paradisalost | when I say Earl Grey, you say yes please

Who: The 5th Doctor, Galadriel, and Arwen
What: A pleasant low tea and some private discussion
When: Sunday evening
Where: The Zero Room, Five's TARDIS, Room 1102, Cair Paradisa, Paradisa
Rating: I doubt this lot will get any saucier than PG.

The Doctor was never one to turn down a request for help - and certainly never from someone who he'd decided he could trust. So when Lady Galadriel had remarked upon her need for a private environment, away from prying Castle ears, where she could speak with her granddaughter, he'd almost immediately offered the use of the Zero Room.

Now there was simply the matter of making it presentable and comfortable enough for the situation at hand. He'd spent the morning bringing in a pair of comfortable wicker chairs, and the little low table he'd been fond of keeping in the Console Room for company, before the TARDIS had reconfigured herself. Once everything looked habitable enough, he set about the business of preparing a proper low tea. He didn't know much about Galadriel and Arwen's culture, beyond the glimpses he'd seen in the Lady's mind, but as far as he was concerned, he saw no reason why a nice, polite tea would be objectionable to anyone. Within a short while, he'd either prepared or wished up the proper accouterments - he'd never been able to make watercress sandwiches to perfection - and set everything out upon the table. With the kettle on low, and everything else in order, he strolled back out to the Console Room, then waited patiently outside the TARDIS for his two lovely guests to arrive.

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It was a sign of great trust that she had approached him at all, as accustomed as she was to keeping her secrets, and accepting the offer of the space was even more so. She could count on his discretion, and that of his living ship, and that spoke volumes.

She was being given the chance to tell her granddaughter things that she will never know in their own world (or, at least, to confirm suspicions that would otherwise remain unanswered). Ordinarily, she would not have wished to divulge information about Nenya at all, but its loss made this a somewhat different matter. At home, the knowledge was a dangerous one. Here it was, perhaps, more dangerous for Arwen not to know- to have some idea of the power of the castle and to understand the limits it had placed on her grandmother.

And, in truth, it would do Galadriel well to tell of it. It was one thing to keep full knowledge of the ownership of the Rings among the White Council; it was another to keep the loss of one to herself, the guilt and fear weighing heavily on her heart.

So when she arrives at room 1102, her countenance is not as dark as it might be, given the potential subject matter of the conversation, though it may still be a little grave. After waiting a moment for her granddaughter, she knocks.

Arwen knows the shape of the subject matter to be discussed. She has heard it discussed in fearful whispers in her father's secret halls, though she was never completely privy to them. Often she has wondered if the safety of Rivendell and the beauty of Lothlorien is due to the elves or something else entirely. If Galadriel's might is her own or borrowed from a trinket.

She arrives after her grandmother, hurrying her steps when she notices a flash of golden across the hallway. "Grandmother," she says by way of greeting, coupled with a brief nod. The room seems to be an ordinary one, but she trusts her judgment in this and many other things. If she says that here they may be able to speak without the Castle eavesdropping on their conversation, she must have her reasons.

"How shall I address him?"

She gives Arwen a nod in return as well as a small smile. She knows what her granddaughter must be thinking, but the room and the objects inside it are more than they seem, much like the man to which they belong. Arwen will find out soon enough.

"He introduced himself to me as 'the Doctor' or 'Lakare.' I prefer the latter, though I imagine either would be acceptable."

The room was ordinary enough, in terms of an indoor greenhouse. Five was at the back of his TARDIS when the women entered, pruning some dead leaves off of one of the plants, and he carefully made his way back around at the sound of their voices.

"Yes, perfectly acceptable, either way." He smiled, softly, and doffed his hat to them both in welcome. "A pleasure to have you here, both of you. I take it I've finally the pleasure of meeting Lady Arwen?"

Arwen follows Galadriel into the room, wondering if she should know the significance of his name. She blinks at first at the plants lining the room. It seems a brilliant idea. Noticing the man that must be Lakare, Arwen gives him a little bow in greeting.

"Yes, though the pleasure is all mine," she smiles, again trying to gauge his identity. He seems human by all measures, but he must not be one. "My grandmother has told me of your good will in assisting us."

"Lakare." Galadriel offers a warm, genuine smile and a brief nod in greeting. "I truly cannot thank you enough for your offer. Such safe havens are rare, even outside of this place."

"You're both most welcome." He smiled, returning Arwen's bow as he pulled open the TARDIS doors and gestured for them to enter.

"And it's no trouble, none whatsoever. You're both welcome here any time you like. The TARDIS and I do enjoy company, after all ... please, come right in."

"The TARDIS," Arwen tries the name on her lips. "What manner of place is it? Or device?"

She thinks that it must have such power, to be able to ward away the Castle's curious eyes and ears. But she trusts him enough, if he has already gained the Lady Galadriel's trust, and enters through the doors.

And Galadriel follows her into the TARDIS, stepping aside and pausing a moment to look around in wonder. She knew it was extraordinary beforehand, of course, but knowing something and seeing it for yourself are two different things. And even someone who has seen as much as Galadriel has can't help but be impressed by such a large amount of space inside such a seemingly small box.

For being inside something as utterly alien to her experience as a living space ship, she was already remarkably at ease. Perhaps it was her ability to sense the conciousness of the TARDIS, or perhaps it was merely trust in Lakare. Most likely a combination of both. But at Arwen's words she turns and looks at her, realizing just how much she hadn't told her.

"Forgive me, I have kept you in the dark more than I intended. But I believe Lakare will give a far better explanation than I am capable of offering."

"I've known her for centuries, I should hope that I can." He leans against one of the columns circling the console, and tucks his thumbs in his coat pockets, smiling. "TARDIS is an acronym, as well as a name: it stands for Time and Relative Dimensions in Space. Before we were pulled here, to Paradisa, the TARDIS was a time-travelling ship, capable of bringing my companions and I to any place and time we wanted. But she's more than just a simple vessel, she's also quite alive, just as sentient as you or I. She can't really communicate with words, as it were, but she knows a good soul when she sees one."

Indeed, there was a quiet, unobtrusive feeling of welcome spreading through the console room - one which normal humans would have been completely oblivious to, for the most part, but which the elves would probably have been able to pick up on readily.

when I say Earl Grey, you say yes please

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/mun is new to this "no threads in logs" thing, but ok

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/mun is fairly new to logs in general, so eh

that's ok, this works just as well! XD no pesky collapsing threads!

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/de-hiatuses. apologies for lateness! <3