The Return

[nevermindtherunning]

Who: the Doctor, open
Where: the edge of the woods, by the ocean side. Southwest of the island
When: Day 34
What: The Doctor returns, and is surprised to find himself in a somewhat familiar location.

At first there were echoes of crashing waves in the distance, growing louder and more distinct when the Doctor finally opens his eyes. Odd... I don't remember landing-- He startles, sitting up only to feel something on his wrist and he quickly recognizes the communicator.

"I've been here before." But he didn't remember how he had left or how he had returned. Nor did he remember any events up to this point, as if his memory had been tampered. Resting his elbows on his knees, he sat there looking around before running hands through his hair.

After a while, he taps on the communicator, sending out a video to the network, "Hi! Hello! Anyone out there?"

Comments

[shesamarshmallow]

"I'm here but where are you?" Veronica's voice is light and teasing, but also weird. She's been... seeing things. Things that can't possibly be real.

"You... look familiar. Why do you look familiar?"

[nevermindtherunning]

"I was here before." He comments, but unfortunately, he couldn't place a name to her face. Wait, she was Elle, wasn't she? That angry blond spouting off incessant commentary.

But her mannerisms seemed quite different. "I'm sorry, what's your name?"

[shesamarshmallow]

She isn't offended at all that he might not remember. As a matter of fact, with how little trouble she's been causing lately, she's rather pleased. If he doesn't know her, other people likely don't, too. She might be able to use that.

"Veronica. Veronica Mars." She nods to him. "So what did you say your name was?" He'd been here before, but she hadn't met him then. And whether she's been flying under the radar or not, that's not reason to be lazy.

Mars Investigations, back on the case.

[nevermindtherunning]

"I'm the Doctor." He rests his chin in the palm of his hand, looking a mix between bored and thoughtful. Perhaps he had talked to her briefly once, but he was really scraping at the bottom of the bucket with that one.

"How long have you been here? Assuming you were here roughly the same amount of time when I initially had arrived." What a tragic thought. He somehow got out, but no one else did. However, did it matter? He was back.

[shesamarshmallow]

"A little over a month? Since the first influx of people." She shrugs. It isn't that it isn't a big deal to have been trapped here without friends or family for so long, but Veronica's philosophy is based more on getting even than wallowing.

"Doctor..." Veronica waits for him to elaborate on that, preferably by giving his name.

[nevermindtherunning]

"Just the Doctor." 900 years he had answered that question and it was always the same response. Interesting enough, it never got old.

"There's quite a few of you lot here for that length of time. Has anything been discovered in terms of weakening in the defense here? These cameras? These communicators? The woods and the sea?"

[shesamarshmallow]

"Doctor of cosmetology, then. Which is great, because I've been looking for someone who knows how to play up my eyes."

She looks down at her foot before looking around at their surroundings. She isn't often unsure how to answer, but with her foot broken, she hasn't been getting out much lately.

"They tried escaping, and it didn't go well. People nearly died. That's all I know." She points down to her foot. "I went blind for a while - their idea of a joke or something. But I broke my foot. What you see is a girl newly back in commission."

[nevermindtherunning]

"Ehhh," He shakes his head back and forth, "more of a scientist." And he quickly straightens up at her last comments. The broken foot was unfortunate, but people had tried escaping? Wait, what?

"What happened? Where were you trying to escape? The woods?" He glances back towards them, as if gauging where they might have been.

[shesamarshmallow]

"Scientist of wh-" Damn it, as quick as she'd tried to be with the question, she had to admit that this guy was quicker. She shoves her hands deeper into her pockets and tries not to get discouraged.

"Yeah. They went through the woods and almost didn't make it back. People nearly died."

She would tell him not to trust Sharon, but she vaguely remembers Sharon asking if anyone had seen the guy called the Doctor. She doesn't want a snitch this early on.

[nevermindtherunning]

If she were to tell him not to trust her, then he was quickly running out of people who would work together if the time need be.

"Have people died?" He's still searching the woods, rather curious to have a look, before turning his focus on Veronica. He needed to know how careful he would have to be, especially with limited resources and someone always watching him from all those cameras.

[shesamarshmallow]

"No. They just disappear."

She follows his eyes to the woods for a second. It sounds like she might have long enough to ask a question, and she jumps at the chance. "So, Doctor. You know Sharon Carter, right? Have you talked to her at all since you got back? Since she's and Stane are playing the village leaders and all."

[nevermindtherunning]

"I have, yeah." He looks back to Veronica, "She didn't mention that, I don't think... No." He would've remembered that, "Who is Stane?"

Apparently he had quite a few people he needed to get to know. Lucky for him, he currently had all the time in the world.

[shesamarshmallow]

"Our new overlord." The more dire the news, the more wryly cheerful she sounds. "Though he's officially just the mayor, and no one really listens to him. I think it's an honorary title that he gave himself to make himself feel better."

She pointedly avoids looking at him. "Kind of like the way some people call themselves a doctor when they don't actually have a doctorate in anything..."

[nevermindtherunning]

"Oiiii." He spoke in a warning tone, "I know far more than you think." He leaves it at that, backtracking to the mayor bit, because she was just another teenager wanting to push buttons. He knew that kind.

"Village leaders, you said? How is that working out? Judging by your tone, not well." It really was just another game of King of the Mountain, wasn't it?

[shesamarshmallow]

"Sure you do. Pop quiz night, you versus me. We'll see who knows more." She grins at him.

"And how could it not be going well? I'm always happy to serve the guy I never voted for that stole all the food. I mean, I might not trust Carter, but I'd rather have her and her friends than some creepy guy."

[nevermindtherunning]

"I think I can be talked into that." His grin matches her own.

"And what has Sharon been doing for you? How did all this come about?" He was curious, and really had missed alot.

[shesamarshmallow]

"Nothing, as far as I can tell. But she's much more... approachable... than Stane. Could be a ruse, but in my book, the people teaching others self-defense aren't the worst people around." Not necessarily, anyway.

"So you call her Sharon, eh?"

[nevermindtherunning]

"Does she go by another name I'm not aware of?" This Veronica girl, asking so many elusive questions! She was investigating, he got that, but he wasn't sure if he was making a faux pas or not.

[shesamarshmallow]

"You tell me."

C'mon, Doctor. How buddy-buddy are you with the blonde overlord?