every life is a pile of good things & bad things

[thedreamer]

WHO: The Doctor & Ghostbusters Friends!
WHEN: December
WHERE: The Inn & surrounding areas
WHAT: Shenanigans, trouble, bringing joy & confusion, more trouble, culinary delights!
WARNINGS: Will edit as needed.


[ A series of open & closed starters in the comments below. I am super happy to plot something and set up a custom starter if you prefer so please feel free to PM me or ping me on discord @ bluebox#8972 or plurk @ geekorthodox ]

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[thedreamer]

[ For a moment, the Doctor is lost in a whirlwind of thoughts about all the stories he wants and needs to tell her; in due time, of course. But he is, once again, far more interested in being able to actually show her all the things he's telling her. He wants to see her eyes light up with wonder, awe, uncertainty, hope. He wants to see her stand on the edge of the universe and trust nothing else but the weight of his hand tangled with hers. He wants to be that close to nothingness, to oblivion, to look over at her and know that she's there and not going anywhere.

They'll see all of creation together, the start of everything, the first breath, the first light, and the end of it all. Through it, there they will remain, anchored to one another. ]

The ones that lurk in the shadows, with sharp teeth and deadly intent?

[ The edge of a smile, a slight quirk at the corner of his mouth. He's fond of the question, of her even more for asking. ]

I told you danger is rather my thing, didn't I? I don't go seeking out docile anything, that's not the life I lead. Terribly boring.

[ That doesn't preclude him from enjoying docile creatures, quiet moments, simple pleasures. They'd had a beautiful day together in Eidris, filled with joyful and peaceful things and he'd loved that, but mostly for the sake of her company. He can and does enjoy those times, yes, but he's also always living his life on the edge of danger and trouble. It would be difficult to imagine and accept any other fate for himself. ]

Oh, they have their place, those lovely, gentle creatures, but the ones that come for us with our backs turned, they're far more interesting.

[matermali]

[ Vanessa would like to say that she has never craved oblivion and that she would do anything to avoid it, but something of her has been creeping towards it since the moment of creation—from beginning, to end, to new beginning, with only time as her vessel. The Doctor's unique understanding of this is the first thing that's made sense in her long life, and what is he if not time and space incarnate? He understands the limitless potential in all things—from life to death, from pain to pleasure—and he could share it with her.

It's a prophecy that Lucifer hoped to turn into poetry, and he had nearly succeeded in his courting if he hadn't vastly underestimated her. He was too small for her. His cruelty was too small. What had Lord Byron written? And the clouds perish'd; Darkness had no need of aid from them—She was the Universe. All She needed was Time.

Vanessa's gaze drifts across the Doctor while he woos her with his love for dangerous things, and she loves him from his eyes to his lips to his neck (she wants to free his collar and kiss him just there), to his hands that seem to defy cold, then back up to the bits of melting snow dusting his hair from intermittent snowfall. She can see him outside and in, and she thinks loves him more than she's loved anything. She loves him for the light in his eyes and the shadows cast behind them. ]

Mm, is that why you sought me out?

[ Gently swiping the snow from his hands, she'll settle it near to form into a wave in a moment, but for now she'll take both his hands and rub her thumbs across his palms, still marveling at his resilience in the cold. ]

Do you wish for me to catch you once your back is turned?

[thedreamer]

You know the answer.

[ His attention now drawn to her hands, albeit briefly, something of a mischievous and almost dangerous smile curves at his lips. She asks questions that might seem to anyone else playful and innocent enough on the surface, yet he feels, sees, even seeks the layers beneath the words, the dance that's all their own; between shadows, across stars, over ruins, to the end and the beginning, fearing nothing, perhaps, but the loss of the other.

He thinks briefly of other words she'd shared only recently, which had bound him to her in nearly an instant, even more than he'd already been.

I would live, I would thrive for the Doctor.

So, too, would he for her, yet more than that. He knows now that he would do anything she asks of him. A dangerous attachment to form to anyone, he's well aware, but it's the question she asks now that reminds him why this attachment to her is one of necessity, something he's never quite known or even understood before. When his eyes drift back to hers, that understanding begins to settle over him again.

The cold may not bother him, but his cheeks are a bit flushed; he'll leave her to consider from what on her own. His eyes glisten ever so slightly, the smile broadening as he leans in a bit closer, a whisper of a breath away from her lips. ]

Don't say that if you're not going to promise it.

[ Catch him with his back turned. Come for him in the night, in the shadows, in the ash, in the dying starlight; come for him, cover his eyes, drag him into the unknowing void and guide his steps into all that remains beyond. If he falls, they fall and rise together. ]

[matermali]

[ The color to his cheeks only sharpens her attention as it continues to dart over every miniscule feature, every little shift from moment to moment, memorizing. She wants to rip at his collar now—she doesn't want to undo it, she wants to tear it open so that the top button is lost until the snows melt—to press her skin to his so she can feel his hearts beating. She wants to stay near and listen to the quickening and the skips of his pulse until she can place it to a score and fall in love with music again.

But she stays hovering, just there, refusing that level of touch and instead devouring him with her gaze. The snow will soak through her coat and skirts before long, but she's hardly to notice. ]

But your eyes are always on me. How can I make such a promise? You don't ever turn your back.

[ Something she has loved him all the more for, but it does mean her hunting strategy has had to adjust. Somewhat. ]

[thedreamer]

[ As if it's something he should apologize for, yet he knows that isn't her intent in saying the words. It thrills him all the more to know that, in fact. He doesn't miss the way her eyes focus on him, and in fact, it sends a pleasant shiver down his spine. So many new sensations with Vanessa, he realizes. When has he ever felt a chill of pleasure coil down his spine at the mere thought of someone else? Is this a common experience for humans, he wonders? The sensations, though unfamiliar, are not at all unpleasant, just...different.

He leans in closer, now fully intending to kiss her, though first he must respond. ]

Where does that leave us, then? Always looking after the other. Not a bad thing at all. You'll find a way, though. You'll come for me when I'm least expecting it, around a corner, and that, I'm looking forward to, Vanessa Ives.

[ Would she hunt him, and does he want that? Yes, and yes.

And now, he wastes no additional time before leaning forward, feeling he's been denied a kiss long enough as it is. ]

[matermali]

[ There's no doubt in her mind that he means every word, and Vanessa's sharp scrutiny softens with her grin—thinking how his devotion provides a challenge all its own. Given the Doctor's propensity toward unpredictable behavior, there's little point in planning. She'll need to seize opportunity in order to catch him 'when he least expects'. How fortunate that she can also be a creature of whimsy.

Perhaps unfortunate in this case.

Just as he draws near enough that he's moments from a kiss, he'll find Vanessa's fingertips instead pressed against his mouth and her just behind with a breathless chuckle. Does he think she teases? He's the cruel one! Of course she would kiss him, but they're too close to the inn. Anyone could happen upon them. ]

Yet one more thing to look forward to, then.

[thedreamer]

[ While the Doctor is not quite pouting, his expression is one of clear disappointment. He stops where he is, of course, and he means to protest, but her refusal is valid—unfortunately, and much to his dismay. He feels quite dramatically bereft, but then she speaks of something to look forward to and she's suddenly lifted his spirits again in the space of a breath. ]

You won't tell me when, though. You'll just leave me wondering, won't you? When I least expect it.

[ It occurs to him now he'll be the reason for his own demise, left to wait, having put the thought in her mind to surprise him so he won't even know when that next kiss will come. ]

[matermali]

[ She may be cruel, but she knows the pay-off will be worth it. Of course, there's not much to be said for Vanessa's patience, despite the impression she may give off to strangers. Anyone who knows her at all knows that she is always struggling with her impulses.

The wheels are turning in his head, and she might almost pity him for having cursed himself in his moment of flirtation. ]

What is the fun in knowing everything?

[ She glances down to the clumps of snow beside them, the snow creature having yet to really form anything deserving of a name. ]

And before any discovery can come of that, we must first complete our Leviathan's creation. Would you leave it so desolate and half formed?