Chapter 2
"What is that?" Rory asked, nodding towards the silver vehicle the Doctor was leaning against.
"This planet's version of a car. Cheap, reliable, and will get us where we want to go." he responded as his companion tossed a bulging duffle bag into the trunk.
"I see."
Sensing that he was doubting his driving skills, the Time Lord retorted, "Don't worry about a thing, Rory. I learned to drive from the very best." And he had - a very long time ago. He had first come to Jersezia 12 with Sarah Jane, back before the planet became tourist-based. It had been a fluke, they had just happened to stumble onto a smuggling ring operating out of the Zenith Canyons. Forced to leave the TARDIS behind, they had infiltrated the site using a vehicle very much like the one he had chosen for the trip. It had been dark blue to better blend in with the canyon cliffs of course, but the overall design and controls hadn't changed much.
Slipping into the driver's seat, the Doctor started the engine with a push of a button, then grabbed onto the steering stick and slowly guided the car out of the parking lot. "So far, so good…" Rory muttered softly from the passenger seat. As the vehicle sped up, the Time Lord glanced quickly at him and saw that while he was looking out the window calmly, he had the edge of his seat in a death-grip.
Confident that Rory would quickly relax once he saw how good of a driver the Time Lord was, the man fiddled with a few buttons on the control panel with one hand, eventually finding the correct switch for the radio. After a few more seconds of button-pressing, he had tuned it to a station he hoped his companion would like. "This alright?"
"Yeah, it's fine." Hiding a frown at the tension in Rory's voice, the Doctor relaxed into his seat and focused on the road. He was just a bit upset at being separated from Amy, that's all, he told himself. The young man would brighten up soon enough.
Perched on a stool with a cool drink in front of him that evening, Rory reflected on the trip so far as he absently scanned the bar. No accidents, no aliens suddenly deciding to mug them, nothing. Just a nice, quiet ride in a car. They had paused for lunch at a roadside diner, and while the food was nothing special, the array of customers was incredible. Even in that small place, there were about a dozen different species, and according to the Doctor, hailing from all corners of the Milky Way.
"There you are. Ring Amy yet?"
Glancing over as the man himself slid onto the stool beside him, Rory nodded. "Yeah, spoke to her about twenty minutes ago. Said she had a great day at the spa."
"That's good." The Doctor replied, then waved to get the bartender's attention. I'll have whatever he's having. So, what did you think of the first day? I know it was a lot of driving, but I have something wonderful planned for tomorrow."
Unable to hold back a smile at the enthusiasm in the man's voice, he answered, "It was a lot of driving, but the scenery here is amazing. I never realized how much giant mushrooms could look like trees." His thoughts wandered back to one particular 'forest' they had passed earlier that day. Hundreds of giant mushrooms, most over fifty feet tall, had awed him. The caps were bright blue or yellow, and pod-like objects dangled from their undersides. The Doctor had explained that the pods were really cocoons housing a species similar to moths, and that the mushroom caps provided both protection and nourishment to the creatures inside.
The Doctor smiled at his statement, looking pleased. Once his drink arrived, he held out the glass and declared, "A toast: to adventure!"
"To adventure." Rory repeated, the pair clinking glasses.
The man beside him took a large sip of his drink then, quickly pulling a face at the taste. "It's sweet!"
Chuckling, he nodded and replied, "I know. It's apparently one of the few things on the menu that doesn't have some form of alcohol in it."
"Ah." Taking a smaller sample of his drink, the Doctor contemplated the neon-green liquid in his glass for a moment. "Still, it's not bad. Tastes a bit like fruit juice."
"That's what I thought." Staring down into his own drink, Rory reflected that it tasted quite a bit better than some of the things he had drunk in the past. Not that he had needed to eat or drink, but it had helped him feel more human and less like a walking, talking, plastic doll. There was nothing like 2,000 years of experience to help a person refine their tastes in drinks.
Sensing that the Doctor was fidgeting beside him, the young man looked over and caught his eye. "You don't have to keep me company, you know. I'm not going to wander off and find trouble."
The other man gave a slightly guilty smile and shrugged. "I know. Just not quite sure what else to do, that's all. Not used to sitting around."
Oh, he had lots of experience doing that. "You could read. Or find a game to play. They-" he gestured towards a group of aliens who were playing something like darts in the far corner, "-might welcome a new face."
"Hm…I do have a novel I haven't picked up in a while…" The Doctor mumbled, clearly hesitant to leave for some reason.
Deciding to offer him a way out, Rory answered, "Well, I'm going to head back once I finish my drink. Somehow, I'm tired from sitting all day."
"Walk you there?" Surprised at the offer and the hopeful note in the man's voice, the nurse hesitated, then nodded in agreement. Returning to his drink, the young man wondered what the Doctor had planned for the morning. Whatever it was, it would probably be exciting.
