paixaorpg | Free from the Score [Completed]

Entry tags:

Free from the Score [Completed]

Character(s): Jade Curtiss, Open
Content: A new player arrives in Paixao.
Setting: Vanaheim Gate
Time: Week 33, dawn
Warnings: None.

Jade was not a fan of surprises. Very little in the world managed to throw him off his guard and he made a point to prepare himself for any situation he might find himself in. But as he stood before the strange gate before him, he realized his own miscalculations. How could you prepare yourself for this?

The last thing he recalled, he was at Emperor Peony's side in Malkuth, listening to some report on something very uninteresting. The next, he was waking up under a dark sky tinged pink with the rising dawn, cushioned by grass, the sound of waves distant on the wind. Before him rose what had to be a city, though the domed caps that rose up made it seem more like a gargantuan castle. The gate he now stared up at gave him even less answers -- two impossibly large trees, heavy with fake fruit.

He adjusted his glasses and strode forth in determination. The only thing to do now was to get answers and solve this mystery. As he passed under the gate, he saw a line of blonde-haired people awaiting entry. It would hardly do to make a scene this early on, so he lined up as well, red eyes scanning over his surroundings with careful scrutiny.

A less patient man might have shoved his way to the front of the line, but Jade was nothing if not careful. His turn at the gatekeeper proved as mysterious as everything else. A small device and pamphlet shoved into his hands after he stated his name and rank were interesting, but not the answers he'd hoped for. In fact, it seemed as if this place was conspiring to keep him guessing.

Entering the city, he flipped through the pamphlet briefly before examining the device.

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The Doctor paced, for lack of a better word, through the city, restless and not feeling up to doing anything that was much worth doing. He'd annoyed the security guards at the museum with a thoroughly insensitive critiquing of all the artwork in the damned building; he'd stalked the library at the academy, muttering until the librarian gave him a stern glance over her glasses that made him stalk right back out, still muttering (albeit like a properly-chastised schoolboy). And finally, he came to the conclusion that all this would get him nowhere.

Really, there was only one thing to do: socialize. And so he did, walking right up to the very first person he saw who wasn't a bloody citizen - a stern-looking young man with glasses. "Hello, there!"

So engrossed was Jade with the machine in his hands that he didn't immediately react to the Doctor. A few seconds after his approach, he blinked behind his glasses and lifted his red gaze to the strange man in the bow-tie. In other circumstances, he might have been able to smile disarmingly right away, but as it was, he was still adjusting to these new surroundings. So his expression was one of genuine surprise for the briefest moment.

"Hm? Oh...hello." And then the smile came, the small, amused little curve of his mouth. "Forgive me, I was distracted by this interesting little machine. I didn't expect to find anyone willing to approach me."

"Lucky I came along, then," replied the Doctor. "Most of the citizens don't have anyone home, so to speak. D'you know, I think they might be some form of artificial lifeform. I'll have to check." Come to think of it, he hadn't sonicked anyone lately; maybe he should try doing that to a guard. Later, though; the Doctor wasn't exactly in the mood for sonic science.

"Ah, yes, the journals. Pretty useful, though I'm all but convinced they're rigged or something. You'll want to watch what you put on them; I don't know why, but I think we're being watched." Really, he wasn't intending to cause any sort of paranoia, but this place was a lot less pleasant than it looked at first glance. Best to be prepared.

Jade looked down at the journal in question, one hand to his chin as he mused over the Doctor's words. "I suppose that's the kind of risk an open communication format generates. I wonder if it's possible to encode messages..." He snapped the journal shut and placed it inside his coat, giving the Doctor his full attention.

"Thank you for being so informative. I should have guessed by your looks that you were different. Are you saying you aren't a citizen, then? Or maybe one of the lucky few that's been properly socialized."

"You know," replied the Doctor, "I think it is, but I haven't tried it yet." It was a busy time when the Doctor didn't have a moment to poke something with a stick. He gave Jade an easy shrug and a typically disarming smile. "Me? Of course I'm different. I'm the Doctor. Who might you be?" He stuck his hands in his pockets and leaned forward a bit. The other man seemed human. Well, Time Lord; they came first, but they were scarce these days (understatement of the decade).

Leaning back a bit as the Doctor leaned toward him (though hardly in his personal space), Jade echoed the smile with his own. "Colonel Jade Curtiss, at your service." He hesitated to divulge much more than that -- without knowing what kingdom this isolated little city was beholden to, it wouldn't do to jump right into declaring himself for Malkuth.

"And what are you a doctor of?"

"Oh, a colonel!" came the reply. "I've met those. Met generals, too. And talking penguins, but frankly, half the time they don't have anything interesting to say." Now, where was he? Really, in this regeneration he could swear he thought too much. It was getting hard to keep track. "And me? I'm a doctor of stuff. Lots of stuff." That probably didn't help, but he really was, though none of the aforementioned stuff included anything medical.

He blinked a few times behind his glasses, more nonplussed by this strange Doctor than he could put words to, but as per usual, his face betrayed only a shadow of his thoughts on the matter. "Stuff," Jade repeated, eyebrows rising just a fraction. Clearly this man was insane. Just his luck.

"Yes, well, thank you for your help." It was best to find someone with a little more sanity to talk to, he decided, smoothly maneuvering around the Doctor and walking away, his smile fading.

Oh, great, another person who thought he was completely insane. Normally, the Doctor would merely shrug and go about his business, but this place was serious, more serious than it appeared at first glance. People could get hurt, were getting hurt. He couldn't let anyone else come to harm, not while he could help.

So it was that he walked around to Jade and smiled. "What's the matter? Don't believe me?" And with that, he took the psychic paper out of his pocket, showing it to Jade. "See? Sir Doctor of TARDIS, expert in time, space and stuff."

Drawing back as the Doctor stepped in his path, Jade adjusted his glasses to hide the flare of annoyance he felt. But when the little book of paper this stranger flashed in his vision, all annoyance faded, replaced by stunned disbelief and sharp curiosity. He spared a brief glance at the Doctor before leaning closer to the paper. "This says you're also a fon master," he replied carefully, "And a member of the imperial court."

A slight smile on his lips, his red eyes peered into the Doctor's face. "That's very useful paper. I guess you aren't as crazy as I thought. I don't suppose knowing where we are falls under the 'stuff' jurisdiction?"

The Doctor grinned. "Well, yes, but I prefer to keep that under wraps," he replied. "Much more fun that way." He slipped the paper back inside his pocket and peered back. "Also, I'm quite mad. But it's more fun that way." He straightened his jacket and cleared his throat. "Actually, it does! We're in Paixao, which is one of several worlds inside a castle. Sounds ridiculous, I know, but there you have it. You can even visit the other worlds in here if you go upstairs, but that's awhile away and a lot of people don't have the patience. Well, I do, but I've been busy dealing with things in the heart of the city."

Like fezzes, for instance.

"Other worlds...?" Jade narrowed his eyes, taking a step towards the Doctor. "Are you saying we aren't in Auldrant?" His voice was a shade more tense than it had been previously as he continued. "No...no, of course I'm not. It shouldn't be possible but here is the undeniable proof." He lifted up the journal, flipping it open to scan through the messages like an old pro. There was nothing familiar in any of the text he read, nothing about the Score or the two kingdoms or fonic artes. Even the most out-of-the-way village in his world knew about fonons -- they were the very elemental make up of existence.

"Of course we're not in Auldrant!" replied the Doctor. "Well, maybe we're in Auldrant. There's no way of telling, currently, because none of us have managed to find our way out of here yet. But we're working on it." He'd explored a little, on his own, but with the Heartless around, he didn't want to risk it without a group. The Doctor hated that, but the last thing he wanted was to become one of them. Then everyone would be in trouble.

He closed his eyes, closing the journal slowly as he bowed his head. Though outwardly he appeared still and composed, his mind was racing, trying desperately to make sense of what was happening...but the logic just didn't add up. Jade hated a problem he couldn't solve, much less understand. In fact, as he stayed silent, unable to stem the alarm he was feeling, he felt a keen sense of loss and confusion he hadn't felt since...

Well. He cleared his throat, adjusting his glasses once more. "Yes...I see. Would you happen to know why we're here, Doctor?"

The Doctor watched Jade lower his head, the picture of cool despair. He ventured closer, hesitantly reaching out to lay his hand on the other man's shoulder. "There, now," he told him. "I know it's a lot to swallow, but it's not hopeless. People who disappear here end up exactly at the moment they left in their own worlds." It might be cold comfort to the colonel, but it was all the Doctor could give at the moment, especially considering he hadn't been here long, himself.

"You know, I don't know," replied the Time Lord, looking up at the false sky in slight exasperation, "but I've lived through multi-world plots before, and they usually have to do with assimilation, annihilation or energy conversion of some kind. Let's hope it's the latter." He shrugged. "D'you know, just once I'd like to see a multi-universal plot that had something to do with... I dunno, ducks."

Comfort was the exact opposite of what Jade wanted, the Doctor's touch serving as a reminder that he'd allowed too much through his carefully composed manner. He gave no response to the attempt at reaching out, instead focusing on the second part of the Doctor's words.

"Mm. No one would go through this trouble if it didn't benefit them greatly. I suppose it would be too much to ask for that whoever is behind this has our best interests at heart." He backed up a step, pocketing the journal into his coat. "Do you know who would be behind this? How they've accomplished such an impossible feat?"

The Doctor withdrew his hand - far be it from him to continue contact when it was clearly unwanted. The other man clearly preferred keeping up the defensive walls to letting someone in, but this place was enough to shake up anyone (or at least confuse the hell out of them), including him.

"I've heard something about an Organization, not to mention a dark faerie named Maleficent," he offered. "And I've heard of her - nasty, witchy sort of person, likes to go about handing out curses when she's not invited to fancy dinner parties. I should let her know there are better ways to fill out her social calendar, but who knows if she'll listen?"

He had no idea what a faerie was, but the descriptor of "dark" was clear enough, as well as the Doctor's continued explanation. "This Organization...does it work in tandem with Maleficent? Or are they enemies?" He had experience working with two forces of power, seemingly contrasted in goals. If these were the enemies to fight, perhaps they could be exploited into turning on each other...

"You know, I haven't quite figured that out yet," replied the Doctor, deciding to take advantage of his vast knowledge of Disney films. "I doubt it, though. Maleficent's not exactly the type to work well with others, unless they're beneath her. Still, you never know; that could change. Pigs could fly." And speaking of Maleficent, maybe he could glean some insight when they met face to face.

"Then perhaps the situation isn't as dire as it seems." Jade smiled a charming, gentle smile. "I'll have to do some more research on this place and those in power. Can I count you as an ally, Doctor, in finding a way to our own worlds?" Despite the man's general madness, there was something about him that somehow required respect -- a certain genius could be felt between his words.

"Maybe not," affirmed the Doctor with a charming (genuine) smile of his own. "And of course you can! I'm the Doctor; I help everybody. Well, except for those I don't help, but they're generally in the vein of 'bad' to begin with." He smiled again, warm and reassuring and well aware that Jade wasn't about to let him see through his mask again if he could help it, at least not any time soon.

He chuckled quietly in response. "I'll be sure not to be more bad than usual, then." Adjusting his glasses, Jade turned and glanced over to the surrounding buildings. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a bit of exploration to do." As helpful as the Doctor was, some questions required a bit more than charming and confusing half-answers.

"I'll be in touch."

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Free from the Score [Completed]

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