ataraxionlogs | eighteenth jump;

CHARACTERS: any and all
LOCATION: Gravity Couches and beyond
WARNINGS: maybe some swearing, or even some violence, and more than likely some implied (and possibly explicit) nakedness.
SUMMARY: Another month, another jump, another round of new faces.
NOTES: Keeping up with the tradition and copy pasted like always from the last one

You wake up in darkness.

There's a breathing tube jammed down your trachea, and you're suspended in a tube of clear blue fluid. Upon registering your level of consciousness, the gravity couch drains the fluid surrounding you and retracts the breathing apparatus; the doors in front of you open, and you're deposited on the floor of a stark, sterile medical bay.

You are not alone.
There are others who have come before you, others who are awakening beside you. Some may be familiar to you, perhaps even friends. Others have much less amiable plans. Some are merely alien and inexplicable, but there are always those who might mean you harm.

After you catch your breath and your vision returns, you notice a number on the inside of your forearm. Maybe it's a familiar number. Maybe it means something. Maybe it's just a number. But the number—completely unique to you—is a tattoo, and it does not come off.

If you enter the room adjacent to the medbay, you will find a small locker with your number on it, surrounded by rows upon rows of identical lockers. Inside, you will find a few of your personal items, a communications device, and a ship's uniform in your exact size. The comms device is fully powered and connects directly to the ship's network; it's your only means of communication beyond physical conversation. Upon turning the device on, a neutral, automated voice will say, "Please take the blue lift to the passenger quarters." Any other attempts at communicating with the rest of the network are met only with static.

This is your welcome party.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Rose likes people who are efficient enough to get right out with answering questions and providing information about where she currently is. So River gets a grateful smile. It's good to at least have a ship name to go off of, not that she's ever heard it before.]

That name? Definitely rubbish. This place needs a better name or maybe a redesign, it's anything but tranquil.

[She glances back over at the pod she fell out of, and gives it a disapproving frown. That wasn't a very great experience, and she's not looking to repeat it anytime soon.]

Thing is, I'm looking for someone? It's usually his fault I end up in places like this, not that I mind. It's just...he needs someone t'be there with him, so I've gotta get back to Earth. There's escape pods 'round here somewhere, yeah?

[She sounds entirely positive that there might be, even if she has a sinking suspicion she wouldn't be able to do anything with one even if there were. She can already tell this place is going to throw all kinds of tricks and traps at her, just like that impossible planet she and the Doctor visited not that long ago.]

[River's not surprised to hear Rose express worry for the Doctor first, over herself, but she does sigh mentally. When will he stop kidnapping and brainwashing young girls?

Still, she smiles back at Rose, not letting her pleasant tone slip.]

There are, but I'm afraid you'll be hard pressed to use them to return to Earth. As far as I can tell we're not even in the same quadrant. In any case, I wouldn't worry too much about your travelling companion. If he's let you come here alone then you deserve far better.

[She's trying really hard to turn what she's just been told into something positive. Because if she doesn't, she'll only get frustrated, and that will end up with her snapping at a stranger that's just trying to help. So she takes a moment to just breathe, and looks entirely apprehensive about everything while doing so. Her eyes shift left and then to the right, and her arms hang tense and awkward at her sides.]

But I'm not supposed t'be here.

[She whispers this, shaking her head.]

Doctor'd never just let me go anyplace like this, not without him.

[Never mind the fact he tried sticking her in the parallel world with her mum and a different version of her dad, she's trying really hard to look past that and think that he'd never just send her to a strange spaceship entirely alone.]

And he's fighting for me, all the way back there! For me, and for everyone else, for all of Earth. And I had to go and get sucked into a void and ruin everything.

[Her emotions and thoughts are going everywhere, and she shoots the other blonde an apologetic look for having this happen in the middle of their conversation.]

Sorry 'bout that. Guess everything's a lot to take in all at once.

[That's enough for River to more or less place Rose in her timeline. Before the daleks stole Earth, that's certain. She's far more focused on that than on the fact that Rose is having emotions, at least until the girl turns to apologise to her.]

None of us are supposed to be here and yes, it is a lot to take in. But you'll adapt, just like the rest of us have. If you're used to ending up in places like this then you're already at an advantage compared to many people here.

'Course I'll adapt. I've got to.

[She says this dismissively, as a confirmation to herself that she'll be able to just as quickly as always. Just hearing it out loud is enough to make her feel a sense of strength and purpose. If nothing else, she'll adapt while looking for a way out. She puts a smile on her face, because one is really needed right about now, just as much as she wants a hand to hold. Since that's not going to happen, she just reaches over to grab hold of her own wrist.]

So...I don't think I got your name, did I? I'm Rose Tyler.

[And there's the reason the Doctor picked Rose, River surmises. Good. She wouldn't quite know what to do with the girl if she'd broken down rather than pulling herself together. But this she can work with. The smile she gives Rose is a little more genuine than before.]

Professor River Song. It's nice to meet you, Rose.

Now then, I think we're both in need of showers, don't you?

[She glances down at her feet, and trails her eyes all the way up her own body. As nice as she looks considering all she's been through here recently, she's probably not going to be happy here in a bit when gel dries all over her. So she nods in agreement.]

Right, yeah, showers. Good idea.

[She glances back behind her, taking notice of people all headed in the same direction. She turns to face that direction.]

Over that way, then?

[River follows her gaze and nods approvingly.] That's right. When you come out you can follow the general flow to the locker room. Find the locker that matches the number on your arm, and you may be rewarded with some of your things.

[As if that's the most normal thing to say in the world.]

Reward's a funny way of putting it. If they're gonna take us and keep us here, it's the least they could do.

[She turns a smile over in River's direction, before starting to slowly back away.]

Thanks for the explanation and everything. You didn't have to do that, but you did, and that's better than most people would do.

[River gives her a brief smile in return.] You're very welcome. Good luck settling in.

[Not sure there's anything left to say for now, Rose offers River a wave before she turns to head off toward the showers at a run.]

See you around!

[This is shouted out from a good distance away, and she spins about in her jogging to smile and wave at River one final time. The woman helped her out, and that means Rose owes her an awful lot. But being naked and goo covered is overrated, so she vanishes into the crowd to join the others in the showers.]

eighteenth jump;

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