Late Saturday evening at The Perk...

[shane-mcc.livejournal.com]

Shane couldn't imagine how crazy things must have been getting up at the school, what with Parents Weekend going on and all. That place - that whole world, in fact - still seemed very, very far away to her, even though the island was barely a mile across.

The high school and the classes that went on there, the dorms that housed all of the students she had yet to meet as well as the few she had made friends with. She'd instructed Chloe to go back to the dorms for the evening and she and Kate (who had gotten off work early, for a change) had enjoyed a quiet evening in.

Had it been a warmer evening, she would have simply camped out on the bench swing at Amber House, but it was a touch too chilly outside for her tastes... so, once Kate had drifted off to sleep, she slipped out of bed and headed over to the Perk instead. Sitting by the window, as always, she sips at a cup of coffee, eyes drawn as they always are to the distant, lighted fortress that is Fandom High.



[ooc: Come play with me!]

Comments

[nine-and-ears.livejournal.com]

*wanders over, and points at an open seat across from Shane*

D'you mind if I join you? Had a long day, and wouldn't mind a nice chat with a stranger. *he smiles, a hint of sadness in his eyes*

[shane-mcc.livejournal.com]

Starting slightly at the voice, Shane blinks and draws her eyes away from the window to look up at the man. The pain in his eyes was impossible to disregard, even though she'd never laid eyes on him before.

"No, I don't mind," she says quietly, offering him a gracious smile.

[nine-and-ears.livejournal.com]

Thanks. *sits down, and takes a sip from his coffee, and wretches for a second*

Always more of a tea person, me. But the bitterness feels good, right about now. Funny thing, decisions... always turn out in interesting ways, even the little ones.

[shane-mcc.livejournal.com]

"Yeah," Shane murmurs, sipping from her own cup as she looks across the table at him, silently studying him. "And then sometimes the ones you think are really big... turn out in ways you totally didn't expect."

[nine-and-ears.livejournal.com]

Exactly. Take, for instance, this coffee. Does it matter if I choose whether or not I add sugar? Beyond the confines of my own tastebuds, I mean.

[shane-mcc.livejournal.com]

Shane worries her bottom lip for a moment, considering. "Maybe," she says. "In lots of little ways... but ... in the long run? Maybe not."

[nine-and-ears.livejournal.com]

You see? Little drop, maybe might cause a few tiny ripples, but nothing big. But say you could go back, and make it so nobody took sugar in their drinks. No sugar trade at all, just another weed that no one likes. Now you've got a big drop, and the ripples go out and hit everywhere. Just imagine that, no sugar trade at all, what'd be the effects?

[shane-mcc.livejournal.com]

Slouching down a bit further in her seat, Shane crosses one leg over the other, frowning thoughtfully as she tries to recall what little bit of American history she'd taken while she'd been in juvie. "No rum...?" She hazards with a small grin. "Maybe not as many drunk pirates?"

[nine-and-ears.livejournal.com]

No rum, see. That's big, if you think about it. No rum, no triangle trade. No triangle trade, and the whole slavery business might never have taken hold, especially when you think about how many of those poor unfortunate souls were forced into sugar harvesting.

All because nobody likes sugar in their tea. *snaps his fingers*

Ripples. Even the tiniest decision makes them, and it's those ripples that effect the world around you.

[shane-mcc.livejournal.com]

"Right." Shane takes another sip of her coffee, still watching the man seated across from her intently. "So what tiny decisions fucked you up lately?" She asks, eyebrow arching just the slightest bit.

[nine-and-ears.livejournal.com]

*smiles at the vulgarity*

Coming here, really. Thought I was dropping in to see a few familiar faces, and ended up springing up a wealth of unfortunate business.

Who knew I'd end up so much... like me, really. *takes another sip of his coffee, and smiles*

I'm the Doctor, by the way. In case you're wondering about the whole referring to me in various ways being a sign of insanity.

[shane-mcc.livejournal.com]

Both of Shane's eyebrows arch at that but then she frowns, slowly narrowing her eyes. "You're... you're the Doc?" She asks, her tone flat and disbelieving. Taking another sip of her coffee, she swallows it and sets her mug down on the table. "You're the Doc. So... are you an older version or a newer version?"

[nine-and-ears.livejournal.com]

I prefer the term younger, myself. I'm the one before the one that teaches here... Or, to put it simply, He's the tenth, and I'm the Ninth. *sips his coffee*

You must be close with him, then. Since you're not all overreacting to the concept of me being him, I mean. Shows he's talked about it.

[shane-mcc.livejournal.com]

... so that's where she came up with Ten..., she thinks to herself with a small smile.

"I guess we're pretty close, yeah," she said, shifting in her seat a little. "But I'm not overreacting because he told me. He didn't. It's just that... there's a lot of strange shit that happens here and lots of people are from the same place but don't know each other? I figured it was probably just something like that."

Reaching for her coffee, she takes another sip and offers him a wry smile. "I don't really overreact much, anyway. Wastes too much energy," she murmurs.

[nine-and-ears.livejournal.com]

Now that is an attitude I like. No screaming, no twistin' ankles on perfectly flat terrain, and definitely badges for mathematical excellence. *laughs*

Sorry, bit of self reflection, there. So, given how very calm you are about it, and I've been pestering you... what would you like to talk about? I'm open for any topic of conversation, me.

[shane-mcc.livejournal.com]

Sitting back in her seat, Shane licks her lips and takes another sip of her coffee. "Have you met CJ?" She asks evenly.

[nine-and-ears.livejournal.com]

Miss Cregg? Wonderful lady, she is. Classy to the last. And don't think I haven't heard you fiddlin' with your cell phone, and didn't notice her enterin' the shop.

*taps an ear* Like radar dishes, these. *smiles*

[shane-mcc.livejournal.com]

Shane returns the smile as she holds up her cellphone for a moment, tilting it so that he can see the LCD screen with fitted across the 1"x1/2" color screen in black.

"You said we could talk about whatever I want," she begins, her faded green eyes meeting his eyes steadily. "Tell me what paradox is?"

[nine-and-ears.livejournal.com]

Paradox, got it. Well, in the most basic of description, it's what you get when you create events that would prevent their own creation.

Basically, say, you go back in time, and murder yourself. Now, you're dead, so you can't come back in time in the future to kill yourself. Chain of events go all tiddly-plonk, and you end up with a temporal nightmare. That's a paradox.

[shane-mcc.livejournal.com]

The pieces fit together with startling speed - CJ's text messages, the things that Nine had said, basically everything that Ten had ever told her about Quantum Physics - and she blinked, once.

"You're not supposed to be here," she says quietly. "How... how did you ... get here?"

[nine-and-ears.livejournal.com]

Now, now, don't go jumping to conclusions. My presence isn't the paradox point. I've met myself loads of times. Would you believe I've had as many as four of me in the same room? That was a bit awkward, that.

The real issue is... this whole place, actually. So many timelines folding in on themselves, you think it'd just snap like a twig... but it isn't. I came here to investigate that, and, well... turned out to be a load of worry for nothing.

[shane-mcc.livejournal.com]

"How's that?" Shane asks, squinting at him.

[nine-and-ears.livejournal.com]

Erm, how's what, exactly? I think I said a bit too much in one mouthful, there. Which needs explaining, the "me not the problem" bit, or the "the apparent paradox is as harmless as a puppy" bit?

[shane-mcc.livejournal.com]

One corner of Shane's mouth quirks up into a grin. "The second one," she murmurs.

[nine-and-ears.livejournal.com]

Ah, well... I came to investigate what looked like a hotspot. All mauve and dangerous. I mean, have you seen all the people on your campus? It's like the Mos Eisley Cantina a regular hodge-podge melting pot of goodness, it is.

So, you've got these people from all these different universes, all these different times, converged on one little spot, and it looks bad, from the outside. Stepping in, it's not bad at all, temporally speaking. I heard about the zombies and the mimes, but that's just silly business compared to a paradox.

[shane-mcc.livejournal.com]

"I've actually only been on the campus once, but here in town, I've met some... pretty interesting people," Shane says with a small grin.

Resting her thumb against her bottom lip, she considers the idea for a moment. "So... maybe it's like... the opposite of one? Maybe with all of the different times and universes coming together... all the weirdness, like... cancels itself out?"

[nine-and-ears.livejournal.com]

Exactly, there's no big problem at all. Everything's all sorted out, really. Hunky-dory, sunshine and rainbows, puddings for all!

*sigh* Wouldn't mind stickin' around, really. But I can't.

[shane-mcc.livejournal.com]

"Why not?" She asks, bringing her cup of coffee up so that she could take a sip, eyes still leveled on him in a curious gaze.

[nine-and-ears.livejournal.com]

I've already caused a bit of a tiff, really. Missteps and all that, plus I think I may be causing Miss Cregg a bit of distress, the whole "sort-of being the same man as her boyfriend" thing, you know.

*sips his coffee* Best to get back to my own business, and not be messing about with my future business, really.

[shane-mcc.livejournal.com]

Shane takes a moment to consider that thought... answering a knock at her door one day to find someone claiming to be Kate (but yet looking and sounding nothing like her) waiting for her there.

"Yeah, I guess it would be... hard to handle," she says finally. She takes another sip of her coffee. "So, um... do you think that... us talking could cause any problems?" She asks, shooting an inquiring look his way.

[nine-and-ears.livejournal.com]

Not at all. Was nice having a chat with a stranger, and everything. Good to keep my head level and clear.

Thank you. You're special, you are. Goodbye. *smiles, stands up, and turns to leave*

[shane-mcc.livejournal.com]

Placing her mug on the table, Shane turns in her seat, one arm resting on the back. "My name's Shane," she says. "Y'know... just in case you... hang on to stuff."

[serra-inara.livejournal.com]

[shane-mcc.livejournal.com]

[serra-inara.livejournal.com]

[shane-mcc.livejournal.com]

[prof-cregg.livejournal.com]

CJ walks in out of the cold night. She's had enough tea to kill a proper Englishman and orders herself a vanilla latte. It's impossible not to notice Shane involved in conversation with the Doctor...Nine. She bites her tongue and walks to the farthest table from them and writes on a yellow legal pad.

[shane-mcc.livejournal.com]

Seeing a flash of yellow out of the corner of her eye, Shane looks over and sees CJ sitting down at a table on the far side of the Perk. If this guy was Doc from some different dimension, then chances were good she'd probably already met him.

Pursing her lips, she casually reaches into the inside breast pocket of her jacket, palms her cellphone and lowers her hand to her lap. Her thumb finds the now familiar keys to bring up the text-message interface.

[prof-cregg.livejournal.com]

[cnt slp- 10/9 BS. U ok w/hm?]

[shane-mcc.livejournal.com]

[prof-cregg.livejournal.com]

[b4 10- ya SO diffrnt. OK gy tho]

[shane-mcc.livejournal.com]

[prof-cregg.livejournal.com]

[10 is sad 9z in Fndm. all wrng]

[shane-mcc.livejournal.com]

[prof-cregg.livejournal.com]

[paradox]

[shane-mcc.livejournal.com]

[prof-cregg.livejournal.com]

[NO clu. bt BAD! tym/spc wrng]

[maias-notebook.livejournal.com]

Maia comes in, she wanted to get some muffins or something to take back to Tara's room of refuge from Parent Weekend. She sees Shane. "Hey Shane." She smiles warmly at the girl. "Your up late well..early." She smiles again.