Doctor Who | Though This Be Madness
Aug. 1st, 2008 11:37 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
eponymous_roseTitle: Though This Be Madness
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
eponymous_rose
Word Count: 633
Rating: G
Characters: Ace McShane, Hex Schofield
Author's Note: Forlivii, who won (a minimum of) ten ficlets in the ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
livelongnmarry auction, to be posted throughout the month of August. Her prompt was:
Ace/Hex: "Though this be madness, yet there is method in 't."
Summary: After a particularly trying adventure, Hex finds a kind of peace.
"Dunno why you always wind up here," says Ace, and though he'd heard her footsteps through the grass, her quiet breathing, he jumps at the sound of her voice.
"It's a planetarium. They're interesting."
"It's a planetarium in a spaceship," says Ace, plunking down beside him on the ground. "That's strange even for the Professor."
"Grass feels real, though," says Hex. "Ground, too." He holds his hands up for her inspection in the dim light; she grins at the dirt under his nails.
"Yeah," she says, "but that thing kind of spoils the mood." She nods towards a massive, rotating hunk of machinery, all flickering lights and ominous shadows - it's just like the projector Hex remembers seeing on a school trip, sending specks of light onto the curtain of sky above. "You'd think if he could get the grass and the dirt right, he could manage the stars."
"Don't think that's the point," says Hex.
She grins; he glances to the side and sees her teeth gleam in the darkness, the pinpricks of light in her eyes. "Guess not," she says. "Always seemed a bit naff, though. Taking the tiny snapshot we see, one little image, and obsessing over it, putting names and numbers on everything." She waves a hand to encompass the bulky machine. "It's just numbers, yeah? Why settle for this when you've got the real thing?"
Suddenly Hex feels less like talking. Rather in spite of himself, he draws his knees up to his chest, loops his arms around them, and sighs. "Why don't you ask the Doctor, then? I assume he's the one who built it or set it up or whatever it is."
"Right," says Ace. "I'm sure he'll give me a perfectly straight answer to any question I ask."
That elicits a faint grin. Rolling her eyes, she leans over and squeezes his shoulder. "Look," she says. "It wasn't your fault-"
"Never is," says Hex, and they're silent for a moment, watching the pinpricks of light wheel across the sky, too quickly, waiting for the uncertainty of a breeze through the grass.
"Wouldn't be surprised if you wanted to leave us," says Ace, in a strange, hard voice. He looks over; she's looking at the machine, turning slowly, the lights dying as they pass out of their field of view. "After that, I mean. You've never really-"
"Yeah," says Hex, and is startled at the expression that crosses her face. "I mean, I'll think it over."
"Good," says Ace. "No use skulking around a place like-"
"It's a metaphor," says Hex, and feels a new chill in the air. "This place, I mean. A symbol, I guess. It's his monument to humanity, right? The stars that we see, the stars we've created within the frame of the universe and all. I like it here."
She considers this for a moment. "Because it's a bit of home?"
"Yeah," he says, and the words are coming faster. "Because you look at the real night sky and you think that some of those stars must've died already, and it's just old light you're looking at, and you wonder if aliens ever look back at us and debate whether our own sun's gone out millions of years ago. This is just a picture, a map, something old and perfect, and nothing's dying."
Ace frowns. "It isn't real," she says.
"That doesn't make it any less important," says Hex.
"It isn't real," she says again.
He grimaces, the points above blurring into streaks. "Yeah," he says, and she stands.
"Well," says Ace. "Bit of wisdom - never run when you're scared. Wait 'til later, when you've thought it over, when you know for sure. You run when you're scared, everything's at risk and you can't go home again. Think it through."
"I'm not scared," he tells the false night.
She turns away, the light casting galaxies on her face. "I am."
Author:
eponymous_roseWord Count: 633
Rating: G
Characters: Ace McShane, Hex Schofield
Author's Note: For
livii, who won (a minimum of) ten ficlets in the livelongnmarry auction, to be posted throughout the month of August. Her prompt was:Ace/Hex: "Though this be madness, yet there is method in 't."
Summary: After a particularly trying adventure, Hex finds a kind of peace.
"Dunno why you always wind up here," says Ace, and though he'd heard her footsteps through the grass, her quiet breathing, he jumps at the sound of her voice.
"It's a planetarium. They're interesting."
"It's a planetarium in a spaceship," says Ace, plunking down beside him on the ground. "That's strange even for the Professor."
"Grass feels real, though," says Hex. "Ground, too." He holds his hands up for her inspection in the dim light; she grins at the dirt under his nails.
"Yeah," she says, "but that thing kind of spoils the mood." She nods towards a massive, rotating hunk of machinery, all flickering lights and ominous shadows - it's just like the projector Hex remembers seeing on a school trip, sending specks of light onto the curtain of sky above. "You'd think if he could get the grass and the dirt right, he could manage the stars."
"Don't think that's the point," says Hex.
She grins; he glances to the side and sees her teeth gleam in the darkness, the pinpricks of light in her eyes. "Guess not," she says. "Always seemed a bit naff, though. Taking the tiny snapshot we see, one little image, and obsessing over it, putting names and numbers on everything." She waves a hand to encompass the bulky machine. "It's just numbers, yeah? Why settle for this when you've got the real thing?"
Suddenly Hex feels less like talking. Rather in spite of himself, he draws his knees up to his chest, loops his arms around them, and sighs. "Why don't you ask the Doctor, then? I assume he's the one who built it or set it up or whatever it is."
"Right," says Ace. "I'm sure he'll give me a perfectly straight answer to any question I ask."
That elicits a faint grin. Rolling her eyes, she leans over and squeezes his shoulder. "Look," she says. "It wasn't your fault-"
"Never is," says Hex, and they're silent for a moment, watching the pinpricks of light wheel across the sky, too quickly, waiting for the uncertainty of a breeze through the grass.
"Wouldn't be surprised if you wanted to leave us," says Ace, in a strange, hard voice. He looks over; she's looking at the machine, turning slowly, the lights dying as they pass out of their field of view. "After that, I mean. You've never really-"
"Yeah," says Hex, and is startled at the expression that crosses her face. "I mean, I'll think it over."
"Good," says Ace. "No use skulking around a place like-"
"It's a metaphor," says Hex, and feels a new chill in the air. "This place, I mean. A symbol, I guess. It's his monument to humanity, right? The stars that we see, the stars we've created within the frame of the universe and all. I like it here."
She considers this for a moment. "Because it's a bit of home?"
"Yeah," he says, and the words are coming faster. "Because you look at the real night sky and you think that some of those stars must've died already, and it's just old light you're looking at, and you wonder if aliens ever look back at us and debate whether our own sun's gone out millions of years ago. This is just a picture, a map, something old and perfect, and nothing's dying."
Ace frowns. "It isn't real," she says.
"That doesn't make it any less important," says Hex.
"It isn't real," she says again.
He grimaces, the points above blurring into streaks. "Yeah," he says, and she stands.
"Well," says Ace. "Bit of wisdom - never run when you're scared. Wait 'til later, when you've thought it over, when you know for sure. You run when you're scared, everything's at risk and you can't go home again. Think it through."
"I'm not scared," he tells the false night.
She turns away, the light casting galaxies on her face. "I am."
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2008-08-02 05:28 pm (UTC)eee, I was excited to see the auction fics! I know
no subject
Date: 2008-08-03 01:46 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-08-04 03:52 am (UTC)You've got a beautiful Ace voice there.