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crack_van2010-03-15 08:05 pm
sandystarr88.livejournal.com) wrote in crack_van2010-03-15 08:05 pm
Entry tags:
Doctor Who / Star Wars (PG)
Title: Cloud City Blues (in Eight Bars) by hibernate
Pairing: Gen; Donna Noble, Lando Calrissian
Length: 2,800
Author on LJ:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
hibernate
Author Website:gnossienne_nr1
Why this must be read:
When the Doctor accidentally abandons Donna Noble in a city in the clouds Donna does what she does best, and makes the most of a bad situation. Booze, sabacc, and cryptic predictions about the future occur, but mostly just Donna and Lando being awesome.
At least they had decent drinks in Cloud City. Donna wasn't quite sure what was in them, but they were orange and tasted pleasantly spicy. The pub - the Horny Hutt Cantina; blimey, did Donna ever not want to know where that name came from - was located in one of the better parts of Port Town and almost empty at this time of night. It took her a moment to recognise the grey figure a couple of seats away. Well, it seemed she couldn't quite get away from him, because there he was again, that idiot Calrissian, in what must be the worst disguise ever.
"The beard is an improvement," Donna said and gestured towards the obviously fake, grey beard that looked mostly like a small, scruffy animal had taken up residence on his face.
He just grunted in response. Actually, on closer inspection, he did look a bit like someone had run off with all his money. "Doing secret business here then?" she said. "That's why you're all under-cover? Didn't think I'd ever see you in Port Town."
"Hypothetical question," he said, completely ignoring everything she'd said. "Say you have the ability to make a great deal. It's pretty much the perfect deal."
"No such thing," Donna said. "Next thing you know they'll want your right arm or firstborn or something."
He took a deep swig of his drink. "Yeah. But this is a deal that would solve all your problems and help a lot of people who depend on you."
Donna rolled her eyes. Oh, please. What did he have to worry about? He practically owned a floating city. It wasn't as if he'd been stranded in the wrong end of the universe. "Do I look like a therapist?"
"A what?"
"I don't want to hear about your hypothetical problems. Just stop being an idiot."
He didn't say anything, just sort of slumped forward a bit. That annoying, slick smile never left his face, but he was looking at her with the same pathetic puppy-dog eyes the Doctor had.
Donna sighed deeply and rolled her eyes, moving to sit next to him. Why did it always come down to the sad, pitiful eyes? "So who did you have to shag to get to be the boss of this place?" she said, taking pity on him.
That got him to straighten his back at least. "You know, accusing people of things like that only makes it seem like that's how you get ahead in life. Some people stick to honest methods."
She snorted loudly. "That's how you ended up here? Worked your way up, did you? Somehow I find that hard to believe."
"Doesn't matter. I don't remember."
"Come on, if you can't tell the woman you're having followed, who can you tell? Was it something embarrassing? Did your mum buy it for you?" She laughed loudly. "Oh, I know, you won it in a Superman look-alike contest!"
"What? Who?" He shook his head. "If you absolutely must know I won it in a game of sabacc."
"Sabacc?"
And then he told her all about sabacc, which seemed to be some kind of extreme, outer-space poker, that apparently also could tell the future and probably find pots of gold at the end of rainbows too if Calrissian was to be believed. (Forgive her for being slightly sceptical.)
"Like this." He flipped the top card over. "It's the Commander of Staves. It means, sort of, 'a messenger on a fool's errand'." He grinned widely, as if it was some kind of private joke. "That's me, I guess."
He made a great show of picking another card. He was probably cheating somehow. He seemed the type. But then that intolerable grin disappeared and his face became unreadable when he finally turned it over. The card showed an object next to a blue planet and text on the bottom that said 'the Satellite'.
"What does it mean?" she asked.
"Nothing important," he said quickly. "Let's do you instead. A traveller from far away - must be more interesting than my boring old life."
"All right." She picked a card, turning it over to reveal a six with swords on the top.
"The Six of Sabres." He smiled. "A journey's end."
Donna didn't much like the sound of that. She had no intention of letting her journey end here, not now, not ever and especially not with Mr Smooth here.
"It's not a bad card," he said at her unhappy look. "Every journey has an end. That's how the universe works, honey."
"Don't call me that," she huffed and picked another card. This time it portrayed a burning space ship. "Well?"
Lando didn't answer at first, and when he did it was with a dismissive gesture. "It's not for real anyway," he said. "Just a way to pass time. Pick another one."
Oh no, just her luck. "I picked the flipping death card, didn't I?"
"No, no, it isn't! That's another card. This is... not that." The way he said it made it sound like this card was actually worse than the death card.
"Just tell me what it means. It's not like I believe in this anyway."
He sighed. "Fine. The most common interpretation is disaster and destruction, and generally bad, bad things. Happy now?"
"What, for once a card isn't vague and cryptic, and it means the bloody apocalypse?"
"Not the apocalypse. Just pick another card, start again."
"No!" Donna said and quickly gathered the cards, pushing them back towards him. "You just predicted that my future is going to be all badness and destruction, I don't want to know what else you can fit in there. I'm just going to go back to my room and sleep."
He certainly knew how to kill her good mood.
6.
Donna was walking back to level 174 in the dark, when a familiar sound reached her ears. Her breath hitched. It was the most beautiful sound in the world.
She didn't waste any time.
Rounding a corner, she ran straight into the Doctor, almost knocking him to the ground. Breathless, she grabbed his arms, keeping him on his feet. Torn between the urge to hug him and to slap him silly, she ended up just clutching tightly at his arms. "Where have you been? I didn't, I thought you'd... it's been weeks!"
"Really?" The Doctor smiled brightly. "Only a couple of minutes for me. Well, I was in a hurry, my aim might have been a bit off. But you got a holiday! You said you wanted one of those."
"Holiday?! I had to work!"
She was going to tell him, in every excruciating detail, about everything she had to live through because he couldn't bloody drive to save his life, but first things first. She was dying for a cup of coffee.
Cloud City Blues (in Eight Bars)
Pairing: Gen; Donna Noble, Lando Calrissian
Length: 2,800
Author on LJ:
hibernateAuthor Website:
gnossienne_nr1Why this must be read:
When the Doctor accidentally abandons Donna Noble in a city in the clouds Donna does what she does best, and makes the most of a bad situation. Booze, sabacc, and cryptic predictions about the future occur, but mostly just Donna and Lando being awesome.
At least they had decent drinks in Cloud City. Donna wasn't quite sure what was in them, but they were orange and tasted pleasantly spicy. The pub - the Horny Hutt Cantina; blimey, did Donna ever not want to know where that name came from - was located in one of the better parts of Port Town and almost empty at this time of night. It took her a moment to recognise the grey figure a couple of seats away. Well, it seemed she couldn't quite get away from him, because there he was again, that idiot Calrissian, in what must be the worst disguise ever.
"The beard is an improvement," Donna said and gestured towards the obviously fake, grey beard that looked mostly like a small, scruffy animal had taken up residence on his face.
He just grunted in response. Actually, on closer inspection, he did look a bit like someone had run off with all his money. "Doing secret business here then?" she said. "That's why you're all under-cover? Didn't think I'd ever see you in Port Town."
"Hypothetical question," he said, completely ignoring everything she'd said. "Say you have the ability to make a great deal. It's pretty much the perfect deal."
"No such thing," Donna said. "Next thing you know they'll want your right arm or firstborn or something."
He took a deep swig of his drink. "Yeah. But this is a deal that would solve all your problems and help a lot of people who depend on you."
Donna rolled her eyes. Oh, please. What did he have to worry about? He practically owned a floating city. It wasn't as if he'd been stranded in the wrong end of the universe. "Do I look like a therapist?"
"A what?"
"I don't want to hear about your hypothetical problems. Just stop being an idiot."
He didn't say anything, just sort of slumped forward a bit. That annoying, slick smile never left his face, but he was looking at her with the same pathetic puppy-dog eyes the Doctor had.
Donna sighed deeply and rolled her eyes, moving to sit next to him. Why did it always come down to the sad, pitiful eyes? "So who did you have to shag to get to be the boss of this place?" she said, taking pity on him.
That got him to straighten his back at least. "You know, accusing people of things like that only makes it seem like that's how you get ahead in life. Some people stick to honest methods."
She snorted loudly. "That's how you ended up here? Worked your way up, did you? Somehow I find that hard to believe."
"Doesn't matter. I don't remember."
"Come on, if you can't tell the woman you're having followed, who can you tell? Was it something embarrassing? Did your mum buy it for you?" She laughed loudly. "Oh, I know, you won it in a Superman look-alike contest!"
"What? Who?" He shook his head. "If you absolutely must know I won it in a game of sabacc."
"Sabacc?"
And then he told her all about sabacc, which seemed to be some kind of extreme, outer-space poker, that apparently also could tell the future and probably find pots of gold at the end of rainbows too if Calrissian was to be believed. (Forgive her for being slightly sceptical.)
"Like this." He flipped the top card over. "It's the Commander of Staves. It means, sort of, 'a messenger on a fool's errand'." He grinned widely, as if it was some kind of private joke. "That's me, I guess."
He made a great show of picking another card. He was probably cheating somehow. He seemed the type. But then that intolerable grin disappeared and his face became unreadable when he finally turned it over. The card showed an object next to a blue planet and text on the bottom that said 'the Satellite'.
"What does it mean?" she asked.
"Nothing important," he said quickly. "Let's do you instead. A traveller from far away - must be more interesting than my boring old life."
"All right." She picked a card, turning it over to reveal a six with swords on the top.
"The Six of Sabres." He smiled. "A journey's end."
Donna didn't much like the sound of that. She had no intention of letting her journey end here, not now, not ever and especially not with Mr Smooth here.
"It's not a bad card," he said at her unhappy look. "Every journey has an end. That's how the universe works, honey."
"Don't call me that," she huffed and picked another card. This time it portrayed a burning space ship. "Well?"
Lando didn't answer at first, and when he did it was with a dismissive gesture. "It's not for real anyway," he said. "Just a way to pass time. Pick another one."
Oh no, just her luck. "I picked the flipping death card, didn't I?"
"No, no, it isn't! That's another card. This is... not that." The way he said it made it sound like this card was actually worse than the death card.
"Just tell me what it means. It's not like I believe in this anyway."
He sighed. "Fine. The most common interpretation is disaster and destruction, and generally bad, bad things. Happy now?"
"What, for once a card isn't vague and cryptic, and it means the bloody apocalypse?"
"Not the apocalypse. Just pick another card, start again."
"No!" Donna said and quickly gathered the cards, pushing them back towards him. "You just predicted that my future is going to be all badness and destruction, I don't want to know what else you can fit in there. I'm just going to go back to my room and sleep."
He certainly knew how to kill her good mood.
6.
Donna was walking back to level 174 in the dark, when a familiar sound reached her ears. Her breath hitched. It was the most beautiful sound in the world.
She didn't waste any time.
Rounding a corner, she ran straight into the Doctor, almost knocking him to the ground. Breathless, she grabbed his arms, keeping him on his feet. Torn between the urge to hug him and to slap him silly, she ended up just clutching tightly at his arms. "Where have you been? I didn't, I thought you'd... it's been weeks!"
"Really?" The Doctor smiled brightly. "Only a couple of minutes for me. Well, I was in a hurry, my aim might have been a bit off. But you got a holiday! You said you wanted one of those."
"Holiday?! I had to work!"
She was going to tell him, in every excruciating detail, about everything she had to live through because he couldn't bloody drive to save his life, but first things first. She was dying for a cup of coffee.
Cloud City Blues (in Eight Bars)