Chapter 23
The Doctor finished her magic show, involving things like stars, hedgehogs, and lemonade. Then she stepped off the stage, after what might have been one too many bows. Lilly was already there.
"Where's Pride?"
"He found the segways."
Lilly gestured behind her. The Doctor looked over Lilly's shoulder, and sure enough Pride was moving along on one of those rolling things.
"You could've mentioned there were ways to travel other than walking or teleporting," he said.
The trio eventually did get to a clothes shop. Freed from his act, Pride grabbed some long pants and a suit, like the one he'd wear underground with Father. But he wouldn't be using it outside the TARDIS. It would not survive some of their adventures. With that thought in mind, he also grabbed some heavy duty hiking boots and a black raincoat a few sizes too big. That should help against the mud, blood, or whatever particles they ended up in on any given day.
"Where are we Doctor?" Lilly asked.
"Space sledding."
". . . What?"
"Space sledding." The Doctor gestured outside.
Pride and Lilly looked out again. The TADRIS at first seemed to be hovering in open space. But nearby the darkness of the sky became flecked with smaller lights, all in one spot sort of resembling a river.
"See that?" the Doctor said. "You put on a spacesuit, and you go sledding. Not that they're real stars, that would be a disaster. But it's a very good trick on the eye."
That sounded a little nuts, but that was typical of the Doctor, wasn't it?
Pride couldn't say he regretted going along with it. The sleds were tied to a small ship that could shoot through the river of stars at intense speeds. The sled could make some very wide turns and flip upside down, and it was basically impossible to fall off unless you became unattached and let go. To one side, Pride could see Lilly go wide eyes and stretch her hand out, letting light run through it. Not that she could possibly feel anything with the spacesuit on. Pride's sled tipped upside down. He watched the area below, the lights of the 'river' bouncing up against the top of his helmet. They become sparser until it turned into regular space, and Pride forced his slid to flip right side up. No, no regrets about this one.
"You want to what?" Porter asked.
"Try to keep up. I want to practice fighting with you."
He was used to using his shadows after all, and alchemy, to a much lesser extent. But considering he seemed to get captured and/or put in life threatening danger every time they left the TARDIS, he'd like to be a bit better prepared.
"I could smear you into the floor."
Insulting, tremendously so. But Pride bit down on any of his comments, because he knew where Porter was coming from. Pride was still physically eleven, roughly. Hard to keep track in a place like this.
"Then don't use your mechanical parts." He waved a hand at Porter's metal arm.
Porter flexed his metal fingers, staring at them, clearly not keen on the idea.
"Okay," he said slowly. "No alchemy then."
"Deal."
"Oh look, a festival," the Doctor said.
Pride and Lilly stepped out of the TARDIS after her. Sure enough, they were in a field currently filled with stalls and demonstrations. A large metal dragon was in the middle of the field. It seemed to be a less than historically accurate medieval festival, based on the clothes, the food, and the fact one of the demonstrations was jousting.
The trio had fun at the festival for a while. Lilly tried archery. She missed the target, but somehow managed to shoot someone in a narrow gap between two pieces of armor on their leg.
The Doctor went apple bobbing and tried to correct someone on how to roast meat over a fire.
"I know what I'm talking about."
"You obviously don't," the Doctor said, moving forward and actually taking the pole away from the fire.
The man looked around helplessly. His eyes briefly fell on Lilly and Pride, the only other two marginally close, before dismissing them. "Could a responsible adult come over please?" he called out-loud, to no one in particular.
"Well we're all adults, but none of us are responsible, so good luck there," Lilly said.
They were interrupted when the metal dragon came to life.
"It could be the cybermen," the Doctor said, squinting at how the dragon moved.
"What again?" Pride asked.
That would make this his second meeting with a dragon, and second meeting with the cybermen, though the Doctor didn't sound entirely convinced.
"What do you mean again?" Lilly asked.
"We'll explain later," the Doctor said. "Run."
"Doctor, what are you doing?"
"It's obvious, isn't it? I'm dancing."
"It looks like you're miming a car crash."
"Come on Pride, lighten up. It's a party." Parties rarely went well for her, but they'd landed by one. So the three suited up, and the Doctor used her physic paper to get in. So far, so good. Lilly was enjoying it. So was the Doctor, and she really didn't want Pride's constant moodiness to get the better of her. "You can relax. Smile."
Pride's lips quirked up slightly. It was a small smile, but at least it seemed sincere, and not the threatening-to-eat-you type of smile.
Lilly went back home after the party. Only temporarily, but apparently, she missed it. Pride meanwhile, had a call to make. He was on the phone in the hall when the Doctor whipped past him, on roller skates. She really did get bored easily.