Many happy? returns

[not_the_question]

It has been some time since the Doctor has been here. He was off facing yet another battlefield. It was meant to be his last. He has no idea how he ended up here, of all places.

He clothes are in a tattered mess and covered in soot. His body, is surprisingly unscathed. Well, now it is. 'State of grace'. It can happen with regeneration. When one is refusing or debating the entire process.

He turns to face the TARDIS. "Why have you brought me here?" When his beloved ship didn't answer him he sighs and starts to walk away from her. "Fine. But I'm not leaving. I'm staying and if this is where I die, so be it."

He walks along, not really wanting to sit. If he sits it might happen and he's not going to do that again. He's muttering to himself. "I can't keep on being somebody else. Why isn't it ever anybody else's turn? Why can't I just rest? Just once?"



[ooc: available in post-Doctor Falls and Twice Upon a Time flavours, depending if you want spoilers or not.]

Comments

[brother_alone]

"That's what I'm saying though. You don't have to do anything. Unless whatever or whoever it is is gonna follow you here to the Nexus. Just kick back and enjoy the scenery, bro."

Josh gestures around them. There's doors tucked in every nook and cranny of this place. Ornate, shoddy, portals, hatches. So many doors. So many universes.

"Even if you get bored here you can always duck into another random world if you want."

[not_the_question]

The Doctor has to will himself to not facepalm at those words.

"You don't get it, so let me put it in very simple terms any pudding-brain can understand. I'm dying. Currently and actively. In fact, I already died once and was somehow brought back. So now I'm dying again."

Or regenerating. He still needs to decide. He's not even sure if regeneration will work after such a death and being brought back. Maybe the energy is all an illusion. Which he might be okay with. Since he doesn't really want to change again.

[brother_alone]

"O-oh."

Well, that does change things somewhat. Josh pulls a face and drops his gaze to the ground. He really hadn't understood at all.

"So...you need to decide where you're gonna die or? Who you want to see first? There's no way to stop it, I'm guessing."

[not_the_question]

It's okay, Josh, most people don't and the Doctor doesn't have high expectations of people understanding.

"Die or change, pretty much sums it up."

And it really does sum it up. Isn't that how it works for everyone metaphorically? It just happens to be literal for him.

"No idea if it can be stopped or not and I'm not sure what you mean by who I want to see first?"

[brother_alone]

"Wh..I mean like. Saying goodbye to your loved ones and shit like that."

The 'or change' part isn't something Josh quite understands, but he understands 'terminal' pretty damn well. The guy looks fine but who even knows what sort of case he's dealing with? If it was a blood clot or something like that there'd be no way of knowing when it would go.

"That's rough, bro."

[not_the_question]

"Oh. That sort of 'see first'. I've done all that already."

A small shrug. He hasn't entirely. There are always people he'd want to see.

"Not my first time. I'm just debating if I've already had my last time or not."