Inadvertant voice; open

[rpondicus]

[First, have some muffled shouting, and pounding.]

-in there! Let me in! I need to see if there's a crack in your wall! Hello?

[Then, a beeping! And a startled sound, followed by a scrape of metal and cloth. Someone's just realized there's something in his pocket. Rory unearths the device, and stares at it for a moment, dumbfounded. It has been a

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[Video; locked]

[fallsoutofbox]

[Luckily the Doctor has time to prepare his response, because there is a whole lot of 'WHUT' going on at the other end of the line at first. Still, after a pause, a familiar - and smiling - face pops up on the screen.]

Hello! Hello, Rory Williams. Long time no see. Literally. Let's have a look at that plastic face, assuming you remember how to work one of these things.

[fallsoutofbox]

[Scary? You bet. Speaking of which, it's probably time for the explaining part. At the very least, it should keep his mind off Amy.]

We're trapped in a pocket dimension. People get in, but they can't get out. Not until whatever force or entity is in charge of the city allows it. And it can't be bargained with.

I've got a team working on getting around that little stumbling block, but until we do... Well, the hostel's not bad. [A hint of his own frustration shows on that last part.]

[rpondicus]

And we can't just TARDIS out?

[fallsoutofbox]

[Aaah. Yeah. About that.]

TARDIS didn't come with me.

[rpondicus]

[Have a long stare, Doctor.]

We're never getting back, are we?

[fallsoutofbox]

[He reaches over and pats Rory's knee. Going for encouraging, but managing to also sound a bit hurt.]

Well, now, don't sell me so short. I've been without the TARDIS before, never let it stop me. ...Anyway, 'never' is an awfully long time. For both of us.

[rpondicus]

[Rory rubs a hand down his face, the fingertips rough with recent damage.]

Right, right. I just... How long do you think it'll be? Because in... thirty or forty years, Napoleon is taking Paris and I'm not leaving her alone through that, I'd never find her again.

[fallsoutofbox]

Oh. Shouldn't be that long. Found myself a reliable energy source and I've only been here three months. I'll have you back for Bastille Day.

[rpondicus]

Three months.

[A very long time, that would have sounded like eternity to Rory. But these days, months tend to pass without him really noticing. He relaxes, just a little.]

Has this happened to you before? Getting stuck in strange times without your TARDIS?

[fallsoutofbox]

More than once. No more than a hiccup. Never you mind.

[He keeps from looking directly at Rory, for a moment. It's possible he'll get his TARDIS back when he returns... but he still misses her terribly.]

How's the plastic holding up? Must say you're looking fit for sixteen-hundred.

[rpondicus]

[Rory looks down at himself, holding up the hand with the malformed finger.]

It isn't bad. I keep out of trouble.

[fallsoutofbox]

[He notices the finger. Still...]

I'd say so. Still got all your major limbs. For a millennium and a half, whew. That's impressive.

I ever tell you I had a hand chopped off once?

[rpondicus]

[Rory looks at him, mouth open to say something, then he can't help but smile, almost a smirk.]

Really?

[fallsoutofbox]

Over London of all places. [He flexes the hand, even though it's not the same hand by now.] Lost it in a swordfight on top of a spaceship over London. Final stage of regeneration, so it grew back right away, but the original hand went tumbling down. Friend of mine found it, kept it in a jar.

...Point is, I'm nearly a millennium myself and I could've been called 'Stumpy' if that sword had caught me at a worse time.

[rpondicus]

[He rubbed his shoulder, trying to damper down that smirk.]

A jar, really? What'd he want it for?

[fallsoutofbox]

God knows.

[Well, actually, the Doctor knows, but he doesn't feel like going into that bit. Whole different story.]