staircasetotheclouds

[It's been a long, long day, but then again, Christmas always is in the best sort of way. And the fact that most of it's spent hopping around in a time machine doesn't really help matters much, so it's probably been a little more than a day for the four of them.

They've popped by Cheem, visiting Nina's Grandmother Willow and the rest of her family there, even if their way of celebrating's a bit different. Different planet, different holiday, after all, but it was similar enough. And, of course, they made sure to visit the Oswalds. Oswin knows that her parents go absolutely mad with worry if she doesn't contact them at least once every couple of days and not stopping by for Christmas just seems cruel. Especially given that she hadn't been around for the last one.

But now, they're all back on the TARDIS, just resting after a busy day. Oswin's curled herself up in front of one of the fireplaces in the library, where her favorite of the multiple Christmas trees that are scattered about the ship is set up. They're all kept alive, the trees, as per Nina's request and thanks to the TARDIS herself, and they'll be replanted somewhere in the universe once Christmas is over.

But, for now, the lights twinkle away in the glow of the fire, and Oswin lets herself relax for a bit, sipping from the mug of cocoa in her hands. No tea today, it's just not Christmas-y enough. There's a book open in her lap, but she's not so much reading it as gazing at the pages as she rests. Normally, she's a bit opposed to peaceful, but for today, she's pretty sure she can stand it a bit longer.]

underhisprotection

[It's not exactly common, stuff ending up in the Vortex, but there are times when certain objects manage to slip through little holes in time and end up floating in time itself. So, when Oswin heads into the console room only to see a messy stack of letters caught in the TARDIS doors, she's not extremely surprised. Curious, more like, as is her perogative. Which is why it doesn't take long for her to pull them free and flip through a few of the tattered envelopes. Some of the writing is faded and old, but all the envelopes have one thing in common.

They're all addressed to her.

Frowning, Oswin settles down on the jumpseat, hesitating before ripping one of them open and reading through the contents of the letter. And another. And another. And another.

In just a few minutes, she's surrounded by empty, torn-up envelopes, one hand pressed to her mouth has she reads the final one. Inhaling softly, she closes her eyes and wills her tears to stop welling up. Her hand trembles and Oswin sets the letter aside with the others, trying to compose herself.]

...Doctor? [Chances are, he's underneath the console, working on the TARDIS. If not, she can go and find him.

There's somewhere she needs to go.]

makingsouffles

[It's common, empaths and telepaths sharing dreams if they wind up sleeping close enough together and opening up their minds enough. Oswin's learned about it, of course, studied it briefly when she had to, but when it comes to her and the Doctor actually doing it...well. There's enough she keeps shut away to make her nervous about even him being too deeply inside her head. Whenever he's gone in before, he's never opened any doors she wants to stay shut, but when she's asleep, she won't have as much control over what stays where in her head.

And it's terrifying, to be honest.

But, they need it tonight. A particularly strenuous adventure's left them both a little world-weary, and at the Doctor's tentative suggestion, Oswin's finally agreed to let him in. Dreams, when they aren't nightmares or fabrications, can be surprisingly soothing, after all. Especially with someone to experience them with.

So, she'd tucked herself up in the Doctor's arms, soothed by his presence all around and in her head, and fallen asleep quickly enough, drifting into the realm of her own dreams. Empaths and telepaths have a certain degree of control over dreams like this with a bit of practice, enough to be conscious of it being a dream and able to remember things properly.

Oswin's dreamscape that she's made is absolutely gorgeous, a beach of pure white sand lit by an enormous, oddly iridescent moon in a sky filled with a million twinkling stars. It can change, of course, to whatever she likes, but this is the one she prefers out of all of them. Letting the waves lap at her feet, she stands and looks out over the water as she wrings her hands faintly, a nervous habit she's had for ages.

When she hears footsteps in the sand behind her, she smiles.]

Took you long enough.

makingsouffles

[If one more person tries to tell her it's going to be okay, she's going to rip someone's head off.

There's no way of telling anyone on this planet that Oswin knows something's gone horribly wrong, apparently this is another one of those planets where telepaths and empaths are a bizarre anomaly. Which is probably why they can't explain why Oswin's spent the past four hours pacing the tram station like a caged tiger, even though she's been told already that rescue's gone off to fetch the passengers on the one that's broken down. Like she cares about that, it'll take them even longer to get to them.

She's too far away to communicate across their bond, but Oswin can still feel him there, feel his presence in her head constantly. And that something has gone horribly, horribly wrong.

Oswin's never felt anything like this before, this overwhelming terror that seems the farthest thing away she's felt from the Doctor's normal presence. She's never felt him this scared, this helpless, this utterly terrified, and it's a physical ache. Telepaths are normally the stronger of the two, the more aggressive, but right now, Oswin's just about ready to tear through whatever she needs to in order to get back to the Doctor's side.

And she does, sort of. She might be small, but Oswin rips right through the gathering crowd like a girl possessed when the rescue vehicle finally arrives, shoving people aside without a care. Finally, finally, after an amount of time that seems longer than all those hours she spent waiting, Oswin launchs herself into the Doctor's arms clinging fiercely to him without even a spare thought towards who might be watching.

She doesn't speak, not yet. She just lets their bond do the talking for now. That'll come later.]

makingsouffles

[Oswin's not sure how long she's been here.

The staff all call her Clara, because that's apparently the name they've got on file for her. Clara Oswald, diagnosed with acute visual and auditory hallucinations all centering around this Doctor figure she's obviously dreamed up. What sort of man, the doctors (the proper ones) ask, travels in a police box, of all things? How could she have possibly seen the wonders of the universe when she's been living here for years?

How could she have been transformed into another being when she's been perfectly human all her life?

They might pump her full of drugs, but when she's alert, Oswin is just as bright and crafty as ever, messing with every bit of technology and otherwise wreaking havoc upon the hospital in order to attempt to find some way out. Which is why she's normally kept heavily sedated. She's already given an orderly a nasty black eye and several others also bear marks attributed to Oswin's fury whenever the doctors attempt to tell her that her life, everything that it had ever been, was a lie. A dream, just like before.

She's curled up on a couch in the mostly-empty dayroom at the moment, knees pulled up to her chest and gazing longingly at the weak sunlight outside. The Doctor will save her, Oswin knows. He'll come for her and take her away from this place as soon as he can find her. She's not even sure how she got from the TARDIS to here, but he'd still be able to find her. He always did. And she refused to believe that everything she'd loved was all a lie.]

makingsouffles

[It's hardly uncommon for Oswin to fall asleep by the Doctor's side. What had started as just her crawling into his bed late at night after nightmares led to the discovery that his presence served very well as bad dream repellent and she really liked just having someone close to her in general.

So, all things considered, waking up in his bed really shouldn't be all that weird. Except the body she fell asleep pressed against definitely wasn't that small. And she really doesn't remember falling asleep holding anything or with her lips against anyone's hair.

Okay. Definitely weird.

Blearily, Oswin opens her eyes, only to be met with...herself. No, really, it's actually her lying there in her own arms and fast asleep. All things considered, she's actually seen weirder, but...well. Definitely not what she expected.]

...What? [The word drops from her lips unbidden and oh god that's definitely not her voice. What is this?]

makingsouffles

[All things considered, it was probably a good idea to have knocked her out for a few more hours.

Not that Oswin wasn't exhausted to begin with, but the herbs in the tea Merlin gave her did help nudge her along towards slumber, if only for a little while longer. And it's that that helps to settle her confused and jumbled mind a bit, sort a few things out so that she knows a little bit more about what's going on.

When she stirs, the pain in her back's alleviated some, much to Oswin's relief. It's still there, of course, a load of burns like that don't just go away, but much less than before. The ash and soot are gone from her arms too and probably her face, though she hasn't got a mirror to check. She's still got her dress, though, despite the fact that it's probably ruined beyond repair.]

Merlin...? [She lifts her head, looking around only a little blearily.]

makingsouffles

[It's weird, being dead.

Or well, weird being dead and not exactly where you were when you died. Then again, wandering the darkness of space for eternity sounded like it'd get really old after awhile, so Oswin's pretty sure she should be grateful whatever this is pulled her in. She still hasn't really figured much out about where she's ended up, besides the fact that it's obviously some sort of ship.

And, of course, that it's not really an it at all, given that the ship's the reason she's here. The feeling of another soul, another being hums in the walls and Oswin feels it in the air itself, if not physically. She won't be feeling a lot physically from now on, seems like.

She hasn't got enough energy to manifest properly, but at least she can move around, try to figure out exactly what's going on here. Is this what happens to people when they die, they just sort of...linger? She won't exactly admit to being scared, but...well. Given that she just died an hour or two ago, she's got plenty of right to be a little rattled.

The room she's found herself in looks like some sort of library, and as Oswin drifts aimlessly among the shelves, she spots a figure nearby, shadowed by the light of a fireplace before it. She might be invisible, but whoever it is will probably feel a drop in temperature as she approaches as best she can, curious as to who she's found.]

makingsouffles

[It's sort of weird, being somewhere relatively peaceful. Normally, when Oswin's little band of travelers stops anywhere, it involves a lot of running away from creatures and/or angry civilians and saving the day, as they normally do. But, they do sort of need a break for a bit after their last adventure, even Oswin can agree to that. Bit of a pit stop so they don't get too world-weary.

They've landed in a forest, and Oswin's taking a bit of an opportunity to do a little practicing with her magic a little ways away from where Idris is most likely napping. The dragon is hidden away well by the stretch of forest between her and the outcrop of rocks Oswin's perched herself on to look out over the trees. All mages have something of a connection to nature, even if Oswin's element just happens to be more in the realm of light and fire.

And, given that setting the forest ablaze is probably a bad idea, she's decided to focus on the former.

Tendrils of light race through the bushes, swirling through leaves and branches at Oswin's command and she laughs as Raniel chases after them. The fox familiar may be just that, but he's got some of Oswin's playfulness in him. Definitely enough to snap at a few of the lights when he gets close enough.]

makingsouffles

[Fairy tales are...really not what Oswin does. Her realm's the one of technology and computers, things she can physically touch and explain logically. Sure, she's definitely a dreamer, but her dreams are things she can do, not impossible or unattainable, and you can get she knows what she's going to do to get them. She's got no time to waste on magic and silly things that won't help her out.

But, there is one that makes her take pause sometimes, whenever she hears it repeated.

A man, older than time itself and yet young in his appearance, a man who hadn't grown old even as thousands and thousands of year passed. People said that he spirited people away at night, but never to harm them, only to take them to a magical world where they would stay with him for as long as they pleased, exploring and adventuring. But, they always left in the end and even when she was young and hearing the story for the first time, that always struck a rather melancholy chord with Oswin.

And now, for some reason, she finds herself thinking about it again, that story she hasn't properly heard in years. Perched in the windowsill in her nightgown and looking out at the countless stars in the sky she one day hopes to see much closer, Oswin lets her mind wander back to it for some reason or another.

Probably because part of her wishes it was real and there was some magic man ready to whisk her off to a place that's as far from here as possible. But, no. She's got to do things the old-fashioned way and that's that. No matter how much she wants to change that, there's not a lot of getting past it.

If only there was.]

makingsouffles

[Oswin's not really sure how long she's been here. Days at least, because she quite clearly remembers stretching out on a ground softer than any bed she'd ever encountered to sleep under the stars when she absolutely had to, with the Doctor by her side. But then again, she's not really sure she cares how long it's been. This place is absolutely perfect, beautiful and lush and ever-changing. What could be out there that's better than in here?

She and the Doctor spend their days exploring Wonderland, this world that the TARDIS has created all for him. Maybe she thinks they can't stay forever, but Oswin's not too sure. She'd like to, definitely, to spend the rest of her life exploring this land with the Doctor, without having to worry about anything besides where they're going next.

But, they can't. And it's the TARDIS that knows this best. The universe needs the Doctor, and the Doctor needs his companion. And both of them need to leave at some point.

But, the Doctor needs his memories back first, which is why she leads him and Oswin to a darker part of Wonderland, the Tulgey Wood. As they stand before it, Oswin squeezes the Doctor's hand tightly, her gaze involuntarily raising to the sky, which has begun to cloud.]

...Onward, then? [Not that they have much of a choice, if those clouds are anything to go by.]

makingsouffles

[This sort of thing wasn't exactly new, all sorts of species being forced into slavery. Oswin's seen it loads of times when they were out, and every time, they've been able to put a stop to it.

She would've thought it'd be the same here, some distant planet where it was humans, her own species, being kept locked up and stored away in farms. It was really only one little faction on the whole planet, renegades that weren't technically breaking any laws but weren't exactly doing the right thing either. Nothing too different from the norm, but it still made Oswin faintly sick, to see anyone treated like this.

All four of them, Oswin, Jenny, Nina and the Doctor, had been poking around where they didn't belong, as per usual, trying to find out more information about this place, something that'd help them maybe. Unfortunately, that'd been cut short, and before Oswin could grab the Doctor's hand and let him pull her under a closing door, she'd been grabbed, captured and taken away to one of their farms.

That was three days ago.

And three days was a long enough time for them to figure out that Oswin Oswald was not going down without a fight. No matter what they'd done, no matter how hard they'd tried to break her, nothing had worked. She still fought and bit and did everything she could to evade whatever it was they wanted to do with her, be it making her a pet or...something worse. She'd heard more than enough whispers of a breeding program that was said to calm even the strongest spirits.

For now, though, they've got her out in one of the pastures. There's a thin layer of snow on the ground, and Oswin shivers faintly in the plain gray dress they've given her for clothes. At least she's got something though, she's seen humans with little to nothing. For the breeding program, she figures. At the moment, she's huddled up under a tree, trying to spot some fault in the high, chain-link electrified fence, anything she can use to escape.

Because she will escape. There's no doubt about that, it's just a matter of waiting. Which is something Oswin isn't good at, unfortunately.]

makingsouffles

[She hadn't even really thought about what she was doing when it had happened.

The abandoned starship they'd landed on had turned out to not be so abandoned as they'd thought, instead overrun with desperate humans who were utterly convinced they were hostile, no matter how hard Oswin and Jenny and the Doctor tried to persuade them otherwise. And now they'd been separated and Oswin had to find him, had to make sure he wasn't-

Oh.

He was.

Tearing around the corner, Oswin skids to a halt, her eyes widening as she catches sight of the Doctor pressed against a wall, the man nearby training a gun to his chest. She screams as the gunshot rings out, some instinct taking over, something so deep within her that even Oswin doesn't even know the source. Without a second thought, she throws herself between the bullet at the Doctor, causing it to find another target.

In Oswin's chest instead of his.

She crumples to the ground with a cry of agony, the man retreating once he's figured out he won't be able to get at what he came for.]

makingsouffles

[Finding a familiar is something of a ceremony where Oswin's from. She really actually hadn't even given it any thought until she and the Doctor had made a quick pop home for her to visit her relatives and it'd somehow come up. Honestly, she didn't think she particularly needed one, she was perfectly fine with just the Doctor and Jenny and Nina, but it was something that should've happened, if...well. If everything hadn't gone to hell.

The whole thing involved going off into the nearby forest for the night, to an old stone that held lots of magical energy. Oswin wasn't too sure what would happen when she reached it, but she certainly wasn't against leaping into the unknown without an idea of what to expect. Besides, she was allowed to bring people along.

She'd asked Nina, in the end. Sort of made sense, having her along, and besides, she knew the woods better than anyone. Oswin knew the general direction she was supposed to go in, but getting lost in the woods didn't exactly sound like her idea of a good time.

She's got a ball of light in hand as they make their way down a beaten path in the woods, one that will hopefully at least get them close. The stone is deep in the heart of the forest, away from any path that's been made.]

Almost there, d'you think? [Not that Oswin wants to rush things, but wandering alone in the dark isn't exactly her idea of a nice evening. Maybe that's just her, though.]

notrory

[It had been a while since Nina and Oswin had seen each other, but they never really lost contact with each other. Time passed and Oswin traveled while Nina stayed tied down to the same planet she always had been, at least until a very unusual urge came over her.

She was going to be spontaneous. She was going to stowaway on a starliner and find Oswin.

It was a ridiculous plan, and she was sure she was going to get caught, but somehow, it never happened. Oswin had been delighted to see her (of course, though Nina had worried all the same), but before they'd really had time to catch up with each other and reminisce of old times, all the emergency warnings went off.

Dragged onto a shuttle with Oswin, Nina was absolutely terrified. And after they crashed, it all went dark.

Now it was happening again, though there wasn't much left of Nina anymore. A year on this planet, and her consciousness had been trapped in a dalek, left to rot for eternity. When the Asylum began to burn, she didn't even care.

Her body lies motionless on the cold floor, pink hair a curtain across her face. Her breathing is slow, her face pale. It's Nina, but it isn't.]

makingsouffles

[The werewolf really was just a coincidence.

After a particularly strenuous trip back a couple of thousand years, Idris had needed more than her usual amount of time to rest, and that left Oswin and the Doctor stuck for a day or two in the village where they'd landed. And, of course it just happened to be one that was being terrorized (supposedly) by a werewolf. Oswin hadn't actually heard of it attacking anything more than a couple of sheep, so she doubted it'd actually terrorized anyone just yet.

Still, it was a magical creature, and there was nothing better to manage a magical creature than a mage of her caliber. Or, at least, that was what the Doctor told her, and considering that ego-boosting happened to be one of Oswin's weak spots, she'd agreed to go have a look.

With a ball of light that hovered just over her open palm illuminating her path, she headed into the dark forest that surrounded the little town. The full moon overhead did its best to provide light, but the branches and leaves were thick here. Best to keep to her spells just in case. Being stuck in the dark in a place haunted by a werewolf did not sound like a good place to be, even if she did have magic on her side.]

makingsouffles

[She hadn't known what dying was going to feel like.

Probably not like much, considering the body she was...inhabiting. Oswin refuses to believe it's hers, because it's not. No properly, anyway. And if sinking back into the dream that she'd maintained for a year was the only way to keep herself sane and human, even in her last moments, then so be it. She'd rather die that way than in the state she'd been in before the Doctor had disappeared down the hallway outside her cell.

Tapping her fingers idly on the keyboard, Oswin exhales softly, her eyes sliding shut as she waits. And she's scared, she's so scared, but there wasn't much else to do but wait for the Dalek bombardment to reach the heart of the asylum.

And so she waits.

But instead of an explosion, a loud clatter sounds behind her and Oswin jumps, opening her eyes to find that the screen in front of her has gone completely dark. Looking over
her shoulder towards the source of the noise, she finds that the wooden boards that she had believed would keep the Daleks out have fallen uselessly to the ground. For a moment, it makes her blood run cold, but then the door slides open to reveal a corridor beyond.

Hesitantly, she rises, as if getting out of her chair might trigger the explosion that will surely kill her, but other than a faint shudder, there isn't any response from her environment. With a little more purpose in her step, Oswin walks towards the door, peering down the corridor. It's the asylum, lying beyond her little dream world. Or is it part of it?

Her heartbeat racing in her chest, she looks back towards the pod that had been her home for a year. Well. Staying in there wasn't going to do anything, if she was getting a chance to do something other than sitting there and waiting to die. With both caution and determination, she heads down the corridor, stopping only when something flickers out of the corner of her eye.

Oswin freezes, her entire body tensed.]

Who's there? [Oh good, her voice isn't shaking. Brilliant.]

impossibled

[She'd expected it to be over. To close her eyes and never open them again, with the knowledge that she'd saved the Doctor, the man who'd been able to, if only for a little while, give her the hope that she might be rescued. Might actually, after this long, lonely year, be taken away to places she could only dream of. Or, at least, taken home.

Run, you clever boy, and remember.

Her last words. Oswin had no idea where they came from, but it felt...right. Saying them. Maybe he'd even hear. With one last smile on her lips, she shut her eyes, bracing for whatever was coming.

When she opens them again, everything is burning.

The pod in her mind is gone, replaced with a flaming room that's currently being rocked with an explosion. Her vision's blurred and disoriented and really, all she can make out are the fire all around her. Adrenaline suddenly surging through her veins, Oswin jerks up, crying out in confused pain as the wires she was hooked up to tear free from her skin. Sparks are flying all around her and with terror in her heart, Oswin can only think to do one thing.

Run.

She stumbles, trying to move, but survival instinct is taking over. Deterred only when another explosion slams her into a still-burning wall, Oswin ignores the dull sensation of pain that would've normally been agony, her mind focused on just getting away. But there's nowhere to go, not on an entire planet that's due to explode completely at any moment. The Daleks in the ship above the asylum are unleashing all of their firepower upon her, upon the Daleks that no longer served a purpose to them.

Suddenly, there's nothing but blackness for a few seconds, and the sensation of going somewhere, even if Oswin can't properly tell where. The only thing she does know is that when she's deposited, there's no more fire. No more exploding asylum. She's too jacked up on adrenaline to properly tell where she is or what's around her. Somewhere outside, her mind registers dully, because as Oswin falls to her knees, there's grass there, under her bare fingers.

Her coat from the Alaska, the sort they'd all been wearing when the ship crashed, is now faded from a year underground and ripped to shreds by the damage done running through an exploding planet. As the adrenaline fades from her veins, though, Oswin's far too tired to notice that, or the fact that her back is completely covered in burns of varying severity from where it had struck the wall.

It does hurt, but it's just a dull throbbing now. Collapsing on her side in the grass, she closes her eyes, fighting not to completely lose consciousness. Maybe it's in vain, but even confused, Oswin knows if she sleeps now, there's a chance she won't wake up. And she'd really rather do that.]

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staircasetotheclouds

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