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[ The Doctor clasps his hands together with a gleeful look on his face, as he looks at the robot. He looks very excited about this tour he's on, he loves tours, tours are awesome with and full of useless information. ]

Yes! I'm here for this tour of this factory! I really hope they give out a nice sample of whatever it is they manufacture at the end!

[ He cranes his neck just a little bit, and then extends a hand. ] The name is The Doctor, and just who might you be?

[Honestly, it's nice someone's eager. The factory tour probably wouldn't have been her first choice, but, you know, package deals. And it probably is as educational as the adverts claim.]

Blaze-37. [She shakes his hand gently - that's what you do, right? Definitely. She's got a hand cannon at her side and her clothes bear a suspicious resemblance to light body armour, but her manner is easy and there's hint of a smile in her expression.]

I'm a Guardian. Figured it was time I got round to seeing some of the City. And I guess it's working already: you're the first doctor I've seen.

[ The Doctor's never been to this City before, and while he's met countless individuals in body armour before. However Blaze is the first Guardian he's met before. So, the handshake is a hardy handshake that follows with a smile on the face of The Doctor. ]

It is a pleasure to meet you, Blaze-37. Can I just call you Blaze? [ He asks with a small bit of hope that she will let him shorten her name. ] I'm the first doctor you've met before. I-I-I'm not that, oh forget it. [ The Doctor doesn't bother to point out that he isn't a medical doctor, but he is curious as to why he's the first. ]

I'm sure a city this big has a doctor or two somewhere nearby.

Sure you can. It's nice to meet you too, Doctor. [She's not exactly hung up on formality - considering the gaps in her memory, she's not even sure what customs her kind might have gotten picky about, once upon a time.

As for the different kinds of doctor, well, that's a bit subtle for Blaze. They're all some type of brainy or other; their exact specialties aren't really a concern for her, as she's happy to explain.]

Probably, but I wouldn't run into 'em. I don't think the docs can do much if you're not organic. My Ghost takes care of my repairs.

[She jerks a thumb at her shoulder. On cue, a smaller robot bobs into view. Its floating frame spins around the central eye as it speaks.] Hello.

[ He continues to smile, and he's more than happy that he can ditch the formalities. Those things are best saved for when he needs to deal with Emperors or Queens. Not letting go of the hand that he's shaking, The Doctor listens to Blaze answer his question. The tour hasn't been forgotten, but he's far more interested in meeting people. ]

So, you're not a person or something all squishy under the armor. I got you then! [ He peers over at the ghost, and he gives it a friendly wave in return. ] Hello Blaze's Ghost! And I must apologize for any future questions I must ask.

[ The tour guide starts to wander off and giving a history of the location that they're in. ] Those will come in handy if the lecture gets boring. I hate boring lectures. And what about you? I never was one for paying much attention during my studies in becoming a 'doctor'.

Nah, I'm an Exo. I, uh, definitely don't squish. [And she'd have found out by now. Blaze will pull her hand back after what seems like the right amount of time. She's more used to saluting people.

She looks around as the group starts off. It's one of the main processing facilities in the City, turning the programmable matter (and currency) called glimmer into raw materials and components for just about everything. The story of how it was first pieced together by the ragtag horde of refugees seeking shelter under the Traveler is actually a fairly interesting one - the guide makes promise of a visit down to the ancient foundations - but they leave plenty of pauses for discussion. Blaze's attention returns to the Doctor when he talks.]

Well- I don't go to a whole lot of lectures. I'm mostly out in the fight. But I know I'm not fond of boring. [She tilts her head at him. She might have a few questions of her own.] Seems like learning would be pretty important for a guy like you, though. Don't you like studying things?

Edited 2014-10-06 21:50 (UTC)

Oooooh, so you're all wiry bits and servos! [ He finally lets go of Blaze's hand, and he lets his hands rest at his side. ] And no, I suppose someone made of mechanical parts wouldn't go squish.

[ He follows along with her as he listens to the lecturer. He's truly interested in learning about programmable matter, and how everything came to be. The Doctor loves finding new places to visit. And even more, he loves when he learns about something new. ] Except for this one. This lecture is very interesting, because for me it is all brand new.

[ He continues to listen to the lecture and he's still all smiles. ] Of course, I love to learn. But there's different ways to learn, I could sit there with my nose in a book or I can experience it. This. This is learning. I've never been here before and I'm learning something about what is a new culture to me.

[ This man's turning out to be as interesting as the tour. It wouldn't have occurred to Blaze at all that there'd be people who hadn't met her kind. It's a curious experience, and one that invites her sympathy as a fellow new(ish)comer. ]

Oh, I get you! [ She perks up quite visibly, antennae and all, eyes brightening both in pleasure at understanding and at having guessed that he's just arrived. ] I'm still pretty new myself - still learning all this. And no matter how many database entries people send me, I've got to come out and actually see what they're doing with all the glimmer we bring in.

[ Anything and everything imaginable, to judge by the number of fabrication departments the guide's listing off. Blaze waits for the list to end, then gives a 'hrmmm'. ]

So you really think they'll give out samples? [ She sounds hopeful. ]

[ The tour itself is interesting to The Doctor, but Blaze herself is far more interesting than the guide is. While he's paying attention to the information about Glimmer and the City, he's far more interested in his new friend. He slips his hand into his pockets as he follows along with the group. ]

I'm a traveler, so learning something new is part of the excitement of traveling. It would get boring very if I expected for everything to be the same on every planet in the known universe. [ He puts a hand to his chin about the samples. This place seems more complicated than a chocolate factory, with his shoulders slumping he huffs. ]

No. I'm not exactly sure this is that kind of factory.

Aw, that's a shame. We could use some free plasteel... wait, you travel to other planets?

[ Even the Ghost seems astonished, skidding away from an information board to peer at the Doctor, frame spinning one way and then the other. Blaze looks at him with sudden concern. ]

Isn't that too dangerous for civilians? No offence, but you don't look like you ought to be running off into the dark.

I'm sure something that valuable isn't something the owners of this factory plan to give away. [ The Doctor continues along on the tour, and mentioning travel to other planets on a world like this seems natural. ] Yes! There's an entire universe teaming with life, and I've made it my goal in life to be part of the grandness of the universe!

[ He notices the concern coming from Blaze. He removes a hand from his pocket, and he waves it off. ] It's not dark, not the places where I've been. The universe is full of planets that glisten with light and wonder. My spaceship is somewhere near by, and I'll let you fancy a look at her after the tour.

But danger is something one can face anywhere, it doesn't have to be on some distant world. This factory is filled with dangerous things that could end a life without so much as a thought.

That's the idea. [ Have they reached weapons fabrication yet? No, they're on a glassed-in catwalk over construction materials, and the Ghost is looking at Blaze. She doesn't notice. Her eyes are bright and wide, all her attention on the Doctor. ]

Yeah, but- there's a reason they call this the Last Safe City. It's the only place in the solar system the Darkness can't touch. [ So what does this mean...? ] ...How far out have you been? With your ship?

[ The tour is now just background chatter, The Doctor's interest changes to focus on asking question about The Darkness. His body language shifts, and the tone of his voice becomes serious. ]

I was hoping someone was going to explain the name of the city. [ The Darkness. He looks around him to see if there's nobody but the two of them who will hear his question. ] Who or what is the Darkness? You mention being a soldier, is this Darkness the thing that you're fighting?

[ He holds off on answering the question about his own travels. He's far more interested in learning more about the here and the now. ]

No-one knows exactly. Maybe we used to, but most of the records were lost in the Collapse with everything else. [ She's thoroughly distracted, keeping her voice down out of sheer surprise rather than discretion. Her Ghost pipes up beside her. ]

There are theories about its true nature. Whether it's a cosmic force, or a single entity of unimaginable power, or something else entirely. We only know its presence, and the armies it sends against us.

[ Blaze nods. ] That's what the Guardians are for. The Traveler can't fight any more, so it created the Ghosts to find people who could use its power for it. To protect humanity and drive back the Darkness.

[ The Doctor listens to the Ghost explain The Darkness. He frowns, and wanting to do something to help these people. He's on his own without anyone to drag into this mess; he raises an eyebrow and does what he does best. ]

Interesting. I've dealt with lots of things that claim to be unstoppable, and I would like to be able to help. [ He's willing to do everything possible for humanity. He's always been willing to. He takes in a deep breath, and he waits for an answer. ]

Humanity? You're human, yes. I've been a staunch defender for humanity for centuries, so yes, sign me up, and give me a fancy suit of armour. I'm ready to lead the good fight.

[ The two of them seem to blink at the same moment. ]

Centuries?

You want to fight? [ Blaze looks startled – although her eyes light brighter for a second, because who can’t respect that kind of spirit? She looks to her Ghost for answers. ] Can you do that? I never met a Guardian who didn’t start out dead.

I don’t think that’s the biggest question, Blaze. [ The Ghost scoots over to hover just beyond the Doctor’s nose, then attempts a quick scan of him. ] Who are you?

I'm a lot older than I look. And I'm not exactly human, don't worry I'm not here to cause any trouble.

[ He opts to answer the question of who he is first. ] I'm The Doctor, and as I just said, I'm not human. I'm a Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey. And I'd like to help in some form or another if I can to help defend humanity from The Dark.

How is old planet Earth? [ It seems like just as an important question to all of the questions he just answered. ]

Gallifrey...?

[ The Ghost seems distracted as he searches his files. Blaze straightens sharply at the revelation of the alien before them- but she's willing to buy his offer of help. The hostile kind of aliens don't exactly show up with tour tickets. ]

It's, uh, not good. Everything fell apart a few centuries back. I mean, the planet's not poisonous or anything, there's still a few humans scraping by outside the City. But as far as human civilisation goes - [ she waves expansively, taking in a window at the far end of the walkway ] you can see everything that's left out there. Everything that isn't in ruins, that is.

[ She peers closer at him. It is very lucky the tour's moved on way ahead of them (the guide takes one look at them and decides not to interrupt that kind of discussion). ] You're really an alien? Because we need all the help we can get. I mean, I love the fighting, but we've got hostile aliens all round us. It'd be good to know there're some friendlies out there too.

It's a planet far from Earth, and was once located in the Kasterborous system. It is a long story, and not one I'm looking to rehash.

[ There is very limited information on record about the planet. The Doctor's done a decent job on keeping his home world off the books. But who's to say one of his previous companions was willing to tell the tale of his home.

To any potential aliens who are familiar with the Time Lords, one can only imagine what information they have left behind. The Doctor still looks serious about helping with the fight against The Darkness. With another nod of his head, he looks at her looking as serious as he can be. ]

If you could only see the universe for what it truly is. And I'm very sorry that you haven't had a pleasant experience with alien life. Except for yours truly! But yes, there are plenty of friendly aliens out there! I mean plenty of them, and I'd be more than willing to take you to meet some!

Of course we want to meet them! [ She doesn't have to think twice. ] We know it's not all bad out in the beyond. The Traveler's an alien, and it's done everything it could to protect us. We just never got the chance to find out who else could be out there... not up to now, anyway.

[ She wants to reassure him of that - that they haven't turned to raging at the cosmos. The hand humanity extends is still an open one. ]

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sorry for the lateness

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