Or, "Kat is feeln' braindead and not quite up to making a real legit post just yet".
Another story with the duo nobody cares about, the Doc and Tati. In short, they stargaze, and no, it's nothing beyond that. Inspired by the awesomely gnarly 4th Doctor scarf my mom made me and also 'cause it's getting cold 'round here.
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“See up there?”
The Doctor pointed up to the navy sky, nudging Tati’s shoulder to get her complete attention. “That’s Mars, seen as the sister planet of the Earth. The two are so similar that it’s the first planet humans go to colonize.”
He didn’t receive a response so, with a sigh, he turned to look at the girl. He perked when he noticed her head bobbing forward and back.
“Really? Sleeping?”
A response didn’t come (not that he was expecting one), leaving the Doctor to figure a path of action from there. He soon grinned before leaning to her ear and whispering, “Taaaaah-teeeeee…”
She jumped, blurting out “HOLY JESUS” and half-tumbling forward, catching herself and shooting her glare at the Doctor. “Really? You had to do that?”
“Yes, I did,” he answered simply before poking her nose. “You said you wanted to stargaze with me, so why did you fall asleep?”
“Correction, you threatened me to stargaze with you. ‘Look at the beauty of the universe from the home of your ancestors or I’m going to play Rush for the next week, non-stop!’ That’s not exactly an agreeable term.”
The Doctor flailed, frustrated at both the taste (or arguable lack thereof) in music of his companion and her indifference to the subject. “Come onnn, you can’t say you don’t think –”
“Are we going to look at stars or not?”
The Time Lord puffed his cheeks in annoyance before jerking his head to face forward. “Fine.”
“…Mars, huh?”
“Eh?”
“I could hear you, I wasn’t totally out…just dozing…”
The corner of his mouth pulled higher. “Right. Mars, sister planet – human inhabitants sometime soon! It was once quite a luscious place, I know, I’ve been there many-a-time, but then it turned barren…and cold. Very cold.”
“Mm-hmm.” She then shivered violently, to which he immediately took notice.
“…Are you cold?”
“Cold? Me? No. Freezing? Yes. Very much yes.”
“Then why didn’t you tell me?!” He scrambled to his feet, making a move for the TARDIS parked nearby before jerking his finger at her. “Stay put. Right there. I’ll be back before you know it.”
“Whatever you say.”
The door to the police box was open and shut quickly, leaving the pickpocket to stare at the sky, rubbing her hands against her sleeves as her eyes wandered from point to point. She recalled hearing how the Earth people saw pictures and patterns in the stars, giving them names and legends, with those influencing so many other parts of mysticism…
It was weird to think about. Tati peeled her eyes away from the canvas of the night and looked around her. The Doctor had landed them atop a hill somewhere in Ireland, far away from any city lights to distract from the view. There was, however, a small town down a ways, the warm lights of life making her smile.
The city was never a good place to try and look at the stars, though it was something she had done rather frequently with Russell, particularly as a child. Now she was far away from him – so far away that he wouldn’t be alive for another three thousand years or so.
“Okay, we’re good now!”
The Doctor’s chipper voice interrupted her nostalgia, dancing back to the spot with a large thermos and dragging an impractically long scarf on the ground, which he threw at her without hesitation.
“What is – oomph – this and that?”
“That,” the Doctor said, pointing at the knitted piece as she tugged it around her shoulders, “Is something I received from Madame Nostradamous a long while ago. I’ve never really had a use for it, but it’s long and warm and the colors reminded me of you.”
Even with only the moonlight to help her, Tati still quirked an eyebrow at the hues. “These are so…spastic.”
“Exactly. They’re a spaz, and so are you.” Before she could speak, he added, “And that’s hot cocoa, something else I thought you’d like.”
She reached for the thermos before hesitating and looking back at him. “Water or milk?”
“It wouldn’t be cocoa with water.”
“Oh thank you,” she heaved, quickly unscrewing the top and inhaling the steam released. “Russell never understood the water versus milk thing.”
“That coming from the man who makes pie?”
“Once a year, yes.”
The Doctor chuckled, setting himself down in the grass while Tati indulged herself of the drink straight from the thermos. He looked at her questionably when she offered him the container.
“And what am I supposed to do with it?”
“Drink from it, durr.”
“How do I know where your mouth has been?”
“You should know, it’s never far from your sight.”
He didn’t let the awkward silence pervade, instead snatching the outstretched thermos and taking a swig, ignoring the fact that it partially burned his mouth in the process.
“So Doc.”
“Mm, yeah?”
“That one.” The pickpocket pointed to a slightly orange-tinted glow, her finger tracing a path from it. “Is that one of those…constellation things?”
“Ehh...oh! Why yes, yes it is. The orange star is Pollux, and the one next to it is Castor, which is actually six stars…The two form the pair of Gemini, the twins.”
“They look like…random stars.”
“Ah, but you found the path, right? You’re thinking like the ancients did!”
Tati mulled on that for a moment before shrugging. “I still don’t get it. Why did people look to the stars and see pictures?”
The Doctor smirked. “You looked at stars on Mericzech, right?”
“Well – yeah, when I could. It wasn’t easy.”
“But you still looked at them, and dreamed of what they held, right?”
“Sort of...but…none of the things you’re telling me now. I mean, I’ve never heard of Gemini or how Mars was considered the sister of the Earth, it’s just – I’ve maybe heard of Pollux, the six star thing sounds familiar, and Mars because it’s a planet from the old system, but none of the other things.”
The Doctor nodded before pointing at the sky again. “See those three stars, how they form their chain? And then off of them is a sort of bowl shape – that’s the Big Dipper. The stars off of it help form Ursa Major, the great bear.”
“…Huh.” Tati instead seemed more interested in swiping the thermos back, to which he handed to her impatiently.
“Tati, honestly, will you –”
“Dude, Doc.” She took a big gulp from the container before heaving out a satisfied sigh. “These things…they mean nothing to me. I’m sorry. This isn’t my home.”
He grunted, propping his face in his hand. “Then why even bother?”
“I just – it was something you wanted to do, and I didn’t want to, you know, not let you…”
“Ah, but Tati…I know these things.” The Doctor gave a grand flourish to the sky. “This was for you, not me. You know, give some knowledge on the past…but I see you have little interest in it.”
She rolled her eyes. “It’s not that. I like looking at the stars. But it…” Her gaze wandered back up to the navy palette. “It’s like it’s trying to make me feel like I’m home when I’m not.”
“Ah. Homesick.”
“No, it isn’t that. I just feel like some things should be consistent – which I know is dumb to expect.”
The Doctor chose not to answer that, but rather look up once more to the night sky, searching and finding, quite easily, the constellation he was looking for.
“Tati.” He grabbed her head and focused it exactly where he had been looking, then pointed directly at the spot. “Those three stars are the belt of Orion. Up from there are the points for the shoulders, down the legs, up further for the sword, then over there is the shield.”
She almost tore herself away before suddenly catching and identifying the name. “…Orion?”
“Yeap.”
“Like…the Orion system?”
“The one.”
Her eyes widened. “Where is – can you see –”
“There.” He pointed to a faint glowing spot in-between the stars denoted as the shoulders. “The one that is the eye…that’s your sun. In that haze is your home. Mericzech is right there.”
She continued to stare at the small mark in the sky, eyes straining to focus. “That’s…really it?”
“Yeap.”
“…That’s it?”
“Yes.”
Her head whipped back and forth between him and the sky, barely able to comprehend it. “That’s really my home?”
“The sun for your home.”
“Oh my…God…” Tati slowly shuffled to her feet, eyes still wide, mouth agape as the wholeness of the situation sank in. “Everything and everyone I know, the whole life I’ve lived, it’s all…it’s all there. On that small little speck that I can’t even see, in a haze of light I can barely notice.”
“Bit intimidating, i’n’t?”
She glanced down at him, at first confused, then snorting out a laugh. “Not really. After time traveling and gliding in supernovas, this is hardly what I’d call intimidating.”
The Doctor rolled his eyes. “So wot was that reaction for?”
With a quick glance back up, she smiled. “I felt removed from my home being with you. But in reality, it’s always been there.”
The pickpocket settled herself back onto the ground, taking another swig from the thermos before passing it off to the Time Lord, who beckoned for it with his outstretched hand. “Milk is the way to go…” he murmured with a satisfied nod.
His words were blanketed when the long tail end of the scarf was swung over his shoulder, draping across his head in the process. He yanked it down and glanced over at Tati, who was now resting against his arm.
“…Yes?”
“Mm? Wha’?”
“Something you want?”
“No, I’m just really freaking cold.”
