It took her three hours to calm down- long enough for the Doctor to
start and finish regretting his actions. It was just that she didn't seem
like much of a Dorothy- until he started to think about it. The most famous
Dorothy in Earth history was Dorothy Gale, the main character in the Wizard
of Oz. Like her fictional counterpart, Ace had been taken from her home in
a whirling storm to a foreign place- only in Ace's case it had been
Iceworld, not Oz. And far from finding a lion, tin man and scarecrow, Ace
had found Kane, Mel and the Doctor. And unlike Dorothy Gale, Ace did not
possess a pair of red slippers.
"Have you finished laughing at me now, Professor?"
Ace's voice from the door made him turn over. Her face still held a few signs of anger, but the fire in her eyes had died down. He smiled.
"If I said I was sorry?"
She smiled back, more like her old self. "You know I can't stay mad at you, Professor" she replied as she came to sit on the end of the bed. "Besides, this my room."
"Ah, so it is. So- any more tales of your home town to tell?"
Ace's gaze hit floor level again. "Plenty," she said quietly. "But none that you need to know about."
He sat up and stared at her melancholy face. "What if I want to know?"
She looked at him, her amber-brown eyes meeting his distinct grey. "If you really wanted to."
"Yes. So tell me. Why explosives?"
Her head jerked up. She had expected the usual easy nit-picking questions like 'What are your parents like' or 'Where did you live'. She hadn't expected him to jump ahead to the major questions. But then again, he did seem slightly impatient at times. He was looking at her, the picture of innocence. She chuckled before answering.
"Just a hobby. I'm an action person, me. I can't stand just sitting around waiting for stuff to happen. I'd rather make it happen."
"But explosives?"
"Nitro 9. It's my own stuff. Does some pretty wicked damage to a picket fence, not to mention the brick wall by the school." She stopped. Maybe she shouldn't have mentioned that.. But instead of disapproving, the Doctor looked intrigued.
"School? You destroyed school property?"
She sighed guiltily. "Only a bit. Well, maybe more than a bit." He raised his eyes. "Okay, so I blew up the art room. It was a purely creative act! Still got suspended for it, though."
"Suspended?" The Doctor replied thoughtfully. "I'm surprised you didn't get expelled."
"Nah, they wouldn't expel me. I was too good at chemistry. Well, the explosive side. I never really got the hang of all those formulas and stuff. I was good at French though! Well, most of it."
"French?" he asked, impressed. "Vous parlez francais?"
She smiled at him. "Oui, un peu. Ou est mon chat?"
"What?"
"Ou est mon chat. Don't you know what that means?"
"Yes- where is my cat."
"Oh." She sounded disappointed. "I thought I was asking for the time. Ah well, I never got to finish my O levels anyway."
There was a moment's silence as the Doctor tried to take in all the information he had just persuaded out of his young friend. A fetish for explosives, a moderate knowledge of a foreign language and a disrespect for school property. It may not have been the ideal combination, but he wouldn't have it any other way. It made her special- somewhat dangerous, but special.
"Have you finished laughing at me now, Professor?"
Ace's voice from the door made him turn over. Her face still held a few signs of anger, but the fire in her eyes had died down. He smiled.
"If I said I was sorry?"
She smiled back, more like her old self. "You know I can't stay mad at you, Professor" she replied as she came to sit on the end of the bed. "Besides, this my room."
"Ah, so it is. So- any more tales of your home town to tell?"
Ace's gaze hit floor level again. "Plenty," she said quietly. "But none that you need to know about."
He sat up and stared at her melancholy face. "What if I want to know?"
She looked at him, her amber-brown eyes meeting his distinct grey. "If you really wanted to."
"Yes. So tell me. Why explosives?"
Her head jerked up. She had expected the usual easy nit-picking questions like 'What are your parents like' or 'Where did you live'. She hadn't expected him to jump ahead to the major questions. But then again, he did seem slightly impatient at times. He was looking at her, the picture of innocence. She chuckled before answering.
"Just a hobby. I'm an action person, me. I can't stand just sitting around waiting for stuff to happen. I'd rather make it happen."
"But explosives?"
"Nitro 9. It's my own stuff. Does some pretty wicked damage to a picket fence, not to mention the brick wall by the school." She stopped. Maybe she shouldn't have mentioned that.. But instead of disapproving, the Doctor looked intrigued.
"School? You destroyed school property?"
She sighed guiltily. "Only a bit. Well, maybe more than a bit." He raised his eyes. "Okay, so I blew up the art room. It was a purely creative act! Still got suspended for it, though."
"Suspended?" The Doctor replied thoughtfully. "I'm surprised you didn't get expelled."
"Nah, they wouldn't expel me. I was too good at chemistry. Well, the explosive side. I never really got the hang of all those formulas and stuff. I was good at French though! Well, most of it."
"French?" he asked, impressed. "Vous parlez francais?"
She smiled at him. "Oui, un peu. Ou est mon chat?"
"What?"
"Ou est mon chat. Don't you know what that means?"
"Yes- where is my cat."
"Oh." She sounded disappointed. "I thought I was asking for the time. Ah well, I never got to finish my O levels anyway."
There was a moment's silence as the Doctor tried to take in all the information he had just persuaded out of his young friend. A fetish for explosives, a moderate knowledge of a foreign language and a disrespect for school property. It may not have been the ideal combination, but he wouldn't have it any other way. It made her special- somewhat dangerous, but special.