(no subject)

[polyandrist]

Who: River Song and you!
What: An open log for the whole month of October! Before the Halloween plot, during and after!
Where: River is a wanderer, so if you want to find her somewhere, find her there! (During the Halloween event she's going to be in Attleton cause that's where she lives and works.
Warning: Flirting. All the flirting, emotional stuff because of her fear. Some actual River Song anger, potentially.


Before the Halloween event, but after the whole business with Ten's mind wipe.

River is agitated, and she hates being agitated. Being agitated for River is bad, because if she can't keep in control of her emotions then she can't do what she needs to do, especially now. All of this talk of spoilers and lessons has made her feel as if she was pulled taut over the fabric of the past, and now she keeps coming back to thinking about what was said about her. Honestly, it's quite hard to get under River's skin; it's had almost two hundred years of toughening after all. Almost two hundred years of near-heartbreak and keeping secrets from the people that she's loved the most and she wouldn't change it for anything. If you can't change something, then what needs to happen is that you're the one that needs to adapt. A part of River wants to tell Rose that, but right now she's still too furious to mention it.

It's because she's so furious that River walks the long way home, slipping out of her office so that she didn't run into her husband within the building. She's worried about him, all of him, honestly, because given how Rose responded, she expects that the youngest version of the Doctor is going to be back to doing something stupid within the week. It's not something that she looks forward to.

Eventually, however, River needs to return home, and she's somewhat calmer when she comes in through the backdoor rather than the front, and she sets her satchel down on the counter before she goes looking through the cupboards for the brandy that she's kept there. Sometimes it's just a brandy sort of day.

During the Halloween event.

River has always known what her worst fear was. At least what it's been since she's been River. When she was Mels, her worst fear was that Amy and Rory would stop caring about her. The concern was the reason that she'd gotten into an ever-widening circle of getting into trouble. They couldn't stop caring about her if she needed them, right? That was the idea anyway, so that she would at least get to have some time with her parents that the Silence and Madame Kovarian couldn't touch. But once River had awoken in the hospital bed with her parents around her, that had stopped being a fear. No matter what else when she met them, she always had that to chase the fears away.

But since that day, there's been another fear. It was a worse fear, and she hated that she had it but it was constantly there in the back of her mind. It was something that only became worse and worse the more times that she and the Doctor had met all out of order. Oh, she'd met him several times when he couldn't have any idea who she was in the past, but she knew at a point that he wouldn't know her, and that it would kill her. It was a fear that she'd shared with her father, even though he'd not known that at the time. But now here she could be honest and open about such things, though she was hoping that she never could be.

When River stepped out into the street the morning of the fourteenth, what she didn't expect was to see her Doctor (yes, they were all her Doctor, but the Doctor with the bowtie was the one who'd she'd been with the most, and the one with whom she'd been through the most because she'd not had that night on Darillium yet) standing in front of the house with his hands in his pockets wearing a Fez. Well. What was that? Silently she let out a sigh, but she didn't actually shoot it off, instead she just came up to him and offered a quick. "Lovely hat, sweetie. When the man looked at her, there wasn't a flicker of recognition in his face or in his eyes and River was ever so good at reading his eyes. The smile he gave her was the one that he gave to anyone, and not just her, and she let out a soft whoosh of breath as she stared at him, and just breathed his name: "Doctor?"

"Yes, hello. I'm the Doctor. Who might you be?" For a moment River just went entirely cold, and she stared at him when he asked: "alright there?"

Comments

Office -> NIGHT at least a couple of nights later

[bigbadrose]

Rose claws her way upside down from the University roof in gargoyle form at night, with red glowing eyes and gently raps on River's window. It took some doing, trying to make sure it was the right one, but let it never be said Rose wasn't persistent. Persistent to the point of a fault really.

[polyandrist]

River has found, for the most part, that if she stays inside the building, then the... vision or whatever it happened to be of the Doctor didn't follow her. So it's not that River's hiding, exactly, it's more that she's sitting here and grading papers and hoping that by the time that she leaves, whatever the hell this is will be over with.

Of course, River knows that she's not that lucky when she sees a...gargoyle? Knocking on her window. For instant, her eyes just lock on the thing, because right before she'd been here, there was Manhattan when the entirety of New York had been covered by weeping angels. So, she keeps her eye on it for a moment and waits for it to knock again before River moves over and opens the window to take a step back. Unless the angels could move when someone was looking on them now.

Honestly, after Manhattan, nothing they did would surprise her anymore.

[bigbadrose]

Rose smiled softly and carefully hopped inside, red eyes glowing in the darkness. "Hi!" She's relieved. River is awake and not aiming a gun at her. Good start! "It's Rose. I am, I mean," and then right back into awkward. She needed to stop that. "Err... mind if I come in?" shifty eyes... because well, she'd already hopped inside, so HOPEFULLY the Professor didn't mind. Or otherwise it would be an even more awkward climb back out. Well, Rose could just jump. Which seemed very Aladdin-ish when she thought about it.

[polyandrist]

"Of course not." The words came quickly, and River took a step backwards to allow the stone version of Rose to have access to even more of her office than she did before. River was very good at compartmentalizing, and there was a welcoming smile on her face, and not a single sign of the anger that was still simmering under the surface. "That must be a bit awkward." There was a little bit of a chuckle, and she shifted her hand towards Rose's current appearance. "Though I think I'd prefer it to what I've got going." A little moment of honesty, and one that she's not certain she wishes to share with Rose, but clearly in her mind all of the events are connected.

Between breakdown and halloween

[im_with_stupid]

She came into the kitchen and saw her daughter pulling out the brandy and frowned a bit, getting one more cup. "Pour me some too?" In other words, she was there if River wanted to talk..or just if she wanted someone to be there with her.

[polyandrist]

When River saw her mother, she just frowned a little bit, but she nodded before pouring both of them quite a generous drink. It was the sort of thing that would qualify as a triple if they were having it at a bar, and she didn't bother to put in the proper sort of glass. Tumblers would do, because this wasn't about savoring the drink; this was about drinking a fair amount of it as quickly as she could.

The two glasses were caught with one hand, and the bottle with the other before River headed towards the kitchen table and sat them down in front of their normal chairs.

[im_with_stupid]

Amy grabbed the bottle from her and followed, setting it on the table between them, but where it wouldn't be in line of sight when they were looking at each other...

[polyandrist]

Without preamble, River just picked up the glass and finished it. After all, her physiology had been altered and she was stronger than the average human so it took her quite a bit more to get intoxicated and make no mistake that was what River wanted right now. No. What she wanted was to blow this planet for a while and get away from everyone and everything until she could keep up the mask that doesn't allow the people she loves to see the damage in her. But she can't so this will need to do.

Once the first brandy is finished, River pours herself another one and she sips that one more slowly with a sigh. "Well." There's a lot contained in that 'well' all the anger and frustration and just generalized tiredness over this whole situation.

sometime during the event

[guitar_hero]

He was waiting for River outside the university. A thorough check of her office told him she wasn't in there but he didn't want to come find her at the Ponds. So waiting outside it is. He wants to warn her. Has to. He doesn't trust the network to do it. Doesn't trust it not to be interfered with. She will find a way. Or he will. He hasn't quite figured out what's going on only he keeps seeing her wherever he goes. Glimpses. Peering out of alleyways, waving at him from corners or blowing kisses. But whenever he tries to follow her, she disappears. She's taunting him, he knows. Or is she? Or is it even her? He doesn't know. Can't take the risk. Though as it happens he can't figure out whether he wants to warn River to stay away from her or not to shoot her.

He folds his arms and tries to appear cool and calm and collected as he absently tongues one of the 'new and improved' canine teeth, pricking his tongue absently on the point and tasting the well of blood, making his stomach grumble.

"Now don't start that," he murmurs to himself. "Haven't been properly hungry in a decade. No need to start now." His body, ridiculous and cursed as it now was, refused to listen to him.

Great.

[polyandrist]

When River comes outside, she's rushing. At the very least she's coming much more quickly than she normally would be walking anyway. She's already figured out that her fears didn't seem to be bothering her inside, so she wanted to get home from the university to the Pond house as quickly as she could manage. Having to deal with everything with Pretty boy was enough, and the last thing that she wanted was to have the emotional gut-wrench of running into the cold, dismissive Doctor who didn't know her more times than she needed to.

But before now, at the very least, it had stuck to the Bowtie version of the Doctor. And of course it'd not spoken to her before she'd spoken to it first, so River just sighed as she started to walk past him, bracing herself because she is still expecting this to be terrible in some way. Bloody October with it's Bloody spookiness.

[guitar_hero]

He spotted her long before he even should as she came his way and, oh, what a sight. Worried and full of anxiety certainly, but vibrant in the night and incredibly vivid. Like she carried her own light inside her. He couldn't help but watch her move, the shift of her curls against her neck, the faint fluttering of her pulse. He ran his tongue over that tooth again thoughtfully and then grinned as she started to hurry past.

"Going somewhere in a hurry, Professor?" He gently grabbed her wrist. She either was running hotter than usual or he was colder. "Or do you have time for a chat?"

[polyandrist]

Well, that was different, and honestly it was a relief to her. The emotion just filled out her features, unlocking how pinched she could look from the anxiety around things lately. But for the Doctor (one who knew her at least) there was the same old bright River smile, and she automatically stopped. "Oh, you never know, there might be a strange man wandering about and waiting in doorways." Flirting, always with the flirting as she moved to wind her hand into his own rather than simply having him hold onto her wrist. But then she frowned at him. "Are you alright, sweetie? You're like ice."

And then she moved up to touch his cheek to take his temperature there.

Pre-Halloween Event, night of Ten's mind wipe, post-Amy thread

[spacepeterpan]

It's a while after River's chat with Amy, after she's gone back to her room, that she'd hear a tapping at her window--and, should she go to look, she'd find a Time Lord in a fedora she'd given him (although it completely fails to make him look at all rugged or edgy), hanging from a rope ladder outside her window because of course he found a rope ladder and couldn't just knock on her door like a normal person.

And since it's the Doctor on a rope ladder being ridiculous, he can't help grinning and fingerwaving at her.

[polyandrist]

River had made a rather good attempt at getting drunk, but her unique physiology made that a difficult task, so all she'd ended up with was a slightly lighter hard and a rather larger headache. She'd been getting ready for bed when she'd heard the tapping on the window, and she'd half-expected it to be Rose. (And honestly, if it had been Rose, River probably would have punched her squarely in the nose for all the things that she had attempted to break tonight.) However, seeing the Doctor hanging there made her laugh, and both some of the tension and the headache disintegrated away, living River to just stare at him for a moment with a shake of her head.

"You, my love, are entirely ridiculous." This time she didn't add the almost, because a rope ladder when he'd a room down the hall was something else entirely. But she'd opened the window and offered him a hand to haul him inside with, if only so that he didn't break his neck falling given his innate clumsiness. "How did you get that up there?"

[spacepeterpan]

The Doctor raises his eyebrows at that look she gives him, only brightening at the compliment (at least, a compliment in his mind). He pauses just long enough to glance upward at wherever he'd fixed the ladder, climbing in with her help (although one might argue he's not so much clumsy as he is agile like a monkey, including the total lack of elegance). Straightening his jacket and hat, he glances upward, then about her room, then back to her.

"Well... irresponsibly, I should think, sorry to barge in, thought you might need do with a visit, and climbing down was loads easier than climbing up."

...really had walking down the hallway just not even occurred to him, or...?

At the House

[waitsforher]

Rory had, of course, heard the Doctor's message. It pays to keep track of the Time Lord's, especially with 3 of them wandering around. He stood in the kitchen making tea when he heard the front door. He paused to listen for a moment. The footfalls didn't sound like Any so he took a chance and called out.

"Melody?"

Re: At the House

[polyandrist]

There were only two people in the universe who called her 'Melody' with any regularity. Amy did it of course on occasion but more often than not to her mother she was 'River.' However to her father once they had found out and were in private, she was almost always Melody and normally it was something that made her smile. It did not make her smile today. Instead her proper superhero name just made her frown and River was slower than normal to hide the damage so she just called out softly. "Yes, Rory, it's me."

After being shot

[polyandrist]

River had been shot before, of course. Honestly, she'd been shot a lot more times than either her husband or her family knew about. That was the price of the life that she led, and it was one that she'd paid willingly. Of course, she'd never been shot in front of her husband before by something that just happened to be a figment of fear. It was too bad, really, that whatever the hell it was happened to be able to use some sort of real ammunition.

If nothing else, it would be an interesting scar and an interesting story.

But River had been banished to bedrest for a few days in order to give herself time to heal. Of course River wasn't the sort of person who did good on bedrest. Even after she'd given up all of her regenerations the nurses had practically needed to tie her down to the bed or threaten to call the Doctor if she didn't take it easy. Now, of course it was worse because she had two versions of her husband here, and her mother and her father who was a nurse so River was rather stuck in her bed and attempting to grade papers while her arm was in a sling.

It had been less than a day and River was already about to rip the ruddy thing off and toss it out her bedroom window. Her stitches were itchy and she mostly just wanted to get out there and find Missy in order to stop her from doing any other havoc to anyone she cared about.

[spacepeterpan]

She should know by now there was no way she was going to avoid him worrying about her, and with their shared stomping grounds so much more confined than all of space and time, she couldn't quite so easily keep up that "don't let him see the damage" policy. Frankly, he would have been there sooner, except he'd already heard she was all right, and he was sure she'd be climbing the walls with frustration the moment anyone had spoken the words "bed rest." Better to give her a little time to... ...well, get less bitey than she'd probably be in the heat of the moment.

She'd already chided him once for not coming in through her door, so he figures he'll give it a try, and knocks in a pattern whimsical enough to probably leave little doubt who it is.

......then what, just wait?

At least he'll know if she's in a shooting-at-things mood before sticking his head in her line of sight, this way, valid point in favor of hallway doors, but it does involve a lot of standing around and not climbing on rope ladders, so he's not sure he's a fan, on balance.

[polyandrist]

Well it probably worked in the Doctor's favor that the shoulder that Missy had shot was the one that had better aim. And that gripping her gun wasn't something that River wanted to do unless she needed to do it. There was something of a relief in that the woman couldn't seem to enter houses or buildings so she wouldn't need to shoot her here, but it still worried her that the Doctor was outside. Or at least two of them were. The third was the only person whom River could think of who would knock in such an odd way. It was tempting for a moment to consider leaving him just standing there, but given River's own complete and utter boredom, she was starved for something to do. Which of course why she had turned to grading papers. If nothing else, it was at least a good use of her time.

"Come in, sweetie." River called as she fluffed up the pillow below her, determined to look as uninjured as one possibly could when their arm was still in a sling that frankly she didn't think that she needed. After all, River healed quicker than humans, and the stitches were already starting to itch enough to make her wish that she could just rip them out of her own accord. When Rory came home, she'd have him look and attempt to make the case that they might be doing her more harm than good. The shot was through and through, and the laser had taken care of the worst of the bleeding and now she was just bored and itchy and irritable.

It was probably not her best look.

When he came in, River gave him a hopeful smile. "Don't suppose you've come for a visit in order to smuggle me out, have you love?"

Re: After being shot

[im_with_stupid]

Amy came in at one point with tea. She set the tea on a bedside table and shook her head at River like she was trying to be serious when a bubble of laughter was trying to escape. The reality was the reverse. Amy looked... wrecked. She looked very much like she had at Demon's Run. Not the outfit, of course, but that same exhausted pained fear look, that same lack of effort made on her hair and makeup. It made her look very not Amy. And there was also that hard fury at the back of her eyes. She didn't get that often. But it was always in her. She reached over and took the papers gently, but firmly from River. "Never thought when you were Mels I'd ever see you Grading papers, let alone diligently when you have a perfectly good excuse to goof off instead."

[polyandrist]

River would have protested the removal of her last form of entertainment if her mother didn't look so terrible. It was easy to remember how her mother looked at Demons Run when she'd pulled the gun on her, and how she'd looked when Rory had disappeared in Manhattan, but this was different. This was supposed to be them being alright and being fine and being good and River had to go and ruin all of that by getting shot by Mary Poppins with a laser umbrella. And of course there was the week that they'd had prior with Rose and Madame Kovarian and everything else. Sometimes she forgot about this part of adventuring: the part when you sat down and everything came rushing back in.

Sighing softly, River reached over with her good arm and tugged Amy onto the bed with her, so that if nothing else her mother was laying down. "When you're as bored as I am, mum, even badly written papers are entertainment."

early 2nd night of the event if you're still up for it

[spacepeterpan]

Wherever River might have been, out about town, she probably hadn't expected the Doctor to suddenly come around a corner and crash right into her. ...especially if she thought she was in the middle of talking to a version of him that didn't recognize her. If there was a bit of a look of panic, he buried it fast when he realized it was her he'd run into.

"...oh! River, sorry, hello, how are you tonight, feeling like a bit of a run, I hope?"

He barely paused to let her answer or enjoy being suggestively collapsed on the ground together before he scrambled to get up, reaching for her hand to pull her up to her feet, as well.

[polyandrist]

Well, that was unexpected. But the Doctor running like that (especially this Doctor) meant that there was trouble quickly at his heels, which meant that she didn't even bother to make a crack about him landing on top of her. There would be time enough to do it later, but she was smirking at him and looking down at her rather sensible shoes.

Of course to go with her rather sensible shoes, River was also pulling out her rather sensible gun while she rose to her feet, holding it in the hand that the Doctor wasn't using to help her to her feet. As soon as she was on them and ready to run, she looked at him with a bit of a smirk.

"So how bad are we running from, my love?"

[spacepeterpan]

"Oh, well, what if I said 'keep moving,' and 'you won't be needing that gun'?"

It was easy to guess that what he really meant was that he didn't want her shooting at anybody.

He poked his head around the corner--then ducked back again before she could get curious, followed immediately by a bluish beam of light that lanced through the space where his head had been half a second earlier, with a cry of EXTERMINATE!

The Doctor just grinned one of his large-eyed well maybe we're about to die but at least we'll have fun doing it grins and grabbed her free hand to pull her along as he took off at a sprint in the other direction.

"See, won't be needing the gun!"

Oh, so he just meant it's not nearly big enough.