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(no subject)

Characters: Oliver Day (

oliverplus) and Jamie McCrimmon (

bonnypiperlad)
Location: Skara Brae, as it is shared between Gondovan for Oliver and Earth for Jamie
Time: After the end of the deathmatches
Summary: Oliver and Jamie make an unexpected discovery off the Plane.
Warnings: None

Oliver had resigned himself quite a while ago to the fact that a lot of the people on Gondovan thought he was mad. After all, Gondolla, while literally the biggest city in the world, wasn't a terribly big city, and word about the Puppeteer and his and Sukhrit's hospitalisation had travelled fast. And the fact that he had spent those two months in hospital frequently waking up screaming from nightmares--screams that were overheard by nearby patients--hadn't helped his case. But he'd gotten a job, and he'd started to make a name for himself as himself--and not just that weird refugee bloke who lived with the sister of the mad bloke and had been mad himself for a while.

And then the Plane had come along. At first that hadn't been so bad. Most people hadn't noticed any change, and although Anna had worked out a long time ago that something was up with Oliver, she had been nice enough--probably too nice--to give him his space.

But now, however, the world seemed determined to convince Oliver himself that he was mad. Or that the whole planet was going mad. Or, if he was lucky, the Plane was just pulling some really strange trick that made no sense. He really hoped that was the case. He didn't want to be mad.

First, he'd come back after waking up in the Twins' lab, and he'd found the site of a particular exploded building in Selly Oak sitting just a few blocks from his flat. Naturally, none of the other people of Gondovan had recognised the rubble, but they could all see it. Most claimed the building there had somehow blown up and turned out looking like that, but anybody who took a good look at the level of technology knew better.

And now...well, now the city limits suddenly weren't the city limits anymore. The minute he'd heard the whispered rumours, Oliver had known he needed to see it for himself. And so here he was, standing in what used to be a patch of desert but was now anything but. Unlike the chunk of Selly Oak, he didn't recognise this place, but he knew enough to tell that it was ancient--far more ancient than any human settlements on Gondovan.

The area consisted of the ruins of a village. The dwellings were simple and small, containing a hearth and some nominal furniture. Amongst them, he could see pottery, jewelery of bone or ivory, simple tools... Wherever this was, it was very primitive. Technology had been much further along than this when Gondovan had first been colonised.

And most telling of all, this area had grass. He was walking on real, authentic, natural grass. He could even smell it! He bent down, running a hand over it, and broke off a blade so he could take a close look. "Wow..." It was definitely grass. Oliver shook his head, amazed, every minute feeling more and more like he had stepped onto some other planet. It was cooler here, more pleasant, grassy... It wasn't a thing like Gondovan's harsh desert!

"First Selly Oak and now this. What the hell is going on?" Shaking his head again, he straightened, still clutching the blade of grass, and started to walk toward the nearest of the stone dwellings--Neolithic stone dwellings, as best as he could guess. "Is the Plane taking the mickey out of me or what?" He stepped over to the outer wall of one of the dwellings, running a hand along the stone. It felt real enough, but how could it possibly be here? "And what's it for?"

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Oliver took one more, eager bite of his cheese sandwich before setting it down as well. He smiled at Jamie's description of his egg. "Yeah, like stars in the daytime." That was how he liked to think of it, anyway. He hoped that whatever life it held would be like the egg was, in a way--something with a bright personality. But really, he was just looking forward to having a constant companion of any kind. Even with all the people he got to spend time with these days, he could never seem to escape feeling lonely, especially on Gondovan. Even just having the egg was helpful. He was developing a habit of talking to it.

"I wouldn't worry too much yet. I mean...I'd say eggs can take a while, but I guess it's hard to tell when we don't know what's in them," he said, considering Jamie's egg as the young man retrieved it. "I've got no idea what might come out! Other people seem to be getting all sorts of things."

He accepted Jamie's egg, turning it over carefully in his hands. "Whoa, bit vibrant in the light, isn't it?" he remarked. He ran a couple fingers over the speckles, as though trying to buff it. "I wonder if you've got something bigger in yours. They're definitely different sizes."

"Hey, stars in the daytime. That's not a bad way to put it." He actually sounds a little pleased with the description, finding it rather appealing. Maybe Oliver will get something that matches it. Jamie isn't actually sure what would match, but like was said - it's hard to tell what's inside. He supposes lots of things are possible, though.

At the comment on the vibrant colors of Jamie's egg, the Scot's mouth quirks on one side into something that's not quite a frown. "Aye." He hadn't noticed the almost glow when he picked it up on the Plane, and he's not entirely sure what to make of it - or even if he likes the idea. "I'd not noticed that before."

It's a wee bit strange, if you ask him. The fact the eggs are clearly different sizes...well, that's not. "They are, aren't they? This one looked smaller than some of the other ones nearby, too. Hey! Maybe it's got a collie, like the Doctor has." Jamie would rather have a hunting dog if he had to choose, but a collie would be nice. Dogs in general would be nice.

"I don't know, though," he adds, not quite able to keep some skepticism out of his voice. "I'm not sure it's big enough for a dog, even a wee puppy."

"Thanks. I like it." He smiled at his egg, his eternal optimism easily shining when he thought of his future pet. He was likely to be happy with anything that came out of his egg, but he did have some hopes of his own--as well as some worries. Most of all, he hoped it would be something he could take care of easily on Gondovan.

But as he continued to look over Jamie's egg, he frowned at that quirk of Jamie's mouth. "I think it's cool!" he protested, pouting. It wasn't the egg's fault, after all. And it really did give it character. He wondered what sort of interesting creature might be inside. Maybe the glowing meant it would be something that wasn't from Earth!

When Jamie started talking about a puppy, Oliver was immediately distracted. He couldn't help but think of the dog he'd had as a kid--not to mention the Doctor's adorable dog that he had already grown quite attached to. One meeting was all he'd needed for that. "Yours might be!" he said hopefully. He frowned at the thought of egg size, however. "Mine isn't. Well." His frown turned into a faint smirk at the thought that occurred to him. "Unless it's bigger on the inside!"

Well, maybe Oliver had a point. It wasn't the egg's fault. Jamie's, maybe, for not seeing the glow before. Although, he honestly couldn't remember actually seeing that while it was on the Plane. Perhaps it was something to do with the egg being here? "Aye, well," he admits after a moment. "Maybe it's not so bad."

Glancing up at Oliver in time to catch that frown, he says thoughtfully, "Well, maybe it's one of those...what are those bitty dogs with the big eyes?" He doesn't know the name, but saw a picture of one once, on the palm of someone's hand. It's a pretty silly looking dog, if you ask him, but it could fit in an egg as small as Oliver's. Unless it was bigger on the inside?

"Hey, a egg that's like the TARDIS! Just think what could come out of something like that," he says, chuckling. "Why, ye could get a horse, or a whale, or an elephant! Can ye imagine trying to explain that away?"

"You mean a chihuahua?" Oliver laughed. "Anna'd think I'd gone mental if I brought one of those home. But you never know!"

He joined in Jamie's chuckling at the possibilities involved in an egg like the TARDIS. "I don't know if it could be any worse than a bit of Scotland showing up outside the city," he commented, glancing around them again. He still couldn't quite believe that had happened, but there was no denying it now. And knowing that these sorts of things were possible made eggs that were bigger on the inside sound just about probable. "But if I did get, like, an elephant," he mused, "convincing Anna to let me keep him might be a bit difficult!"

And now that they'd gotten started on the topic, he couldn't resist throwing out a few possibilities of his own. "But if it were really like the TARDIS, you'd probably get a whale complete with a swimming pool. Or a pool full of piranhas! With a cricket pitch thrown in for no apparent reason. Along with several random items autographed by ridiculously famous people."

"That's what it was called. Why would she think you've gone mad if ye brought one of those home, though?" Jamie can't really see Oliver with such a tiny, nervous dog, but isn't entirely sure that his girlfriend would think him to have 'gone mental' either. Jamie's never met Anna, though, so he really couldn't say for sure.

Easier to consider the possibilities of an egg that was like a TARDIS - or more fun, anyway, so he jumped back to that topic. "Aye, or a chest with things in it that ye have no idea what they're supposed to be. Oh, and a bag of sweets!"

Speaking of sweets reminds Jamie there's still a sandwich partly uneaten, so he carefully re-wraps his egg and puts it away. "Suppose we'll find out sooner or later, though. Let's finish the sandwiches and go have that look around. Unless ye want to walk and eat at the same time?"

"'Cause it's a chihuahua!" Oliver protested, waving his hands as though that explained everything. It did as far as he was concerned. "Could you see me walking into a pet store and buying a chihuahua of my own free will?" he asked with a smile at the absurdity of the idea. "Anna'd think I'd either lost it or had something to hide." He made a face. Really, even if it did happen, it wouldn't be anything new. Anna often thought he had something to hide these days.

But Oliver laughed at Jamie's suggestions. They both clearly knew the Doctor too well. "Jelly babies," he said with an authoritative nod. "I'm surprised none of the Doctors have engineered their eggs to be full of them yet."

Despite all his previous excitement over real cheese, it wasn't until Jamie mentioned the sandwiches that Oliver remembered them. He'd gotten distracted enough by the eggs to forget completely. "Oh, yeah!" He smiled sheepishly and tucked his own egg back into the pocket of his jacket, picking the cheese sandwich back up and taking another bite. After some chewing, he remarked, "Not like we're in a hurry. I think I can wait long enough to eat first. Maybe. Just." He grinned, glancing at their surroundings again and feeling excitement bubble up inside him. Scotland! Real Scotland on Earth--and with Jamie here to boot. He could hardly be more thrilled about this merger than he already was.

"Well, no, I can't." Jamie admits out loud. "Ye do like other dogs though, don't ye?" He guesses so - who doesn't like dogs? But maybe Oliver prefers cats or fish or something. Jamie's curious, so he figures he might as well ask.

He tucks back into his sandwich with marked enthusiasm - one of his mismatched pieces of bread is a hearty wheat, and it's picking up the flavor nicely. After a moment, however, he stops just long enough to say, "Aye, all right. I'll try and hurry, then." Jamie is getting the impression that Oliver may be more than a little eager to take a look around, and he certainly wouldn't mind a walk himself.

As he pops the last bite into his mouth, he lets out a satisfied sigh. "It's not roast beef, but it'll do. How are ye coming along, Oliver?"

"Definitely!" Oliver replied immediately, taken aback at the idea that he might not like dogs. How could anybody not? "I haven't had one since I was a kid. But at least now I can visit the Doctor's! And who knows, maybe one of us 'll get one, too."

When Jamie asked how he was coming along, Oliver was just finishing off his sandwich, too. He'd been ready to devour the thing so they could get on with the exploring, but he also couldn't help savouring the cheese a little. After all, it was one of the things he missed from Earth. At Jamie's question, he swallowed his last mouthful and gave him a grin. "Ready to take a look around! How 'bout you?"

"Hey, maybe we will!" He's not at all sure how he'd explain a sudden appearance of a dog to the Doctor, but Jamie's not going to worry about it too much...at least not until the egg hatches.

He adjusts the bandages covering his hands, making sure they're not going to slip off any time soon. "Aye. I'm ready." Glancing around at the ruins for a moment, he tries to decide which way he'd like to go. It all seems very much the same for him, however, and he figures maybe Oliver would like the chance to choose.

"Which way do ye want to start?"

Oliver grinned at the idea of having a dog come out of his egg, as improbable as it was. He was somewhat concerned about getting an animal that was easy to explain away at home, but more than that, he hoped to get an animal that was available on Gondovan because his resources were limited as it was, and he didn't want to have to rely on the Plane to take care of his pet. But he knew there was no point in dwelling on that--it wasn't like the animal in the egg would change just because he was thinking about it--and he was quite content to just be excited at the thought of a pet. Especially a puppy.

"Uh..." Oliver looked around the ruins and the grass and the sky and the Earth...and then back at the city. Maybe that was an easy question after all. He certainly didn't want to walk toward Gondolla. "How about that way?" He pointed in the exact opposite direction of the city, getting to his feet as he did so. He knew it would mean a longer walk back, but he was determined to enjoy this foray onto Earth as much as possible.

"Aye, all right." The Doctor's likely to be busy for hours, and it's not like the place is big enough that Jamie thinks he's going to get lost. Well, not unless there's an opening into some catacombs or something around here, and from what he's been told, everything is pretty much out and open to the air. Or mostly everything, depending on what year it was they had landed in. Jamie honestly wasn't sure.

He starts to walk in the indicated direction, gesturing to the grass-topped structures. From this angle, there's not much to see, so Jamie's ability to provide details are are fairly limited. "So, here ye have a wall..."

After a few minutes of this, he stops and looks around. "Look, I don't see anyone else around here to stop us. Do ye want to climb up and go take a wee peek inside one of the houses?"

Oliver was very amused by Jamie's idea of a guided tour. He thought about telling the Scotsman that he didn't really need to point out every wall and crumbling bit of furniture, but he could tell that Jamie was trying to be helpful, and it added a bit of fun to the tour, so he kept his thoughts to himself. Instead, he focused on looking around at everything in the area. He was still all but bursting with excitement. Anyone who saw him at home these days would know it had been a long time since Oliver had had such a spring in his step, and he was going to enjoy that feeling to the fullest.

But really, he could have been looking at strange scribbles in the dirt right now, and it wouldn't have done anything to diminish his good mood. As they walked, he breathed deeply, reminding himself of what the air tasted like on Earth. Sure, it was a bit cleaner out here than either Gondovan or Birmingham could manage, but he thought it tasted like Earth's air somehow--something intangible that he couldn't put his finger on but was enjoying all the same. That and the smell of grass. A few years ago, he'd have laughed at himself if he'd so much as suggested he'd miss grass, of all things, but...somehow he had. It was one of those things you got used to and just expected, and it felt wrong somehow when it suddenly wasn't there anymore. It was nearly as important to making this feel like Earth as the beautiful blue sky.

At Jamie's suggestion, Oliver pulled himself from his reverie broke out in a grin. The possible budding historian in him told him that it was a bad idea to disturb the ruins that much, but...it wasn't like they weren't going to be careful! How much harm could a closer look do? "Sure! Lead the way."

Jamie would have appreciated not having to go through the whole 'tour guide' part of the tour, truth be told, which is why he broke things off as soon as he had an opportunity to do so. He didn't really think Oliver would have minded, really.

He also doesn't think he's ever seen Oliver quite this happy. Sure, his friend's had cheerful enough moments, but there's something more to it then that. Before actually starting to scale the small wall, Jamie takes a guess at Oliver's extremely good mood.

"Ye really missed Earth, didn't ye?"

He starts to climb without waiting for an answer, although 'climb' isn't quite the right word here. It's more just a matter of finding your footing in the outer stone work and pulling yourself up a bit. It'll be easy enough for Oliver to reply and get over at the same time, Jamie reckons. At any rate, he does want to make sure they're inside - just in case for some reason someone does come along. He's still not quite sure how that would work with the merger, although he doesn't remember seeing anyone when he came up here with the Doctor.

Consequently, he's not overly worried about disturbing the ruins. Besides, it's not like there's much in the building they're entering currently. If he knocks something over, he'll just pick it up.

Oliver didn't mind, and he didn't say anything when Jamie stopped explaining. He wanted them both to enjoy this excursion, after all, so if that wasn't Jamie's idea of fun, there was no need to press him.

He was surprised by Jamie's question, though. A tinge of sadness flickered through his eyes, but he quickly tried to cover it with a sheepish expression, scratching his head with a smile. Seeing that Jamie was already headed over the wall, he didn't reply too loudly. Maybe Jamie wouldn't pursue the topic. "Yeah...there's nowhere else in the universe quite like it."

The real problem was that Gondovan didn't--and probably never would--feel like home. Earth reminded him of his family and of Chloe and all the things he'd given up. It reminded him of living a normal life. There really was nowhere else like it, and he hadn't thought he'd ever see it again. It was almost an understatement to say he missed it. But he couldn't say all of that to Jamie. After all, making Jamie worry about him wouldn't change any of it.

And for the moment, here he was on Earth, and Jamie was getting ahead of him. Oliver quickly took the last few steps to the wall and started to follow him over--a bit less gracefully, but he wasn't half bad at things like this after his travels with the Doctor.

If Jamie hadn't been busy climbing over the wall, he might have caught that tinge of sadness and might have indeed pursued the topic further. Fortunately for Oliver, Jamie's distracted enough that all he does is look back for a moment and nod briefly. "Aye, there's not," he comments agreeably. It appears that worry is off the menu for the moment.

Once over the top, he starts to climb down the other side before realizing it's not much of a drop at all. Rather than take the slow way down, he jumps, landing in the dirt easily.

Turning around, he waits for Oliver to join him, not really surprised that his friend's not far behind. Must be from the time spent with the Doctor. In the meantime, he takes a look around. This is a bit better than just walking around inside. There's quite a few things here that at least look semi-interesting, now that he's somewhere where he can get a chance to poke about at things rather than just watch the Doctor doing so.

"About time ye got here," he says once Oliver's caught up. He's joking, of course, and not bothering to hide a small, slightly crooked smile. "What do ye think?"

Oliver was a bit more uncertain about the drop than Jamie, but after seeing him make it, he decided to go ahead and hop down himself. His momentum almost carried him too much, but he did manage to keep his balance.

"You can't rush history!" he replied with a smile as he straightened. It was a pretty bad joke, but he doubted Jamie would mind, and he was just relieved that they could keep this adventure a cheerful one. He didn't really want to reminisce about his past right now if he could avoid it. Being on Earth again was something to enjoy, not to fret over.

Speaking of enjoying what Earth had to offer, now that he was inside, he followed Jamie's gaze around the house, looking at all the bits and pieces of ancient life inside. "It's...wow." He strode over to one corner, bending down to get a better look at a necklace that seemed to have been discarded there on the floor. "I wonder what made them all leave..."

There's a groan from Jamie. That was a pretty bad joke. Still, the groan is fairly good-natured, and even though he shakes his head afterward, it's clear he's not bothered by it in the least.

"It could be a lot of things. Illness, or some sort of disaster, or even the weather, aye?" This might not make so much sense, Jamie thinks, so he elaborates somewhat.

"It's right by the sea, and a rough climate. If they could not grow crops any longer, they would've had to move."

He wanders over to take a look at the necklace as well. "There's some smaller beds over here," he says, glancing over at the structures nearby. They seem like they would be too small for menfolk, unless they were much shorter back then. Jamie's not a large man, but he'd have trouble fitting in one of these beds. "I wonder if this part of the house was where the women slept?"

"Yeah, it probably was something like that," Oliver agreed, leaning a bit closer to the necklace. "It's funny--I used to study stuff like this, but my first thought now is which aliens might've been involved!" He shook his head, smiling to himself. Some things about travelling with the Doctor never left you.

Oliver followed Jamie's gaze, sizing up the bed. It was certainly too short for him. "Ohh, you're right! Well, a necklace and two small beds, definitely could've been for the women." That smile stayed right where it was. It was fun, doing a bit of archaeological detective work like this. "I wonder how many people lived in these houses?" he mused as he moved away to examine more of the structure.

"Ye used to study this? Why?" To Jamie, it's not the most thrilling thing in the world. Bits of pottery are bits of pottery to him. Things like computers, or weather machines? Now, those are more interesting...as is that little glint of light that catches his eye.

It seems when they jumped down, either Jamie or Oliver loosened up some of the packed dirt on the ground, and there's something in there. Jamie doesn't know what, but is caught up by a sudden urge to find out. Crouching down, he carefully starts to pick at the loose bits with his finger, then pulls out his dirk to try and help things along somewhat. It doesn't occur to him that just maybe he's gone and answered his own question.

"Hey, Oliver! I think I found something."

Oliver couldn't help a laugh, having very much noticed that Jamie had answered his own question. "Well, I studied history, but I could think of a couple reasons somebody might go for archaeology," he said with a grin.

Speaking of, he crouched down beside him. "What is it?" he asked. Then, seeing the dirk, added, "Careful." He leaned forward, trying to see past Jamie's shoulder to get a better look at what it actually was.

Jamie's mouth pulls to the side for a moment, like it tends to do when he's mildly vexed, but the expression disappears quickly enough. "I'm not going to cut myself with it, ye know. I just want to get this wee bit of dirt out of the way..."

He is actually quite careful with the blade, only using it to prize up some small clots of earth and move them out of the way. Soon enough he's able to reach in and pull up what looks like a piece of flint that's been worked into a leaf-like shape. It's a little different than ones he's seen in the past, but Jamie is well aware of what it is he's found.

"Hey, an arrowhead!"

"No, not you!" Oliver protested. Really, what did Jamie take him for? It wasn't like it was a huge knife or anything, and Jamie obviously knew how to use it. Or was he still upset that Oliver had tried to ask about his hands? "I mean--well, I don't want you to cut yourself, either, but just make sure you don't hurt whatever's-"

He didn't need to finish as Jamie reached into the hole then, retrieving the contents. At Jamie's declaration, Oliver leaned even farther over his shoulder. He was going to fall over on top of Jamie at this rate, but he really wanted to see. "Really? That's so cool!"

"Oh!" Jamie belatedly shoots Oliver an apologetic look, as he had misinterpreted the warning as more worry over his hands, but it's somewhat overshadowed by his find of the arrowhead. Even with bits of dirt still clinging to it, it seems to be in remarkably good shape - not surprising, if it's been still covered with the dirt. The whole site was once covered like that, which is why many things in it remained so intact.

It wouldn't do if Oliver did fall over Jamie right now, though, especially since he hasn't had a chance to put his dirk away yet. He offers the arrowhead out for examination with one hand.

"Here, ye can take a look if ye like." He cleans the remaining dirt off the dirk. At this rate, he's definitely going to have to change those bandages soon, as they're filthy. "I've not seen an arrowhead like that before."

Oliver accepted the arrowhead--just in time, as it turns out, or he quite possibly would have fallen over Jamie. As it was, he was able to lean back and regain his balance as he took a good look at the item.

"Hey, cool! You're right--I've never seen one like this either." He turned the arrowhead over in his hand, studying it curiously. By all rights, he should have been upset with Jamie for letting his bandages get into such a state, but he was too distracted at the moment to even notice. "You know, archaeology is looking better every minute. You think there's anything else in that hole?"

He leaned forward again, trying to take a look around Jamie.

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