Remnant Who
By ReaderWarrior
I do not own Doctor Who or RWBY.
The Unquiet Dead (A)
Beta'd by: -
As always, please comment! It honestly makes my day to read your thoughts and opinions.
Tell your friends!
Honorary (dead) companions:
Clive, Raffalo, Moxx, Jabe
Fantastics:
2
Reviews:
Triscythe59: Thank you for your kind words. I cannot wait for those days either!
Justus80: I do know the song. Deja Vu, correct? I love it. And I definitely agree with the awesomeness that is the Mach 5. I love that car.
Random65: Heck yeah!
Rose Rich 2002: Then here comes another happy day. That's not dumb, that is awesome. I actually debated whether or not to incorporate something of that into this chapter but decided against it.
Shane Ee1: Well, I hope I got a similar reaction this time as well. I'm glad you like the intermission. The formula will pretty much be this, with a fun mini-story every 6 or so episodes.
SammyKordy10: My favorite Doctor is 9th. He brought so much to the character and is honestly amazing. Knowing what happened in the Time War really brings his character to fruition, especially when you know that the War Doctor wasn't canon yet.
Ranjira1988: I'm glad you like the Librarian! And it makes me even happier to see someone understanding my reasoning behind this new version of a reaction Fic. I never watched SR on Cartoon Network, but did have the VHS' of it. When my father went to Afghanistan for the military, he sent us them so we could watch something he enjoyed when he was younger.
Guest: To be honest, I had no idea what you were talking about until I looked it up. I'm not fully aware of the Classic series and that really surprised me. However, the Librarian is not the Doctor and would not have the original.
Guest 2: I think Ruby's favorite might be Matt Smith. They both act like children, especially over technology.
"So what's this episode called?" Weiss asks as she rests into her seat. With her posture, the Librarian wouldn't have been surprised if she came from the London monarchy and not the equivalent of a gas-company.
The Librarian checks his watch, which automatically senses his thoughts and displays the title. "The Unquiet Dead," he answers in a ghoulish tone, waving his arms in front of himself like a spirit.
Weiss rolls her eyes, as well as Blake, but Yang jerks forward.
"Wait," she exclaims, "will there be ghosts?!"
Blake smirks, "Yang, don't tell me you are afraid of plastic people and phantoms of the night."
The blonde sticks her tongue out at Blake then shakes her head. "Not me." Yang points over her shoulder to the seat next to her. "But Ruby is."
The members of team RWBY and the Librarian all turn to the red-hooded leader. "I'm f-f-f-fine!" She stutters, forcing a smile which chatters her teeth. Ruby also raises a shaky thumbs-up.
The Librarian whistles. "Okay, then. Let's get rolling."
In a candle-light room, a well-dressed man with silver sideburns lights a candle. Inside the room is a large, open casket in the center with flowers decorating the table it rests upon. As the candle flickers to life, the man blows out his match and steps towards another man who leans over the coffin.
"Sneed and Company offer their series condolences, sir, in this most trying hour," the older man comments as he walks up to the coffin and the younger gentleman.
"Grandmama had a good innings, Mr. Sneed," the grandson responded.
"Innings?" Yang asks, confused by the dialect.
"He probably means his grandma had a good life," Weiss answers, the resident knowledge-holder of high-class speech.
"She was so full of life, I can't believe she is gone."
"Not gone, Mr. Redpath, sir," Sneed corrects, "merely sleeping."
Redpath looks at the man and nods in gratitude. "May I have a moment?" He asks, gesturing to the corpse."
"Yes, of course." The mortician points behind them and adds, "I shall be in the next room should you require anything." He then exits through a large wooden door as Redpath leans over the coffin and holds back tears, squeezing his eyes shut.
Ruby instinctively pulls her cloak up to her chin. Blake raises an eyebrow and turns to Yang.
The blonde shrugs and whispers, "She used to watch movies with me and Dad when she was younger. I think she can sometimes sense when something bad is going to happen."
"No wonder she's afraid of ghosts!" Blake criticizes.
As Redpath cries silently, a faint blue vapor begins to whiff around his grandmother's face. It pulses a few times before dissipating into her skin.
Weiss frowns and leans towards the screen, "what was that? It looked almost like someone using aura."
The grandmother's eyelids leap open as the last of the blue-tint disappears.
Ruby sighs while Weiss gives a soft yelp. "Why aren't you scared?!" She asks, turning to her leader.
Shrugging, Ruby responds saying, "I'm okay with zombies. But gh-gh-gh-ghosts are a whole other thing."
Definitely going to have to keep her far away from Scooby or the Winchesters then, the Librarian thinks.
Madam Redpath's arm then lunges out of her casket and grabs her grandson around the neck. Gasping, in both shock and pain, the young sir panics and knocks over a vase of flowers as he struggles to escape the corpse's grasp.
"AH!" Team RWBY exclaims in sync.
"Go for the head!" Yang yells, "the brain, you gotta get the brain!"
Hearing the sounds of a struggle, Mr. Sneed returns. Opening the door, he watches the Redpath's fight against each other.
"Oh, no!" He sighs before leisurely moving forward.
"'Oh, no'?" Weiss repeats. "'Oh, no'?!"
"Does this happen a lot in the Doctor's universe?" Blake ponders.
The Librarian shrugs. "Which aspect? People coming back from the dead, kinda. But I don't know if this is on Earth or on an alien planet. But it does resemble the late 1860's or early 1870's of England."
"So… it's not ghosts?" Ruby asks (hopefully) with a smile.
Again, he shrugs. "Can't tell for sure yet. Maybe, maybe not."
Ruby's smile droops.
"No!" Mr. Sneed exclaims as he pushes young Redpath to the side. As he reaches across the coffin, a loud snap can be heard and the grandson collapses in a motionless heap. Sneed, now with nothing in his way, pushes down on Mrs. Redpath before pulling the casket's cover up.
"What!?" Ruby exclaims with a frown.
"This Sneed guy doesn't seem to care at all that that guy just died," Yang adds.
"Well… He is a mortician," the Librarian coughs.
"Gwyneth!" He yells as he wrestles with the lid and the animated corpse. "Get down here, now! We've got another one!"
"So this has happened before," Black comments. "Good job, Weiss."
The heiress smiles. "Thank you!"
However, before Gwyneth could come help, the corpse grabs the lid and smashes it into Mr. Sneed's head, knocking him unconscious. She tosses the lid away before smashing her coffin apart, splintering the wood as she rises. With ghoulish moans and a blue fog hovering around her face, Lady Redford leaves the room and out into the snow-covered city.
"I hope Gwyneth is better at dealing with the animated corpses than that guy was," Weiss critiques.
"It looked like she was stronger than normal," Yang responds. "She broke that guy's neck with a single hand and tore apart that coffin. That's at least 12 thousands pounds of force in just one arm."
The Librarian, Ruby, Weiss, and Blake all turn to the blonde with slacked jawed and awed expressions.
"How… Did you-?" Blake stutters.
"What!? I know things!"
"Shock!" Ruby yells.
The Librarian checks his watch. "She isn't wrong either…"
"Double shock!" Ruby exclaims.
In the T.A.R.D.I.S, alarms blare as the console room shakes. The Doctor stands in front of the computer monitor with Rose across from him.
"Hold that one down!" He yells as he flips a lever.
"I'm holding this one down!" Rose yells back.
"Well hold them both down!"
Rose frantically reaches across the console and grabs a dial, twists it, then holds it down.
"What's going on?" Ruby exclaims.
Blake gives the screen a puzzling look. "Perhaps the T.A.R.D.I.S is trying to take them somewhere?"
Rose grunts as she struggles to hold down two levers. "It's not going to work!" She exclaims.
"Oi!" The Doctor responds as he shifts with the room's shaking. "I promised you a time machine and that's what you get." He jumps from looking at Rose to the console's screen. "Now, we've seen the future, let's have a look at the past. 1860, how does 1860 sound?"
Yang pokes the Librarian side. "Ha! And you thought it was 1890."
"Nobody is perfect," he grumbles in response.
"What happened in 1860?" Rose asks.
"I don't know!" The Doctor answers.
"Zombies," Ruby clarifies. "The walking dead!"
Blake shakes her head, "the unquiet dead."
"Let's find out. Hold on, here we go!" With a lunge, the Doctor grabs a hold of another lever and pulls it downwards. As he does, the .D.I.S whooshes louder as it spins through the time vortex.
"Gwyneth!" Mr. Sneed yells as he wipes his forehead with a handkerchief. "Where are you girl?" Now in a closet-like area (with foods stored upon shelves and cleaning utensils scattered around the room), the mortician frantically mops his brow. "Gwyneth!"
Behind him, a young woman, Gwyneth, steps inside wearing a brown cloak over a maid outfit.
"Where've you been?!" Sneed exclaims. "I've been shouting!"
"Been in the stable, sir," Gwyneth answers. A horse neighs behind her, as if providing an alibi. "Breaking the ice for Samson."
Weiss scrunches her nose, "why is he being so rude to her?"
"Oh, crap," the Librarian groans. "How do I say this nicely? Hm, man has not always treated women with respect and equality. Especially before the year 2000. Like racism, sexism was… prominent for a lot of time."
"The more I hear about Earth, the less I like it," Blake responds tonelessly.
"Well get back in there, and harness him up!" Mr. Sneed snaps.
Gwyneth frowns in confusion. "What for, sir?"
"The stiffs are getting lively again," he answers. Mr. Redpath's mother, she's up on her feet and out there somewhere on the streets. We've got to find her!"
"Mr. Sneed, for shame," Gwyneth criticizes. "How many more times? It's ungodly!"
"So how many times has this happened?" Ruby asks.
"At least twice," Weiss answers. "But I'd guess it's higher than that."
"Don't look at me like it's my fault! Now come on, hurry up!" Sneed hastily squeezes past Gwyneth and makes his way to the doorway. "She was 86, she can't have gone far.
"What about Mr. Redpath," Gwyneth asks, stopping the mortician. "Did you deal with him?"
"Pretty sure grandma did that herself," Yang mumbles.
Blake's eyes go wide and her bow twitches. "Wait… could he come back as well?"
"That would be determined by the cause of the reanimation," the Librarian comments. "Which we do not yet know about."
Sneed pauses and struggles to find his words. "No… She did."
Gasping, Gwyneth responds, "that's awful, sir." She steps up to the man and bows her head. "I know it's not my place, and please forgive me for talking out of turn, sir, but this is getting beyond now."
Weiss' eye twitches at the woman's comment. "Did she just ask for forgiveness for speaking her mind?"
The Librarian does his best to sink into the cushions. "...yes…"
A dark glint shines in the heiress' eyes. "I really hope Rose or the Doctor puts him in his place."
"Yeah," Yang agrees, punching the palm of her hand, "or we will."
Stupid male-dominant misogyny, the Librarian curses.
"Something terrible is happening in this house," she continues, casting a glance to the walls, "and we've got to get help."
"And we will!" Sneed responds. "As soon as I get that dead old woman locked up, safe and sound."
"This would be morbid if they weren't talking about a corpse," Blake comments.
"Now, stop prevaricating, girl. Get the hearse ready, we're going body snatching." Sneed then turns around and leaves Gwyneth to look down at her feet.
"Do I even want to know what prevaricating means?" Ruby asks.
"It refers to speaking evasively," Weiss answers.
Ruby nods. "Oh."
In a snow-covered alley, the T.A.R.D.I.S whooshes as it materializes. Rose and the Doctor lay on the control-room's floor, laughing.
"Blimey!" Rose giggles as the duo get to their feet.
"You're telling me!" The Doctor responds as he checks the console monitor. "You all right?" Ha asks.
Rose nods, "yeah, I think so. Nothing's broken." She leans over the Doctor's shoulder and glances at the screen. "Did we make it? Where are we?"
"I did it!" The Doctor cheers," give the man a medal!"
"Why is he so excited that he was able to pilot the T.A.R.D.I.S?" Blake asks.
The Librarian shrugs. "Probably just a feeling of satisfaction." And it could be likely he's still unsure of himself after the Time War.
"Earth, Naples, December 24th. 1860!" The Doctor declares with a crossing of his arms.
"That's so weird," Rose comments. "It's Christmas."
Ruby's head turns towards the Librarian with a quizzical look. "What's Christmas?"
"It's a celebration that occurs during the coldest month of the year," he answers back. "It's like… Nondescript Winter Holiday."
"Ooooh," Team RWBY responds.
"All yours," the Doctor smiles, waving his hand to the T.A.R.D.I.S doors.
Rose shakes her head. "But it's like… think about it, though. Christmas. 1860. Happens once, just once, and then it's gone, it's finished, it'll never happen again." The Doctor smiles and nods at the blonde. "Except for you.
"You can go back and see days that are dead and gone. A hundred thousand sunsets ago… No wonder you never stay still."
"Not a bad life," the Doctor smiles.
Rose smiles as well. "Better with two."
"Oh just kiss already!" Yang shouts.
Blake blushes but gives a nod in agreement.
However, Weiss frowns and comments, "they've only known each other for a few hours! A day, if we push it. And during most of that time, they've been under a lot of stress, it's more likely they are just high on the excitement."
"Or it's true love," Ruby giggles.
The blonde then smacks the Doctor on the arm and rushes to the door. "Come on, then!"
"Oi, oi, oi!" The Doctor exclaims, stopping Rose. "Where do you think you're going?"
"1860."
"Go out there dressed like that and you're bound to start a riot, Barbarella."
"How is it she is dressed inappropriately?" Yang questions.
"She's showing too much of her body," the Earth-expert responds. "Especially in the 1800's. Women rarely, if not never, wore something that revealing."
"Jeans and a tank-top?"
The Librarian nods. "Even in modern-day schools, well, from the 2000's anyways, some tops are deemed 'too sexual' if they show off shoulders."
"That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard," Weiss groans. "And what of this 'Barbarella'?"
"No idea. ELI?"
"Barbarella," the female-sounding AI chirps, "is a character from a 1968 Science-Fiction movie where the main character wears sexual and minimalistic outfits to show off her sex-appeal." The screen quickly displays the cover art for the movie, to which Weiss and Yang quickly cover Ruby's eyes.
"Aw, come on!" She hisses.
The Doctor turns and points to the opposite end of the console room. "There's a wardrobe through there," he explains. "First left, second right, third on the left, go straight ahead, under the stairs, past the bins, fifth door on the left, and hurry up."
Rose quickly runs in the direction(s) he pointed to.
Now with her eyes uncovered, Ruby struggles to remember the path. "First… left… second… right…. Third right?"
"I understood it," Weiss commented. "That's almost as complex as Schnee manor."
"Not a sign," Sneed groans as he and Gwyneth ride a horse-pulled chariot. They pull their hearse through a wide street with snow covering the ground. Other residents of the town walk along the sides and fires crackle in lamps and on street-corners, illuminating the area.
"She's vanished into the ether, sir," Gwyneth exclaims. "Where can she be?"
Sneed pulls the reins and slows the horses till they stop. Then he turns and stares at the young maid. "You tell me, girl."
Blake scowls, "does he think she was in on it!?"
"Or does he believe her to be keeping clues from him?" Weiss ponders.
Gwyneth's eyes go wide and she looks frantically around them. "What do you mean?"
"You know full well," Sneed responds.
"No, sir. I can't!"
"Use the sight!" He hisses.
"It's not right, sir."
"Use the what?" Ruby asks.
"Sight," Blake whispers.
"Oh… I still don't understand."
Find the old later or you're dismissed!" Sneed threatens. "Now, look inside, girl. Look deep. Where is she?"
As her master berates her, Gwyneth closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. After a few moments, her eyes open.
"She's lost, sir," the maid answers. "She's so alone. Oh, my word, so many strange things in her head."
Weiss raises an eyebrow. "Does she have a semblance?"
"I thought you said Earth-people don't have powers," Yang comments, turning to the Librarian.
"I said Earthlings don't have access to Aura," he answers. "However, some people are born with or claim to have, supernatural abilities. And it would seem Gwyneth is one of the most common varieties, a telepath."
"But where?"
Gwyneth pauses again as she stares ahead of her with unfocused eyes. "She's excited," the maid whispers, "about tonight. Before she passed on, she was going to see him."
Mr. Sneed shakes his head, "who's 'him'?"
"The great man," she answers. "All the way from London. The great, great man."
"Do you think she's talking about the Doctor?" Ruby asks.
"Doubtful," Blake answers. "That would have meant the grandmother knew the Doctor was coming. And, technically, he isn't coming from London."
The camera jumps to a middle-aged man sitting on a chair. He rubs his forehead as the door knocks.
"Mr. Dickens!" The knocker calls out. "Mr. Dickens?"
The Librarian's jaw drops. "Well son of a poptart. Charles Dickens on Christmas."
"What's so special about this old fart?" Yang asks with a snicker.
He turns to the blonde and glares at her. "Charles Dickens is one of the most famous writers of all time. He's a legend. One of his most famous stories, 'A Christmas Carol' is so popular that almost hundreds of versions have been made."
"Is it about a grumpy old guy learning the true reason to celebrate the holidays?" Blake asks.
Frowning, the Librarian nods. "Yes…"
Ruby almost jumps out of her seat. "So it's like ' A Nondescript Winter Holiday Noel'?! I love that story."
The door then opens and a man steps in and waves to Mr. Dickens. "Excuse me, sir. Mr. Dickens, this is your call." The man then steps forward as the author continues to rub his forehead. "Are you quite well, sir?"
Mr. Dickens opens his eyes and turns towards the help. "Splendid, splendid, sorry."
"Time you were on, sir," he repeats.
"Absolutely," Charles responds. "I was just… brooding."
"Is he okay?" Ruby asks. "He looks sad."
"Maybe he was just lost in thought, Rubes," Yang comments. However, she herself did not believe it.
The stage-hand cocks his head to the side in confusion.
"Christmas Eve," the author explains. "Not the best of times to be alone."
"Did no one travel with you sir?" The stage-hand asks. "No lady wife waiting out front?"
"I'm afraid not."
The younger gentleman leans towards Dickens and smiles. "You can have mine if you want."
The commentators laugh at the stage-hand's comment.
"Oh, I wouldn't dare," Dickens chuckles. " I've been rather, let's say, clumsy, with family matters. Thank God I'm too old to cause any more trouble."
"You speak as if it's all over, sir."
"Oh, it's never over. On and on I go, the same old show. I'm like a ghost, condemned to repeat myself for all eternity." As he talks, Charles Dickens stares at the poster promoting his arrival (which the theatre employee turns to look at as well). He then stands up and grabs a bottle from his dressing room's table.
"He's lonely," Ruby realizes. Just the way he grabbed the bottle reminded her of Uncle Qrow. It had a weight to it.
Weiss nods. "And likely given up hope that anything could change that."
Unbeknownst to them, the Librarian clenches his fists and stares at the screen. That won't be me.
"It's never too late, sir," the stage-hand comments in a helpful tone. "You can always think up some new turns."
"No I can't!" Charles snaps as he turns to the lad with a glass in his hand. "Even my imagination grows stale." The author then takes a swig from his glass and sighs. "I'm an old man. Perhaps I've thought of everything I'll ever think."
He sets down his glass and slips off his robe, to which the stage-hand grabs a jacket and holds it out for Mr. Dickens. "Still…" he continues, "The lure of the limelight's as potent as a pipe, eh?" As he straightens his coat in the mirror, Charles makes one last comment to the help. "On with the motley."
Yang elbows Weiss, "what's a motley?"
The heiress glares at her leader's sister. "What makes you think I know?"
Smirking, Yang responds, "so you don't know?"
"Of course I know," Weiss huffs. "A motley is another term for a jester or fool."
"Actually, it's what they wore," the Librarian corrects. "But I could be wrong!" He quickly exclaims as the white-haired woman glares at him from the corner of her eye.
Back in the T.A.R.D.I.S, the Doctor flashes his sonic screwdriver against one of the coral spires. He frowns and presses his ear against the substance as Rose walks up in front of him.
"Blimey!" He gasps.
Rose smiles. Having changed out of her jeans and top, she now wears a long purple dress and black corset, a machine attiring for the time period. In her hair is a flower pin and around her neck is an open-front coat.
Blake smiles. "She looks like a princess."
"Does that make the Doctor her knight?" Ruby asks.
"Well, he does seem to wear something more similar to motley instead of armor."
"I swear, Belladonna! I will-"
"Don't laugh!" Rose giggles, pointing at the man in the ground.
The Doctor gawks at the blonde. "You look beautiful."
"Aww," team RWBY sighs.
Rose looks down at herself and blushes.
"Considering," the Doctor frantically adds before turning back to the coral.
"Hah!?" Team RWBY exclaims.
"Considering what?!" Rose asks.
The sonic screwdriver whirs as the Time Lord answers. "That you're human,' he smirks.
"What's wrong with outer-race relations?" Blake asks with a frown.
"In his defense, there's a difference between racial-relations and species-relations," the Librarian points out.
"I think that's a compliment," Rose smirks. "Aren't you going to change?"
The Doctor turns off his sonic and pockets it, holding his jacket open. "I've changed my jumper!" As he climbs out of his maintenance-area, he tells Rose to "come on!"
However, she quickly dashes towards the door without him. "You stay there, you've done this before. This is mine!" Rose giddily opens the door and steps out onto the snow-covered alley. She smiles as the snow crunches beneath her feet while the Doctor exits behind her, locking the T.A.R.D.I.S doors.
"Ready for this?" He asks as he holds out his harm. Rose eagerly takes it and smiles. "Here we go. History!"
Rose squeals. "They look so cute together."
The cat-faunus nods her head rapidly in agreement.
Curtains rise and an audience applauds as Charles Dickens steps onto the stage. The man bows as the crowd cheers. The only onlooker not applauding or cheering was a pale old woman with unblinking eyes.
Yang gasps, "grandma!"
"How did she even get inside?" Weiss asks.
Meanwhile, the Doctor and Rose happily stroll down the street. Children play in the snow around them and carolers sing holiday music. The two stop at a crossroads to let a chariot pass by. When it disappears off screen, they quickly run off, revealing Mr. Sneed and Gwyneth riding in the same direction.
"Are they following them?" Blake wonders with a glare.
The Librarian shakes his head, "it's more likely they are both heading in the same direction."
"She's in there sir," Gwyneth points, "I'm sure of it." Across from them is a theatre by the name of 'Taliesin Lodge'.
Mr. Sneed gives an acknowledging nod and steps out of the chariot.
Across the street, the Doctor grabs a newspaper from a local vendor and walks over to Rose.
"I got the flight a bit wrong," he realizes after looking down at the paper.
Rose ignores him. "I don't care."
"It's not 1860, it's 1869."
"HA!" The Librarian yells. "I knew it!"
Yang rolls her eyes and smirks. "My apologies, oh glorious one. Please remind us how knowledgeable we are about Earth."
"I don't care!"
"And it's not Naples."
"I don't care."
"It's Cardiff."
Rose stops for a moment and let's the Doctor pass her. "Right…" she mutters before chasing after him.
The Librarian laughs at the comedic moment while the members of team RWBY give a light chuckle.
"What's so bad about Cardiff?" Weiss asks.
The Librarian shrugs again. "Personally, no idea. But I'd guess it's similar to shooting for California and ending up New Jersey."
"Where?"
"Ugh. Let's see… It's like going for a vacation in Mistral only to end up in Mountain Glenn."
"Yikes," Yang winces.
Back in the theatre, Charles Dickens continues his retelling of 'A Christmas Carol'.
"'Now, it is a fact that there was nothing particular at all about the knocker on the door of this house, but let any man explain to me if he can, how it happened that Scrooge, having his key in the lock of the door, saw in the knocker, without it's undergoing any intermediate process of change, not a knocker, but Marley's face.'"
The crowd murmurs in excitement at the revelation.
Weiss leans closer to the screen, entrapped by the author's narration.
"Marley's face!" He repeats for dramatic effect, gazing into the audience and stopping to look at Madam Redpath. "'It looked at Scrooge, as Marley used to look. It looked like'…" Dickens stops as the corpse begins to glow blue again. "Oh, my Lord.
"It looked like that!" The author points in fear towards the blue-lighted woman. Audience members gasp as they turn to look in the direction of his finger. "What phantasmagoria is this?!"
Madam Redpath stands up and opens her mouth. Ghostly wails echo from inside of her, joined by the now-screaming audience members scrambling to run away. The blue aura around her face grows and stretches, flying throughout the room.
Ruby immediately grabs her cloak and wraps it around herself once more. "Gh-gh-gh-ghosts!"
Outside, the Doctor and Rose stop in place as the screams are heard.
"That's more like it!" The Doctor smiles excitedly before tossing the paper behind him. Both he and Rose start running towards the theatre.
Men, women, and phantasmagoria scream loudly throughout the room. The audience members run in terror away from the corpse and the apparition.
Up on stage, Charles does his best to try and calm everyone down. "Stay in your seats! I- I beg you! It is a lantern show. Trickery!"
Weiss grabs Ruby's shoulders and repeats the author's proclamation. "It's just a trick of the light!"
"It's a ghost!" Ruby whimpers. "A soul-possessing ghoul that wants to take my body!"
However, his voice falls on deaf ears as the theatre continues to clear out. While the audience members scramble through the exits, Mr. Sneed and Gwyneth push their way into the theatre.
"There she is, sir!" Gwyneth yells over the loud noises.
"I can see that," he snaps. "The whole blooming world can see that!"
The blue-ghost continues to fly about the theatre while police whistles from the outside can be heard. As the mortician and his maid disappear, the Doctor and Rose step inside and look around at the supernatural chaos.
"Fantastic!" The Doctor exclaims.
"Solve the problem, then compliment it!" Blake critiques.
"Yeah!" Yang agrees. "Time to beat down some spirits!"
The Time Lord quickly runs over to Charles Dickens as Madam Redpath slumps down, the ghostly aura no longer remaining on her face.
"Did you see where it came from?" The Doctor asks, looking up at the author.
However, Dickens grows angry. "Ah, so the wag reveals himself, does he?! I trust you're satisfied, sir!"
"A wag is a mischievous youth," Weiss answers before anyone could ask. Father often used the term to describe Winter when she first joined the Atlas Military.
Before the Doctor could rebuttal, Rose looks over to the body and watches Mr. Sneed and Gwyneth grab it by the arms and legs. "Oi!" She calls out, "leave her alone! Doctor, I'll get them!"
"Be careful," he warns, jumping onto the stage and next to Dickens as Rose runs after the duo. "Did it say anything, can it speak? I'm the Doctor, by the way."
"Doctor? You look more like a navvy," Charles scoffs.
The Doctor looks down at himself and pulls on the hem of his shirt. "What is wrong with this jumper?"
"I can answer this one," the Librarian interjects before Weiss could open her mouth. "A navvy is a manual laborer who usually worked in projects involving navigation. A road or railway, for example."
Weiss hmphs but doesn't reject his definition.
As Rose runs up to hearse, Gwyneth turns around and stops her from getting a closer look at Mrs. Redpath.
"What are you doing?" Rose exclaims.
"Oh, it's a tragedy, miss," the maid lies. "Don't worry yourself, me and the master will deal with it. Fact is, this poor lady has been taken with a brain fever. We have to get her to the infirmary."
"I highly doubt this era and civilization has any sort of medical care for dealing with this," Blake deadpans.
"It's simple," Ruby shivers, hidden in the bundle of her cloak, "make a salt circle around yourself and you'll be safe!"
The Librarian frowns. "And where did you hear that?"
"TV."
"Of course."
Pushing her aside, Rose places a hand on the corpses' head. "She's cold… She's dead!" Rose realizes. "Oh, my God, what did you do to her?"
Before Gwyneth could answer the time traveling woman, Mr. Sneed steps behind Rose and wraps her hands around her while placing a rag around her mouth.
"Rose!" RWBY yells.
"That's it!" Yang snarls, a soft light emitting from her head, "Sneed just made my list!"
Ruby peaks out from her cape and whispers, "I hope he gets possessed by a ghost!"
"Or worse," Weiss mutters.
Blake nods, electing to stay silent. However, her bow leans backwards as if her ears were flat against her head in anger.
Rose makes a few muffled screams before unconsciously collapsing.
"What did you do that for!?" Gwyneth asks, her face displaying terror and worry.
"She's seen too much!" He answers. "Get her in the hearse!"
"An entire stadium just saw that!" Weiss exclaims. "I'd think everyone there saw too much!"
"But she was the only one who got up close to the body and knew she was dead," Blake, begrudgingly, defends.
Back in the theatre, the ghostly being (Ruby yelps when she sees it) continues to fly around the room. The ghost moves around in the upper gallery before being sucked into a lamp.
"Gas!" The Doctor realizes with a smile. "It's made of gas!"
"So they aren't ghosts?" Ruby asks.
Weiss frowns and ponders. "It's likely they are a gaseous species."
"Or are ghosts made up of gas?" Yang wonders.
"That's what I said!"
Gwyneth closes the back door to the cart just as the Doctor, who is also railed by Dickens, runs out of the theatre. The maid notices the man and quickly runs to the seats.
"Rose!" The Doctor yells as the chariot begins to ride off.
Dickens steps behind the Time Lord with his coat hanging off his arm. "You're not escaping me, sir! What do you know about that hob-goblin? Hmm?"
The Doctor ignores him and watches the hearse clip-clop away.
"Chase after her!" Yang yells. "Or get the T.A.R.D.I.S and fly after them!"
"I don't think he could if he wanted to," Blake defends. "The horses are going to be faster than him and if runs to his ship, he'll lose sight of them.
"Projection on glass, I suppose," Dickens rationalizes. "Who put you up to it?"
The Doctor watches the horse for a few more moments before patting Dickens on the shoulder. "Yeah, mate. Not now, thanks," he dismisses before running up to another carriage. "Oi! You! Follow that hearse!" He orders, jumping into the coach box.
"Can't do that, sir!" The driver exclaims.
"Why not?"
Dickens rushes up to the carriage and sticks his head through the open door. "I'll tell you why not, I'll give a very good reason why not because this is my coach!"
"What are the odds," Blake deadpans.
"Actually," Weiss explains, "it'd be highly likely. Since he was a guest at the theatre, they probably had a vehicle waiting for him upon his exit so he would not have to be pestered by guests looking for one."
The Doctor rolls his eyes and grabs Dickens' hand, pulling him inside. "Well, get in, then!" He then turns back to the driver and orders him to, "move!"
The driver does. With a crack of the reins, the horses are spurred forward, pulling the carriage in the direction of the hearse.
"Come on!" The Doctor exclaims, "you're losing them!"
The driver ignores him and turns back to the author. "Everything in order, Mr. Dickens?"
"No it is not!" He answers back.
"'I've been kidnapped'!" The Librarian jokes, "'by my own carriage'!"
Yang laughs and joins in. "'A time traveling alien is having us chase a corpse and a psychic'!"
The Doctor's jaw drops and he turns to face his 'kidnappee'. "What did he say?"
"Let me say this first," Dickens frowns, "I am not without a sense of humor-"
"Dickens?" The Doctor asks, interrupting the author.
"... Yes."
"Charles Dickens?"
"Yes."
"The Charles Dickens?"
"YES!" RWBY yells back at the screen.
The cabby turns back to his passengers and asks, "should I remove the gentleman, sir?"
"Charles Dickens! You're brilliant, you are! Completely 100 percent brilliant!"
"I guess he could say, the man is fantastic?" Yang smiles, turning to her teammates.
"Down, girl," Blake responds.
"Great Expectations, Oliver Twist," the Doctor lists. "What's the other one, the one with the ghost?"
"A Christmas Carol?" Dickens offers a small smile growing on his face.
The Doctor shakes his head. "No, no, no. The one with the trains." He claps his hands and grins. "The Signal-Man, that's it! Terrifying! The best short story ever written, you're a genius!"
"Oh, my gods," Ruby squeals. "He's a complete Dickens' geek!"
Blake turns to the Librarian with a sheepish smile. "Do you think.. I could-?"
"They'll be in your room, waiting for you," he whispers back. Blake smiles and turns back to the screen.
"Do you want me to get rid of him, sir?" The couch-driver asks again.
Dickens thinks on this for a moment before answering. "Uh, no. I think he can stay."
Weiss groans. "If I let every fan who complimented me be given a ride, we'd have run out of dust."
"But the Doctor knew about all of his stories, not just the really popular ones," the Librarian counters.
"Hmph."
"Honestly Charles," the Doctor continues, "can I call you Charles? I'm such a big fan."
"Uh, you're a what?" Dickens asks, confused by the Doctor's words. "You're a big what?"
"Fan. Number one fan, that's me!"
"How exactly are you a 'fan'? In what way do you resemble a means to keep oneself cool?"
Ruby and Yang stifle a groan. "He reminds me of Weiss when we first met!" The Blonde exclaims.
"I was not that bad," she hisses back.
"No, it means fanatic," he explains. "Devoted to. Mind you, I've gotta say, that American bit in Martin Chuzzlewit, what's that about? Was that just padding or what? I mean it's rubbish, that bit."
"I thought you said you were my fan," Dickens critiques.
"Oh, well, if you can't take criticism…"
Blake nods frantically. "It's great when author's listen to their fan's and what they enjoyed or didn't. It shows how much they care."
"But on the other hand," Weiss argues, "what about those who criticize everything and get upset when their comments are not correct?"
"Then they need to accept it isn't their story."
"Do the death of Little Nell, it cracks me up!" Before Dickens could agree to do so, the Doctor shakes his head and turns back to the driver. "No! Sorry, forget about that. Come on! Faster!"
The driver obliges, urging the horses faster.
"Who exactly is in that hearse?" Dickens asks.
"My friend. She's only 19 and it's my fault. She's in my care, and now she's in danger."
Dickens turns to the Doctor with a flabbergasted look. "Why are we wasting time talking about dry old books?"
"Because the Doctor is a nerd," Ruby answers with a giggle.
"And, more importantly, there isn't much to do when you are just sitting and waiting," Blake rebuttals.
"This is much more important." Dickens then leans forward and out the window. "Driver!" He calls out, "be swift! The chase is on!"
"Yes, sir!" He answers back before snapping the reigns again, throttling the carriage forward.
"Attaboy, Charlie!" The Doctor compliments.
"Nobody calls me Charlie."
The Doctor turns to Dickens with a sly smile. "The ladies do."
"Ooh, Charlie," Yang moans with a smirk, "you're such a dirty boy."
Blake blushes and thinks back to when she was with Adam. During date nights he would often have her call him 'the bull'.
"How do you know that?" Dickens asks.
"I told you! I'm your number one-"
"Number one fan," the author finishes with an eye roll.
Inside Sneed's chapel, he and Gwyneth carry Rose to one of the rooms.
"The poor girl's still alive, sir," Gwyneth comments as they carry her towards a table. Around them lay more coffins and candles, a showing room of sorts. "What are we going to do with her?"
"I don't know!" Sneed answers back as he sets down Rose onto the table. "I didn't plan any of this, did I?"
"Then let her go," Ruby offers.
"She's seen too much," Blake explains. "If she told someone what was happening-"
"Who would even believe her?!" Yang explodes.
"Is it my fault if the dead won't stay dead?" Sneed continues.
Gwyneth looks down at Rose, then back up to her employer. "Then whose fault is it, sir? Why is this happening to us?" The two then leave the room, not noticing the soft sounds of voices coming from the flames around them.
"The ghosts are back!" Ruby hisses as she once again curls into a small, red ball.
Weiss frowns. "Did they follow Rose back here?"
"I did the Bishop a favor, once," Sneed rambles as he and Gwyneth walk down the halls of the chapel. "Made his nephew look like a cherub even though he'd been a fortnight in the weir."
The group turns to Weiss, who shakes her head angrily. "I don't know this culture," she comments. "What makes you think I know every metaphor they do!?"
"It is likely that he is implying the Bishop's nephew drowned and got stuck in a dam for a long period of time," ELI answers.
"Ew!"
"Hey, perhaps he'll do us an exorcism on the cheap,"
"Stupid old-timey priests," the Librarian mutters. "Unable to lift a finger unless money is involved."
Before Gwyneth could respond, a knock sounds at the door.
"Say I'm not in," Sneed panics.. "Tell 'em we're closed. Just… Just get rid of 'em." He then dashes away and into a separate room as Gwyneth goes to open the door.
"Coward!" Yang yells. "Take it like a man!"
"Or a woman," Weiss mutters.
"Take it like a woman!"
Back with Rose, the blonde slowly rises from the table and holds her head. She groans as the ghostly moans whisper loudly. Behind her, the blue vapor swirls around a coffin. With a jump, Redpath sits up. However, instead of the aged woman, it is instead the grandson who died earlier that night.
"Look out!" The watchers scream.
"Not again!" Weiss yells.
"Salt! Get salt!" Ruby offers in a panicked tone.
The door continues to knock as Gwyneth opens it, revealing Dickens with the Doctor standing behind him.
"I'm sorry sir, we're closed," she lies.
"Nonsense," Dickens snaps. "Since when did an Undertaker keep office hours? The dead don't die on schedule. I demand to see your master."
"He's not in sir," the maid lies again, then begins to close the door.
Dickens, however, has none of it and slams the door back open. "Don't lie to me, child! Summon the master!"
"You go, Dickey-boy!" Yang cheers, earning another blush from Blake.
"I'm awfully sorry, Mr. Dickens, but the master is indisposed." While Gwyneth does her best to stay strong, she does still step back in fright at the man's demeanor. Behind her, the flames on one of the light-fixtures burns brighter and the flames grow more chaotic.
"Having trouble with your gas?" The Doctor asks, noticing fire. Both Dickens and Gwyneth turn to look at the spectacle.
"What the Shakespeare is going on?" Dickens exclaims.
"Shakespeare must be a horrible term for Charles Dickens to use it," Weiss comments.
"Actually, Shakespeare was a writer. A really good one. And it's likely Dickens reveres him so much, he used his name like one would use in place for God."
"That's Shakespearianly stupid," Ruby giggles.
Rose continues to rub her head as the vapor dissipates. As it does, Redpath moans loudly, causing the blonde to jump. She studies the blue-tinted man as he turns to her.
"Are you all right?" Rose asks.
Instead of responding, the corpse groans and begins to crawl out of his coffin.
"Run!" Blake yells.
"And they call me a bimbo," Yang mumbles.
You're kidding me, yeah," she stammers. "You're just kidding. You're kidding me, aren't you?"
Redpath steps out of his box with a stumble, groaning and lunging at the blonde.
"Okay, not kidding." Rose then picks up the hem of her skirt and rolls off the table, running to the door. With a twist of the handle, she realizes it's locked.
"What's with this girl and locked doors and impending doom?" Weiss mutters.
The Doctor pushes past Gwyneth and places an ear to the wall directly underneath the light.
"You're not allowed inside, sir," Gwyneth reprimands.
Ignoring her, he comments, "there's something inside the walls."
"There's something about to kill Rose if you don't focus!" Blake yells.
"Hero first, theorist later!" Weiss agrees.
Rose turns to face her attacker, only to realize her problems had doubled. Now, both of the Redpaths stand, the elder still glowing from the reanimation.
Ruby yelps.
"The gas pipes," the Doctor realizes. "Something's living inside the gas!
"The ghosts, you idiot!" Yang fumes. "Save Rose!"
Rose grabs one of the flower vases from around the room and throws it at the younger Redpath. He stumbles briefly, pushed backwards into his grandmother, but remains upright. Rose quickly runs back to the door and frantically paws at the handle.
"Let me out!" She yells loudly. "Open the door!"
"Just kick down the door!" Blake exclaims.
"You try kicking down a door in heels without aura," the Librarian advocates.
The Doctor perks up as he hears Rose's cries and Gwyneth flinches.
"That's her!" He exclaims before running towards the source. Dickens follows close behind, chasing the young girl's cries.
The Time Lord and author run down a hallway and push past Mr. Sneed.
"How dare you, sir?!" He admonishes. "This is my house!" However, they ignore him and push the older mortician away. He points a finger at Gwyneth as she runs past. "I told you-"
"It's not her fault, you creep," Yang yells, rolling up her sleeves. "And if anything happens to Rose, I'll-"
"Let me out!" Rose yells, banging on the door as the zombies step closer. "Somebody, open the door!" But before anyone could, the more-recently deceased corpse wraps a hand around her mouth, silencing her screams into a muffle.
"NO!"
However, the door crashes to the ground as the Doctor steps through, his foot stomping from his kick.
"YES!"
"I think this is my dance," he quips as he grabs Rose by the hand and pulls her away from the Redpaths. They then step back into the doorway and watch as the zombies stand at attention.
"It's a prank," Dickens rationalizes. "Must be. We must be under some mesmeric influence."
The Doctor shakes his head and studies the two. "No, we're not. The dead are walking." He turns back to his companion and smiles. "Hi."
"Hi," Rose replies before looking back at the author behind her. "Who's your friend?"
"Charles Dickens," he answers almost giddily.
"Okay."
"Why are they just standing there, and not kicking some zombie butt?!" Yang asks, cracking her knuckles.
"Because they aren't attacking either," Weiss realizes.
"I think we've gone far past 'attacking'!" Ruby yells from the comfort of her cloak.
"My name's the Doctor," the Time Lord greats. "Who are you then, what do you want?"
The zombies open their mouths and a dozen voices echo around them "Failing! Open the rift! We're dying! Trapped in this form. Cannot sustain us. Help us!" Before the voices could continue, a similar blue vapor from before spills out of their mouths and flies into one of the lights. As it disappears, the Redpaths fall to the ground in twin thuds.
"Wait… So they need help?" Ruby questions. "But… Ghosts only want to possess bodies and cause terror."
"Ruby, that's what the movies say," Weiss answers with an eye roll. "Who knows what actual ghosts are like."
"And I've known quite a few friendly ghosts," the Librarian explains. Casper, Deadman, Nearly-Headless Nick to name a few.
After moving into a different room, Gwyneth pours tea as Rose berates Mr. Sneed. The Doctor and Dickens stand in a corner and sit at a table (in that order), watching the women.
"First of all," begins Rose, "you drug me. Then you kidnap me, and don't think I didn't feel your hands having a quick wander, you dirty old man."
"He WHAT!?" This time, Yang's hair did alight in yellow flame. The Librarian quickly grabs a fire extinguisher from underneath his chair and spurts foam at the blonde. As the flames go out, she remains staring at the screen with murderous, red eyes.
"I won't be spoken to like this!" Sneed snaps back from his chair.
"Then you set me into a room full of zombies! And if that ain't enough, you swan off and leave me to die! So come on, talk!"
Sneed looks down at his feet for a moment before snapping, "it's not my fault! It's this house." He looks around the room, realizing how crazy he was starting to sound. "It always had a reputation. Haunted. But I never had much bother until a few months back, and then the stiffs… the um, dear departed started getting restless."
"That still doesn't excuse groping a young woman," Weiss hisses. "If this were Atlas, I'd have you thrown in jail for the rest of your days."
If this were Vacuou, Blake thinks, they'd cut off his fingers.
"Tommyrot!" Dickens curses, taking a sip of the tea Gwyneth handed him.
"You witnessed it!" Sneed snaps back. "Can't keep the beggars down, sir. They walk. And, it's the weirdest thing, but they hang onto scraps…"
His voice fades as Gwyneth hands the Doctor a cup of tea. "Two sugars, sir. Just how you like it." The Doctor takes it then frowns as the maid walks away.
"How did she know?" Ruby asks.
Yang smirks, "because she's psychic with superpowers."
"But isn't mind-reading and clairvoyance different?"
"... She's psychic with cooler superpowers!"
"One old fellow who used to be a sexton almost walked into his own memorial service. Just like the old lady going to your performance, sir, just as she planned."
Dickens stands, his hand shaking slightly. "Morbid fancy," he, again, rationalizes.
"Oh, Charles, you were there!" The Doctor comments.
Continuing to walk around the room, Dickens responds saying, "I saw nothing but an illusion."
"If you're going to deny it, don't waste my time. Just shut up." The room goes silent for a moment before the Doctor turns back to the mortician and asks, "what about the gas?"
Blake frowns. "Why doesn't he believe it? Dickens saw it with his own eyes."
"Some people just cannot accept the supernatural side of things," the Librarian answers. "Even for most sceptics, some things are just too unrealistic."
Sneed shakes his head. "That's new, sir. Never seen anything like that."
"Means it's getting stronger. The rift's getting wider and something's sneaking through," the Doctor realizes.
Rose turns to her traveling partner with a confused look on her face. "What's the rift?"
"A weak point in time and space. A connection between this place and another. That's the cause of ghost stories, most of the time."
Weiss thinks for a moment. "So these ghosts are traveling through the rift?"
"Maybe they are coming from the other side?" Ruby wonders. "Forcing it open like a bridge?"
"In my experience that would imply a crack, not a rift. Rifts tend to be more natural, like natural cave-systems," the Librarian explains.
"And what's a crack?" Weiss asks.
The Librarian shrugs. "Dunno. Never had to deal with one."
"That's how I got the house so cheap!" Sneed realizes. "Stories going back generations."
Dickens rolls his eyes and steps outside the room, slamming the door shut behind him.
However, Sneed continues without notice. "Echoes in the dark. Queer songs in the air. And this feeling… like a shadow passing over your soul. Mind you, truth be told, it's been good for business. Just what people expect from a gloomy old trade like mine." The Doctor smiles at the mortician's last few comments.
This earns a few laughs from the reviewers.
"It does make sense," Blake realizes, "for a mortician to have a haunted house."
"Especially if you don't want to be there more than you have to," Ruby agrees with a shiver.
Back in the main chapel area, Dickens removes the lid on young Redpath's coffin. He waves his hands wildly in the corpse's face before reaching underneath it.
"What's he doing?" Yang asks.
Weiss rolls her eyes at the old man. "Probably checking for anything disproving the ghost-theory."
The Doctor steps into the room. "Checking for strings?" He asks, crossing his arms and leaning against the doorway.
Dickens jumps slightly but resumes shuffling around the coffin and checking every inch of it. "Wires… perhaps. There must be some mechanism behind this fraud."
"Oh, come on, Charles," the Doctor scoffs, walking up to the aged man. "All right. I shouldn't have told you to shut up. I'm sorry."
Ruby sighs. "Aww! He does care."
"More like he doesn't want his hero to be upset at him," Weiss grumbles.
He places a hand on Dickens' shoulder to calm him down. "But you've got one of the best minds in the world. You saw those gas creatures."
"I cannot accept that!"
"And what does the human body do when it decomposes? It breaks down and produces gas. Perfect home for these gas things. They can slip inside and use it as a vehicle, just like your driver and his coach."
"So that's how!" Blake exclaims. "The ghosts merge with the gas and control it."
"So, could they control a fart?" Yang asks.
Dickens shakes his head and snaps, "stop it! Can it be I have the world entirely wrong?"
"Not wrong," he explains. "There's just more to learn."
"I've always railed against the fantasists," Dicken explains, "Oh, I loved an illusion as much as the next man, revelled in them, but that's exactly what they were, illusions. The real world is something else. I dedicated myself to that. Injustices, the great social causes. I hoped that I was a force for good. Now you tell me that the real world is a realm of spectres and jack-o'-lanterns. In which case… have I wasted my brief span here, Doctor? Has it all been for nothing?"
"Oh, that's why he keeps looking for tricks and wires," Weiss realizes. "If he believed everything he just saw, then it would mean his entire life was a lie."
"That's… horrible," Ruby whispers.
Blake nods. "Like your life has no purpose."
"But he's wrong." The group turns to Yang, who, surprisingly, has a reserved smile on her face. "Look at the joy he's brought others throughout the passage of time. It's just like the Librarian said, every life has a purpose."
The reality-hopper smiles. "I couldn't have said it better if I tried. Now, let's keep going, shall we?"
"Yes, please!"
"Heck, yeah!"
"As long as there are no more ghosts…"
"I don't think that's going to happen, Ruby."
"Dang It."
The Librarian laughs at the group's comment before resuming the episode. Hobby-ho,
YAAAAAAAS! Part one is done! For some reason, this chapter (and episode) seems to be super long. I don't know why, everything is perfectly paced, yet there is just so much.
As always, I had a blast writing this and will immediately get started on part 2. However, spring break is coming up and midterms are here, so give me some time. It took me like a week just to type out the episode, not including the reactions (again, if someone would like to do me a solid…).
Not much actually happened this chapter, however. One Fantastic (it shall be added next chapter) and no reali deaths. Unless, should we count the young Redpath's death as an honorary companion? Up to you all!
I'm still looking at ideas for the first breakaway-chapter idea. Where should they go? What should they do?
Also, and I know I say it every chapter (like twice), please please please comment. It really makes my day reading new comments. Even if you're reading this a week from the post-date, don't be afraid to post what your favorite part was. Not only do your comments bring me energy to continue writing, but they also help fuel my creative imagination for new unique ideas. I am always looking for new ways to improve my craft. Tell your friends!
Also, if you have the money, please think about supporting me.
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