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The Doctor dodged down an alleyway and used the back door of a clothing shop to slip away from the guards chasing after him.
They weren't there to arrest him, per se, but they were there to 'escort' him back up to the citadel where he would have to sit through another one of the most boring parties of all time. Even Rassilon himself would surely have found them dull.
"Oh!" A young girl who'd just stepped into the back gasped, "My Lord Doctor. You honor us with your presence." She gave a very fast and very deep bow, a dark flush spreading across her cheek bones.
"Please, there's no need. I'm just hiding out for a moment." He said softly, trying to get her to relax. The poor girl looked ready to faint.
"Hiding-out?" She repeated, puzzled.
"I'd much rather be celebrating this lovely festival here than up at the citadel. Lady President Romana disagrees with my decision." He explained rather quickly. "I wonder if I could purchase some clothes, I rather stand out in all this green on a day like today." He said, gesturing to his velvet coat and letting his most charming smile loose in the girl. This body was very attractive by most conventional standards and it seemed to have the desired effect.
"Of course, my Lord Doctor. Right this way, my Lord Doctor." She lead him out of the store room and into the shop proper.
He quickly scans over the racks, searching for something simple. A nice tunic the color of rose wood in a silky sateen caught his eye. Simple and the right color for the day. "This will suit me nicely." He said cheerfully, pulling it off the rack.
The girl's eyes went wide again, giving her the appearance of a startled deer. "My lod Doctor, we have much finer clothes over-"
"Nonsense." He cut her off cheerfully, "This is plenty fine for me. And please, just call me 'Doctor'. That's more than enough title for me."
"As you wish my- Doctor." She said, catching herself at the last moment.
"Thank you." He went back to his browsing, grabbing an overcoat to go with the tunic. "I think these will do nicely." He headed over to the counter and she scrambled to follow him. "I've just realized; I never asked your name, terribly rude of me."
She blushed, her face nearly the color of his new coat. "I'm called Fallia."
"Wonderful name." He quickly paid and stepped into the back room, changing into his new clothes. "Only the important things." He reminded himself as he transferred the few things he couldn't exist without, mainly his sonic and the psychic paper into the same-on-the-inside-as-outside pockets. Honestly, Gallifrey had mastered dimensional technology millennium ago, why couldn't they implement it in all clothing?
He bid his farewells to Fallia and left her instructions on where to send his clothes before heading out onto the street. All he was missing was a hat really, but it seemed they were out of fashion at the moment so it was all the better that he hadn't worn one.
The market section of the faire where artisans from the outer parts of Gallifrey came to sell their crafts was teeming with people and he grabbed a rather lovely scarf that clashed with his over coat, being closer to purple than the burnt orange of his coat but it covered his hair nicely and he could use it as a cravat once he managed to get off Gallifrey.
Another woman at the booth with blonde hair was eyeing the scarves. There was something about her that kept drawing his eye to her. It wasn't a feeling he'd ever experienced on Gallifrey before, but it was one that he often experienced upon finding those who made excellent companions.
She looked up, her eyes locking onto his and he felt his stomach swoop.
Her eyes were the color of time.
He had no other name for the particular hue. Some might harken it to amber liquor but those eyes burned far beyond the potential of any alcohol. He felt his mouth open and he drew a small breath. His hearts were pounding and he felt trapped by her gaze.
She smiled at him, a gorgeous thing with the tip of her tongue caught between her teeth. His hearts did a backflip and he felt himself smile back. Who was she? She couldn't be a Timelady, they were all up in the citadel, celebrating with the high council and Romana.
She looked away, going back to whatever the stall she was at had to offer. He sagged for just a moment, finally about to breath again. But he quickly drew himself back up and crossed the distance between them, waiting at the next stall over. He wanted to watch her a bit, keep an eye on her.
*
There was so much to see, more than she could ever see in a single day. And now she remembered why the name Rassilon had sounded so familiar. All three of her Doctors had mentioned this festival, while her husband had explained in great detail the historical significance and traditions while she'd only vaguely listened to him.
Rassilon created Timelords. She knew that. So the whole thing was to celebrate him and how he was basically the father of their entire species. She couldn't remember exactly why it was done up as a fun faire though. All they were missing were rides.
She wandered through the market section, slowly making her way towards what looked like a food area and a massive park where she could faintly hear music.
Timelords seemed to have a fetish for the color red. Every person she came across was dressed in some shade of the color with brown, black and tan being the only accents. Even to seller's booths mostly carried red goods. The odd dot of blue or green always caught her eye, which seemed to be the point.
She paused at a booth selling jewelry, a nicely woven chain had caught her eye. A pair of eyes settled on her and she looked up into a pair of blue eyes so familiar her chest ached. But it couldn't be. He'd always gone on about how he stayed away from Gallifrey as much as possible. And besides, even if it was, he wouldn't know her. She couldn't interact with him.
His lips parted and she watched him inhale sharply, something like wonder blooming in those blue eyes and she could resist grinning at him. An answering smile made his face even more handsome than it was at rest and she finally managed to look away, buying the chain from the vendor and moving on.
*
He followed her, couldn't seem to make himself head in any other direction, still caught in her gravitational pull. She was like a sun, shining gold and red, and he was helpless to resist.
She paused in the food area, seeming to struggle with what to order and he swooped in, grateful for an opportunity to start a conversation. "I wouldn't recommend the lemonade. Pear flavored." He explained as he moved to stand next to her. It wasn't his smoothest line, but it made her smile up at him and that was always a good sign.
"I happen to love pears." She replied playfully, turning to look at him.
He scoffed. "Rubbish little fruit, pears. You can never get them when they're ripe, and even if you're lucky, the flavor is horrid."
She giggled and he coveted the sound, eager to hear it again. "I hate raspberries." She whispered conspiratorially. "Absolutely despise them."
He gasped. "How could you? They're a perfectly lovely life fruit."
"They're tart and watery. Would much rather eat a pear."
"That settles it them. You can have all my pears, and I will eat all your raspberries." He offered a hand to shake on it, a distant part of him wondering what he was doing. He didn't even know this girl's name and here he was, offering to make a deal with her?
But there was something about her, he still couldnt put his finger on it, but she felt safe. The same sensation of home that he only felt on the TARDIS.
The girl looked at his hand for a moment and then shook it. "My name is Val." She offered, and he was grateful he didn't have to ask. "Short for the Valiant."
His eyebrows rose. "You're a renegade?" He asked, surprised by the title. He'd met most of the renegade Time Lords, or so he thought.
Another one of those glorious giggles escaped her. "In a way. But you're being very rude, I've given you my name and you haven't said anything in return."
"Righ, oh yes- of course." He scrambled, trying to come up with a name. His title was well known on Gallifrey and he was rather enjoying the anonymity this girl, Valiant (though that name didn't seem to truly suit her) provided him. "My name is Theta." He flinched internally. He'd hated that nickname in school but it was the only alias of his that wouldn't get him caught.
"Theta." She repeated, shaking his hand once and then releasing him. "What would you recommend, then? If I'm supposed to avoid the lemonade?" She gave him that smile again, the one with her tongue in her teeth and the Doctor was lost.
*
Hours and hours later, Rose was exhausted, but happier than she'd been in years.
They'd taken in everything the festival had to offer; from the food, games, dancing, and shopping they'd done it all, never leaving each other's side.
Just after nightfall, they'd procured a bottle of lemonade (this one solely lemon flavored) and a lovely blanket with the constellation Kasterborous embroidered on it. Then he'd taken her out of the city into a massive field of red grass. They spread the blanket out and laid back on it, watching the stars.
It was so achingly familiar to her time with the Doctor.
Most of the day had been like that.
Every now and again, Theta would say something or look at her in a way that reminded her so strongly of the Doctor that she couldn't breathe.
He opened the lemonade and passed it to her. "I hope you don't mind sharing. Didn't think to get cups."
Rose laughed. "'S alright. I'm not afraid of your cooties." She teased, taking the bottle and drinking some. It fizzed on her tongue like a soda, she hadn't been expecting that.
He gave her an odd look and she realized Gallifrey probably had no concept of cooties then he smiled and seemed to brush it off. "You mentioned earlier that you'd just come from earth. How did you like it?"
"I love earth. It's one of my favorite planets." She passed the lemonade back to him. "I feel more at home there than I ever will on Gallifrey." Not that she'd ever see Gallifrey again. Once she managed to get off this planet, her proper timeline would assert itself and Gallifrey would be gone again.
Theta would be dead, along with the rest of the Doctor's people.
"I feel the same." He said, pulling her from her melancholy thoughts. "Humans are incredibly brilliant creatures. I'm always fascinated by their capacity to do so much good."
Rose relaxed back onto the blanket, staring up at the stars.
*
"Come with me." The Doctor offered suddenly.
Val turned to him, her eyes wide. "What?" She breathed, even though she must have heard him.
"Come travel with me. I have my own TARDIS. Anywhere, anywhere in the universe you want," he struggled to keep the pleading tone out of his voice. He never begged, he never asked twice. Those were the rules, but this was the first time he'd met a member of his own species who seemed to completely understand why'd run in the first place.
"I can't." She said softly, like she was afraid of letting him down. "Theta, I- I'm looking for a friend. Lost contact with him awhile ago, and I'm trying to find him."
"And you think you'll find him here?" He asked and watched Val's face suddenly go pale.
"No, I need to get off-world to find him. But I'm not going to use you to do that. You're my friend." She said firmly, like her mind was set and he couldn't help but admire her more.
"I'm more than willing to help you find your friend. Or just give you a lift." This did not count as asking twice, he told himself. It was clarifying the offer. And maybe, once she found her friend again, she'd decide to keep traveling with him anyway. And besides, even if she went with her friend, it wasn't like he'd never be able to see her again.
"Alright. I'll go with you."