Play@YSDC

St. James's Church - London, England
9:30 PM - Saturday, September 7, 1940

Eddie Lawlor opened the door at the bottom of the stairs and led the large group into the basement of the church, which had been converted to a makeshift air raid shelter. It was filled with stray odds and ends including some spare pews kept here for storage, as well as an old church organ. Two old ladies sat on one of the pews, speaking to an Asian-looking woman of incredible beauty and a tall, slender woman with long brown hair. An elderly man sat on another, and a pretty, young blonde woman lay on a third, both asleep as well. Everyone but John Barrow recognized the two old ladies as Phyllis Cruckshank and Maggie Duncan, the sleeping man as Giles Curry, and the sleeping woman as Laura. The other two women had to have arrived in their absence.

Phyllis recognized all of the people returning to the shelter except for one, a handsome airman in an RAF uniform. Tinker and Anna had not seen these people here earlier. The middle-aged man who had opened the door was an air raid warden in an ARP uniform complete with tin hat. There were another middle-aged man accompanied by a young woman and a teenage girl, a well-dressed gentleman, a middle-aged clergyman, an old man, a younger Irishman, an Englishman of similar age who looked down on his luck - and a young man in a Luftwaffe flight suit.

"Uh, hi. My name is...Anna. N-nice to meet you." Anna said nervously, stuttering a bit at the end of the sentence. She wasn't quite accustomed to talking with strangers just yet.

"You're back then." Said Phyllis Cruckshank. "I'm not surprised." She got up to start the tea urn but found there was hardly any water left. "Oh dear, there's not much water left and I doubt there's a tap down here. But surely we won't have to wait much longer. Did you see any signs of the air raid finishing?" She said to the room at large.

"Some more tea and water would be nice." Anna muttered quietly, but loud enough to still be audible. She stared inquisitively at the people who had just entered the air raid shelter as she tried her to muster another friendly, yet somewhat tired, smile towards them. She had, after all, spent most of the last thirty minutes with a smile glued to her face.

Tinker stands up and brushes off the dust accumulated on her hanbok, "These most be the others that you mentioned went out." The Asian woman gives a quick smile and a wave as she reties the strap of her satchel, "Hello there, my name is Tinker."

'Well, hello there!', John exclaims in his heavy American accent, as he looks at Tinker, seemingly oblivious to the more demure girl. 'I don't think I've ever been this happy to get shot down.'

'Captain John Barrow, at your service, ma'am.', he adds with a charming smile.

"Well I'm just glad we made it back all in one piece, now the bombings startin' again."

Harry takes a seat. His feet are killing him and he could murder a cuppa.

"Any milk left for Felix?"

Brook, the teenage girl, waves a little at the new arrivals. "Hello. I'm Brook." She walks over to where the cat is and kneels down to pet it.

"Hello, miss Brook! Nice to meet you." Anna said in a friendly manner.

Tinker laughs at the airman's interest, "I am flattered, but do try not to make a habit of crash landing on my account, I don't think the war effort could handle the losses."

Tinker eyes the teenager, "Brook, you say?"

Mr Handy,Does Tinker recognize any of them straight away?

Benjamin turns to greet all the new arrivals. "Benjamin Klein, tailor, at your service! If you need any clothes made or mended, I'm your man!"

He continues: "It looks like our excursion was a failure: the house we were going to has been destroyed in the bombing. How have things been here? Apart from new arrivals, did we miss anything?"

"No. I don't think so." Anna said, "Unless you count tea-time small-talk as important news, I'm afraid nothing important happened." She took a stab at making a joke to lighten the mood. For someone that works with the mentally-disabled on a near-daily basis, she was surprisingly shy.

Brook nods at Tinker. "Yes, Brook. Davies. Pleased to meet you," she adds politely, nodding to Anna as well. She's dressed in black, tight jeans, a black tank top under an black off the shoulder blouse and and black boots.

"I'm Elizabeth Young," says Elizabeth to Anna and Tinker. "Glad that you made it to safety here. It's a horrible night out there." She looks around for a place to sit, not wanting to disturb the sleepers needlessly.

"I work at Maxwell's Sanitarium, when the 'raids started, there are many patients that required assistance and are in danger of losing their lives if they don't get into an air-raid shelter...but most of my colleagues are unwilling to help; that's why I ended up being one of the last ones out on the streets during an air-raid. It's kind of embarrassing, actually." Anna said with good humour, before quickly adding, "One of the patients held in our Sanitarium had difficulty walking and communicating, and people like him required some assistance in order to escape."

Story smiles at the ladies and greets them, "Ah, so nice to see some new faces... and definitely more pleasant than Lord Curmudgeon. I'm Story, and those two lovely ladies are my colleagues." He motions towards Brook and Elizabeth.

"Hello." Anna said, moving towards the trio to shake their hands. "How are you? I mean, besides just returning from going outside during an air-raid."

"Yes, there's some milk left," said Maggie, pouring it into a saucer and setting it on the floor. The little black cat lapped it up, purring contentedly as Brook petted it.

Tinker,Yes, you recognize [b]Story[/b], [b]Elizabeth[/b], and [b]Brook[/b]. They appear to be around the same age as the last time you saw them. There is no sign of [b]Lucius[/b], who had been with them then, however.

Archie wanders about joking and greeting the newer arrivals ("Archie Pennyfeather, call me Rev").

He finds a nice spot to seat the young German officer (somewhere Eddie can easily keep an eye on him) then finds him a cup of tea.

"Doesn't anyone have anything stronger to drink?" Eugene asks as he looks around "With all those bombs I could really use a drink".

"Well, I don't think alcohol is the first thing that comes to mind when you're going to a bomb shelter." Anna said, "But I do happen to have a small flask of nice chianti wine and fava beans that I had confiscated from one of the more...difficult patients that I've dealt with earlier tonight. Do you want them?" She rummaged a bit through her handbag before quickly producing an alcohol flask hidden inside a paper bag and a tiny packet of fava beans.

Tinker gives the teenager a strange look until both Elizabeth and Story come into view.

The woman dressed in traditional Korean garb stood up and approached the three. Her crimson skirt flowed gently behind her. She turned her cloth satchel, covering part of the gold stitching on her blouse that read "땜장이" - translating as her name, Tinker.

In a slightly accusatory voice she said to them,
"So this is where you all got to. I didn't think I would see you again. Where is your friend Lucius? Or did you abandon him in Dunwich too?"

OOC:   Alright. Something funny happened with my post, and this my second attempt at posting my line.

"What are you talking about, Miss Tinker? Do you know them? Where's Dunwich? I...I don't think I've heard of such a town in England." Anna asked Tinker in confusion.

Psychology 75%,[dice]0[/dice]

Brook looks incredulously at Tinker. "Lucius? How do you know Lucius? And you know us from Dunwich?" She looks at the woman curiously. "I don't remember you.."

"Well, I didn't quite grow into my looks then and I was going by Raymond before a local gave me both barrels. We shared drinks at that creepy inn. Lucius was the twitchy guy. You might not remember me, but I wasn't going to forget one of my own." Tinker says looking at Story.

Story looks at Tinker momentarily shocked and then dismissively says, "Abandoned?!?! That's nonsense. Absolute rubbish! There was only one option for us in Dunwich... quietly depart, or be gutted by the beast that lurked outside our door." He steps close to Tinker and leans in towards her as he says, "Raymond you say? I don't know you. How did you find us? Did the Time Lords send you to lurk about on this planet?" Before she could answer he turns around, huffs in frustration and walks over to Anna as he clearly needs to think in light of this encounter, "Madam, may I have a swig of that?"

OOC:   Here's how Story is currently dressed...

Brook still looks quite curiously at Tinker. "Raymond...I do remember a Raymond, but you don't look a bit like him. And how did you end up here? That's backwards! Are you alright?" She chews her lip a bit. "Lucius is at home..or at least quite close to home..."

"Um, sure." Anna quietly handed over the flask of red wine.

Story nods his thanks and takes a swig, savoring the taste of the red wine. After a moment he hands the flask back to Anna while saying, "Thank you. In a short amount of time this night has provided more things for me to ponder than any have in some time. Tell me, you're not also from Gallifrey are you? The older I get the harder it's apparently becoming to notice my own." He smiles at her. "No of course you're not. Never mind me, stressful night my dear... stressful night." He glances back at Tinker before returning his attention to Anna. "So, tell me about yourself while I think." It's only then that he seemingly takes note of Eugene standing there. "Ah, sorry chap... I didn't mean to intrude on your conversation." He smiles again.

"Eeh, I'm Anna Jerkins, practising alienist. My job is to analyse and medicate the ones with a broken psyche. I try my best to help the mentally-broken to see the world in all of its shiny colours." Anna said, her eyes lighting up with passion at the end. She truly believes in her profession.

"Well one of those dirty fisherman shot me and I had to well... regenerate and I look different now, but I am the same person and I guess I am alright, thank you." Tinker calms down a little while talking to the young girl. "At the time, I didn't have the privilege of just bouncing around all willy-nilly so I had to wait for a while. At least until they unlocked my ride - my TARDIS - which unfortunately they only did conditionally." Tinker shoots a dirty look towards Story, "So no, I haven't been sent for you, I didn't 'find you' - I just go where I get sent, and I certainly don't lurk on this planet. I have taken the long way around here for nearly two centuries. But I guess I... understand, Dunwich was dangerous, clearly."

Tinker turns back to Brook, "I'm sorry for my tone, it has just been very difficult for me and when I met you all then I thought you were my ticket out of exile." She smiles half-heartedly, "I am glad your friend got home. How long has it been for you all?" She pauses, "28 years for me..."

"So...what's going on?" Anna said, somehow even more confused than before. She had thought that she might have a better understanding of what's happening if she patiently waited for the story to unfold...unfortunately, she have no idea what's going on. But she was prettt sure she a few phrases tossed around that made her concerned for the mental health of Tinker and Story. "Are you guys okay? You aren't sounding all...there, if you could excuse my blunt words. I've frankly never heard of a place called Gallifrey. I'm available to help if you're getting too stressed from the air-raid. It's all right to feel this way." Anna said in a soothing tone, as she habitually switch to a tone of voice that she usually reserved for placating the mentally-ill.

Story can't help but laugh and says to Anna, "My dear alienist perhaps your diagnoses is right... a few marbles may have rolled away." He waves his hands and continues, "Never mind my mention of Gallifrey it's some distance off." He smiles. "As far as being stressed, it's stems from far weightier matters than the air-raid, but I thank you for your concern. I simply need to rest... perhaps all of my traveling, loss, and rash decisions are finally catching up to me." He looks to the door leading outside and mumbles to himself, "Zagreus sees you in your bed and eats you when you're sleeping..." After a moment he looks away from the door and turns his attention back to the lady, he says, "Excuse me, I seem to be rambling."

"It's okay to ramble. Sometimes, letting all the stuff that's bottled inside of you out in a healthy and productive manner helps with stress and instability. Would you like to have ammonites to draw? I can let you borrow my notebook." Anna said helpfully, eating fava beans while holding a pen and notebook in the other hand.

Anna turned towards Tinker, "Miss Tink, is there anything you would like to talk to me about?"

Psychoanalysis 90%,[dice]0[/dice]

history 20%,[dice]0[/dice]

OOC:   That...didn't quite go as well as I though it would.

Benjamin is completely flabbergasted at the recent exchange. "Regeneration? Tardis? What are you people going on about?". He gets the distinct feeling that most of that conversation was not meant for his ears...

Brook looks surprised from Tinker to Story, then back again. "You mean...You're like Story?" She thinks for a bit. "I'm not quite sure how long it's been. Time gets all muddled up...Weeks? More? The TARDIS took us to to Rome..."

Anna looked around in befuddlement. She felt like she's the only one who don't know what's going on. "Can someone please explain to me the hell is going on?"

Story stands there considering Anna's offer to doodle. However hearing her most recent question he looks from her to Tinker, finally saying, "More than you can imagine I'm afraid."

John frowned and looked from Story to Tinker, somewhat totally not with it.
He turns a questioning glance to Brook and Elizabeth, mouthing a silent 'what?'

'Listen, uhm, whatever you two are talking about.
Maybe we should go over the weird things of the night, starting with the leutnant and his beast here.'

"That's...not a very good answer." Anna threw up her hands in exasperation. She stared at John in curiousity. "What happened?"

Eddie is beginning to think he's the only sane person in the room, besides Felix. He's not the brightest card in the pack but realises there's more than meets the eye to what's going on here.

"It looks like a girl has been murdered not far from here, though her body is now is under rubble. Picked up a few strays on the way, though I think they're trustworthy. A couple even fell out of the sky." Looking at Rufus, "This chap seems to think there's a monster on the loose while we're getting bombed by his countrymen. A few of you seem to know each other. What are the chances, ey?"

With a laugh, "And this little chap is called Felix" .

"And my name's Eddie", he adds sheepishly.

Hello Eddie, nice to meet you." Anna said brightly, she stared at little Felix inquisitively, a curious mixture of adoration and scrutiny, before asking Eddie, "Um, Mr Eddie, can I pat him?"

Eddie Lawlor

"Be my guest Miss. He doesn't bite..least not yet", he adds with a wink.

Anna patted furry little thing on the head, scratched his collar, the works. The cat's response was...mild annoyance, apparently.

Lord Colville couldn't believe his ears...another person in on Story's conspiracy, though they don't seem to have planned this new addition well.

"I do not believe this tall tale Professor Story has weaved about a monster, he wants to take advantage of our fear. We should be alert, many of the people here seem to be part of his little gang. I don't yet understand Miss Tinker's role in the whole thing but the rest of his crew are obviously up to something."

Brook looks exasperated at lord Colville. "I've just about had it with you. To what end would we "take advantage of your fear", mister, to what end?! Have we asked for anything? We're in the middle of a bloody blitz, there's plenty of fear to go 'round without having to add to it without reason. If there's something out there attacking people, would you rather not know about it?! Fine, stick your head in the sand then! Let the rest take heed if they want!" The teenage girls huffs.

Looking at Lord Colville, Story says, "Lord Cranky, you would be wise to listen to Brook... and to stop accusing the innocent. For all we know you may be a German mole." He smiles and continues, "However I would never level such an accusation at you simply because we just met not too long ago." Looking around at those gathered before returning his gaze to Lord Colville he says, "The threat in the night is real... be it a monster, or a bomb... there is death outside. We should all be able to agree with that."

Mr. Handy wrote:

OOC,I don't think [b]Eddie[/b] was calling [b]Rufus[/b] a German. He was referring to [b]Friedrich Kurtz[/b], the German airman.

"Professor Story, I will at least concede that there is danger outside, and we should not be so foolish as to go out again. Now that everyone has heard my opinion of you, Professor Story, I hope we can move on, we may still be here a while yet and I don't wish to be trapped here as enemies.

He looks to Eddie, "It is good fortune you had time to get Felix, I have been breeding the most wonderful rabbits but I've had to leave them at home. I must confess some degree of worry about their safety."

"You're breeding rabbits?" Anna said, with some degree of resignation. "Those damned nightmarish hell-spawns don't need help to breed; before you know it, would've taken over your house. They aren't animals, are baby-making factories." She complained, obviously recalling a bad experience with rabbits.

Rufus laughs off yet another person who is skeptical of his hobby. "My rabbits have been breed with exquisite hair and I make a nice profit on the side selling furs. We keep the numbers managed easily enough"

"Oookay. Whatever you say, whatever you say. If it makes you happy." Anna said dubiously.

Eugene's head is spinning with all he has heard in the last minutes, he takes the bottle from Anna and finishes what's left in one gulp. "I think you are all suffering from severe shock and we really need something stronger than this to calm down!"

"I'm a psychiatrist; not liquor store owner. Don't look at me for alcohol!" Anna complained half-jokingly. She held up the small packet of fava beans. "Any takers for the beans?"

"No beans for me, thank you, we have enough explosions at the moment. But maybe you have some Chloral hydrate or Phenobarbital to cure these timelunnies!" Eugene winks at Anna as he points his thumb at the strange visitors.

"I don't, as a matter of fact, carry around prescription medicines in my handbag." Anna said politely towards Eugene politely, "I feel slightly offended that you think I would be as shameless as our insufferable neighbours from across the pond. Their doctors have an unfortunately loose definition of 'Clinical Prescription', I try my best to not act like one of them." She frowned somewhat disapprovingly, referencing a few controversial incidents she had heard of from acquaintances in her circles concerning the casual referral of addictive substances by doctors without proper diagnosis. "I get the joke, Eddie, I really do, but I'm afraid that's going to be where I draw the line."

"My apologies, I didn't mean to offend you" Eugene murmurs: "Just a silly joke."

Anna sighed, "It was. I got the joke, and I didn't mean to ruin it for you. It's just that, the work I do forces me to take these jokes in context." She said apologetically. She did, after all, illness as such should be made mockeries of.

Tinker sighs and shakes her head clearly unsatisfied with her conversation, "Perhaps you're right maybe the stresses of war are getting to me, I did just spend time in Korea with their resistance only to come here and find London under siege - that would get to most anyone."

Turning to the upset Lord Colville, "My Lord, perhaps you should wait for something more suspicious before you begin these accusations. No doubt espionage is a real problem and I applaud your desire to protect things at home, but sowing unnecessary chaos and paranoia can do more bad than spy at times. Be alert - not angry and afraid. And cheer up, even if you think the massacred woman was some sort of ruse to get you out of the shelter, you all came back safe and managed to collect yourself a handsome airman to boot."

She tilts her head at the mention of monsters, "I have had my share of experiences with monsters, more often than not they are man or man-made, but sometimes they are something else and something horrible. Either way, they are something that needs to be dealt with - but perhaps all we can do now is talk to the German and ride out the air raid."

OOC,Made it back in one piece. Stinks that I had to go during that conversation, but I think it worked out in the end.

Phyllis Cruckshank mumurs in a low voice, "If you ask me, Mrs Duncan, the air raid upstairs has addled their wits; barmy, the lot of them!"

"It sounds like you've had a hard time," says Elizabeth to Tinker, reaching out to hold her hand briefly, then let go. "I'm sorry that you went through what you did." She hopes that her meaning will be clear enough, without causing further alarm to the others present. Like Brook she is baffled by what is going on. Is Tinker really another Time Lord? Is she really Raymond that they met?

Anna quietly finished the small packet of fava beans and discreetly tossed the empty bag towards a dark corner of the room where no one was watching.

Seamus mopped his brow. He went to take another sip from his flask, only to find it empty. Yes, he was in shock, but the warmth in his belly soothed him. "At least I'm not see'n flying beasts, nor pretend'n to be a lord from some imaginary place...", Seamus muttered to himself, "Oh Ma, you made the best rabbit stew, why'd they have to go an blow ya up?". The explosions brought back memories, he'd have the nightmares again tonight.

Anna looked at Mr. Seamus with some degree of worry and polite concern, "Mr. Seamus, are you okay? It seems like you have something weighting in your chest." She said proverbially, as she attempted to look professional and failing, due to the ruckus going on outside.

Psychology 75%,[dice]0[/dice]

Having had some time to think Story moves back over to his companions and Tinker. He studies the female for a moment, clears his throat, and says, "I truly am sorry for leaving you behind, though in my defense I never knew you were there in the first place."

"I appreciate that. To be honest, at the time I just wanted to use you to get out of there, but I figure the ones keeping me grounded would have found a way to keep me stuck and probably punish you in the process. Turns out if you do enough favors for the council they will place you on probation and you can get a little bit of travel time. I can't really blame you all I suppose, I never told you who I was and I was worried how UNIT would react... but then the whole OP went sideways and that wasn't a concern anymore." Tinker gives Story and his friends a once over, "I'm sorry for overreacting about you leaving, it couldn't be helped. Besides, it isn't everyday you are forced to stop and smell the roses." Tinker smiles weakly.

She turns the group, "So did you all actually see the woman attacked or any evidence of a creature?"

"Operating under the assumption that there's monsters out there, how likely is it that they will attack us?" Anna said with a hint of resignation creeping into her voice. She knew there's nothing she could do anything except to play along at this point.

"Oh, aye, Mrs. Cruckshank," said Maggie to Phyllis, nodding. "This air raid's got everyone's nerves all jittery. It's likely to go on a while yet. I think I'll get some more shuteye. The all clear will wake us when it sounds."

Anne Jerkins,[b]Seamus[/b] seemed to be haunted by traumatic things that have happened to him, and he had obviously suffered loss, but he was mentally sound.

Archie has been busily handing out tea and biscuits and basically ignoring the conversation (unless anyone looked set to go to pieces). He happily hums "All Things" to himself as he works.

Finally contented with his efforts, he returns to Benajmin's cards. "Anyone for a slightly occult hand of cards? We're playing for matches."

Eddie could do with some shuteye too.

"If you lovely people are playing cards, would you mind keeping an eye on Rufus, I mean Friedrich, while I get some kip? Maybe he plays cards as well. Wake me in few hours and I'll take second watch."

He tickles Felix behind the ears. "Best stick close little fella. There's monsters about."

"I'll play, I don't understand anything about this gibberish anyways" Eugene sits down at the table.

"Feel free to use my cards," says Benjamin, "but after our trip to surface, I feel quite exhausted. I think I'll lie down here on one of these pews and try to make myself as comfortable as possible..."

"I'm used to long nights working at the sanitarium anyways. Alright, who starts first?" Anna said with some enthusiasm as she took a seat near the table as well. After all, nothing quite says comfort in an abandoned basement storage room deep under a church while German airplanes fly overhead and bombs the place she call home. She just hope that she still have a place to work by daylight. Playing card games seems like a good way to stop thinking about that, and to temporarily ignore all the questions building up inside her about the curious conversation between Tinker and the others; she got the feeling that something terribly wrong is going on, and no one seemed to be in any hurry to explain everything to her. Card games are famous for being a good way to pass time.

ooc,we are not [i]actually[/i] going to play a card game, are we? Because that would be too meta, playing a game inside a game through the medium of an online forum. I can't believe I just typed that.

Seamus grins back at Anna. "Ya, weight on my chest could be just what tha doc ordered. That and I would share some of me warmth with a pretty little thing?", whispers Seamus. He has a quick look amongst the stuff for something to rest his head against (always with an eye for anything valuable), then sets himself down quietly near Laura. He wiggles his finger, and mimes, beckoning Anna to come, and rest her head on his chest. With a sigh he checks his guilt, closes his eyes and tries to turn his dreams sweeter.

Anna stared long and hard at the man who had already closed his eyes are halfway to a restful sleep. She knew that he was trying to get a ride out of her. The best way to deal with this kind of person is generally to stay the hell away from them. She silently shuffled as far away as possible from the guy before briefly considering whether she should flick a small candy towards his eye just to mess with him. But after an internal debate, she decided that she wasn't that bored and she wanted to at least some shred of professional dignity remaining when she walk out of the shelter.

John is still too pumped on adrenaline from the dog fight and the parachute, let alone the encounter with strange bunch. He steps up to Elizabeth and Brook and tries a warm smile.
'I think between the bean lady and the two gobbledigooks over there, you two girls seem like the sanest of the lot. Can you tell me in detail what the heck happened tonight, dead ladies and monsters included?'

Brook looks at the American airman and nods. "Sure. We came to a warehouse, in the middle of the bombing. There, we discovered the body of a young woman. She'd been....mangled..like by an animal. You know, teeth and claws. But the blood trail came from outside and the door was closed. We went outside, and there was a pool of blood in the street, so we figured that's where she was attacked. Then whatever or whoever attacked her, dragged her inside. And closed the door. Which is a little disturbing if it was an animal..." The teenager speaks matter of factly, although looking a bit pale. "Then we met Eddie, he saw the body to by the way. He took us here, because of the bombing, and we told these others about the girl. Some of them wanted to find her, so we went back out, but in the meantime a bomb fell on the warehouse, levelling it...So we couldn't find the body, nor our transport which was parked in the warehouse..." she adds with a worried frown. "And that's when you came parachuting down."

Anna understood the gist of the story; they witnessed a particularly brutal case of animal attacks, and chose to rationalise it through mystical beliefs. She eavesdropped quietly on the group and silently copied down a few notes about the story, perhaps she could talk about it in her paper.

Archie apportions matches (for betting with) and deals mystical cards to those who are in. He encourages the leutnant to join in, explaining the rules if necessary.

"I think we lack sufficient information to speculate too much on what happen to that poor unfortunate up above. Until and unless further information comes to hand, it's time to play a hand."

"Alright. I'll start." Anna said with some enthusiasm, drawing three cards.

As Mrs Duncan begins to snore again, Phyllis Cruckshank leaves her and finds a pew near the German, "I'll watch him for a bit if you like. I'm wide awake." She sits down, gives the captured airman a hard stare and then delves into her bag for her knitting. Soon she is clicking away furiously, occasionally casting a glance at the prisoner.

Tinker nods along to Brook's story, "Interesting, an intelligent creature or animal, or a particularly vicious person. And how does the German over here fit in?"

As the conversation dies down, Tinker will sit on the floor with her back to the church organ to get some rest.

John nods, glad to hear Brook's version.

'Well, unless you came in a tank, i don't think there's going to be much left of your ride. But thanks for the clear mumbojumbo free explanation.'

He then looks at Tinker.
'He said their bomber had been attacked by a large winged creature. The only thing with wings on that we're sending up there are our Spitfires and Hurricanes. This war is driving people insane, turning us all into monsters if we let it.'

Story sits down against the wall and exhales deeply before shutting his eyes.

"Whatever it was or wasn't, I hope we're safe in here," says Elizabeth. "We should probably get some rest until it's safe to go outside," she says, nodding towards Story and Mrs Duncan. "I think I'll get some shut-eye myself." She sits down beside Story, careful not to disturb him, and closes her eyes, trying to get a bit of sleep, and not dwell too much on the night's strange events, and in particular what happened to the TARDIS and what it means for them.

"Ja, I vill play cards," said Friedrich, sitting down and joining the others.

OOC,I did have characters play an actual game of poker when I ran Space Oddity, but I won't do that here. Instead, I'll abstract the game. Everyone who is playing cards, please roll Luck. It won't be a problem for people to take shifts watching [b]Friedrich[/b].

Anna looked at her cards, and placed down the ones she was sure about with great confidence.

Luck 80%,[dice]0[/dice]

'Well, might as well try to get some sleep myself. If you folks need to be relieved guarding the lieutenant, wake me up, okay?'

John finds a decent spot and pulls his cap down over his face, trying to get some rest.

"Well, I hope you guys enjoy a good night's rest then." Anna said in a kind manner towards the half-asleep residents of the temporary bunker and then placed down her cards with an innocent smile on her face. It's pretty obvious what happens next isn't going to bode well for the people afflicted with bad luck.

Brook wanders a bit back and forth, restless and worried about their ticket home. Although, home was actually the TARDIS now...She looks at Tinker, wondering how Raymond could change so completely. Then she glances towards Story, who's resting.

Eugene and Friedrich only had junk in their hands. Rufus at least had a pair of jacks, which he thought at least had a chance, but Archie had two pairs, sixes and sevens, which about summed up how they all felt. However, Anna revealed her cards to show a full house, aces over eights, which by far beat anything they had. Of course, the fact that it was known as the dead man's hand was rather ominous.

OOC,[b]Friedrich Kurtz[/b]'s Luck roll (50% stat) playing cards: [dice]0[/dice]

With a stroke of luck and a devilish poker face, Anna had beaten everyone on the table and collapsed back on her chair with a small smile of satisfaction on her face as she giggled slightly as she packed up the cards and handed them back to their rightful owner. "Alright. I'm going off to get a little rest. It was fun, but I don't want to burn the midnight oil for any longer than I have to. Good night. "

On that note, Anna went and found a comfortable position on the pew and quickly went to sleep.

Lord Colville found somewhere comfortable and went to sleep.

Archie pull out his pocket RN issue bible. Quietly, he moves around the room speaking to those who are awake, in case anyone wishes to pray with him before consigning themselves to sleep and possible Blitz oblivion.

Out of politeness, Archie does not make this offer to Benjamin, but he does return Benjamin's esoteric card deck with thanks.

"Dammit! Oh well, I better get some shut-eye myself" Eugene sits down on some blankets against the wall and pulls his hat down over his eyes, arms crossed.

The night passed uneventfully. Bombs continued to fall in the distance, but the shelterers learned quickly to sleep through them, or to fall back to sleep in those instances where they were awakened. Friedrich managed to sleep as well, and those who guarded him through the night had no trouble with him. Several hours later, everyone was awakened by the warbling of the air raid siren sounding the all clear.

"SWEET MERCIFUL BUDDHA WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!!??" Anna woke up screaming, being rudely awakened by the air sirens can do that to a person. It took some effort, but she quickly calmed down after a hit of adrenaline coursed through her body. She was having nice dream about her childhood before the air raid sirens blared, and now she's awake and screaming.

"No need for panic, that's the all-clear!" Benjamin shouts. He gets up from the pew where he spent the night, and massages his painful limbs.

"Not a very comfortable place to sleep, but at least we're still in one piece! Now that the all-clear has sounded, I guess it's safe to go outside. Shall we drop off our prisoner at the police station?"

Anna took deep breaths, before quickly responding, "We should asses the situation first, even if the air raids are over, we don't know whether crucial buildings are still intact. I suggest we send someone out and go scout around a bit first before heading off to hand in our prisoner." Anna rationalised, she had noticed the German amidst them last night, but had chosen not to comment. She still believe it is pointless to comment on the soldier, even if they are at war, she's a doctor, and she had long since mastered the art of impartial judgement during her working days. "Also, you folks wouldn't mind checking whether my house is still intact, would ya? I hope it's still in one piece, but you never know." She directed this at everyone in the room with a relatively calm voice, carefully avoiding the crooked felon while she was at it. After all, being impartial does not mean she doesn't have any prejudices.

Mrs Cruckshank splutters awake; she had dozed off some time ago. She looks quickly to see that the German airman is still where he should be and then tidies her hair. "Well, what a night that was. If anyone is needing a roof over their heads after this, or even just breakfast, then you are welcome to come to mine on Gibson Square. I have eggs." She says rather proudly. "That's if it's still there of course."

"I have enough food in my house to cook some half-decent food, but I doubt they'll survive if my house didn't." Anna said sheepishly, as she unceremoniously tidied her hair, which had became quite messy after sleeping in an uncomfortable position for an entire night. "I don't suppose anyone have some hair-clips or hairpins that I could borrow? I don't seem to find any in my handbag." Anna said with a weak smile, her handbag was mostly occupied with a doctor's kit and some medical gauze she prepared for patients that habitually injure themselves.

"I'm going out to check my car," Eugene says as he tries to flatten his wrinkled clothes. "I'll be happy to look around and I definitely wouldn't say no to a good meal!"

Tinker stretched and yawned as she got up, seemingly unperturbed by the sirens, "I could go for a coffee and maybe a small bite."

"Do you mind check whether my car is intact as well?" Anna said, attempting to sound persuasive. "It's just a on street on the right of the police station a few blocks down and you should see a sign for Maxwell's Sanitarium. I dunno, but I'm pretty confident in my cooking skills as long there's the necessary ingredients and the right equipment around." She had said the first part towards Eugene and the second part towards Tinker as she casually advertised her cooking skills to no one in particular as she subtly glanced at Tinker, hoping she'll pick up the hint and give her something to tidy her hair up without appearing rude.

Brook rubs her eyes, yawns and stretches. Then she remembers the bombed out warehouse, and looks towards Story and Elizabeth. "Perhaps we should go look for the TARDIS..." she says worriedly. She rummages through her pockets and produces a bobby pin and a rubber hair band, holding them out to Anna.

"It's worth a try surely," says Elizabeth, who had woken up a little while before Brook spoke. She's stiff from sleeping in the shelter, and stretches her muscles before she has to stand up.

Anna quickly thanked Brook and tidied up her hair before feeling considerably more invigorated and ready to head off to go back to her house as soon as possible.

Story drifted back to consciousness, opening his eyes he nods in agreement to Elizabeth's response and says, "Yes, yes... definitely worth a try." He stands to his feet, fully awake, and ready to meet the day. Looking at Brook and Elizabeth he smiles and reaches his hands out to assist his companions to their feet.

Lord Colville wakes up slowly. He didn't get much sleep outside the luxury of his imported bed. He is ready to head home.

"You're all welcome to come to Sunday services this morning," said Giles Curry. "I'll be focusing on the Old Testament, the Psalms in particular," he added with a polite nod to Benjamin.

OOC,I'll wait until this weekend to split the thread, when I should have time, and that will give everyone who hasn't already done so time to decide where they're going.

Mr. Handy wrote: "I'll be focusing on the Old Testament, the Psalms in particular," he added with a polite nod to Benjamin.

"Much obliged, thank you very much!" Benjamin says with a friendly smile to the reverend.

Turning his attention back to the recent conversion in the rest of the group, he asks "What is this Tardis thing you keep going on about? Is it a kind of car? If it is, I must admit I've never heard of that brand, even though I like to keep up with what's happening in the automobile landscape..."

"I'd like to know as well." Anna said, nodding in agreement Benjamin as she turned and looked at Story and his group with an inquisitive stare as she decided to gain more information about their beliefs to make a proper diagnosis. It was truly peculiar how they are capable of saying the most ridiculous things without even so much as the slightest change in the expression

"Sure, I'll take a look at your car. Where do you want to meet up for breakfast?" Eugene asks Anna.

"I am pretty sure there's a café nearby, but I'll have to check back with you." Anna said uncertainly.

OOC:   Is there a café nearby, Mr. Handy?

Turning his attention to Benjamin and Anna, Story thinks for a moment opening his mouth two or three times as if to speak, finally he does, "It's not exactly an automobile my dear chap... though I suppose it could be depending on her mood." He smiles at them both before continuing, "I'm not surprised you don't know what it is. It's an exotic mode of transportation you might say... and unless you have Most Secret clearance I really can say nothing more." If stuffs his hands into his pockets and rocks on his heels for a moment before concluding, "I'm sorry for providing such an unsatisfying answer, I truly am... but if I say anymore His Majesty George the Sixth, by the Grace of God, of Great Britain, Ireland and the British Dominions beyond the Seas King, Defender of the Faith, Emperor of India will surely have my head." To put an exclamation point on it he stomps his foot and loudly says, "God save the King!"

Instinctively, Anna felt like this was a little too over-exaggerated and a comical attempt to avoid mentioning any details. Anna is still not sure what Story is hiding, but she's at certain of the fact that he's hiding something. Going along with his story, Anna pretended to be convinced and did not any further questions.

Psychology 75%,[dice]0[/dice]

OOC,There are some cafés and restaurants in the area, but they are highly unlikely to be open early on a Sunday morning - or at all on a Sunday, probably.

Anna Jerkins,[b]Story[/b] seemed to be keeping back an awful lot.

Anna realised the blunders of meeting up at a café on a Sunday morning. She inwardly scolded herself and proposed another suggestion, "How about let's just meet up here? I mean, it is a church, so I think just meeting up above ground and then discuss things is okay too."

"Alright, we'll meet back here." Eugene gets ready to head out, ignoring the crazy talk.

"Cool. I'll see you around. Anna said cheerfully, and gave a small wave and a smile towards Eugene. She saw something within him that was indifferent to the world around him and Anna intuitively felt like he is...withdrawn. The least she could do was to try and be polite. After all, to her, a stranger is just a friend you haven't made friends with yet. She believes being friendly and cheerful to others is the key to happiness.

"Thank you Story," says Elizabeth, as she takes his hand to steady herself as she stands up. As he continues with his performance she can't help herself grinning, but hopes she doesn't give anything away.

John wasn't all too eager for a sermon and he probably had to get back to base some time soon.

"Look, thanks for the offer of spiritual salvation and all, but I'm to skip on that. I'm passing by the place where I met you guys, check for signs of that woman or the lieutenant's monster and head on out. You're welcome to come along. And don't hold onto him for too long, the War Office might think you're conspiring."

Lord Colville attends the sermon.

Archie greets everyone with usual cheer. "I think I'd better take the young leutnant to the police station now. Then I'd better find my way back to Bart's and tidy up, no doubt some ministering to be done there on a Sunday."

Mrs Cruckshank bustles around collecting cups and tidying up. "I think I'll just pop home and then be back in time for the sermon, Reverand. Are you walking my way too, Maggie?" She asks Mrs Duncan.

Eddie Lawlor

"Come on Friedrich, looks like me & the good Reverend are going to accompany you to the station" says Eddie. "No funny business now or Felix'll 'ave ya" he adds, smiling.

Eddie is fairly sure there will be no trouble, but appreciates the Reverend's help.

Addressing Story and his companions, "I'll join you chaps at the warehouse when I'm done. Could maybe help you dig about a bit. Will have to get a bite to eat first though."

"I'll stay here for a while longer before I head off to my home." Anna said, "I don't want to face my boss just yet. He lives literally three streets down from where I live." An awkward expression came over her face as she struggled to keep a straight face before turning away from the others. She discreetly shuffled to a dark corner of the basement to curl up into a foetal position. It was an excuse, she supposed, to tell them that she only wanted to avoid dealing with her boss. She just wanted to stay here for a while longer and forget about her worries and responsibilities, after all, as long as her car is still okay; then she should be fine, right? Her breath sharpened, as the events of last night slammed back into her with a harsher focus. She shared a room with a large group of strangers...some of which definitely did not sound sane and a very specific individual was definitely a criminal, even though she knew these circumstances were only temporary and that it was all a byproduct of the war; she never felt less safe. She wanted to have a talk with family members, and she wanted to have moment to herself. These desires were contradictory in nature, and perhaps her mentor might've had a thing or two to say about this. But unfortunately, her friends, family, and mentor, are all either dead or estranged. She briefly wondered about her brother, who she haven't talked to for many years, and what he's doing at this very moment. Is he still alive at this point? She thought to herself with mildly apathetic amusement

Anna decided that breakfast and other adult matters can wait. She still needs a few moments to herself now that church is getting significantly less crowded. A few droplets of tears welled up behind her eyes when she thought no one was watching. She cried quietly in a dark corner. It was awful, and the world felt like a terrible place. She doesn't feel like being happy right now.

As the group steadily makes plans to go out and meet back up Tinker nods and watches as people get ready to shuffle out.

Tinker claps her hand on Story's back and leans in to whisper conspiratorially, "I believe I have Most Secret clearance, though I believe mine comes from Queen Elizabeth, will this do as proof" Tinker produces a cylindrical metal tube with a number of added parts from the cloth bag on her shoulder - undeniably a sonic screwdriver, but with many modifications and replaced parts.

Tinker smiles goofily, as if she had just been party to a joke, "If your ride took a couple dings and needs some fixin' then I'm your man...err woman! Though it sounds like a warehouse of rubble might be the more likely issue. Looks like you're stuck with me for a little bit!" Tinker laughs heartily. Being trapped without transport could be a nightmare scenario for Story and his companions - but it was Tinker's reality for more than a century... and it seems to have affected her.

Story looks at the sonic screwdriver for a moment and then at Tinker, "I... we would appreciate any help you could offer in our recovery effort." He smiles weakly. It's been some a long time since he has encountered a fellow Time Lord, and frankly he's not sure if he can trust this one just yet.

Anna heard the indistinct voices of Tinker and Story talking about something, but due to the fact that they're whispering and she was too far out of earshot; she didn't quite catch what they were saying. Quietly, she hoped they wouldn't notice her, as she suddenly realised that she may not be all that eager to talk to them. She assumed that they were, presumably, talking the things that she's incapable of understanding (she still doesn't understand why Story and his companions acts so nervously when the subject of this 'tardis' was brought up); not that she's interested in trying to find out, after all, they would just offer half-baked lies and empty platitudes in a misguided attempt to cover it up.

Even though I may not be the most intelligent or the most experienced person in the room, but I think I'm still capable of distinguishing the obvious truth and the not-so-obvious half-truths from the flat-out lies, you know? She thought to herself dersively. She knew they were hiding something; and she had realised by now that it's a big secret. She instinctively realised that whatever they're hiding might be a bigger bombshell than the German pilot's stories; but she just couldn't bring herself to care about it enough to find out precisely what it is.

She feels too emotionally tired at the moment to dissect everything they said lat night. Slowly, she nodded back into sleep. She was much more tired than she had let on, and she probably didn't get enough sleep last night.

Listen 25%,[dice]0[/dice]

Archie nods happily to Eddie. "Much appreciated Eddie, although if there is anything more urgent you need to do, I believe I could get this young man to the station safely by myself. Nonetheless, your company would be very welcome."

Brook also nods at Tinker's offer to help recover the Tardis. She glances at Elizabeth, worrying a little that they'll be stuck here during the wartime. Stuck with no modern conveniences like cellphones, computers, internet, television....She shudders briefly.

After a while, Anna cooled down, took control of her emotions, and decided to go and find something to do. First, she decided that eating breakfast was probably a good idea at the moment, and decided to carefully head upstairs to go and get some food to eat while waiting for the time to pass. The ancient stairs creaked and groaned in protest as they endured the weight of yet another person that is, by no means, 'slim and slender'. Granted, Anna wasn't exactly portly, but she also wasn't exactly the poster child for a willowy figure either.

She winced slightly as the stairs creaked under her weight, and headed upstairs to go find some food to eat before the Sunday Service. Anna believes in having a religious experience every once in a while. Besides, there's free food.

Seamus decided to follow Anna up the stairs and outside the church. “Want a fag luv?”, he offered the packet before lighting his cigarette.

Squinting in the morning light his hangover throbbed as he caught himself up against a wall. He decided to tail the ‘lords’. Seems there may be a way to turn a profit, if they think their small scepters are screwdrivers, he might be able to swindle them away from them.

"Sure." Anna said, looking directly in the eyes of the criminal, and chose to accept the cig. Normally, she doesn't smoke. But ever since the war started, she felt like she's starting to pick up a few vices or two. "So, what do you plan do after all this is over? The war, I mean. The men on the radios had been talkin' and recently about how it'll end soon. 'The Axis power will never triumph against Great Britain'; I may be paraphrasing a bit, mister, but I assure that I sincerely doubt the war will bring about anything good for us in a short amount of time. What do you think have in stock for you in the future?" She chatted idly with the man, maintaining a friendly manner whilst doing so.

She took a breath of sharp, fresh air as she stepped out of the musty church basement. She hoped she won't have to endure the smell of a haphazardly prepared war bunker anytime soon as she went and picked up an apple from the breakfast table. The fruit are a warm welcome to the beginning of her morning as the distinctly sharp flavours of the apple felt...heavenly after a long night.

Elizabeth notices Brook's glance, and is unsure what her friend is thinking. Oh if only the TARDIS is safe though, Elizabeth thinks to herself. This era is familiar to Elizabeth, but it's not one she particularly wants to be stuck in. She might never see her family again for one thing, or at least if she did she couldn't tell them who she is. At least while they have the TARDIS - and oh please let them still have that marvellous machine! - there is hope she could get home at some point.

"War, war never changes", Seamus told Anna in a hush,"It took my parents, and now it's taken poor Nell". "Of course you'll be busy in tha crazy houses. It's been hard, but I think it's harder on those that think they come from 'galley-fey' ".

"Aye. If it's one thing we could all agree, Mister Seamus, I believe it would that war is bad." Anna said, taking a good, long drag of the cigarette for good measure. She stared vacantly up at the ceiling above before whispering back at Seamus, "You know, this would be a pretty great time for the lord to come down and help us with this whole 'war' thing, wouldn't it? People suffer, and there's not an awful lot you could do about it. War; war is a monster, it reduces countless innocent lives to mere statistics emotionlessly processed by our leaders every morning. Now, I see this war has transcended Good and Evil altogether, it has morphed into a petty fight of ideals; the winners will get to write history regardless of whether they are right or wrong. The Jews are the unwitting sacrifices." After a brief moment of silence, Anna clenched her fists in anger with some force placed behind it.

'That is the dumbest thing I've heard in a long time, lady.'

John had been ignoring Anna, but this had triggered something.

'In case you hadn't noticed this war is one against the very ideology of evil, of the very conscious and thought-through destruction of people, and of the idea's, morals and values that make us human. To stand by and not take action is to approve of this horror. Everyday we go out there, unsure that we'll ever return, to try and stop this unstoppable wave of hatred.'

John breathes deeply, getting a grip of his anger.

'The true monster is complacency. Think about that when you're enjoying your breakfast.'

"What is evil? What, exactly, will this war stop? Racism? Discrimination? Hah." Anna said, a slightly mocking smile was painted on her lips. "History is written by winners. What they consider as 'justice' one hundred years ago is way different what we would consider 'justice' today. This war is merely a clash of ideals. It does not reflect the will of the people. Not all Germans is a Nazi, and not all of us are as welcoming to the Jews as we would like to be. Don't get your blood boiling just because there's evil in this world; you can't stop it. No one man or woman ever could. In a war, everyone is involved and we all contribute. Do you think the best way for people to serve is to give everyone a gun and then throw them into the trenches?"

With tired eyes, Anna stared at John in the eyes. An unreadable expression flashed across her face. "I am who I am; a doctor of psychiatry. I've seen more horrors and depravity in only a few years of residency than you ever would on the front lines. Every morning, I wake up knowing it's going to be a day that's going to be filled with discrimination towards both my gender and my lineage. Yes, I came from Australia, and my ancestors were almost certainly criminals; but that doesn't mean I have to go down that path too, yet there are people out there who treated me as such. I have seen people tortured by demons that haunts and plague them every time they close their eyes; people who live their days in endless pain. Those people also needs help, do you accuse me of complacency when my vocation requires me, by nature, to assist those in need of help and to swear under the Hippocratic oath?" She shook her head in disappointment at the soldier, "The problems plaguing this world can't all be solved with a .66 gun and handful of bullets. It's not that easy. People who do their part by working their jobs knowing their doom may come at any given moment and donating their time to the government should never be accused of complacency, Soldier."

John listens to Anna with an almost slackjawed look on his face.

'Have you ever listened to yourself? This war is preventing the damned Nazi's from taking over the damned world. And if you have any doubts as to their degree evil, lady, I would kindly suggest you have your wits checked.
Duty to government? Really? If I was doing my duty to my government, I probably wouldn't even have been here.
I'm doing my duty to humanity, and that's worth a whole lot more than wha...'

He stops, checking himself as he suddenly realises he's shouting at a woman.

'I'm going out, this place is way too crowded.'

Anna stared at the retreating figure for a while before shaking her head in disappointment. "I think I've managed to piss him off." She said to Seamus.

The soldier projects an aura of nobility to his vocation and, clearly, he believes that he is fighting for the 'greater good'. Something Anna most certainly do not believe exists. There will be good people and bad people on both sides, as some of the higher ranking members of the Third Reich has now been exposed to be Jewish sympathisers, she believes there's quite a few more of these within the ranks of the atrocious order as well. Why can't this soldier see that they aren't alll fighting for same thing? There are nations that are only opposing Germany through circumstance, not choice.

Anna doesn't believe that she knew everything, but she felt like she's entitled to her right to express her ideals and beliefs. Respecting the job of a soldier does not necessarily mean it is contradicting her belief that innocent lives will be lost as the 'good guys' fight for the 'greater good'; regardless of the outcome of the war. To her, Justice, with a capital J, is merely a knee-jerk response to evil. There's nothing inherently noble or righteous about any of this.

OOC,[b]Story[/b], [b]Elizabeth[/b], [b]Brook[/b], [b]Seamus[/b], and [b]Tinker[/b] are moving to the thread linked below:

Among the Ruins

OOC,[b]Lord Rufus Colville[/b] is moving to the thread linked below:

Home Again

OOC,[b]Eddie[/b] and [b]Archie[/b] are moving to the thread linked below:

Escort Duty

OOC,[b]Benjamin[/b], [b]Eugene[/b], and [b]Anna[/b] are moving to the thread linked below:

The Morning After

OOC,[b]Phyllis Cruckshank[/b] is moving to the thread linked below:

Keep Calm and Carry On

OOC,[b]Group Captain John H. Barrow[/b] is moving to the thread linked below:

After Action Report