"That shower felt amazing," Rose announced as she entered the console room, having redone her makeup and was now fluffing her clean hair with a hand. "I had Mine dust all over me. Something about plants reaching out to trip me up and me face-planting on the road would do it."
The Doctor grinned at Rose over his shoulder and noticed she was still wearing Shasa's, no, her armour, but she had taken off her other outer garments from underneath. It was just as well she wear the armour, he thought, as he really didn't know what they would find outside. "Next time, you'll know how to shrivel them up for their poor manners, won't you?" He looked back to the scanner, checking the destination of the TARDIS. "And I agree about the shower. Nice hot water. Your part in it came in as a close second." The Doctor's grin was lopsided, and he couldn't help but look back at Rose for her reaction.
"Oi!" Rose laughed, coming close enough to thwap him on the bum.
His eyebrows rose in surprise as he straightened and turned, snagging a metal-clad Rose in an embrace, not used to touching her in armour. "Careful there." He bobbed his eyebrows and purred in her ear. "I thought you were hungry. Any more of that and we'll never make it to Heiron."
"I thought I only came in as 'a close second'," Rose replied, her eyes narrowed.
"Mm...one can change his mind, can't he?"
"One can, yes," Rose agreed sagely. "I can change my mind, too. Like, right now, my hunger for lunch comes first and you come second."
The Doctor decided to not let himself be baited. "Good! Otherwise, we'd never get out of here." He turned and let her go to launch the flight sequence at the console, and the TARDIS began its associated clunking and groaning. "I'm famished myself."
-^^-W-^^-
The TARDIS had again landed them out of sight between a building to the left and a stack of crates. To the right and curving around left in the distance was a wall of brown stone at least two stories high, its architecture resembling that of a coliseum or old style theatre.
Stepping out from the alley, their eyes followed the wall, and they could see they were in an enclosure very similar to Verteron Citadel, except this one was larger. The wall itself was falling apart, including the winged statues on top of it. Two of them were missing an arm and head, one of them even missing a wing. The pillared architecture was open to the interior, but parts of the outer wall had fallen completely away between the columns. Sections on the far side of the enclosure were missing the roof of the second story.
The plaza itself was set on a hill climbing towards the back and was tiered like Verteron's. A double staircase led from the bottom of the hill up towards the tall open gate of the wall to the right.
When the Doctor and Rose stepped out past the building the TARDIS had landed behind, they could see New Heiron Gate backed up into the foot of a mountain to the left. Another staircase at the top of the hill at the back of the Gate looked as if it might lead into the mountain itself. Other buildings appeared to be set up in a circle facing the plaza, as if someone had set up both Verteron and Heiron forts and simply spaced everything out further here.
Above it all floated a stone ring, and high in the air above it were chunks of floating rock with trees growing on top. A glowing blue light shone out in two opposite directions from the largest rock in the centre.
"Another Abyss Gate," the Doctor murmured. "New Heiron Gate. I get it."
"It looks a lot like Verteron Citadel," Rose commented.
"Yes, it does," the Doctor agreed. "And if I'm right," he pointed left," That staircase in the back leads to the priest hall, and just beyond it, that one with the armoured angel on top is where we'll find Perento. Come on."
They made their way across the plaza, noting the Obelisk and Soul Healer at the base of the priest hall, just like Verteron's. Stepping through the pillared entrance of their target building, the Doctor noted its appearance as almost identical to that of Spatalos in Verteron. The man sitting in the throne at the end of the red carpet was no doubt Perento, and the Doctor addressed the man as such.
He looked up with soft brown eyes. His brown hair was swept back, as if he had spent enough time in the wind to make it stick that way. "Faith and arms," he greeted back and looked at them expectantly.
"Right. We've just come from General Spatalos. He says he sent the Daeva Shasa to meet with you."
Perento looked them over. "Yes, if you're looking for her, I'm afraid I've sent her out on a mission."
"To where?" the Doctor asked.
Perento narrowed his eyes at the Doctor. "The Nute Warrens. Don't even think of following her out there. She'll be back at some point."
The Doctor shrugged and looked at Rose. "We survived the Krall Mine in Verteron." He smiled at Rose. "Perhaps you underestimate us."
"The Warrens makes the Mine in Verteron look like a Qooqoo coop," Perento admonished harshly. "Krall are nothing like the Balaur. You would be slain instantly." He pointed vaguely towards the door and to the right. "In fact, you might have luck finding Shasa if you wait outside near the Obelisk. There's a decent chance she'll appear there after failing to the Balaur herself."
The Doctor held his hands up placatingly. "I get it, fine. We're not immortal enough for you." Truth be told, the Doctor didn't want to march so readily into danger after their last experience, but he still wanted Perento to talk. "Maybe you can just answer a question I have. The Krall call the Balaur their masters, yes?" Perento nodded. "Well, if one were to call them their 'future' masters, would that mean anything to you?"
Perento appeared to consider this for a moment, then shook his head. "No, I don't know what that would be about." The Doctor hadn't expected much, but he had tried anyway. He nodded, thinking of how they could proceed. "Now, if there's nothing else..." Perento waved his hand dismissively. "I have troops to deploy."
Since the Doctor most certainly had nothing else to gain from this man of importance, the Doctor led the way out.
"Not very helpful," Rose muttered. "Unless we want to get ourselves killed going after Shasa, apparently."
"It was sort of a long shot, I suppose, but I really didn't know where to go next." The Doctor crossed his arms and looked around. "Still, I was hoping to muse on our next destination over lunch."
"Speaking of..." Rose prompted, and when he looked at her, her grin grew in anticipation, and he nodded indulgently.
"Yes, speaking of, I was thinking of a picnic. Would that suit your fancy?"
"A picnic." Rose nodded, her smile growing. "That sounds nice, yeah."
The Doctor began leading them along. He checked the next house, which seemed to be a general store, and kept it in mind as they continued on. "You're buying, I'm afraid, since you insisted on accepting that kinah from Spatalos."
"Oh, I see how it is," Rose replied and grinned. "What would you do without me, eh?"
"Probably go hungry," the Doctor admitted. "Still, got to keep my human fed."
"Right, because you always think to feed me, Mr. I-Don't-Need-Money. Keeping us both fed, that's me."
The Doctor sighed, conceding her point, and peered into the next house. "Ah, here we go. Looks just like the one in Verteron Citadel, doesn't it? Like they build these places out of kits." And the same it was, complete with its counter in the back and pair of benches to either side.
The Doctor and Rose eagerly perused the selection presented by the man in a chef's hat behind the counter and chose broiled qooqoo (because Perento had mentioned it and he was curious if it tasted like chicken) and mela salad and juice (which they now determined to be apple). Because a picnic generally had a lot of choices, they had a long night and earned a good bit of kinah for it, they added roast starcrab and maricca curry. With their large order, the merchant even arranged it all into a basket for them.
Armed with their picnic lunch, the Doctor and Rose went in search of a spot to eat. The centre of Heiron Gate was busy with Daevas rushing about from house to house on business. The alleys between houses were much more secluded, but they didn't afford much of a view. When Rose jokingly pointed to an upper level of the wall where no one seemed to be, the Doctor looked around for the stairs, and the idea no longer seemed far-fetched.
The stairs were at first hard to spot, but they found them to either side of the priest's hall in the very back centre of Heiron Gate. They chose the one to the right in hopes it was more likely to lead to the area near the front that seemed less enclosed by the mountainous wall surrounding them.
As damaged as the wall was, patrolling sentries walked the pathway, so they determined it couldn't be that unsafe. After walking most of the perimeter with nothing but the side of a mountain to their left, the Doctor and Rose reached the open gap on the second level they had spotted from the ground, where the ceiling had fallen and afforded a view of the open sky.
The view was indeed spectacular. From the plaza, it had seemed they were at the foot of a mountain, but now they could see the cliff that dropped away from New Heiron Gate itself. A flat rise down the cliff held a small area of ruins leaving the Doctor to wonder of its history, and an intricate spire that probably once functioned as a watchtower rose up just beyond it. Peaks lower than their viewpoint jutted upwards from below, and the mountainous terrain stretched into the distance as far as they could see.
"Nice choice, Rose," the Doctor commented appreciatively.
"Ta," Rose beamed.
The floor was clear, the rubble of the ceiling cave-in cleared up no doubt long ago. After setting down the basket, the Doctor proceeded to pull out a checkered red and white picnic blanket from his bigger-on-the-inside jacket pocket, which caused Rose to laugh in surprised delight. He grinned and spread it close to the outer edge so they could sit on it and take in the view properly.
"Rrph, this armour," Rose complained as she sat down on the blanket. "Mind you, it's not as difficult to move in as it looks. Mostly I just have to get used to the shoulder pieces and which ways I can sit down."
"You didn't have to wear it, you know," the Doctor assured her.
"Oh, I like wearing it." Rose smiled up at him as she successfully sat comfortably. "I feel like a proper Cleric and all." She extended an arm in a grandiose gesture and put on a bad accent. "I can pretend I'm a human of Atreia."
The Doctor's eyes kept darting towards the exposed skin. "I noticed you got rid of a layer. You wearing your intimates under all that?"
A slow grin stretched across her face. "Wouldn't you like to know."
"I would, yes," he encouraged.
Rose's response was silence as she busied herself with the picnic basket. The Doctor watched her a moment before kneeling down next to her. "Here, let's at least take those spaulders off," he insisted, reaching under her upper arm to unfasten one.
"Really, they're not uncomfortable, like I said."
"I know, but do it for me, eh? You look like you're going to clock yourself in the head with them." He removed one and reached for the other to reveal the bare shoulder of her sleeveless hauberk.
Rose narrowed her eyes at him as she ran the tip of her tongue across her lip. "You won't see any sign of my underthings."
The Doctor's mouth stretched to one side at having been caught. "That mean they're not there?"
"I didn't say that."
After removing Rose's shoulder pieces and setting them to the side, the Doctor admired her new look whilst helping her lay out the food. The shining white hauberk exposed a V shape of smooth skin, extending down just enough to show a hint of where her sternum dipped, modest yet attractive. The V extended over her shoulders, where a flat metal band lay across her collarbone, supporting the chest piece.
"It really does look lovely," the Doctor said, letting his eyes give her the context of his comment.
Rose smiled happily at him. She unwrapped the roasted starcrab and picked up the stick that speared several pieces. "It's a kabob."
The Doctor set out the qooqoo and salads. "You try that while I try this. How much you want to bet it tastes like chicken?"
"Mm, not betting on that. It probably does." Rose pulled a chunk off the kabob with her teeth and savoured it. "Mm, and this is definitely crab."
The Doctor stabbed qooqoo with a fork and ate it, considering while he chewed. "Yup. Chicken. A universal constant."
A sentinel approached, and they both turned. The man dodged the blanket respectfully, and the Doctor thought it was only polite to offer him the next bite on his fork. "Qooqoo?" The man smirked, amused, and kept walking. Rose snorted, only managing to keep it in for a few seconds before she fell into hysterics. "Probably thinking us meddlesome humans," the Doctor told her.
"Oh my God," Rose gasped as she recovered from laughter. "They're going to throw us out."
"Nah," the Doctor dismissed as he picked up his salad. "They know we're entirely too important to their planet to throw out. After all, we're the renowned Sir Doctor and Dame Rose," he said importantly.
Rose studied him, amused. "Shasa reminds me a bit of you. Full of yourself."
"Oi!" The Doctor frowned. He was going to offer her the bit of apple off his fork, but he decided to flick it at her instead.
"It's true, though!" Rose laughed as she shielded her face with a hand then picked up the fruity projectile where it had landed. "Admit it. You think you know more than most everyone else."
"That's because I do know more than most everyone else," the Doctor insisted in a sincere tone. He forked another apple piece and held it out for Rose. After a moment of mock-glaring at him, she relented and gently received the offering in her mouth. "Besides, it's your fault anyway. You're terribly effective at inflating my ego." He bobbed his eyebrows and grinned suggestively before stabbing again at his salad.
"Mm, must not be doing my job properly then," Rose replied smoothly while picking up another starcrab kabob and scooting closer. Her voice grew sultry and thickly accented in that commanding way that immediately drew the Doctor's eyes to her lips, because she had dropped her eyes to his own mouth, and it was unfair and made his hearts race, and he was absolutely sure the way she arched her back was meant to show off the places her pretty new armour wasn't. "Someone's got to take you down a peg." She offered him the kabob, but before he could get a bite off of it, Rose drew it just out of reach.
"Hm, who's the one full of herself now, eh?" he accused in a low tone, inches from her face.
"You love it," Rose said.
He really did, he had to admit. "Well, if you won't let me have the kabob, I suppose you'll have to do instead," the Doctor growled before claiming those lips that tempted him so. Rose let out a little noise of pleasure and let him have his way.
Despite New Heiron Gate's wall being less than more travelled, an occasional sentry made it public enough. When he was sure Rose had received the message, the Doctor eased out of the kiss, his voice rough. "See? Ego. Your fault."
Rose presented him the kabob again. "Yeah," she admitted breathlessly. "You win." Rose then grinned. "This time."
Instead of sliding a chunk of crab off the kabob with his teeth, the Doctor instead wrapped his tongue around it from the side, nipping at it and otherwise giving the bit of firm but squishy food far too much attention until the smile slid off Rose's face. He chuckled, another victory won, before eating it properly.
They turned their attention towards the mountain view in an attempt at calming themselves down. The Doctor stretched his legs out to the side and leaned on one hand, inviting Rose to lean into his shoulder. They took their time with the food, taking turns feeding each other. The Doctor would plant a kiss on top of her bare shoulder and nuzzle her temple, and Rose would bury her head into his neck.
The Doctor breathed a sigh of contentment, fully enjoying the idyllic atmosphere. Freely loving Rose, and being loved in return. Their bond had hummed to life, and the Doctor basked in her presence.
It was bordering on domestic, but he didn't care.
As the sentry passed behind them once again, the Doctor was glad that he had restrained himself. It wouldn't do to actually be thrown out of the place. He could feel Rose's amusement as she sensed his thoughts, and the pair of them chuckled to themselves. Outwardly, it appeared to be for no reason at all.
They were distracted from each other as someone flew by closely overhead, and they turned their heads upward. A Daeva soared out of New Heiron Gate, high above and gliding slowly down over the mountains until he disappeared from view.
"He can only glide out there, right? Like what Shasa did in the Mine. He wasn't flapping at all."
"I think you're right, yeah." The Doctor craned his neck to look up towards the floating rock above and behind them. "Too far from the Abyss Gate. I suppose he'll just land eventually."
As Rose quietly gazed into the distance, the Doctor fell silent in his own thoughts. He followed her eyes to where the Daeva disappeared and thought about the thrill of their bird ride from earlier. The ethereal creature took them to a set destination, but what would it be like just to fly, on one's own wings?
Flight seemed to be just a part of what a Daeva was. They were considered immortal, able to come back to life once slain, which was similar to what the Doctor had done many times. They lived for what seemed to be forever, something he was very familiar with. While "magic" seemed commonplace, the command of Aether a Daeva had seemed to be a special brand of power.
It was when his musings turned to the detailed similarities of what made a Time Lord tick and what he had learned of Aether that it happened. The Doctor cringed suddenly in pain and shock.
Something was very wrong.
