Chapter VIII: Tell me who I am!
The Doctor had been walking around the Arcade for a while, looking for someone who shed light on how they see Barty and also himself.
He wants to find someone not busy, but that's not an easy task.. Most of the people are gambling, some are drinking, some are flirting, some are chatting around tables.
He can't disturb these people but out of the blue he sees a blonde, curly-haired girl strolling on her own.
He doesn't mean to follow or stare but she looks remarkably like the archaeologist he had bumped into with Donna at that library. And even though he has never liked archaeologists, he regrets the decision he had had to make then.
He has no time for basking in memories, the girl walks really fast and she's about to disappear from his eyesight. If he wants to stop her, he has to do it now.
He moves to stand in front of her, with his best sly smile. He figures out he was wrong, this girl just has the same archeologist's hair and not so identical, since this girl wears a darker shade of blonde.
The girl backs off, sort of scared.
"Excuse me, Milady," he murmurs, turning to her. "What's wrong?"
He's really trying to be as polite as he can.
"Is this celery?" she asks him, disgusted, pointing at the pocket of his jacket.
- Celery? Oh, this could be a clue. Oh wait, I can't ask her how I look, not in this way - he ponders, a doubt already clear in his mind.
"Err.. yes, it is?" he answers, hoping it is the correct answer.
"I'm sorry, I really have to go." the girl mumbles and before the Doctor can say a word she has already walked away.
Considering how little she wanted to chat and how quickly she made her escape, the Doctor can be sure he has celery in his pocket. And from there, it's only a small leap to the only person he knows who would put celery in his pocket. It's very easy to recall when the person in question is… yourself. Some regenerations ago.
- Maybe was it the fifth one? How did it feel like to be him? Probably must have helped me change my way to interact with people, human people.-
He wished he could remember how his fifth regeneration acted, but he's not sure he can do it.
It's better to keep acting like his own regeneration and find someone who can help him with Barty. He turns his attention to the door, where an old man is getting in.
It's odd that a person over seventy years old wanders around that place. Oh well, the Doctor is over nine hundred years old and he's actually at the Arcade. Maybe it's not that odd
When he can see him better he almost gasps. This man reminds him of someone. What is this? A sort of reunion of the Doctor's Companions? Maybe if he searched around better he could also take a glimpse of Donna or Martha. Do they have lookalikes in this universe?
The man who is getting closer to him has white hair and beard, he has light blue lively eyes. He's even wearing a red hat, but his nose is larger and his lips thinner, but even his wrinkles remind Tenth Doctor of Wilfred, Donna's grandfather, which leads the Time Lord to think he could be as pleasant as him. Maybe he will like talking with him.
He approaches him, more quietly this time, he doesn't want to scare the man.
"Hello," he smiles, acting as affably as he can.
The old man looks at him, almost studies him.
The Doctor considers it a positive sign, so he goes on.
"Sorry if I'm going to bother you, but I just need some information,"
The man stares at him in confusion, but at least he doesn't walk away.
"Hello to you, Sir. Sure, just ask me."
Probably he expects him to ask him about a particular room in the Arcade.
"Do you see that guy at the Slot Machine?" the Doctor asks him, pointing at Barty who is sitting in front of that Muggle invention.
The old man nods.
"Could you please describe him to me?"
"Is this your question?"
The man stares puzzled at him, but then shrugs. After all it can't do any damage to him giving an answer to such a simple question.
"Huh, okay. He's brunette, short hair. Seems a good looking young boy, he seems rather tall. He's wearing a black, long toga and… oh, wait, he's turned for a quick moment, I guess he has dark eyes. I just wonder why you're asking me that? Does that guy owe you money?" the old man asks him, concerned.
And this is how he and the Doctor starts talking about Barty and their relationship… whatever kind of relationship they have.
The coin has been inserted.
The lever has been lowered.
Barty just has to wait.
He observes the first column stopping at the watermelon symbol.
The second one is about to imitate the first, but then decides to stop at the lemon symbol.
The third one doesn't even try to delude him and stops at the orange symbol.
Not a winning combo.
However, Barty enjoyed that adrenaline for the waiting pretty much.
- Sure, I would have preferred to win, of course, but... I want to do that again. Sooner than now. -
He notices that the Doctor is talking with an old Muggle, he just wonders about what topic.
- My Second Dark Lord's mind is impenetrable, but I could read the Muggle's one to find out what they're saying.. nope, Barty, your Lord wouldn't approve that, you know. It's better if I focus on the game. -
He takes a look around and notices that all the people sitting in front of the other Slot Machines have plastic cups full of coins with them.
Sure, it would be a piece of cake for the Dark Wizard to summon a whole cup, but people would notice that. It's wiser and more prudent to summon just some coins from all those cups. It's very improbable that people keep count of the coins in their cups.
Barty draws the wand out of his pocket, just as much as he needs to perform the spell, he says the words in a whisper and the second after he's holding a dozen of coins in his hands, without anyone suspecting anything.
He inserts the first coin, he lowers the lever, he waits thrilled, but no winning combo appears and it's the same with the other ten attempts, with his rage progressively increasing.
He has already made up his mind: without caring of the Time Lord's recommendation not to drag people's attention, he will make that devilish thing explode in front of everyone, if he's going to bear the twelfth humiliation.
Maybe that poor Slot Machine seems to sense that incoming threat, because it displays three oranges. A winning combo!
Not one of those who change your life, but enough to change the Death Eater's mood, who happily stares at the little amount of coins coming out.
- Oh. This is getting rather fun. - he smirks, ready to insert the next coin.
The Doctor is still talking with Wilfred's almost lookalike, as he mentally calls him. Their conversation has reached a very interesting point. The Doctor is talking about his feelings towards Barty. He's not even sure how they ended up talking about that, but luckily that man doesn't seem to be squeamish about two males liking each other.
The Doctor distracted himself for a while staring at Barty. He'd like to go there, hugging him and congratulating him for his win, but he doesn't want it to get into Barty's head. He's still a Death Eater, after all, ready to kill just for fun. He already got off the fence giving him the keys of the TARDIS, he can't make Barty realise he's his favourite one, so he concentrates on the old man's words.
"So… did you two kiss?" he asks him although he can't really understand why he should ask him to describe his boyfriend to him.
The Doctor stares at the man. He doesn't even know his name and yet they're talking as they were old friends.
"Yes, we did. Barty is so…. and he would like me to be his … I mean." he stops, he can bring himself to mention Dark Lords, he would just scare that poor man.
He nervously passes his hand through his hair.
- Ginger. I'm still Ginger. And I just have to thank Barty for it.- he muses. His excitement about that issue is still high.
"Your boyfriend? Why are you not engaged?" the man asks him, as if it was something obvious.
As if it was something wrong that they are not.
"What? No way, I don't think he would like to be engaged with me… although when I kissed him he passed out, oh well, he was just too dazed," the Doctor answers, becoming doubtful.
- What if this man was right? Oh, c'mon, how would Barty be supposed to want to stay with me? We're too similar for him to think about me in a certain way...-
He glances at him from afar.
- I have to admit he's so gorgeous … i wouldn't mind if.. noooooooo, what the heck am I thinking? He's one of my Companions, I can't hurt them! Gosh, I need a drink.-
"I'm sure you young guys in love will sort things out, after all, if he passed out only for a kiss…" the old man sniggers, making the alien realize the depth of Barty's feelings.
- I definitely need a drink or two. I'll finish chatting with him and then I'll reach Peter at the bar!- the Doctor decides, blushing.
Peter is determined to be at the bar. And it dawns on him that after all those changes of clothes, he forgot his wallet in the TARDIS.
"Shit!" he curses, realising he can talk again, finally.
He takes advantage of that to go to just who caused this temporary mutism to him.
He seems to be engrossed in a poker match with some disreputable people, but nothing is going to stop the awesome vampire hunter.
There are four shifty strangers, one is brunette, dressed in leather
Peter can easily understand how annoying leather pants can be, the guy also wears a long leather jacket, the hand not holding the cards rests on the table, displaying many showy rings. The face is unshaved.
The second stranger wears a simple red shirt and black jeans. His brown beard is longer and sets off his icy blue eyes. On his bare arm he has a tattoo of a baseball bat wrapped in barbed wire.
The third guy seems tall, his hair shaved to scratch, he wears a white and black suit with a bordeaux tie, and he's constantly sneering. The last one seems to be kindest, he has a baby boy face, wears a blue suit and seems to read the others as they were open books.
Peter approaches to them as the dealer is shuffling the cards.
"Since you're the main source of all my damn troubles since I've met you, the least you could do is offer me a drink!" Peter exclaims with an authoritarian tone, wondering why all those strangers at the table are staring at him with… so much interest.
- Maybe it's because I interrupted their game.- he finds an explanation.
"I have the feeling that, if I don't do something about it, you're going to torment me all night long!" Kevin grumbles.
He rolls his eyes, getting up from the table.
"Don't do anything until I'm back." he orders, gaining four perfectly still statues.
"You know what? When you don't use it over me, to see you displaying your power is kinda sexy!" Peter smirks at him, passing his tongue on his teeth, slowly.
Kevin smirks back at him.
"Well, I guess I'm going to give you another sexy show." he winks at him, as they reach the counter.
It's rather crowded, but it's not a problem for the charming persuader.
"Come back later for your orders," he gets rid of the patrons, getting closer to the stunned barmen. "See this person here with me? Well, whatever this person wants to drink, just give it to him for free!" he commands, exchanging an understanding gaze with Peter who thanks him with his eyes, before Kevin goes back to his table.
"Now we're talking!" Peter sneers, chugging back his first Bloody Mary of the night.
He's sitting up anything but straight, unbalanced on the tool, one leg dangling. There's time for Midori, the most important thing is that he already checked the shelves with the bottles of alcohol and saw that they do have it.
"Do you also drink in company?" a deep voice surprises him.
Turning, Peter notices a man around fifty with salt-and-pepper hair, tanned, and powerfully built. The stereotypical sailor. It's well known that sea wolves are big drinkers, that's why Peter invites him to sit with him.
"Can I offer you something?" the man asks him.
"Nope, thank you, I already have those young boys satisfying every request of mine," Peter shrugs, ordering a second drink.
"Oh well, no wonder about that." the man winks at him, leaving Peter a bit puzzled.
When the man is holding his carafe of dark beer, he glances at Peter for making a toast, raising the glasses.
"To trust. No, wait, even better, to the lack of trust! Did you ever feel it?" he questions Peter.
"Oh well, once I was about to let my friend down, he was sure I wouldn't help him, standing back for cowardness, but at the end I proved him wrong, we fought together and we won." he shortly sums up his recent meaningful experience in Nevada.
"How could you ever let someone down with such an awesome face?" the man murmurs, puzzling Peter even more, especially when he slides closer with his tool. "I'm Jim, by the way, who are you?"
"I'm Peter…"
"Nice to meet you, Petra." the man replies, sure that the person close to him made a mistake introducing herself.
- Petra?! This dickead still has to drink his beer and already mistook me for a woman? - the illusionist considers, shocked.
"I'll tell you what, I didn't make my best friend change his mind," Jim starts drinking and starts his tale. "He thinks that if everything is going bad it's my fault, that I acted like a spy, confessing something to that hippy-dippy detective… as if that boy who likes playing the adult could even scare me!"
Peter listens to him intently.
- He's talking about my look-alike, the person we're searching for!-
"I know, bad stuff, but I'm sure that your best friend will trust you again. Now, tell me more about the detective, will he be here tonight, too?" he pretends not to be interested.
"That damn boy comes here every bloody night, sometimes also during the day!" Jim grumbles. "What? Do you want to impress him?" he sneers, wrapping an arm around his waist to hold him closer. "You've already impressed me, baby!" he adds, as he hands lowers to Peter's butt, spanking it lightly.
"Get your fucking hands off me, you, fucking sick pervert!" Peter snaps, backing off.
"What's going on here?" the owner of the local intervenes. "Is this man bothering you, Milady?" he smiles gallantly at the illusionist and then he glares at his friend. "Jimmy, you'd better go, if you don't want things to get too complicated," he manages to send him away, as Peter reflects on what just happened.
- Milady?! So this man is seeing me as a woman, too. What the fucking hell did that mind-fucker asshole do to me? - Peter muses furious, but he makes a good face to bad game.
"Now that's better, thanks for your intervention," he tries to smile.
"It's my duty," Ripley smirks. "Well, you know, with such a tight and skimpy dress, it's more than normal if such a beautiful woman as you draws some kind of attentions,"
- Why? How the fuck did that kinky bastard dress me? We'll see about this!- he rushes towards Kevin.
Mind control or not, he's going to make him pay for that.
Kevn is enjoying the umpeenth win at the poker table.
He's a bit puzzled because he's attracted a surprising group of people supporting his win streak.
One of them, tall enough to be a basketball player, approaches him and holds out his fist as if to fist bump him and says, "Dude, you're fantastic. Keep kicking those lily white asses!"
(End part I)
Notes:So, any idea about what happened to Peter and Kevin? You'll find out next time anyway.
Did you enjoy the Doctor's crysis about his feelings? And Barty dealing with the Slot Machine?
Much more to come, Peter Carlisle included ;) Sta tuned!
Hope you'll like it, feel free to tell us anything 3