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[nitro_is_ace]

Ace is, in a phrase, Not Best Pleased. It's not that she's unfamiliar with mental constructs as computing devices - her universe (this universe, this post-war universe she probably will never visit again except by proxy) is full of them. Cybermen, the Matrix on Gallifrey, that freakishly disturbing... person, on the Gamestation... This is not a new idea.

This is the first time, however, she's been inside one.

She doesn't much like it. However, she doesn't think it's terribly polite to say so. Besides, she did (sort of) ask for this - they could have just as well gone to find the books in question up in the library in the bar. While she did (sort of) promise Spoon she'd keep as well out of trouble in the bar as she could, she wouldn't have minded a crack at the vampire she's heard rumored that has started hunting up there.

But River seemed so excited about the idea. Not that Ace can blame her - she feels the same way when someone says they'll come along on a trip in the TARDIS.

She'll just... keep her mouth shut. Smile and nod, Time Lord. Smile and nod.

Comments

[hell_in_highheels]

There's a slight tingle as they cross over the threshold of River's door. Beyond is a marble floor and a dark wood hallway, finely appointed, looking for all the world like a proper library.

"Come along, right this way. My office is just a few doors down. And CAL should be here any -- ah, yes! Hello, dear."

A small girl appears at the end of the hallway.

"Hallo, River. I'm showing an unrecognised acquisition in sector seven." To Ace, her tone a bit less mechanical and more that of a child's. "Hallo. Are you visiting from Milliways?"

[nitro-is-ace.livejournal.com]

Ace tenses, almost automatically, at the appearance of the young girl.

Her history with little girls during adventures is... long. And disturbing.

If this one says anything about Java, she is so out of here.

"Y'could say that." The wound-up pyro replies, warily.

[hell_in_highheels]

River smiles. "CAL, this is Ace. She's a friend. Also, a Time Lord, like the Doctor."

CAL's face brightens. "Oh! Do you have a TARDIS too?"

"CAL is the Library's catalogue. And also the founder's grand daughter. She's been my friend for a very long time." The affection in River's gaze as she looks at the girl would be apparent, even without the cheeky wink.

[nitro-is-ace.livejournal.com]

Ace is trying to relax, but phrases like 'also the founder's granddaughter' really really don't help. Still, she's at least been brought up to be polite, if nothing else. Though, when one is basically brought up by a slightly renegade Time Lord, one usually can come up with something better than 'nothing else'.

"I haven't one in this where an' when." She replies, both polite and honest.

[hell_in_highheels]

CAL pouts. River squats down to give her a buss on the cheek.

"Don't worry, dear. Someday you'll get to ride in one, I promise you. Now, we're on a mission to settle a bet, so don't let us keep you."

"Okay," CAL responds, a bit dejected. "New acquisition recognised. Welcome to the Library, Time Lord Ace." She waves and disappears.

"Honestly, what is it with you people anyway? Richard had the same response to what is ostensibly a small child. Do small children eat routinely eat people where you're from?"

[nitro-is-ace.livejournal.com]

"No," Ace replies, stuffing her hands in the pockets of her oversized overpatched bomber jacket, "They just try t'send y't'Java."

She pauses thoughtfully.

"Don't usually hear 'Time Lord Ace' outside Gallifrey. S'odd."

[hell_in_highheels]

"She reads too much. It's a function of the job."

We won't even ponder how much a soul has to read to qualify for the descriptor 'too much' from River.

"What, Java? Like the country?"

[nitro-is-ace.livejournal.com]

Ace shakes her head, peering at their surroundings with innate curiosity.

"Java like the pseudonym for murder. So, ready t'be proved wrong?"

[hell_in_highheels]

River smirks and narrows her eyes, walking them down the long hall to an office. Her name is painted on the glass with a string of letters behind it. She opens it and ushers Ace through.

"Plum cake. Not sweet. Plum. And I like the double basket of paradoxes, piping hot if you please."

River's office is a broad, cross shaped room. The north quadrant hosts her working desk, heaped high with books and a terminal, and behind the desk, there's a window out on a gorgeous ocean view. The east quadrant houses the solarium, a dirt floor room with a plethora of green and living plants. The south quadrant is home to a little sitting area, and the west quadrant contains a large table, also covered with books. At the west wall, there's an arch that leads out into what looks like a rain forest, only not at the ground level, but somewhere up in the canopy.

[nitro-is-ace.livejournal.com]

"Whatever, doggy. I like m'geckos live, with a five minute head start, drizzled with chocolate if possible." Ace snorts in return, before she's thoroughly distracted by flashes of what might be (EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE) lizards in the rain forest canopy.

[hell_in_highheels]

River follows her eyeline and gives a little gasp. "Oh sorry, that's -- um -- yes, let me find the proper text." She walks to the shelf beside the arch and retrieves a pale green book. As she closes it, the portal closes, leaving a bare wall.

"CAL, can you find me the complete works of Lewis Carroll please?"

A heavy red leather bound tome appears on the ledge, and a new portal opens.

[nitro-is-ace.livejournal.com]

The view on the other side is...

Well.

Wonderful.

Just on the other side of the door, a grove of waist-high, bright blue and pink mushrooms crowd in clusters, bright daisies and pansies peeking out between them. Further on, a forest grows, a proper forest - trees with arching, curling branches; spreading lush ferns; deep, dark, mysterious shadows. Through the branches, bright blue daylight is visible. There are large insects out there, roughtly the size of very large butterflies, but it's impossible to see what they are from here.

Ace pauses.

"Somehow, I imagined more... cultivated."

[hell_in_highheels]

"And I expected something a little more psychedelic. Come on then. Someone around here has to know something about the Lion and the Unicorn."

River steps through, looking around with wide eyes.

Her nose wrinkles. Of all the scents assailing her, the smell of fresh baked scones sings out above the rest.

"Do you smell that?"

[nitro-is-ace.livejournal.com]

"Smell what?" Ace asks, her hands ghosting over the massive mushrooms - it all looks so real. Then, realizing River is not exactly playing on par with human-normal, she sighs and loosens the leash a smidge.

Brown eyes flood with gold, and she tilts her head sideways at this slightly bizzare world.

"Smells like..." She rumbles, thoughtfully...


And then there's silence.

Well, silence, and the swishing of ferns.

And far-off, a happy yelp.

Someone's chasing bread-and-butterflies.

...

Soooooo the leash is a little too loose. Oops.

[hell_in_highheels]

"Ace! ACE! Oh bloody hell."

River considers giving chase for a moment, but sighs instead. Let her have her fun.

She makes her way further down the path, following the scent. She thinks perhaps she sees a white rabbit in a frock coat darting through the underbrush, tutting something about 'I'm late!'

"Typical."

How she's going to resolve their bet without the other party there to adjudicate the outcome, she has no idea, but it hardly matters.

She takes another whiff, and follows the scent along the trail.

[nitro-is-ace.livejournal.com]

"It's Alice!"

The voice is small, upper-crust, and...

Painfully hopeful.

A rocking-horsefly whinnies past, before alighting on a nearby branch and rocking, contentedly.

[hell_in_highheels]

River turns to follow the voice, and starts backwards as a cloud of bread-and-butterflies swarm passed in a cloud.

"Is someone there? Hello?"

It certainly smells like rabbit.

[nitro-is-ace.livejournal.com]

"Tisn't!" A second small voice retorts, scornfully. "She looks nothing like herself!"

"Shhhhhh! She can hear you!" A chorus of even tinier voices cry in concert, just to the left of River.

For long moments, the only audible sound is the wind, whistling through the upper branches of the forest.

Then, up ahead, a very worried muttering can be heard.

"Oh dear, oh dear, I shall have to go up there again, such uncouth creatures..." Maybe the mutterer knows Ace.

[hell_in_highheels]

River growls low in the back of her throat, her hands planting firmly on her hips. After her run in with the T-Rex, she's learned not to take her safety for granted here. (Hmm, possibly something she might have told Ace.)

"That's enough of that. Come out here in the open where I can see your face."

[beginswithm.livejournal.com]

Ace's sense of self-preservation is...

Um.

A bit weak.

It's possible she trusts a little to much that she can out-run most trouble, and survive whatever she can't beat in a foot race.

There's silence around River - the sort of silence that one finds in a room full of very small children who are all attempting to avoid attention.

That very loud sort of very silent.

Slowly, very slowly, a... rather short figure edges out from behind a thick clump of ferns.

He's... well. He's rather unequivocally a white rabbit, down to the hunched posture, powerful hind legs, and twitching nose.

He is also very much so wearing a blue waistcoat. With a watchchain, which is theoretically attached to a watch.

No matter how hard you look, neither of these two facts is about to change.

He also looks officially scared out of his little bunny mind.

[hell_in_highheels]

River sighs. Of course. The white hare. For all she's a werewolf now, and there's a part of her mind shouting chase-chase-chase, she keeps her wits about her. (It helps that there is no moon to influence her body here.)

So, instead of pouncing him, which is really what he looks like he expects, she drops into a deep curtsey.

"Good afternoon to you, dear sir. I don't suppose you've seen a Lion and a Unicorn around here anywhere, have you?"

[beginswithm.livejournal.com]

The White Hare (because that is who he is, or at least what he is, which is much the same in this case) stares at her for a long moment, wringing his paws.

Then his eyes narrow.

"You," He informs her, sternly, pulling out his watch and tapping it in an authoritative fashion, "Are late."

[hell_in_highheels]

Really. Really?

River points a finger at her own chest, perplexed.

"... Me?"

[beginswithm.livejournal.com]

Really!

McTwisp (because he is this as well, you see) tuts, having no time for her perplexity. His watch has disappeared back inside his waistcoat, and he begins hopping back down the path, towards the scent of scones.

"You could have some consideration, you know, staying away so long has caused ever so much trouble. No time for standing around! Come along now, you are so very late." He scolds as he moves, the flowers bowing backwards at the speed of his flight.

...

Actually, he's not going that fast.

But the flowers are definitely moving.

[hell_in_highheels]

Oh she's seen the flowers, and while they're mildly disconcerting, she's seen nothing that actually constitutes a baring of teeth.

She falls into an easy lope behind him. Because, well... Scones!

"You think I'm Alice?"