doctorwho_100 fic: "Morocco" (Peri, Ten, Mickey, PG)
Fic Name: Morocco
author: Renn (Jennifer Adams Kelley)
Rating: PG, I suppose, for drinking
Prompt: #001, Beginnings
Claim: Peri Voici Ma Table.
Spoilers: None, really
Author note: At this rate, I will be through my claims table in, oh, 2105.... eep!
Peri toyed with the fruit spear in her mai tai and sighed. Although Lanzarote was scenic-- both naturally, with its crystal clear waters and sandy hillscape, and unnaturally, with the amount of cute boys of every persuasion roaming around without much on-- it still was boring as all get-out. It didn't help that her mother had taken up with some little old lady named Mrs. Vanguyser. The old lady (who made sure everyone knew she was 75, from Miami, and had at least three eligible grandsons currently looking for love in all the wrong places) had a thing for land-based archeology. Peri's mom had gone off to explore some cro-magnum cave with her this morning, leaving Peri to fend for herself.
Peri spent the morning watching TV (not much on, and her Spanish wasn't all that great) and browsing shops (not much to buy, with the Bank of Mom off on the other side of the island). She then tried sunbathing for awhile, but it was impossible to find a chaise and the sand mites liked her too much to keep her on the beach for long. Left with no other option, she sidled up to the hotel's beachside bar with the sole purpose of getting drunk.
Thank goodness she could drink legally in Europe. Her rights to alcohol back home were quickly drying up as more and more States raised the drinking age to 21 lest they lose Federal highway funds. Oh, sure, in some places, she was grandfathered in, but in other places, she wasn't (as she found out to her embarrassment during Spring Break this past March). And, yeah, in just another 2 years, it wouldn't matter-- but it was the principle of the thing that got to her.
Well, nothing for it-- might as well grab a beach-side table and sightsee. She hopped off the barstool, grabbed her mai tai, and bumped into a good-looking, dark-skinned young man. "Oh, sorry."
"My fault entirely, love." He gave her a broad smile. "You're American, aren't you?"
"That obvious, huh?"
"It's not a bad thing, not at all."
"What gave me away?"
"Your drink. Now a proper Brit, she'd be ordering a pint."
"Even in this weather?"
"Not much for stupid rum drinks, we're not."
"What do you expect from us? We make tea from seawater, after all." She smiled back, a self-depreciating grin that said more for her embarrassment over her nationality than any words could.
The young man's eyebrows drew together momentarily, as he puzzled out what she said. He chuckled upon realizing what she meant. "Oh, good one." A sudden idea came to him. "Say… you here alone?"
"Unfortunately. At the moment, at least. I'm here with my mom and stepdad, but they're both off on separate archeological things."
"And left you holding the fort, eh? Well, then, you'll have to come and sit with me an' my friend." He waved vaguely at a table on the far side of the seating area, where a tall, youngish brown-haired man in a brown pinstripe suit waited.
"Okay, sounds good." Looking at the scenery close-up was much better than looking at it from a distance, after all. She waited for her new friend to order up two pints, then followed him back to the table.
**
"And now the stray dogs are bringing their own puppies along," the brown-eyed, handsome man commented as he accepted the pint from his dusky friend. He took a good look at Peri, and did a double take. He broke into a large, toothy grin. "Hallo!"
"Hi. I'm Peri. And you're…?"
"Short for Perpugilliam, I imagine." His grin widened, as if alluding to a private joke.
Peri gave him a most curious look. "How'd you know?"
He shrugged. "Oh, I collect all sorts of trivia…."
His companion shot him a dirty look. "I'm Mickey," he said, "and this is--"
"--John."
Mickey gave John another annoyed look, but said nothing.
"Pleased to meet you both. What are you both doing so far from home? I assume you're both English…."
John shrugged. "Oh, you know, the usual, holidays and all that. And you?" His smile, if anything, grew bigger.
"Stuck spending my summer break with my mom and stepdad and their archeological obsession."
"Ah." John's expression shifted to alarm. "Ah! Erm, well, yes. Brilliant!"
Mickey leaned over the table and whispered, "Don't mind him, he doesn't think like normal people."
"Yeah, I kinda get that drift…." She sipped at her mai tai, then raised her eyebrow at John. "So, what's with the suit? You a lawyer or something?"
"Or something."
"Well, you're certainly someone who has limited conversational abilities. I haven't met some one so clammed up since my English professor Winter Quarter."
John glared at her. "Yeah, well, you've just insulted my fashion sense. What am I supposed to say? 'Oh, yes, you're quite right, Perpugilliam, I'll go and change immediately?' As if you're making the cover of Vogue with your ensemble…."
"Geez, sorry, don't freak out on me, I was just trying to make conversation."
Mickey intervened with, "So, you up for an adventure?" He gave her a charming smile that melted the frown off her face.
"Depends on what it is."
"Oh, I don't know, could take you anywhere we wanted, really." Mickey winced suddenly; Peri assumed John had kicked him under the table.
"Anywhere? Anywhere meaning where?"
"Well, actually--"
"Morocco," John threw in, giving her another killer toothy grin. "You'd, erm, have to pay your own way, of course, but, well… could be worth it."
"Morocco, huh? Well… hmmm…." She contemplated the thought a moment as she finished off her drink. "Okay, you talked me into it. Gotta give me a couple hours to get the cash, though. How much will I need?"
"Oh, a couple hundred should suffice. Dollars, of course."
"Of course." Peri stood. "I'll meet you back here in three hours, okay?"
"Absolutely!" John caught her hand and gave it a tight squeeze. "I'm looking forward to it."
"Me, too," Mickey added.
"See ya!" Peri gave them both a big grin and a wave before toddling off to find a relative. All she had to do was cash in her plane ticket back to the States, and she could upgrade her summer vacation to first class and have something really cool to brag about upon returning to campus in the fall….
**
"What the hell was all that about?" Mickey demanded. "You're not really planning on taking her to Morocco, are you?"
"No, not really. Although-- I did take her throughout a good chunk of time and space."
"You're not making much sense."
"When you get to my age, well, time gets all wibbly wobbly messy wessy."
Mickey crossed his arms across his chest.
His friend sighed. "Oh, all right. I'll spell it out for you." He glanced around the patio, finally pointing out a tall, fair haired young man in striped trousers and a flowered vest, who sat alone at a table reading a book and nursing a lemonade. "See him? In about, oh, two hours, Peri is going to meet him."
"Yeah? So?"
"And then she'll be carted off to the planet Sarn, the first of her many adventures aboard the TARDIS."
"The TARDIS?" Mickey's eyes widened. "You mean…?"
"Yes indeed. Strange how one's past comes back to haunt you, isn't it?" He stood, tossing several coins on the table. "Give Rose a ring, have her meet us back at the TARDIS. We'd best get out of here before we cross any more of my timeline."
author: Renn (Jennifer Adams Kelley)
Rating: PG, I suppose, for drinking
Prompt: #001, Beginnings
Claim: Peri Voici Ma Table.
Spoilers: None, really
Author note: At this rate, I will be through my claims table in, oh, 2105.... eep!
Peri toyed with the fruit spear in her mai tai and sighed. Although Lanzarote was scenic-- both naturally, with its crystal clear waters and sandy hillscape, and unnaturally, with the amount of cute boys of every persuasion roaming around without much on-- it still was boring as all get-out. It didn't help that her mother had taken up with some little old lady named Mrs. Vanguyser. The old lady (who made sure everyone knew she was 75, from Miami, and had at least three eligible grandsons currently looking for love in all the wrong places) had a thing for land-based archeology. Peri's mom had gone off to explore some cro-magnum cave with her this morning, leaving Peri to fend for herself.
Peri spent the morning watching TV (not much on, and her Spanish wasn't all that great) and browsing shops (not much to buy, with the Bank of Mom off on the other side of the island). She then tried sunbathing for awhile, but it was impossible to find a chaise and the sand mites liked her too much to keep her on the beach for long. Left with no other option, she sidled up to the hotel's beachside bar with the sole purpose of getting drunk.
Thank goodness she could drink legally in Europe. Her rights to alcohol back home were quickly drying up as more and more States raised the drinking age to 21 lest they lose Federal highway funds. Oh, sure, in some places, she was grandfathered in, but in other places, she wasn't (as she found out to her embarrassment during Spring Break this past March). And, yeah, in just another 2 years, it wouldn't matter-- but it was the principle of the thing that got to her.
Well, nothing for it-- might as well grab a beach-side table and sightsee. She hopped off the barstool, grabbed her mai tai, and bumped into a good-looking, dark-skinned young man. "Oh, sorry."
"My fault entirely, love." He gave her a broad smile. "You're American, aren't you?"
"That obvious, huh?"
"It's not a bad thing, not at all."
"What gave me away?"
"Your drink. Now a proper Brit, she'd be ordering a pint."
"Even in this weather?"
"Not much for stupid rum drinks, we're not."
"What do you expect from us? We make tea from seawater, after all." She smiled back, a self-depreciating grin that said more for her embarrassment over her nationality than any words could.
The young man's eyebrows drew together momentarily, as he puzzled out what she said. He chuckled upon realizing what she meant. "Oh, good one." A sudden idea came to him. "Say… you here alone?"
"Unfortunately. At the moment, at least. I'm here with my mom and stepdad, but they're both off on separate archeological things."
"And left you holding the fort, eh? Well, then, you'll have to come and sit with me an' my friend." He waved vaguely at a table on the far side of the seating area, where a tall, youngish brown-haired man in a brown pinstripe suit waited.
"Okay, sounds good." Looking at the scenery close-up was much better than looking at it from a distance, after all. She waited for her new friend to order up two pints, then followed him back to the table.
**
"And now the stray dogs are bringing their own puppies along," the brown-eyed, handsome man commented as he accepted the pint from his dusky friend. He took a good look at Peri, and did a double take. He broke into a large, toothy grin. "Hallo!"
"Hi. I'm Peri. And you're…?"
"Short for Perpugilliam, I imagine." His grin widened, as if alluding to a private joke.
Peri gave him a most curious look. "How'd you know?"
He shrugged. "Oh, I collect all sorts of trivia…."
His companion shot him a dirty look. "I'm Mickey," he said, "and this is--"
"--John."
Mickey gave John another annoyed look, but said nothing.
"Pleased to meet you both. What are you both doing so far from home? I assume you're both English…."
John shrugged. "Oh, you know, the usual, holidays and all that. And you?" His smile, if anything, grew bigger.
"Stuck spending my summer break with my mom and stepdad and their archeological obsession."
"Ah." John's expression shifted to alarm. "Ah! Erm, well, yes. Brilliant!"
Mickey leaned over the table and whispered, "Don't mind him, he doesn't think like normal people."
"Yeah, I kinda get that drift…." She sipped at her mai tai, then raised her eyebrow at John. "So, what's with the suit? You a lawyer or something?"
"Or something."
"Well, you're certainly someone who has limited conversational abilities. I haven't met some one so clammed up since my English professor Winter Quarter."
John glared at her. "Yeah, well, you've just insulted my fashion sense. What am I supposed to say? 'Oh, yes, you're quite right, Perpugilliam, I'll go and change immediately?' As if you're making the cover of Vogue with your ensemble…."
"Geez, sorry, don't freak out on me, I was just trying to make conversation."
Mickey intervened with, "So, you up for an adventure?" He gave her a charming smile that melted the frown off her face.
"Depends on what it is."
"Oh, I don't know, could take you anywhere we wanted, really." Mickey winced suddenly; Peri assumed John had kicked him under the table.
"Anywhere? Anywhere meaning where?"
"Well, actually--"
"Morocco," John threw in, giving her another killer toothy grin. "You'd, erm, have to pay your own way, of course, but, well… could be worth it."
"Morocco, huh? Well… hmmm…." She contemplated the thought a moment as she finished off her drink. "Okay, you talked me into it. Gotta give me a couple hours to get the cash, though. How much will I need?"
"Oh, a couple hundred should suffice. Dollars, of course."
"Of course." Peri stood. "I'll meet you back here in three hours, okay?"
"Absolutely!" John caught her hand and gave it a tight squeeze. "I'm looking forward to it."
"Me, too," Mickey added.
"See ya!" Peri gave them both a big grin and a wave before toddling off to find a relative. All she had to do was cash in her plane ticket back to the States, and she could upgrade her summer vacation to first class and have something really cool to brag about upon returning to campus in the fall….
**
"What the hell was all that about?" Mickey demanded. "You're not really planning on taking her to Morocco, are you?"
"No, not really. Although-- I did take her throughout a good chunk of time and space."
"You're not making much sense."
"When you get to my age, well, time gets all wibbly wobbly messy wessy."
Mickey crossed his arms across his chest.
His friend sighed. "Oh, all right. I'll spell it out for you." He glanced around the patio, finally pointing out a tall, fair haired young man in striped trousers and a flowered vest, who sat alone at a table reading a book and nursing a lemonade. "See him? In about, oh, two hours, Peri is going to meet him."
"Yeah? So?"
"And then she'll be carted off to the planet Sarn, the first of her many adventures aboard the TARDIS."
"The TARDIS?" Mickey's eyes widened. "You mean…?"
"Yes indeed. Strange how one's past comes back to haunt you, isn't it?" He stood, tossing several coins on the table. "Give Rose a ring, have her meet us back at the TARDIS. We'd best get out of here before we cross any more of my timeline."