing deep in her gut that she wouldn't. She'd just run after her again and repeat the process until she broke. Biting viciously down on her lower lip, Sonya stopped it from trembling as she strode along, her eyes remaining fixed on the ground, watching her shoes as they continued moving with each step she took away from Robin.

Robin rolled her eyes, taking Tyler by the hand and dragging him along slow enough to keep Sonya in her sight but not fast enough to catch up until she explained a bit. "Tyler, that's Sonya, she's an old friend of mine. She did a bit of a bad thing and now she's running away from it," she mumbled under her breath. Dropping the boy's hand she hurried in front of Sonya and took hers, trying to get her to look at her. "Sonya, stop walking away from me. Just listen, just for a second. You just admitted it yourself! You used to be wrong in the head. I know that you, properly thinking you, would never do something like that to me. Look me in the eye and tell me you'd actually do that, go ahead, try it." She stared up at her, running over her current theory of her being back to herself in her head. If she really was lying, then both her and Tyler were dead.

Lucius blinked several times as he observed the behaviour of both. Obviously the two of them had a history of some sort since the lady was talking about unforgivable actions. No one had to even tell him what they were talking about since Robin's collar and branding came to mind. Was this the lady who marked the redhead as a pet? Why had she done it if she was so distraught about it now? Was she under the influence of a substance? Maybe even brainwashed? Perhaps the lady had some mental instability issue? Right in the head... so it was either substances or an illness. That settled that question.

The lady had began to walk away again, causing Lucius to feel sympathy towards her obvious grief. People like that just needed lots of love. "She did all of that to you, didn't she?" He already drew that assumption but always loved clarification just in case you got it wrong and go a long time thinking the wrong things.

He had went along when his hand along, kept his legs moving still even when his hands were dropped. Lucius wasn't too sure where they were though he was sure he could find his way back if he needed to. It was odd, he wasn't sure what brought it on since he was usually the first to avoid contact... but he walked up finally and hugged Sonya around her legs since he was too short to reach anywhere else.

Sonya blinked up at Robin, finally allowing her gold eyes to drift up from the dirty pavement so she could study her one-time friend in detail. Still that same pair of eyes, the same face... That brand, then the collar. Seeing those two things sent another wave of fresh guilt and self-loathing through her as she backed up a step only to feel a pair of arms collide with her legs. "Oh!" Sonya exclaimed in surprise, looking down at the small boy as he hugged her tightly, confusion flashing across her face at his reaction. He had no idea who she was, why on earth was he hugging her, for that matter, why was Robin running around with a little boy this age anyway? The Doctor was a bad influence after all.

Grimacing slightly, she reached down and managed to detangle herself from the boy's grip, crouching down with her hands still gently circled around his wrists as she studied him quietly. He looked familiar, smelled it too, almost, a small hint of something from her past but she couldn't place it. Shaking her head, Sonya straightened back up to face Robin once more with a deep breath. "If I did it before, Robin, then it means I hold the capacity to do it again. DO you honestly want to risk that?"

"So?! I hold the capacity to commit murder, doesn't mean I'm going to! Look at yourself! Right now, would you WANT to hurt me? Don't side step that either by tellin me you can. I want to know if you WANT to hurt me." Robin crossed her arms as she tried to get Sonya to just think. Honestly, just because you could do something didn't mean you were going to. Otherwise everyone would be dead. Somehow she was different now, and if she could stand here and talk to her, that was something on its own. "What makes you think you'd do it again?" Her eyes flickered down to Tyler as she waited for an answer, a ghost of a smile drifting across her face at his help.

Lucius tilted his head when Sonya got to his level, studying her gold eyes with intense curiosity. Not many people had yellow eyes unless they had scurvy.. but people rarely got that now-a-days anyway. But this yellow was different, different then the yellow of Robin's eyes too. He wanted to know why and how they were this colour. The lady had stood up by now, leaving him to just watch her and dwell on his questions he knew would be inappropriate to ask at this time. And if he couldn't ask now he might never get the chance since there was no telling they'd run into this Sonya person again.

"You may not have that Robin, but I don't have any inhibitions that would stop me from reaching over and simply slapping you across the face." Sonya snapped at the girl, already itching to do so as she clenched the hand that twitched slightly from her statement. "Things happened after you were gone. And now, half of the things I do, I don't even realize whats happening until it's been done and over with for a while." Closing her eyes, she let out a slow, shaky sigh, trying to relax, trying to remind herself they were in a very public park and not a lot of people standing or walking around them would like to see a grown woman slap a child across the face.

Opening her gold eyes again, she narrowed them at Robin, thinking over several different things she could say before turning to look at Tyler, a small, unwilling smile flickering across her face at his serious expression. Too young for a face like that, but still adorable. "How would you feel if I were to snap again and take what I took out on you, but used him instead?" She asked suddenly, waving a hand at the boy as she turned her attention back to Robin. "Made him hate whoever was in his life simply because I was tired and bored of being alone at the time and I wanted someone to follow me around because they felt like they owed me?"

Robin shook her head frantically, not wanting to hear a word about that, even after all this. Reaching down, she pulled Tyler up and stepped in front of him protectively. "Don't be daft! You wouldn't hurt him! Y-You couldn't!" Whether she was convincing Sonya or simply going into denial, she didn't know nor care. Tears stung her eyes as she tried to blink them away, this conversation clearly upsetting her. She just wanted Sonya to say she was fine, just to show she wasn't that demon anymore. Now that she'd heard this, though, it seemed like that was her all along. Not her big sister. Not her best friend. Just a monster. Taking a step back, she pushed Tyler with her, trying to focus on keeping him safe rather than getting false statements from the Time Lord.

"Why would I listen to you?" Lucius asked Sonya, unable to keep quiet any longer. He was a patient person but things were going downhill between the two girls so he thought he would squeeze his way in there to lift up some of the emotionally heavy load. The question was asked in curiosity and not in defiance. "And I don't think you would hurt me. If you tried I'd try and stop it anyway.."

Sonya seemed like the kind of person who did do bad things, but regretted it. Wasn't it the same with people in prison? Sure, they committed crimes and sometimes they recommitted them several times, having been to prison in and out throughout their whole lives. But there were people who do what they do because drugs or alcohol had changed them, caused them to become psychotic in a way.... maybe Sonya was the same. She was trying to get rid of them so her guilt would be suppressible again.

"I'm sure I could do what I wanted to you before you even had a chance to realize what it was." Sonya murmured quietly, her eyes dropping back down to Tyler with a slightly curious expression crossing her face. Again that sense of familiar/not familiar crossed her mind before she shook her head and glanced around the area, hands fiddling with the edges of her coat, unable to keep still for too long as she shifted from foot to foot. "Robin, I don't plan on things like this, but they happen and I have no control over it. I hold myself back on a daily basis, eventually that hold will get weak and I don't know what will happen then... The Doctor says it's because my mind isn't complete yet, suppose it's not, missing too many memories still." With a shrug, Sonya turned back to Robin with a low sigh, knowing full well staying and talking wouldn't help her get away any better.

Robin suddenly felt like an idiot. An idiot and a jerk. Like when you try to get your sick friend to come hang out anyway. "Sonya... I'm sorry... I... I guess if it'll be better for you, then... You should leave..." Letting go of Tyler, she moved forward and wrapped the woman in a hug. God, if she would have known her memories were missing, she'd never of done all this. Sighing, she backed out of the embrace and looked up at her friend. "Promise you won't just leave me forever? I can't just go around without knowing you're okay. As soon as your mind's back in order, you come find me, okay?" She smiled weakly, oh so happy just to see her in this state at the very least. For a while she thought she'd never get her back, but this simple meeting put that much of her mind at ease. Glancing over her shoulder at Tyler, she sighed, having no idea how to get back to where they just were. Oh well, that wasn't so bad. "... I forgive you..." She murmured back to the Time Lady before strolling over and ruffling the boy's hair. "Any idea where we are?"

Lucius exhaled heavily and scratched his head as Sonya and Robin finished up. He didn't respond to Sonya though he could have, instead choosing to back out and let the two reach some form of closure so they could part on their way. He stood there kicking at ground, listening to the words being passed idly until his hair was ruffled. It was funny how people always messed up little people's hair. Was it just because he was short enough to reach? Did they think he liked it? Or maybe it was a sign of affection? It didn't matter, he was just brushing his hair back into place anyway.

"No, I don't know where we are." He murmured, looking over at Sonya and knowing that was their sign to head out. It was a shame, Lucius wanted to know more about this lady and why she had such interesting eyes.

Robin's eyes widened at the click sounding behind her head. Did she just... Standing up straight, her hands rushed to her neck. Nope, no more collar. "Thank you.." She giggled in disbelief, feeling sort of empty where the contraption once was. And she said she didn't have control, yeah right. That on it's own, that was proof enough for her to forgive her. Eyes suck on the metal contraption in her hand, she sighed. "Well... best be off... Thank you, really." Offering one last smile, she began to turn around and take Tyler back to where ever they actually were. Leaning down and mumbling into his ear, she whispered, "You remember her directions, right? Cause I have no idea."

((awkward, choppy, and short. but since there's still supposed to be a thing and my brain is being stupid, there ya go.))

Lucius gave his head a slight tilt as he watched the exchange, eyeing the collar in Sonya's hand when it was removed. It must feel good to have it off... yet Lucius was curious what it would be like to wear a marking like that. Would he personally feel trapped by it or secured? Well, it didn't matter since he didn't exactly want to test it out this second.

Robin started to walk in the direction they came so he followed, glancing back at Sonya as he did so. "Yeah, I remember. Go this way and turn left when you get to the real busy street. Are we just leaving her now? Where will she go?"

Sonya stared at the collar in her hand for a moment longer before tucking it away in her jacket pocket and turning to watch the two walk away, torn between running after them and turning to walk away. A pained expression crossed her face as they grew farther away, her eyes shifting from the path she planned on walking along then back to Robin and the younger boy repeatedly. Then with a low sigh, she turned away from them and began walking away, her shoes scuffing the sidewalk with each step she took, dragging them along slightly. Before she got too many steps away, a sudden explosion rocked the ground she stood on, nearly knocking her off of her feet.

"What the-" She swore, spinning around in time to see a plume of smoke rising in the distance, ahead of where Robin and the boy were walking.