ArchivedLogs:Time Lords

Time Lords
Dramatis Personae Micah, Ducky	31 December 2014 Possible sliiight Doctor Who Christmas Special spoiler, but it is only a vague reference. Nevertheless. ^_^ (Part of the Future Past TP.)
Location <NYC> Harbor Commons - Media Room - Lower East Side
Though this sound-proofed room comes equipped with the same complement of bright airy windows as most of the rest of the rooms around here, it /also/ comes with thick heavy blackout curtains for them, easily drawn to reduce the glare on the myriad screens around the place. The place of honor in the room goes to an enormous flatscreen television mounted on one wall; beneath there are a number of video game consoles hooked up to it and shelving to either side of the television holds an assortment of DVDs on the right and an assortment of video games on the left. There's plentiful seating with views of the television, in the form of wide microsuede couches and enormous squishy beanbags (plenty big enough to share) scattered around the floor. A mini-fridge up here stands beside one cabinet, both often kept stocked with snacks and (generally highly caffeinated) drinks. Across to the other side of the room there are comfortable armchairs and smaller tables, with plenty of outlets available for those who want to plug their computers in and work or play. Four common-use desktops sit on desks against the wall, accessible to any resident with a login. Winter is reasserting itself at year's end, bitter-chill and windy outside despite the sun making every effort to brighten and warm. At the very least, the windows are providing plentiful light. Micah is wrapped up snug against the cold: Batsignal hoodie over Flutterbat tee over charcoal henley and lined jeans, topped off with a pair of knitted Wishbear wristwarmers. His hair has a hasn't been paid much mind muss to it, testament to a non-workday. As he wanders into the media room, his eyes are already busy going over the floor in front of him, peering under furniture, finally leading him to a couch to dig through a quilt that had been left there. Success locates him one copper-and-green sonic screwdriver replica, with working lights and sounds (naturally...one simply /must/ push the button on such things when picking them up). One of the beanbag chairs in the common area is currently occupied, a small figure wrapped up in an oversized bright green hoodie and at least one blanket with little cartoon birds dancing all over the blue fabric. Even though Ducky does not initially look up when Micah enters the room, her attention focused on a graphic novel held open on her lap, though the dappled gray and white pigeon on her shoulder does track the movement. Ducky's hair is a bit of a crumpled mess, just beyond the point of being intentionally tousled. The sound from the sonic screw driver does finally get her to look up, blinking several times curiously, and tilting her head to the side (a movement echoed by the bird). "Found what you were looking for, or has The Doctor been through hiding stuff?" she asks, her voice quiet and lilting. Micah's single-minded searching /might/ have written Ducky off as a pile of blankets on the beanbag. He startles a little...aiming the sonic at her as if this would do a thing, then blushing brilliant-red and tucking the toy into his hoodie pocket. “Yes. Um...no. Just Spence. He'd lost his Eleventh. I thought I remembered 'im playin' with it while he was watchin' the Christmas special last night. We was a little late in gettin' to it.” Finally finishing his awkward shifting from foot to foot, he perches on the arm of the couch nearest to the girl. “Apologies if I interrupted your readin'.” Ducky blinks repeatedly when the screwdriver is pointed at her, tired eyes looking between Micah and the glowing green end of the screwdriver. Perhaps a little bit belatedly, she giggles, and tilts her head the opposite way, "Are you, um, trying to reverse my polarity, or just gonna assemble a cabinet at me?" She giggles again, resettling herself in the bean bag chair and setting aside the comic, "Ah, apologies, kinda seen a lot of it lately, been on marathon. A lot. Watched way more of it than I ever did 'fore." Ruffling her hair, Ducky shrugs, "S'ok. Kinda was just half reading it, not really paying that much attention. I think I saw the Christmas special. Was kinda a blur of episodes. Couldn't sleep, so watched TV. S'what you're supposed to do when you don't wanna sleep, right?" The giggle only serves to deepen Micah's blush to a rather impressive crimson. “No, just. Reflex. Apologies.” He manages a grin somewhere between sheepish and playful here, a hand moving to the back of his head to scruff at his hair. “S'an easy enough show t'binge watch. Sure done it m'self enough times. Though with that particular episode I could get the not sleepin' thing.” /His/ head tilts right back at her. “Couldn't an' don't wanna're two dif'rent things. Sounds like there might be more t'that than scary TV aliens, maybe.” "Reasonably good reflex, I s'pose. I mean, if nothing else, it's kinda disarming, I guess. Suddenly, green light and squiggly noise," Ducky says with a grin. She crinkles her nose at the reminder of what the Christmas special had been, "Oh, yeah, definitely saw that one. Kinda really didn't help with the not wanting to go to sleep. Right after the one earlier in the day made me not wanna blink. Or breathe. Lotta 'don'ts' in this show." She ruffles her hair again, closing her eyes, "Maybe. Kinda the same thing. Or I've got a broken face crab that is crappy at the concept of good dreams. Also apparently possible? Just, not sleeping well, I guess? Don't like my dreams when I do sleep?" Looking distant for a minute, she shudders, her shoulder pigeon ruffling his feathers at that point, she babbles quietly, "Been better being here. Didn't wanna be alone at the school, so Horus invited me over here. So now I'm here." “I been pointin' sonics at scary things since I can remember,” Micah admits with a chuckle, settling back into the crook of the couch arm and back a bit. “Do got a lotta creepy goin' on in the bad guys. Very true. S'good Horus had y'down. We usually get a little bevy of Xavier's students 'round holidays.” He closes his eyes for a moment before looking back at Ducky. “I can...relate t'the bad dreams an' sleep bit lately. Y'been havin' creepy future robot dreams?” His shoulders hunch toward his ears suddenly, a realisation dawning somewhere /during/ the asking of that question. “Ohgosh. The birds...” "Only started getting into it, so haven't really been sonicing stuff a lot. Kinda seems like the sorta thing that would be easy to get into," Ducky says as she nods, shifting on the beanbag to pull her knees up to her chest. "I've come by to visit a few times, first time I've been 'round for the holidays I think. Since last year was kinda, well, yeah," she shakes her head. "I'd heard people, y'know, talking about the dreams. But I hadn't had one of these, not the futurish ones," she admits, picking up her pigeon from her shoulder and cradling him in her hands, slowly petting him, "Had one, just before Christmas. Was kinda, well, odd, but not awful bad I guess." Her head drops down and she shivers, just cradling her pigeon in her hands, "Yeah. The birds." “Entirely too much so. I was so psyched they picked the show back up for new series when they did. Thing's been on /forever/.” Micah's head shakes slightly, smile fading as talk moves away from television to more serious things. “Not all of 'em had been bad, but this most recent lot. Gen'rally unpleasant. I'm just so...” His hand lifts, balling into a fist to circle over his heart, “that y'had t'be part of that one. Was...pretty bad. If it makes y'feel any better, we been workin' on gettin' t'the root of those dreams. Tryin' t'stop 'em. S'a lotta...psychics and psionics involved. But there's folks workin' on makin' sure that all goes away.” Ducky nods, letting the talk of Doctor Who and sonics drop away, as she resumes petting the rumpled pigeon in her hands. “I never got any of the good ones,” she says with a snort, shaking her head, “So that’s really the future? We’re,” she pauses, looking confused, brow crumpling at the thought, “Sharing dreams? I mean, that kinda happened before. But it wasn’t awful. It was chocolate rain and flying.” She looks up and head tilts at the last statement, “How? I mean, how do you stop that from happening?” Curling tighter under her fleecy blanket, she sighs slowly, apparently calming herself down, returning her pigeon to her shoulder. Finger-spelling ‘Sorry’, she shrugs, “If there’s anything I can help with, I guess let me know? Not that I’m usually much of a help, but…” “Been gettin' 'em for...well, comin' up on a year soon enough, I s'pose. Some of 'em seemed more random.” Micah pauses at Ducky's line of questioning, chewing at his lip before deciding on an answer. “Apologies again for assumin'... When you'd mentioned havin' others I thought maybe you knew more 'bout it. People as're in the dreams gen'rally /all/ have the dream, yeah. An' we think the way the fun dreams were happenin' is related t'these.” A heavy sigh puffs through his lips. “I won't bog y'down on the details. 'Specially since we aren't sure of a lot of 'em. But as I said...psychics an' psionics. Sendin' messages from the future, we think. An' we're workin' with those people t'figure out the meanin' b'hind it. Best guess is that future people want t'stop that future from happenin' 'cause it's terrible. An' might be that they know how an' just haven't gotten that part to us just yet.” Simple, right? “S’ok. This was the first time I’d really had any. Just two of them, right fast in a row,” Ducky explains, running a hand through her hair, and tugging anxiously at a lock of hair near her neck, “That must be kinda scary, I mean - there were a /lot/ of people in that dream. Like, a lot a lot. I could see them, below, through the birds,” she muses, nose crinkling up in distaste. “Should I tell someone if I have another? I mean, I’m guessing the school knows, since, well, psychics and psionics and stuff, kinda lotta them there,” she mumbles, tugging at her hair again. “Not that I want another one. Kinda just want espresso and caffeine and not sleeping,” she admits sheepishly. “But, um, thanks for the explanation? Kinda thing. I mean, it’s not exactly comforting, but I guess it’s good to know it’s being worked on?” the young woman is babbling again, fidgeting with the edge of the blanket. “Funny that. I think maybe people had some of the more random ones b'fore, too...but didn't necessarily know it since they were just so...random. Innocuous daily stuff, some. Or maybe y'didn't. Couldn't say for sure. They've been gettin'...way more frequent lately.” Micah nods understanding at that. “I'm not gonna attempt t'dissuade you from stayin' up if y'want. Eventually your body will let you know when it's tired enough that not sleepin' is worse than the possibility of the dreams. We got all kindsa lovely caffeine in the kitchens, though. Coffee, tea, sodas. Whatever's your taste. Feel free t'raid it. An' Evolve's not a far walk if y'need espresso.” Again, he nods at the thanks. Simple. “Would that I could say more'n that, but that's where we are. If y'have more an' wanna tell me about 'em, go right ahead. Or even if y'just need t'talk 'em out. Y'got access t'my e-mail an' all through the school directory. I don't wanna...volunteer nobody else for the job. Think I've been doin' a fair share of the pokin' at it, either way.” “Possibly. Dunno, don’t usually remember dreams, now can’t /not/ remember these,” she says with a frown, shrugging, “But thank you. I figure I’m s’posed to stay up tonight, I mean, new years and all. No sense in sleeping yet.” She ruffles her hair again, worrying at the same spot, “Thank you, again. For talking to me about it. I might go look for sodas in a bit, sodas are tasty sometimes,” she babbles, nodding quietly, “I’ll e-mail if there’s more, cause it kinda helps to talk them out. Or type them. But, yea.” Her eyes glance towards the sonic that started the conversation, smirking, “Should prob’ly let you get going with that. The Doctor’s gonna want that back. More things to be sonic’d and all that.” “No problem, sugar. There's usually some fancy-pants sodas 'round an' some Bawls if y'like guarana. Tried an' true method of stayin' up longer'n you're s'posed to.” Micah offers a small smile at this, hand reaching to pat at the sonic sticking out of his pocket. “Good point. Would that we had a Time Lord on it an' not just me. But I'm stubborn as a mule, an' I got a TARDIS-van, so there's that.” Pulling the sonic out, he presses the button for the sound again. “Likely see you about later. Things'll be a bit more festive. Lots of food. Shouldn't be hard t'stay awake then.”