Fandom The Traveller of Refuge (Doctor Who)

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"Marie? Something troubling Refuge I don't know about?" He turns to Marie.

"Well yeah, there's always the Strangers, and the fields dying, and of course there's the Injuns."

Davro puts his gloved hand up to his head. "Marie! You can't just be telling every trapper and wanderer about Refuge! Goddamnit, I guess then I have no choice in this. Ahab, fire away on your questions, I guess."

 

[Venom Adhamm]

Injuns... That's not really a problem for me to solve. They've got guns and a robot, I'm sure they'll be able to wipe out the native population in no time. That should be the course of history, anyway. The fields dying... I don't really feel like giving any agriculture advice at this moment. But... the Strangers? What does she mean by that? This place seems isolated, but do people come visit often? I need to decide, firstly, whether to ask Davro about the Strangers or himself. Hmm. I can always do both, so it might be best to ask about the less personal topic. Hmph. Thinking about anything 'personal' when dealing with a Cyberman. How absurd.

"Tell me about these Strangers. You mentioned them, too. Who are they? Just passerbys that cause trouble?"

 

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Davro stokes the fire. "They're nobody really. Just a bunch of hotshots living out of town goin' on about nothing. They're a pesterance to keeping the town private, but I usually just go down and ask them to quit and they do for a week or so." He says this with a general tone of indifference. "Look, if you really wanna help, tell me if you've got medical experience, Mister Ahab."

"Palloma?" Marie asks.

"I'm afraid so. Until the sheriff gets back we can't send anybody East to get her more medicine, but since you're a traveler, you might have what she needs." Marie seems bummed by this news.

 

[Venom Adhamm]

Seems their main trouble isn't anything outside this town. It's just this Cyberman and the sick woman. Alright. I'll take care of the ill first, then finish my questioning with Davro.
"Sorry to say, but I'm no doctor. The medical experience I have is limited to taking care of myself. But I've seen and read more than a lifetime's worth of medical information. I'll need to have a look at her first. Davro, I think it'd be best if you continue whatever business you were taking care of before I arrived," I suggest as I stand up and look over at the young redheaded girl.
"Uhm... sweetheart, could you bring me to Palloma?"

 

[Error 420]

(Sorry, I keep thinking it's your turn to respond.)
Venom Adhamm
Marie shakes her head yes. Davro turns to you, and gestures for Marie to leave. She shrugs, mouths I'll be right out here, and leaves the Fort. Davro comes in somewhat close, and speaks to you. With his hollow metal eyes, he can't quite make contact, but something in his voice makes it seem as though he's reaching out to you, trying to empathize. "Look here, Mister Ahab, you seem like a standup gentleman, offerin' to help out our town, but you can't be goin' around with your hands in your pockets asking everybody questions. It unnerves them. We've got a tight-knit community, and if you make a bad impression with one, it'll prolly spread like wildfire. You only got one shot at this, so make it count." He puts out a gloved metal hand to shake.

 

[Venom Adhamm]

(No worries, would it help if I tagged you in each post?)

I stare into the cold hollowness of Davro's visual processors, both of my hands visible at my sides. What's it trying to accomplish? Nobody tries so hard for a handshake. I might be paranoid, but I'm sure its got ulterior motives. At this point though, I'm not too sure if this Cyberman is really a Cyberman. Might be some crazy dude in a suit he found, but that's almost as bad. Hmm... A suit. Marie said the sheriff found him, but it doesn't make much sense for it to be doing what it does. Could it be that...?

"Then, I'll just give you one question, Davro... Where's the sheriff?"

 

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(I was about to say yes, but just now I didn't even get this alert until after I navigated to this thread, so I think the alert system is currently being fixed)

He notices your refusal to shake his hand. He begrudgingly says "He's out on town business." He turns back to the pot on the flame, removing his glove to remove it from the fire, noting that preparing tea would be unnecessary. He says nothing more and doesn't look at you.

Venom Adhamm

 

[Venom Adhamm]

(Kk, I'll just do so anyway.)

Town business. This place seems awfully isolationist, hard to believe they'd be doing any kind of business. Originally, I was going to deal with this Cyberman later. But now, I've got a feeling he might cause a bit of trouble for me. I need to deal with this Davro right now. Right now, this thing seems a bit closer to an android that thinks it's organic than a Cyberman. I've got a way to deal with things like this.

"Forgive my lie, then, Davro. I've got more questions now, Davro. It's all to help me help the town, Davro. Help me help you, Davro. Davro. That's your name, isn't it, Davro? Who gave it to you?"

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"Why the hell you talkin' so funny?" Your constant use of his name appears to weird him out. "The sheriff gave it to me. What does it matter to you?"

 

[Venom Adhamm]

"It matters to me because anything wearing that metal armor shouldn't have a name, emotions, or a sense of self. That armor is used by a race called Cybermen, who reproduce by grafting that armor onto others and re-engineering their brains. That's why it bothers me so much that you don't act the way you're supposed to. Either way, there shouldn't be any trace of Cybermen here. So either that armor doesn't belong here and you just happened upon it, or you don't belong here."

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"Whattdu you mean I don't belong here? What'sas supposed to mean? I been in Refuge my whole life! You want proof this ain't just some piddly armor?" He puts his gloved hands to the sides of his head, and with a twist it pops off, leaving exposed ports behind in his metallic neck. He pops his head back on, and asserts "No more questions. Now get out of here before I detain you under suspicion of indecency." He points to the door.

 

[Venom Adhamm]

I smirk slightly as I watch him remove his head. Never seen a Cyberman take its head off before. This must be the temporal abberation. At least I know for a fact this is a Cyberman, though it's not like any other I've encountered. Sadly, I don't have the tools to deal with this thing right now. I'll need some more time to figure out a plan. Might even want to talk with the sheriff first. Leaving the Cyberman alive now will definitely cause some problems in the future, but there's not much I can do at the moment. I'll have to take my chances.

"Thank you for your time, Davro," I say as I leave the building to meet up with Marie outside.

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[Error 420]

Without a word, Marie starts to wonder off in the direction of a small tent near the edge of town. The sky begins to brighten, the inky black of the Northern Sky fading slowly into a chill Indiana morning. The wind from the East quickly picks up, dropping the temperature dramatically. Marie begins to shiver, her pale skin erupting in goosebumps. The clock on the Fort behind you reads 5:10. Not glancing back at you, she asks "So how did your talk with Davro go?"

 

[Venom Adhamm]

I walk by Marie's side towards the tent. As the breeze sweeps by, I look at her, quietly removing my jacket and placing it around her pale body. And then, for a moment, I wonder why I bothered. To make myself look good for this community, right? Yeah, that's the only reason.
"It was an... interesting talk. I'll need to speak with the sheriff whenever he gets back, too."

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She smiles at the gesture of giving her your coat. "Thanks. Palloma's tent is right up here."

In front of you stands something unusual. The other tents of the town are all white canvas of varying sizes on wooden supports, but this one is remarkably different. Here, the canvas is bright purple, and the tent is roughly twice the height of the others. It's about 500 meters from the clock tower due South, and overlooks the Wabash below, making it stand as the furthest South structure in town. It also has a solid wooden door, painted black, as apposed to the canvas flaps on all the others. A painting of an ornate eye covers the front facade of the building just above the door. The door opens just as you arrive, and below you is an ancient-looking woman with brown skin and more wrinkles than actual visual facial features. Her sunken eyes appear almost shut in a squint. She coughs phlegmatically, and says only, "Hello, Traveller, I've been expecting you. Fancy some scones?"

 

[Venom Adhamm]

I nod to Marie as she thanks me. I'm going to be taking that jacket back later but... I guess she can have it for now until she gets changed into something besides that nightgown. My eyes widen slightly as Palloma's tent comes into view. Odd little place. Wonder what's so special about this woman to make her tent have a door and be bigger than the rest. A tent with a door, how absurd. Maybe she's the town mayor or something. Or maybe she just set her tent up like this on her own for the fun of it. I approach the door with Marie and am just about to knock before it's opened and I'm greeted by the owner.
"Expecting me?" I ask, "Then you know who I am. Could I- I mean, could we come in? I think we'll have a lot to talk about. And... scones would be nice."

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Palloma smiles, and opens the door for you to come in. She's roughly 5 foot tall, hunched over, wearing robes in red, orange, and yellow. The inside of the tent is, surprisingly, floored with hard oak. The walls are covered in paintings ranging from the banal to the serene to the uncomfortable. Highly detailed and gruesome landscapes of battles, cubist notions of worlds ending, a ballerina gracefully turning in an impressionistic style. The ceiling is roughly twenty feet up, and you can see it is completely covered with small orbs of multi-colored glass, all seeming to hang by a very thin thread. You recognize them as Prince Rupert's Drops. In the center of the square structure is a circular table with a glass ball on it, sat directly in the middle of the Gallifreyan symbol for 'seeing', with four chairs spread equally around it. In the back is a small fireplace and cabinets put around it as a makeshift kitchen. Two hammocks swing in the far corner near the fireplace. Palloma moves over to the 'kitchen' and comes back to the table in the center with a large basket of warm scones. She pulls out two chairs and warmly says "Please, sit. Enjoy some scones. They're mulberry!"
Venom Adhamm

 

[Venom Adhamm]

This definitely doesn't look like a place from this time-period. Seems like there might be two things that don't belong here. I close the door behind me and Marie, then take a seat by the table, my eyes quickly caught by the Gallifreyan symbol. What's this woman doing with something like this in her house? She knows a lot more than I might've guessed. Must've met a Time-Lord before, or maybe I've run into her at some point but just forgot about it. In any case, she definitely knows who I am, or has a rough idea, but I don't know a thing about her. Feels like I'm really at a disadvantage here. I silently take a scone from the basket and eat it, thinking for a moment on who this lady might be. Is she even a Human?
"I have to ask... who exactly are you?"

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She coughs. "My name's Palloma. I've been serving this town and her inhabitants for these past two years." Another cough, this one compelling her to pull out a handkerchief and clear her throat loudly into it.

Marie whispers in your ear "She's a psychic" and sits down.

Palloma continues. "I sit, and for a dollar or a favor, call upon the sands of time to show me a vision of the future." She coughs once more, this one causing her to stumble over in the chair across from you. Her very singular cough suggests to you tuberculosis, easily treatable even with the first aid kit aboard the TARDIS.

 

[Venom Adhamm]

"Then I take it that everything you've drawn here are things you've seen in the future?" I ask. I already know I could pay her with the favor of treating her tuberculosis, but do I really need her to tell me the future? Seems a bit silly to see a psychic if I've got a time-machine. Couldn't hurt though. I said I'd fix her up anyway, and it'd be the best way to keep this community on my side while I try to fix their problem.

"Okay then. Do your thing for me, and I'll heal your sickness. Is that enough of a favor for you?"

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She nods as you mention her paintings and smiles. Her smile does not fade as you make your deal, but she states "That is not how this works, Traveller. I would greatly appreciate your favor, and it would be worth much to me, but you must give it first."

 

[Venom Adhamm]

I nod and take another scone. Seems she's a bit like me: not very trusting. Rather not bring her into my TARDIS; I feel like she might even just collapse and croak on the way there. Best to just bring the first-aid kit back here. Could keep it on me for awhile too, in case I end up needing something else from it while trying to resolve the situation here.
"You'll have to give me a few minutes to get the things I'll need, then," I tell her as I stand up, "Once I'm back, it shouldn't take too long, assuming you have what I think you have. Just relax for now."
I finish the scone in my hand, then look over at Marie, thinking for a moment before speaking.

"Do you wanna stay here or come with me?"

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[Error 420]

She's already stood up with you, not expecting this question. "Uh, I guess I'll stay here." She sits back down.

"See you later, dearie!" Palloma waves as you leave. You exit the tent, heading to the East end of town, towards your TARDIS. While inside, you note that the repairs are going along swimmingly, but it'll probably be a few hours before they're complete. You locate the first aid kit, a small briefcase under the main console, and head back out. You see the Fort's clock says 5:30, and as you begin towards the South, you notice a large tent not far from you start smoking. It's surrounded by a three people with purple neckerchiefs over their faces, and several people are leaving their tents to investigate the sudden noise of a struggle coming from this tent. Not long after, the top of the tent begins to burn and the purple-masked men charge into the tent, pursued by a quickly sprinting Davro. You see the people of the town are dressed in simple clothing, but are all very fully dressed, just about to begin their day. The sun begins to rise in the East.

 

[Venom Adhamm]

I keep the first aid kit in my left hand as I head back to Palloma's tent, stopping as I smell the oddly-familiar scent of smoke. I look over towards its source, caught off-guard by the masked men and Davro. Don't know what's going on there, but it can't be good. I drop my first aid kit and start to run forward towards the burning tent, but some force seems to stop me from moving more than a few steps...

You aren't going in there, are you?
Huh?
Did that last regeneration strip you of your sight? You can see that tent's burning, can't you? You want to go charging into a fire like that? And do what? You don't even have a clue what's going on, how could you have a clue what you're going to do when you get in there? You should just walk away.
There's probably people in there that need my help.
Need your help for what? To get out of there so they can live a few more years before dying like the rest? You don't even like Humans. Fine, if you wanna go help them, go help them. Go.
...
You can't move your legs, can you? You're scared. You're starting to remember, aren't you?

"Ha... haa..."
Hyperventilating. Why?
You've really tried to repress that for awhile, huh? Keep looking at that fire. Stare as much as you want. Do you remember now? I think you do. We died in a fire last time. Do you want a repeat of that? What do you think will happen this time? Where do Time-Lords go when they die and can't regenerate? Care to run to that tent and find out?

Against my fear, I take another step towards the tent, then another.
You can't do it.
Another step.
You know you're scared. Do you truly, truly think you can overcome that fear?
Another step, this one shorter than the last.
Who do you think you are? Some brave, valiant hero who can beat any obstacle, always win, and get a hug and a kiss at the end?
...
That's right.
I take a step back, away from the burning tent.

You're not that great.

I grab my first aid kit from the ground and walk quickly away from the burning tent, towards Palloma's place to begin treating her illness.

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[Error 420]

You head towards Palloma's, turning your back on the burning tent. By the time you get to her tent, pushing past several townsfolk, It's about 5:35. You come to the black oak door, and open it. Inside is the same room as before. Palloma and Marie sit at the table, enjoying scones and laughing about something. You shut the door behind you, drowning out the sounds of anguished cries and crackling flame. Marie turns, noticing you. "What's happening out there? Did you do something?"
Venom Adhamm