As bright as the Stars
(between S 10 Ep.4 &5)
-o0O0o-
Music was always part of the Storytellers life. Not just hers.
-o0O0o-
The console room was empty, and the doors wide open. Bill did a double take, but yes.
Open into space, just like that.
Slowly she stepped closer, an only when she was around the console she noticed the Storyteller, sitting on the floor, head and back leant on the door frame, one leg dangling over the edge, the other tucked under her. Staring outside. And while Bill couldn't quite see her face, a shiver ran down her neck.
No.
She looked around the room again.
The Doctor vouched for her, but Bill wasn't able to forget that museum anytime soon. And now he was nowhere to be seen.
"Where's the Doctor," Bill asked suspicious.
She didn't turn. "Not floating around outside."
Bill carefully came closer, enough to catch a proper view of outside, but still out of range. True.
"How is your head?"
"Fine. No headaches, nothing anymore. Sorry. Isn't that dangerous, opening the doors in midflight?"
"We are not moving. In space, at least, so it is not unlike opening your doors in, say your living room."
"It's space."
"Your point?"
Huh? "Is this like in StarTrek Enterprise? With shields generating an atmosphere around the ship?"
The Storyteller turned her head enough to be able to glance at her from the corner of her eyes, then patted the floor next to her in invitation.
Bill hesitated only a moment, then slowly inched forward.
Yes, she was cautious with that woman and still had no Idea how the Doctor could be friends with anybody like this, and this was a pretty good opportunity to get murdered.
But he trusted her enough to vouch for her. And this was the Universe. Space.
And it was breathtaking.
"That's a whole new level of stargazing."
The Trillions of Stars, the colours, the planets. So many worlds, so many possibilities, all of them as rich as earth itself.
And she could choose to go to which ever she wanted. It was terrifyingly overwhelming and wonderful at the same time.
"It's refreshingly humbling," The Storyteller agreed. "You can live ten thousands of years and still only see a fracture, a tiny glimpse. People should look up way more often to remember the beauty that lies in their insignificance."
That was not necessarily what Bill saw, but somehow it painted the Storyteller less psychopathic. Human.
"You do it often?"
"More listening than watching. Constantly. But taking a break like this? Certainly not as much as I wish I could."
Listening to… Stars? So much for being more human.
Her doubtful surprise must have shown on her face because the Time Lady continued. "Do you wish to hear it?"
"Uh, Stars? Sure?"
She nodded and pressed her hand on the doorframe. "Would you please take the surrounding gravity patterns and run them through the harmonic filters?"
Bill smiled unsure. "I have no Idea how I-"
There were sounds.
The best way to describe them would be some kind of ambient music, but there was no way of recognizing any of the instruments. It was oddly melodic and definitely nothing Bill herself would ever describe as music, yet somehow exactly that.
"That's what the universe sounds like?"
"The music of the spheres, yes. Well, compare it to a recording of a symphonic orchestra played through cheap phone speakers versus a live performance- no offence, but yes."
The TARDIS chirped in response.
"Did you just talk to the TARDIS?"
"She is a living being. The Doctor does it all the Time. Why so surprised?"
"He's the Doctor."
The Storyteller took that as the explanation it was and instead instructed some more technical terms to the ship, which promptly responded. And the sounds changed to something…. weirdly familiar. It still sounded alien, but somehow less so.
And generally, a lot lesser, like an acoustic version instead of a full band.
The Storyteller watched her with an uncomfortably laser-like focus, the same as back in the museum when she had subtly questioned her. A Test?
How should she know anything about the sounds stars and planets made, when she heard them for the first time in-
Planetary sounds.
"That's earth," she prodded.
The Storytellers eyes lit up approvingly. "The Sol system. We are currently positioned too far away to isolate a specific planet."
"It really sounds different."
"I did not compare it to a symphony without reason. Every planet, star, every single body of mass swirling around, artificial, or naturally grown. As long as it has gravity, has its own voice, its own tune. Like instruments in a gigantic orchestra."
"And every Time Lord can hear it?"
"Yes. Everyone can hear it, but it is similar to your music as well. Some listen in and enjoy it, others have no affinity for it, and some are able to break it down into patterns and rhythms, recognizing instruments and frequencies and being able to name them from hearing alone, without ever having seen the sheets of written notes. The Doctor belongs to the former, me to the later."
Wait.
"So, you can recognize planets by sound alone?"
"Personal inbuild GPS"; the Storyteller tipped her temple.
GPS? As in… Of course. If you knew which planets where around you, you could easily find your position and where to go by using them as a landmark.
"No Way!"
She merely stared out into space, listening in. Bill joined her, finally letting her feet dangle over the edge into the abyss. Nope. Don't think about that.
She was in space. Just like that. With the actual sounds of the solar system in her ear.
"How does your home sound?"
"Maldovar? It is an asteroid, so you cannot really distinguish it from-"
"No. I mean your planet. Where you and the Doctor come from."
The Storyteller grew still, her whole face blank. "The Minyan constellation of Kasterborous?"
Her voice was carefully nonchalant.
"Yeah, the Time Lords from Kasterborous."
"Gallifrey," the Storyteller corrected, "Kasterborous is the Home Constellation. Not all Solar Systems are as simple as Sol with only one Sun and two ground bound habitable planets."
"Gallifrey, then," Bill corrected herself to sooth her. The alien was calm, but there was just an underlying edge to her that felt a bit to unsafe for sitting over the abyss of space.
It seemed to work.
The Storyteller played a second with the pendant of her necklace, then mumbled another instruction to the TARDIS and the sound changed again.
The melody, the instruments, everything. It didn't go full blown thousands, tho, more like switching songwriters or band.
So different and… wrong? No. of course it only was alien and who was she to decide what was right or wrong if she didn't knew-
No. There was something.
"There's something wrong."
The Storyteller's head flew around, eyes wide and eyebrow raised. "Wrong?"
Oh, no.
"No, I mean, of course it sounds different, and I don't know anything. But, I just have this weird feeling, there's something- missing." They both ended simultaneously.
"Astonishing," whispered the Storyteller, placing both hands on Bill's temples and moving her head around, closely inspecting her. "Truly astonishing!"
"Eh," Bill stared at her, and she immediately let go. "Apologies."
She collected herself, but still didn't back away, a shimmer in her eyes. "You can hear it?"
"Yeah?" I'm not really into music, I mean I listen to it, but its kind of obvious? There, you heard it, It's like everyone went a bit more silent to give space for an instrument, but it's not playing. There, again."
Tella glowed. "Yes. Yes! White guardian, look at that. It is our missing planet. And you can hear it?"
"Missing Planet?"
"Yes. Like this."
And she started to hum an odd pattern and- it fit. It still sounded somewhat wrong, like always, when somebody tries to impersonate an instrument with their voice, but the music was whole again. And knowing how it should sound now, the absence of that one melody transformed the whole piece. She had a nice voice, too.
"How can a whole planet go missing?"
She played with her necklace, again. "It got destroyed. In the last Time War."
"Time War. You guys just love to put the word Time before everything, do you?"
"Just because you cannot perceive something, does not mean it does not exist. If I say Time War, I mean it. A war with time itself as a weapon."
"That sounds… not good."
"Not good, indeed. But nothing you have to worry your pretty, wonderfully surprising, smart head about. It is over and done." She winked and Bill grinned.
"Can I see it? Gallifrey?"
The Storyteller laughed. "There is nothing to see. Believe me. Now, the Crystal meadows of Ungbidie? That is something to behold. A picknick there- how about supper?"
So the stream of Information she was willing to share had its limits, too. Bill had been surprised how talkative about herself she had been in comparison to the Doctor.
A loud accord vibrated through the speakers.
Bill jumped and nearly fell out if it weren't for the Storyteller grabbing her. "Thanks!"
She already glared up the gallery. "For Time's Sake!"
"Sorry," the Doctor didn't look one bit while fiddling with his blasted E-guitar. "Were you listening to that? No. How about some real music? Oh, you're going to like this!"
Before anybody was able to do more than roll their eyes, he had checked the vinyl already placed in the old gramophone and carefully put the needle down.
The Storyteller started laughing as the first chords rang through the speakers. He grinned and slowly danced down the stairs, throwing in one or two accords in the melody.
He offered her his hand and she shook her head but took it. He pulled her on her feet and she started singing along while shyly moving to the distinct rhythm, with a soft smile on her face.
Her guard was completely down, her eyes old but happy. So was the Doctor's. Bill had never seen him as relaxed as he was now, playing that solo, eyes on the Storyteller, grinning while she clapped.
They were old friends.
Bill didn't feel excluded as she hummed along, on the contrary, the Doctor pulled her up to dance with them and the Storyteller even mimicked some of her moves, too. It was just the last proof.
The song ended and the Storyteller leant back on the railing, still giggling. "Timetodd!"
"And proud of it," the Doctor tipped his nose with a mischievous grin.
She rose an eyebrow and nodded to herself.
"I' did not know that one was yours," she gestured to the guitar.
"Oh, he's constantly pulling stuff like this, that was the second time he nearly scared me to death. Even if he's good," Bill complained.
"Not in every regeneration," he corrected.
There was that word again.
"What's a regeneration?"
The Storyteller narrowed her eyes. "She does not know?"
"No, topic for another time. The right time."
"But you will explain. Preferably before."
"Yes."
"All right."
Bill sighed. "Is it really that big of a thing."
"Yes," both Time Lords answered simultaneously, so Bill raised her hands defensively. "All right, fine."
The Doctor however scrutinized the Storyteller.
"Since when do you trust me to disclosure information myself."
"I like your smile."
"I don't smile. Barely," the Doctor corrected.
"Exactly."
The two of them watched each other and there was definitely some communication going on.
Could they speak telepathically with each other? Bill needed to ask them. He did try to take her memories.
She got distracted from that thought when the Doctor nodded in acknowledgement and turned to work on the console.
"Ungbidie, you said? Never been there before."
"Pardon? We need to remedy that immediately. Do you agree, Miss Potts?"
"Bill," Bill corrected. "Sure."
She was weird and definitely a bit insane, and not in the good way like the Doctor. But the Storyteller didn't hide it, and as far as Bill had seen, she seemed predictable, once you knew how she thought. Which Bill felt she could figure out, unlike the Doctor.
The Storyteller blinked, then offered her hand. "Then I insist on you calling me Tella, please."
"You hate that nickname," protested the Doctor.
Bill and her shook hands, before the Storyteller- Tella waved dismissive. "It grew on me. For my close friends."
Bill pointed to the Doctor. "He doesn't use it."
"He invented it."
He stared a second, the turned to the console. "Right. Tella."
Tella curtsied formally, with her hands in a weird position before her. "Lord Regent Doctor?"
He flinched and frowned at her, then noticed the slightly gleaming sparkle in her eyes, just a tiny bit too unhinged to be described as mischievous.
He rolled his eyes and typed in the coordinates, a small smile flickering over his face, then started the Time Machine.
AN: Hey!
Another really old draft. Yes, I have written down more for Twelve than Eleven even if they only spent half the amount of chapters together. Mostly because I always knew where I wanted to take Tella but only sketched out how she got there. Don't get used to the update speed tho, the next will take longer. And be longer.
The song is Starman from David Bowie. If Twelve has a character piece other than his theme by Murray Gold, it's this one. I even think Peter Capaldi played it once. It was one of the first scenes I depictured with Twelve and Tella, those two just vibing and singing that song, laughing about the Text and the Irony.
Like every of my characters, Tella has her own playlist of songs, however I always consider Movement by Peter Glass for the soundtrack of The Hours to be her theme, if she actually starred in the show. I've never seen that movie, but the music is fantastic.
I just remind you, that Bill has a rather limited view and just like last chapter comes to conclusions. She didn't read the last 30 chapters of this Story. Tella left an impression, even if she a bit more... confident in her own judgement. Next time we knew why.
Thanks to Tom Tadis for the fav.
Stay save everyone.
Greetings
alkatie
KD 19052021