Perfume
Chapter Three: Attraction
By Rhondda Lake
"We all done here then?" Rose marched into the Console Room, noticing everything seemed to be put back together, at least as much as it ever was. And the swamp stench was replaced by a pleasant crisp fruitiness.
"Yup. Ready to be off on our next adventure," the Doctor's grin took up his whole face. His blue eyes were filled with the excitement of the moment, teetering on the brink of the unknown. Rose felt the excitement gather in her stomach. He was positively infectious.
"Not quite. We never actually went on our last one. I was promised purple beaches, an ocean that sang and seashells of crystal. Where we ended up wasn't even close." She crossed her arms and tried to look determined.
"You're getting a bit finicky. I seem to recall the days of 'I don't care,' not so very long ago. Now you're looking for specifics," he was already flipping switches and turning dials.
"Don't care when it is, just so I get the rest. It sounded… impressive," she grabbed onto the railing seconds before the TARDIS shuddered and lurched, her engines seeming to cry for joy at the freedom of movement.
"Man, give a guy a warning, will you?" Jack stumbled from the hallway and into the Console Room, only keeping his feet by grabbing the railing as well.
"Please fasten your seatbelts and keep your trays in the up and locked position," Rose laughed as they lurched again.
"Hold down the red button," the Doctor ordered and she moved to it, actually getting a bit familiar with the routine. Sometimes the order of the buttons and switches she was told to operate changed, not often, but enough for her to wait for the word before doing anything.
"How come Rose gets to help fly? Who's the Captain here?" Jack pulled a mock pout.
"She isn't flying, she's helping. She's got the touch, the knack, and the TARDIS likes her better than you." Rose glowed under the Doctor's praise, even if it was just a way to tease Jack.
"I am hurt. Really. Cut to the quick." Jack placed his free hand over his heart.
The final lurch shoved Rose against the Doctor's side, but she managed to stay upright as all sense of motion ceased.
The Doctor chuckled but then looked at Rose strangely. His face went blank for a moment, like it did when he was puzzling something out. Whatever it was she watched him brush it off and stop to check the readouts. "Right atmosphere at least. We should be at Angel's Playground this time."
"You'll excuse me if I insist you're first out this time, eh?" Rose slapped his arm. "New shoes you know."
"One little miscalculation and you go all Nervous Nelly on me," he headed for the door, there was a bit of swagger to his walk as Rose followed behind.
"But it was a really stinky miscalculation," Rose defended herself.
She stopped as the Doctor pulled open the door and gestured to the vista beyond. The sand was purple, a deep royal purple, with traces of lavender grains. There was a sound moving through the air, similar to violins, swelling and fading.
"I give you Angel's Playground. Fifth planet of the Krillian system," the Doctor leant over to whisper in her ear.
Rose shivered. It had to be the view, or the music, or, okay, maybe a little because of the way the Doctor's breath tickled her ear.
"It's gorgeous." She stepped out, feeling her new shoes sink a little into the sand.
The water was a blue-green that reflected the sky. A cool wash of air swept over her, lacking the salt tang or even the fishy smell of Earth oceans. Back a good way past the purple sands red grasses swayed in time with the ocean's music. Rose walked towards the water, captivated by the music. With a delighted cry she spotted something in the sand. It looked like a spired quartz deposit, but as she picked it up she noted the hollowed out centre. A smooth pocked for some sea creature to live in.
She looked back and held it up to show the Doctor who was just watching her with a bemused expression.
She wandered close to the edge of the tide. She kept far enough back to keep her new shoes from getting wet, but close enough to watch the colour of the sand deepen as the water lapped at it. She sensed the Doctor had joined her before she turned her head to see him.
"What makes it sing? It sounds kinda sad." She peered out over the water, watching the shallow waves ripple and roll.
"Extremely high mineral content. It isn't the water, really, but a form of sealife. The water and minerals amplify it, making it sound like the ocean is singing," he answered and she bent to scoop up some purple sand, filling the hollow of the crystal shell with it.
"Like whales, you mean?" She looked out again, as if expecting to see a spray or a breaching.
"Only in the most general of terms. They aren't mammals, although they are pretty big, and intelligent," he explained.
He kept his hands shoved into the pockets of his leather jacket. He was watching her, watching her reactions, enjoying answering her questions. Rose knew he got a vicarious kick out of showing her things like this. Through her he got to see them with fresh eyes. Like when she used to take Shireen to movies she had already seen just to enjoy her mate's reaction to them.
"And this sand… it's minerals too. Like amethyst, yeah?" She held up her crystalline prize.
"Yup." He was almost glowing, proud that she'd made the right leap once again.
She beamed back at him. "And the shell, then?"
"Deposits form around the cetaceans, and keep growing until they get too heavy. Then they get shucked off as a new deposit grows."
"So that water's really dense… like the Dead Sea?" She looked out and imagined floating in that expanse of alien water.
"Oh yeah, mighty hard to drown in that. Go ahead if you want. It's warm enough." He encouraged her to experience all of it.
Rose turned back and noticed Jack just leaning against the side of the TARDIS, watching them.
"Come with?"
The Doctor looked mildly surprised and for a second Rose thought he might refuse. But he leaned in again for a moment, seeming to get that lost in thought look before offering a touch of a smile and a shrug. "You know, I just may, after all."
He offered her his arm and tilted his head toward the TARDIS. "Change first, unless you want to give Jack a show."
She looped her arm in his and together they headed back to the ship.