prompt: ten educating rose about an alien race theyâve just met thats freaking her out and he wants her to calm down and introduce herself to them
for @tenthdoctorlife
"The Shadow Lands! Everything, covered by a sort of shadow, but never in total darkness!" The Doctor sauntered out the TARDIS and with a turn of his head faced the fantastic Rose Tyler. With a grin he said "It's brilliant!"
With a laugh she replied, "Thatâs your new favourite word I swear," she took a long look around. The TARDIS had been parked in this sort of grassy tree area, an almost-forest but also an almost-field. A light shadow was draped across the whole land, but oddly enough it wasnât dark. "What's even causing the shadow? It's not like there's mountains or something doing it."
"Well," the Doctor tilted his head slightly to the right, his focus on something random in the distance (God, Rose loved it when he did that) "it's one of those⊠unexplainable⊠things. I think it's some self-forming shadow but that opens a Pandora's box full of problems. Oh!" he focused back onto Rose's face, mentally taking note of the slight crinkle in the corners of her eyes and the broad smile on her face, he found himself grinning, "if I remember right, which I do, there should a sort of village down⊠that way. Shall we, Rose Tyler?"
She linked her arm in his and with a playful smile she said, "We shall Doctor, lead the way,"
"Allonsy!"
                             For a 'sort of village' the market place was filled with bustling activity. Street vendors shouting out their prices, children running all over the place, people who seemingly had a vendetta against everyone else and so would seemingly deliberately hit everyone as they walked past. It was a lot. Very, very busy day. It was so diverse, all types of people from what looked like different ends of the universe were all here.
âSort of village my backside.â thought Rose.
The Doctor had bought her a planet special, giving his word that it's safe for humans. It looked like chips and chicken, but the 'chips' were blue and the 'chicken' was purple. "Why those colours, of all colours in the universe?" Rose, the trooper that she was, tried it anyway, and with a spark in her eyes and a hum of surprised content, the Doctor and her ate two more plates.
Looking at the people, like really looking, Rose noticed that like the rest of The Shadow Lands, the people had a sort of shadow cast over their whole selves. There wasn't anything really to cause that shadow, but it was there. Just there. Softly blanketing all the people. The Doctor and Rose didn't have that shadow over them, everyone else did. The people also didnât have shadows, but the Doctor and Rose did, which was even more odd.
I'll ask the Doctor about it later.
Speaking of, he'd run off to this mini book antique shop. The word 'Vellichor' hung from above it. Rose was watching him negotiate with the salesperson. For a split second she focused on someone just to the left in the background. It was a person, they were on the floor just, laying there. Rose furrowed her eyebrows. With a quick glance back at the Doctor, she walked to the figure lying on the ground.
"Hey, are you okay?" she crouched near them and slanted her head to see their face properly. However it was just dark. Like the rest of the Lands their appearance was shadowed. However, this person was the shadows themselves. With her closeness, the person startled upwards and skidded back. "hey hey hey, I'm not gonna hurt you. Just wanted to see if you were okay, you were just, lying there. D'you need a hand?" She reached an arm out towards them, her open palm facing them. The figure shakily raised a sort of hand, hesitating with each movement. "Hey it's fine, you can take my hand, I can help you out." a soft smile of reassurance was plastered on Rose's face. That seemed to reassure the person enough.
They took her hand. Fear coursed through her veins like a forest on fire. She couldn't breathe. Her heart pounded at record speed. A strong weight pushed down onto her chest. She couldn't breathe. She gasped for air like a man starved. I need to breathe. She couldn't move. She was stuck. I need to move. Why can't I move?!
She looked down at the persons hand on hers. Thick moving tendrils of the shadows circled her hands. Memories flashed through Rose's mind. People. Faces. Every single one she's seen. Jackie. Mickey. Jack. The Doctor before, The Doctor now, The Doctor, her doctor. The shadows were changing. She could see it. The colours, the shape, everything. The person was changing. The shadow tendrils were this person. Everything about them was Shadow. Their face was morphing. No. It was shifting. It kept shifting until the face that looked back at Rose, was Rose's. The fear increased tenfold, it struck her like a bolt of lightning. It started again. How much longer? The face started contorting again. The hair changed colour. The length of it became longer. Their skin colour changed to a beautiful dark brown. Their facial features also changed. Any semblance of Rose on that person was gone. The fear was gone. The pressure was gone. She could breathe.
The person let go. Rose fell back a bit. Breathe in, breathe out, deep breathes. Youâre okay.
"Rose!" The Doctor rushed to her side and cupped her face, âhey, Rose, look at me. You see me? Look at me. Youâre fine. Youâre alright. Iâm here. Câmon breathe with me.â
After a few moments of the standard inhale-exhale to calm the heart rate, The Doctor pulled her into a hug. He cradled her into his chest and rested his chin atop her head, whispering soft assurances as she slowly stopped shaking. The blonde far from home slowly pulled away and let out a breath. She met the Doctorâs eyes and whispered, âIâm fine now,â
âYou sure?â
âYeah.â She shot a lazy smile his way.
Rose turned her attention towards the Shadow⊠thing. She hadnât the faintest idea on what had just happened, and she wanted answers. âWho are you and what did you just do to me?â
The Shadow-Thing-Just-Turned-Person shifted uncomfortably.
âI, Iâm sorry, I just, I thought you,â they sighed, âMy name's Ran-am, I used you as a basis for a solid form. I thought you knew, you gave me your handâŠâ
Rose gave Ran-am a blank stare, âWhatâs that supposed to mean?â She turned her head to meet the Doctorâs eyes.
He began, âRan-am is a native of The Shadow Lands, a Shadow Weaver. By using the genetic code of people they touch, they can have a more physical body instead of the shadow wisps you saw earlier. All those people you saw in the market place? Who looked like a shadow was cast upon them? All Shadow Weavers. The process is⊠suffocating only when the person they touch doesnât allow it to happen or in your case Rose, you didnât know what giving your hand meant.â
Rose turned back towards Ran-am. A heavy silence weighed between them. Ran-am shifted their feet.
âYou really didnât mean to⊠did you?â Rose asked tentatively.
Ran-am quickly shook their head, âNo, no! Iâd never think to. Itâs just once it starts, I canât stop it and I hadnât realised until after and Iâm just so sorry. I know it doesnât make it any better âcause at the end of the day I hurt you. I put you through that.â
A beat of silence passed. The Doctor glanced between Rose and Ran-am. This was Roseâs call.
Rose slowly walked up to Ran-am, and held out her hand. Ran-am furrowed her brows in confusion and glanced up to meet Roseâs eyes, tilting their head slightly to the side. Rose nodded slightly and gestured towards her hand. Slowly, Ran-am took Roseâs hand.
âHi, my nameâs Rose and the guy with the stupid hair is The Doctor. Dâyou wanna start over?â
Ran-amâs eyes welled up in tears and a broad smile appeared on their face, âMy nameâs Ran-am, and yeah, Iâd like that.â
âWell then!â The Doctor clapped loudly, sauntered his way towards the two, plopped himself in between them and held them both by the shoulders, âRan-am, care to show us the inâs, the outâs, the upâs and downâs of the Shadow Lands?â
Ran-am looked up to Rose and the Doctor with a soft grin on their face. With playful grins to match the Doctor and Rose looked upon them expectantly.
Lukas didnât realize how strange it was to be the only two people in a large room, until he was one of only two people in a large room.
The silence made it worse, Cassie occasionally made pleasant conversation, and Lukas would politely play along. But for the most part they were silent. Lukas wasnât used to sharing dinner with his employer, most of them wonât even look at you much less address you until they have to pay you.
Yep, just eating dinner with the boss. Nothing weird here.Â
