[IC] Through Time and Space | Kirah and carsgovroom

[carsgovroom]

The Doctor apologized for his situation and Nora looked over at the woman seated on one of the cots. She smiled and shook her head as she took a seat beside. "Nothing to apologize for. This storm isn't your fault. Unless you have the alien ability to control the weather or something." She laughed soft at her own joke for a moment before continuing. "Seriously though. It's fine. If I wasn't here I'd just be on a train by myself right now." When she asked about the hot chocolate Nora smiled again. "Yeah. It was great. Best there is, like you said. Maybe we'll need another one after this storm is over."

Nora took another look around the shelter, taking in the number of cots and supplies that were stacked in boxes along the walls. Looked like a very well prepared shelter. The people of this city probably had a lot of experience. It was then that she met the gaze of a young boy sitting on a cot near them. He was gazing at her, and the Doctor, and she stared back for a moment in surprise. Then she smiled kindly. "Hello," she said in a friendly tone. It was the same sort of friendliness she spoke with when she gave museum tours to school children. Sometimes it was real, sometimes it was faked, depending on her mood. But to this boy her smile and tone were genuine. "What's your name, love?"

[Kirah]

"I don't." The Doctor laughed slightly at her jest, and nodded in agreement when she said that they should get another cup before leaving. She watched Nora interact with the boy with a small sad smile on her face, before turning her attention to some of the other activities going on. A line had formed next to a table where people were handing out blankets and pillows for the cots.

The boy waved with his fingers, the back of his hand pressed against his cheek, "I'm Ted." He responded, from behind his hand. "You're not from around here. Are you?"

"I'm going to get us blankets and pillows." The Doctor said quietly so as not to interrupt Nora's conversation with Ted.

[carsgovroom]

Nora had unraveled her scarf from around her neck and had set it beside her, as well as removed her warmers and shrugged the coat off. She gave the boy all of her attention, waving back as he did. "Hi Ted," she said, leaning forward and propping her elbows on her knees. "My name's Nora." He didn't really ask if she wasn't from around here. Ted stated it and it made her smile.

"Is it that obvious?" she asked and laughed a little. "No, I'm not. Just passing through, really. I'm sort of...on holiday. So I guess that makes me a tourist. My friend told me I had to try your cocoa, so here I am. And now I'm experiencing my first snow storm. It's a bit exciting." Nora smiled and peered at the boy. "So, Ted. what about you? I'm guessing that you are from around here." She rested her chin on the heel of her hand. "And it's not your first snow storm, either."

[Kirah]

Ted smiles as she asks if it was that obvious. To him, a local born, he can see when someone doesn't take the snow for granted. She wasn't reacting just right. "I was born here." Ted nodded agreeing to her guess that it wasn't his first snow storm either. "It just snowed a few hours ago." He laughed slightly. "We weren't even done cleaning up for that yet. It's Winter right now, so we get our worst snow storms right now, but it's cool to watch from the gardens. Later, after headcount, I can take you up to see the garden on the building."

The Doctor meanwhile joined the queue for the blankets. She had a small bounce to her step that got her a couple side glances, not anything the Doctor was a stranger to. The Doctor was a good dozen people back in the line from the front, but she found entertainment in looking around. She realized there was an undercurrent of stress amongst some of the adults. "What's wrong?" She asked the nearest, obviously stressed out person.

"My son is in the snow. I don't know if he got indoors in time." The Doctor nodded understand that fear.

"Your son knows the bells. I'm sure he found shelter. Was he playing with friends? He may have just gone over to their place if it was closer." The woman seemed calmed down by the Doctor's logic and nodded moving forward with the line.

[carsgovroom]

"Yeah I noticed all of the shoveling when I was walking through town with my friend," Nora said when he stated that they hadn't finished cleaning up the last storm's snow. Ted was talking about some sort of garden where he liked to watch the storms and offered to take her to see the gardens herself in a little while. Nora smiled. "That does sound cool," she replied in an agreeable tone. Yeah, I'd love to see the garden. Thanks, Ted."

She smiled at her new acquaintance, then glanced over to see where the Doctor had gone. She had told Nora she was going to get some blankets, and she could now see the other woman in the queue, speaking to some of the other people around her. Adults mostly. That made a thought pop into her head, and she looked back at Ted, who seemed to be sitting all by himself on a cot, before glancing around nearby. Surely if his mother and father were here at least one would stay close. "Ted, are your parents with you?" Nora asked curiously as she looked back at him.

[Kirah]

Nora didn't see anyone who seemed to be paying attention to the small boy talking with her. There was one lady walking around with a clipboard asking for names from everyone, but even she only shot a glance at Ted before moving past him in his row. Nora sat in the row next to him, the woman would probably be back soon for her name.

Ted looked down at his feet, kicked them slightly and shook his head. "No." He finally said, before glancing up at Nora to see her reaction. He was biting his lip a little. He let his glance drop back down, and before Nora could ask him another question the Doctor had returned with two blankets and pillows. "It seems there are dozens of these shelters all over town. They have access to a garden on the top as well. We saw those coming in. The big domes on top of most of the buildings. Well interestingly enough there are ally ways that cut through all the buildings so you can cross under the garden domes and the storm doesn't hit as hard there as it does the main streets." The Doctor paused taking in both Nora and Ted's looks. "What did I miss?"

[carsgovroom]

Ted told her that his parents weren't here in the shelter with him. A simple enough answer. Perhaps they had been home and he had been out on the street and had found the closest shelter possible. He could have been with friends or something. But if that was the case wouldn't at least some of his friends be here, too? Nora's brow furrowed a bit in concern as she took in the way he kicked his feet and looked at her while biting his lip. There was more to it than just the simple "No." She sat up a little straighter and was about to ask him where his parents were when the Doctor reappeared with pillows and blankets.

She was speaking and Nora turned her gaze away from Ted, a little reluctantly, to look at her as she spoke. Her friend went quiet for a moment as she looked between Nora and Ted and asked what she had missed. Nora looked back at Ted and smiled. "Ted, this is my friend. The Doctor. She's the one who's sort of taking me on this holiday. Doctor this is Ted. He's going to show me the garden upstairs in a bit."

[Kirah]

"Hello Ted." The Doctor gave the small boy a large smile. She placed the blankets and pillows on her bed and sat down so she'd be closert o eye level with Ted and held out her hand for a shake. "I haven't been up into the gardens in such a long time. Would you mind if I tagged along?"

The boy glanced to Nora, after shaking the Doctor's hand. "I don't mind," a smile breaking across his face as well.

"Sorry to interrupt, but may I get your names please?" The woman with the clipboard had returned. She looked between Nora and the Doctor, curiosity written across her face, but she didn't ask anything else.

"Ah yes, I'm the Doctor, and this is my friend Nora." The Doctor announced proudly, as if she had never had another friend before, or it had been a long time since the last one.

[carsgovroom]

Nora had a slight smile on her face as she observed the Doctor interacting with Ted, and it was when a woman close to them spoke up that she finally looked away. She had noticed the woman wandering about the shelter and talking to people before writing down on her clipboard. Nora supposed she had been taking everyone's name and doing the headcount that Ted had mentioned earlier, since she asked for their names, and her gaze was flickering between Nora and the Doctor.

The Doctor was the one who spoke up, introducing herself then Nora. Nora noticed the pride in her tone when she announced that she was her friend and it struck her as a little odd. But what else did she expect from the Doctor? Nora gave the other woman a curious sort of look before looked back up at the woman with the clipboard and gently waved with her fingers. "Hi. Nora Clarke." The woman didn't seem to notice, she just jotted the names down before moving along. She had a job to do, after all, and when she was gone Nora looked back to the Doctor and Ted. "Was that the headcount?" she asked the boy, "Can we see that garden now?"

[Kirah]

"Yeah it was." Ted said sliding off of the cot. He smiled at the two ladies and led the way to a set of stairs that went up. "It's just up the stairs and then the garden is on the top of the building, so it's a few flights of stairs." The Doctor nodded and Ted started up the stairs.

It took the three of them almost 15 minutes to finally get to a large door, Ted paused and gave a bright smile at The Doctor and Nora. "Behind this door is the Garden." He said, and then pushed it open. It was hot. Both the Doctor and Nora felt their mouths dry out as they stepped into a literal jungle of plants. Most of what they saw, which wasn't a lot, since all the plants were tall, appeared to be edible in some way. These people had perfected the art of hydroponics and green houses.

Looking up was a treat as well. Through the glass dome they could see the snow storm raging on. Flurries wiped about pushed by the unseen winds. Inside the dome though they couldn't hear the wind. It was quite save the sound of wildlife, specifically bees, and a few other insects. Birds were chirping, and the smell of oranges, unseen, filled their noses. It was a contrast to have pure life and spring in the room they stood in while snow and sleet slammed the city.