Excuse him as he grins like an idiot. Because well it's enjoyable to him. This is why he travels.
"Weird would be the wrong word now. It's... well, it's kind of like the Time Vortex. Only, you can walk through it. Pick different places."
The Doctor is pretty sure this is how the TARDIS views the Time Vortex. Except she knows what she's doing and where she's going. Where as he... not so much.
While he can't begrudge the Doctor his enjoyment, he isn't anywhere near enjoying this as much as the Doctor is. This place makes him equal parts awed and uneasy.
Vader holds his hand out and points to each direction in turn.
"Eeny, meeny, miny, moe. Catch a gundark by the toe. If it hollers let it it go. Eeny, meeny, miny, moe."
Hope you weren't expecting something more impressive. His hand stops.
"That way."
He has no idea where they're going but that's not a first. The Force will show them what they need to find. Yeah, he's going with that.
The voices they heard before are actually coming from some of the other doorways. Still muffled and still a mix of vaguely familiar and not familiar to Vader at all.
The Doctor is not impressed with how Vader chose. "I could've done that much..."
His way of tasting time wasn't much better. Beyond that, he follows the Dark Lord. He does notice it's moving away from the voices. The Doctor isn't sure if that's by design on Vader's part, but he's not going to argue with it. He's glad to be moving away from them...
He stops walking suddenly and turns to face the other direction. "I wonder, is 'it', whatever 'it' is, clever?"
"I mean, would it somehow know how to motivate and encourage you to go in a certain direction? Can it somehow control the Force? Basically, can this be a trap?"
Because the Doctor always thinks of things in context of traps. It's how he's lived so long, especially in this body.
Leave it to the Doctor to use three questions when one will do.
"Anything can be a trap."
He shrugs. Really, the Doctor should know this by now. It's not exactly reassuring though, is it?
"But, if it wants us to go this way, then there must be a reason."
Again maybe not exactly reassuring... there's no way to know if it's a good or bad reason. Sometimes it manages to be both. He hadn't really thought about it.
"If it is a trap though, I'm pretty sure we can deal with it."
At Vader's question, the Doctor licks his finger and then holds it up. Not testing for a draft, but to catch some of the Time Taste. Then he sticks his finger in his mouth to see what he can taste. After a minute, he holds his finger up again and turns in a circle.
"If I were as good as the TARDIS." (Which he's really not.) "I'd say this way."
He points in a direction 45 degrees from the one Vader was planning to go.
"It still feels weird. But the other ways feel wrong somehow."
Okay seriously, he's not convinced that the Doctor's method is any more dignified than his was. Not that he's going to question it... there wasn't any point in bringing the Doctor here and not trusting his instincts.
"Let's stick with weird."
Vader follows the Doctor's lead... reluctantly accepting that he's not in control of this situation. Although frankly, 'control' is always a loose concept when the Doctor is involved.
Still, there's nothing particularly special about this way that Vader can see. The doors in this direction don't seem all that different from any of the others... but as they get near the closest one, the sounds of voices return. The door itself remains an empty black space but he can definitely hear something coming from the other side. It takes him a moment to realize what he's hearing... it's the last time he and the Doctor met. It's their voices, their argument.
The Doctor follows Vader and when they're close to the door, he finally hears the voices. He huffs. "It's not the first time I've encountered myself...."
Though, it would be the first time this him encountered this him. Especially so close together. "You're not planning to go through, are you? I mean, meeting ourselves, especially at that point... Not a good idea."
He looks back at the blank door, thinking about the Doctor's question. It would make sense... doors usually work both ways. As for meeting himself... "I'm pretty sure I wouldn't get along."
He doesn't exactly like himself as it is and he doubts that would be any better given the raw feelings at the time. Seeing the look on the Doctor's face would be interesting, but again the whole situation... it wouldn't be worth it.
"I'll pass."
Maybe one of the next doors will have something more interesting? No harm in looking right? He starts walking further down the path.
The Doctor sighs in relief at first. But then looks less than impressed at Vader's next suggestion. "Seriously? You want to keep trying? Do you know how much damage can be done if we choose the wrong door? Clearly this is at the very least a time machine of some kind."
The Doctor looks completely offended when Vader says 'no machine could do this.' "The TARDIS does all the time."
It's less spoken and more grumbled. He considers the last question. "Maybe. If I can hear voices like the last time. This isn't my universe. So who knows what of my abilities will or won't work?"
He doesn't need to see the look, or even hear the tone of his voice, to know the Doctor is offended. But on whose behalf is he offended, the TARDIS or himself?
"She is not a machine."
Mechanical in a large part, but she's a living being. And he doesn't think of her as any less alive than he did his own Jabitha. Or himself for that matter.
"A ship, yes... but not a machine."
Not that he doesn't like machines, some of his best friends have been machines. They just have no Forciness.
Vader gives a small nod as the Doctor voices his concers.
"Then we work with what we can."
The next doors in the line with voices aren't any more promising... the Doctor handing over his glasses to him. Another awkward reminder of the lost trust that he had no desire to reminisce over... His botched attempt to get Luke to join him. That plan went way better on paper. Not his finest moment... fixing up that stupid droid of the Doctor's... the destruction of Alderaan.
"Why would it show some things and not others? Wouldn't it be easier to just have one door or some kind of a continuous playback?"
The Doctor is liking this less and less. "It's kind of like a Confession Dial. Only not."
Did he ever tell Vader all about what Confession Dials were? He doesn't remember. But the point isn't lost on him. This is going to be all about forgiveness somehow. Maybe it would be good for the Emperor.
"Question is: is it yours or mine. I don't recognise everything, so I'm assuming it's you're."
The Doctor shrugs. "Clearly this place thinks otherwise. You always walk a bit stiffly, but it's gotten worse the longer we've spent here. I'd say this place is way more about you than me."
Besides, it's not even his universe, why would it be about him?
Ugh. He realizes that's a truly lame excuse as soon as he says it. "Something about this place gives me the creeps. You don't like it here either, so..."
Not a confession by the way. Just an admission... totally different. He glances back down the direction they had just been walking.
"Anyway, if this place were meant solely for me, then there would be no reason for you to be here."
These vergence thingies can be very picky about who they interact with.
"I meant here here not out there here. It could have stopped you from passing through, but it didn't."
He's not buying the 'only him' thing. But the having to face something is pretty much par for the course. He was hoping it would be something cool for once though.
"Fine. Let's find whatever it is this place wants us to find."
It's not like he hasn't done this dozens of times before... just not with anyone else around.
"But for the record... I want you to be wrong about this place."
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ninetydegrees
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on 2019-08-23 06:25 am (UTC)"Weird would be the wrong word now. It's... well, it's kind of like the Time Vortex. Only, you can walk through it. Pick different places."
The Doctor is pretty sure this is how the TARDIS views the Time Vortex. Except she knows what she's doing and where she's going. Where as he... not so much.
"So what do you want to do now, Vader?"
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on 2019-08-26 08:16 pm (UTC)Vader holds his hand out and points to each direction in turn.
"Eeny, meeny, miny, moe. Catch a gundark by the toe. If it hollers let it it go. Eeny, meeny, miny, moe."
Hope you weren't expecting something more impressive. His hand stops.
"That way."
He has no idea where they're going but that's not a first. The Force will show them what they need to find. Yeah, he's going with that.
The voices they heard before are actually coming from some of the other doorways. Still muffled and still a mix of vaguely familiar and not familiar to Vader at all.
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on 2019-08-27 11:06 am (UTC)His way of tasting time wasn't much better. Beyond that, he follows the Dark Lord. He does notice it's moving away from the voices. The Doctor isn't sure if that's by design on Vader's part, but he's not going to argue with it. He's glad to be moving away from them...
He stops walking suddenly and turns to face the other direction. "I wonder, is 'it', whatever 'it' is, clever?"
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on 2019-08-28 03:20 pm (UTC)Vader doesn't notice the Doctor stop right away and keeps going a couple steps before looking back.
"What do you mean by 'clever'?"
Nothing is ever straightforward when the Force is involved... if that's to be clever or annoying he couldn't tell you.
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on 2019-08-28 09:51 pm (UTC)Because the Doctor always thinks of things in context of traps. It's how he's lived so long, especially in this body.
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on 2019-08-31 11:26 pm (UTC)Leave it to the Doctor to use three questions when one will do.
"Anything can be a trap."
He shrugs. Really, the Doctor should know this by now. It's not exactly reassuring though, is it?
"But, if it wants us to go this way, then there must be a reason."
Again maybe not exactly reassuring... there's no way to know if it's a good or bad reason. Sometimes it manages to be both. He hadn't really thought about it.
"If it is a trap though, I'm pretty sure we can deal with it."
Pretty sure.
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on 2019-09-01 12:03 am (UTC)Because it probably is. He'll be sure to stop that. Because it's terrible and not at all helpful.
"We need to work on your people skills. Coming here to get stuck in a parallel of your parallel universe isn't exactly a good time to me."
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on 2019-09-01 05:38 am (UTC)"What's wrong with my people skills?"
He thinks he has pretty decent people skills all things considered. Things being the tendency to murder and stuff... anyway...
"I have no more desire to be here than you do."
Seriously, the place kind of gives him the willies.
"You're the Time Lord, what direction would you go?"
He did say this place is like his own votex-thingy. Maybe the Doctor's instincts would be better than his own?
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on 2019-09-01 11:23 pm (UTC)"If I were as good as the TARDIS." (Which he's really not.) "I'd say this way."
He points in a direction 45 degrees from the one Vader was planning to go.
"It still feels weird. But the other ways feel wrong somehow."
Famous last words.
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on 2019-09-13 04:27 am (UTC)Okay seriously, he's not convinced that the Doctor's method is any more dignified than his was. Not that he's going to question it... there wasn't any point in bringing the Doctor here and not trusting his instincts.
"Let's stick with weird."
Vader follows the Doctor's lead... reluctantly accepting that he's not in control of this situation. Although frankly, 'control' is always a loose concept when the Doctor is involved.
Still, there's nothing particularly special about this way that Vader can see. The doors in this direction don't seem all that different from any of the others... but as they get near the closest one, the sounds of voices return. The door itself remains an empty black space but he can definitely hear something coming from the other side. It takes him a moment to realize what he's hearing... it's the last time he and the Doctor met. It's their voices, their argument.
"I think we found your weird."
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on 2019-09-13 06:03 am (UTC)Though, it would be the first time this him encountered this him. Especially so close together. "You're not planning to go through, are you? I mean, meeting ourselves, especially at that point... Not a good idea."
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on 2019-09-13 06:38 pm (UTC)He looks back at the blank door, thinking about the Doctor's question. It would make sense... doors usually work both ways. As for meeting himself... "I'm pretty sure I wouldn't get along."
He doesn't exactly like himself as it is and he doubts that would be any better given the raw feelings at the time. Seeing the look on the Doctor's face would be interesting, but again the whole situation... it wouldn't be worth it.
"I'll pass."
Maybe one of the next doors will have something more interesting? No harm in looking right? He starts walking further down the path.
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on 2019-09-13 07:33 pm (UTC)And that makes the Doctor very nervous.
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on 2019-09-14 12:36 am (UTC)He's just curious. Sheesh. What harm is there in looking. He starts walking again, looking past the doors to the stars that aren't stars.
"This place is practically alive with the Force. No machine could do this."
He only gives the next few doors a cursory look. Mostly out of distraction.
"Anyway, you wouldn't let us choose the wrong door. You'd be able to tell..."
Vader turns, he could swear he saw one of the constellations move. Weird.
"...right?"
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on 2019-09-14 03:59 am (UTC)It's less spoken and more grumbled. He considers the last question. "Maybe. If I can hear voices like the last time. This isn't my universe. So who knows what of my abilities will or won't work?"
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on 2019-09-14 05:54 pm (UTC)"She is not a machine."
Mechanical in a large part, but she's a living being. And he doesn't think of her as any less alive than he did his own Jabitha. Or himself for that matter.
"A ship, yes... but not a machine."
Not that he doesn't like machines, some of his best friends have been machines. They just have no Forciness.
Vader gives a small nod as the Doctor voices his concers.
"Then we work with what we can."
The next doors in the line with voices aren't any more promising... the Doctor handing over his glasses to him. Another awkward reminder of the lost trust that he had no desire to reminisce over... His botched attempt to get Luke to join him. That plan went way better on paper. Not his finest moment... fixing up that stupid droid of the Doctor's... the destruction of Alderaan.
"Why would it show some things and not others? Wouldn't it be easier to just have one door or some kind of a continuous playback?"
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on 2019-09-14 10:17 pm (UTC)Did he ever tell Vader all about what Confession Dials were? He doesn't remember. But the point isn't lost on him. This is going to be all about forgiveness somehow. Maybe it would be good for the Emperor.
"Question is: is it yours or mine. I don't recognise everything, so I'm assuming it's you're."
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on 2019-09-14 11:45 pm (UTC)"I have nothing to confess."
And forgiveness is right out.
"If that's what this place wants then we might as well leave now."
He turns on his heel and starts to walk away. There's no way he wants anything to do with that sort of thing.
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on 2019-09-15 01:13 am (UTC)Besides, it's not even his universe, why would it be about him?
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on 2019-09-15 02:26 am (UTC)Ugh. He realizes that's a truly lame excuse as soon as he says it. "Something about this place gives me the creeps. You don't like it here either, so..."
Not a confession by the way. Just an admission... totally different. He glances back down the direction they had just been walking.
"Anyway, if this place were meant solely for me, then there would be no reason for you to be here."
These vergence thingies can be very picky about who they interact with.
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on 2019-09-15 02:53 am (UTC)He has no problem with confessions now. In this case, it's more about forgiveness, but he's pretty sure Vader would completely reject that idea.
"There's something here you need to face. Not sure what I can do to help."
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on 2019-09-15 03:17 pm (UTC)He's not buying the 'only him' thing. But the having to face something is pretty much par for the course. He was hoping it would be something cool for once though.
"Fine. Let's find whatever it is this place wants us to find."
It's not like he hasn't done this dozens of times before... just not with anyone else around.
"But for the record... I want you to be wrong about this place."
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on 2019-09-15 03:32 pm (UTC)Which sucks for various reasons on many levels.
"You keep using this word, 'us'. I don't think it's about us. I'm thinking I'm meant to be a companion, but this is all really about you."
Still, he follows. Because it's not like he's going to leave people. He's the Doctor, after all.
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on 2019-09-15 04:31 pm (UTC)He looks at the Doctor. "Unless you would rather stay behind. I don't need a companion."
He is capable of handling things on his own. Especially if it's some sort of awkward lesson.
"You could... go connect to the Timeyness of this place or something. Whatever it is you Time Lords do."
Not that he expects it to happen... the Doctor is too invested in the whole 'Doctor' thing. Worth a shot though.
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on 2019-09-15 04:45 pm (UTC)Someone had once said the Doctor travels with an entourage. It's not by choice so much as necessity. It goes bad when he is alone...
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