[accidental video]

[hulloeverything]

[The feed cuts in on the doctor standing in a hotel room. It looks like your typical hotel room. Nothing special at all... except of course for Rory desperately trying to keep the door shut as something pounds on it, roaring on the other side. Amy kneels on the floor beside him, nearly in tears. A little girl who looks very much like a younger Amy (because, well, she is) sits silently on a suitcase by the window]

Doctor, it's happening. It's changing me. Changing my thoughts.

[The Doctor crouches next to her, staring intently at her] I can't save you from this. there's nothing I can do to stop this.

What?

I stole your childhood and now I've lead you by the hand to your death. You know the worst thing is I KNEW. I knew this would happen. this is what always happens.

[a minotaur smashes the door open, sending Rory into the wall with it. Ignoring the creature stepping into the room, the Doctor touches Amy's shoulder, making her look at him]

Forget your faith in me.

[Amy stares at him in shock as the minotaur starts to huff and howl behind them. The Doctor takes a breath, trying desperately to keep the sorrow out of his voice as he continues. This hurts him more than it hurts Amy right now but it needs to happen... he needs to do the one thing he knows will save her.]

I took you with me because I was vain. Because I wanted to be adored. [He gently touches her face] Look at you. The glorious Pond. The girl who waited for me. [He smiles softly, fighting back the tears brimming in his eyes] I'm not a hero. I really am just a madman in a box. And it's time we saw each other as we really are.

[He leans forward and gently kisses her forehead as the minotaur continues to huff, looking like the energy is being pulled out of him. He stumbles backwards back into the hall]

Amy Williams. It's time to stop waiting.

[Giving a tearful Amy one more smile - full of all the respect he holds for her - Eleven gets up to look for the Minotaur. He finds the creature collapsing in the hallway. The lights flicker and seem to spark before fading entirely, leaving them in near darkness. Eleven crouches by the beast, holding his head and stroking his face to comfort him.]

I severed the food supply, sacrificing their faith in me. Gave you the space to die. [he shushes him, gently easing his hand over the creature's face. The hotel seems to fold in on itself, like pixels folding together and disappearing leaving then all standing in a black console room with blue glowing lines along the floor. A a blue box - the TARDIS - stands nearby.]

What is it? a minotaur or an alien? Or an alien minotaur. Not a question I thought I’d be asking this morning.

I mean, it's both, actually. Yeah. [He moves to the console, reading the glowing yellow characters as the stream by] Here we go. A distant cousin of the Nimon. They descend on planets and set themselves up as gods to be worshiped, which is fine until the inhabitants get all secular and advanced enough to build bunkers, prisons.

Correction. Prisons in space.

Where are the guards?

No need for any. It's all automated. It drifts through space, snatching people with belief systems, and converts their faith into food for the creature.

[Amy steps up next to him, looking at him curiously] It didn't want just me. so you must believe in some god or someone or they'd have shown you the door, too. So what do Time Lords pray to?

[the Doctor opens his mouth and closes it a couple of times, contemplating replying. That's one hell of a loaded question, one that he is far from prepared to answer. So he does the next best thing... changes the subject] According to the in-flight recorder, the programme developed glitches. Got stuck on the same setting. The fears from the people before us weren't tidied away.

[The minotaur huffs and groans from the floor and everyone turns to look at him.]

What's it saying?

An ancient creature drenched in the blood of the innocent. drifting in space through an endless shifting maze. for such a creature death would be a gift. [He crouches and takes the minotaur’s hand] then accept it. and sleep well.

[He stands to move back towards the console when the minotaur continues. He freezes in place and hesitantly translates] I wasn’t talking about myself.

((OOC: Long overdue canonbump for Eleven! Amy, Rory and regular text is Eleven.))

Comments

[video]

[croibhristeoir]

[He didn't say anything, at first. There was nothing Diarmuid could even think of, and yet as always his thoughts and emotions were displayed clearly on his face--worry, sympathy, concern, and finally quiet contemplation. It was hard to vocalize his thoughts when there were so many ways to approach it. 'Are you alright' seemed a pointless question, as did most other things he could come up with.]

[So for a moment or two Diarmuid found himself hesitating, clearly just on the edge of speaking yet having no idea where to begin.]

I...what was...

[So much for the eloquence of the Fianna.]

[video]

[hulloeverything]

[Eleven looks up and sees the feed open. Of course it is. Why wouldn't it be? He forces a smile and shrugs, nonchalant]

What was what? Him? [He gestures behind him] A Minotaur. I must say I've never seen one in the flesh before, only heard about their race. Ancient ancient beings. [...he's one to talk] I don't know if there are any more in the universe.

[video]

[croibhristeoir]

I'm afraid it's not something I've heard of before.

[He recovered the best that he could, though it was nigh impossible to simply not look concerned.]

...If you'll forgive what must be a ridiculous question, is everything alright?

[permavideo]

[hulloeverything]

Many haven't. At least outside of myths and stories. Of course the fact that it's from a different world long since forgotten makes a large difference as well.

[He looks up from what he was doing, blinking a couple of times]

Alright? I... of course everything's alright. Why wouldn't it be? Once I've got this ship sorted we'll get into the TARDIS and be on our way. [way to COMPLETELY miss the subject of the question, dude.]

Re: [permavideo]

[croibhristeoir]

I'm hardly one to talk about myths and stories being forgotten. [actually you're the most qualified to talk about them, derry.] But I find the concept overlaps with 'forgotten worlds' rather easily, myself.

Ah, let me rephrase my question. That seemed the kind of thing that would leave one rather upset, and...well, I was worried.

[carriesparasol]

The creature fed upon people's...faith?

[hulloeverything]

It did, yes. The stronger the faith the bigger the meal.

[carriesparasol]

I've never heard of such a being. Are there many of them?

[hulloeverything]

[He shakes his head]

No... not anymore. That may have been the last one.

[carriesparasol]

Oh dear.

But...I suppose that would solve the problem of any further victims.

[harbingersoul]

Did you pass its test?

[hulloeverything]

Yes and no. It wasn't exactly a test, though I suppose I did pass it in a manner of speaking. That is, of course, if we were speaking of it as being a test which it wasn't.

No, ah, it was more of a trap than a test. Though I suppose the Minotaur was the one trapped in this case, simply feeding and waiting for someone to come along who could finally pick the lock and open the cage.

[harbingersoul]

How long had it been there?

[hulloeverything]

How long has the prison been in operation? Bit difficult to tell... does it matter, really?

[harbingersoul]

Yes. It would better explain its motivation.

[antibadstuff]

You fight faith-eating minotaurs often?

[hulloeverything]

Um... no. Not exactly. First time for everything, though. Of course I could say that nearly every day. Lots of first times, me. [He forces a smile, though it's not entirely convincing]

[antibadstuff]

You don't run out of them?

[hulloeverything]

[He smiles] Bit difficult when you travel through time and space.

[antibadstuff]

I guess it would be. Okay, change of pace then. What's the most common thing you see? Your nine gazillion and first.

[nospoilersforyou]

[Oh hey look who's interest was piqued! Especially where Mum and Dad are concerned. So many questions, so little time.]

Is everyone alright? That... minotaur, notwithstanding, obviously. And if it wasn't talking about itself... who was it talking about?

[hulloeverything]

[Oh hullo, River. Wasn't expecting to see you, here.]

Alright? Yes. Quite. We're fine. Well... will be. Once I get everyone where they ought to be.

[nospoilersforyou]

[Puh-lease. She's got her eye on you~ And she's noticing you dodging her question. She'll let it slide for the moment, but expect to revisit it shortly.]

And where exactly would that be?

[hulloeverything]

[He looks over his shoulders at the Williams'.]

Home.

[nospoilersforyou]

[She remembers the place they had the last time they came back after traveling with the Doctor. They had been waiting to hear what happened to their daughter-- to her. Before he turned up and they went off to Berlin. Before she ended up several millennia in the future and started attending university.]

Home... [The word carried some nostalgia to her, audible in the tone she uses. It would never be normal though. Not with the way she grew up. Home with her parents was just a place to visit, never live. Home on her own was either on her own or with... who even looked after her when she grew up in Leadworth? A finer detail she couldn't remember, but it didn't matter. Not anymore.]

Sure would be nice to go back, even for a visit. Would you mind coming to get me for a short visit after they're settled back in?