damned_institute | Day 38: Patients' Library

The intercom rang out, disrupting what had turned out to be a rather pointless breakfast conversation, at least in Brainiac 5's eyes. He couldn't wait to put more distance between himself and Scar's blather of how logic, of all things, might not work the same way in this dimension. It was almost enough to make him believe that the man may very well have been a lion originally after all, as he'd never heard anything so very... ignorant and uneducated.

He quickly finished up the fruit he'd been nibbling on - he was no longer as hungry as he had been - and looked around automatically to see where Clark was. Unfortunately with the press of people around, some being led off to the library and others to the mentioned 'therapy sessions' - if that was what they really were - he had lost sight of the Kryptonian. Still there wasn't many places he could go, so Brainiac 5 would be able to catch up with him eventually to check on his condition and try and learn more about what had happened last night. That the Chapel had healed him - admittedly by passing his injuries to another - was interesting, but far more important in his eyes was what had happened to Clark and his powers. They hadn't been working correctly and that worried the Coluan boy more than he would normally have admitted. Without Clark's abilities... he wasn't sure what they would have to rely on in order to escape.

Another problem he would have to deal with was Grell... or, if he was to believe the notes on the bulletin board, the person pretending to be Grell. But that was going to require more careful planning before he made a move. Come to think of it, he had agreed to meet another in the library today on that same post that had sparked this whole mess. At least then he would have something of interest to look forward to, as he doubted any of the 21st century books were likely to be worthwhile to someone of his advanced intellect.

Following the nurses led him to what must have been the library; a reasonably large room filled with a range of archaic books on tall shelves, a few tables and chairs interspersed around the room. The Coluan boy couldn't refrain from wrinkling his nose in distaste as he entered the room, not liking the cumbersome books and the dust that he knew would have gathered on them; he much preferred the clean arrangement of his C.O.M.P.U.T.O. systems back in the Legion headquarters. It was much more practical then shelves and shelves of books on fictional worlds and dated information.

Trying to avoid as much of the room as possible, Brainiac 5 settled himself down on a chair to wait, keeping an eye out for a tall, dark-haired man with a red... something on his forehead.

[for Homura]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

If only Grell could travel the world! He'd love to see anything outside of London, even if it meant temporary reassignment. He'd take anywhere - well, almost. He wasn't all that interested in, say, Greenland for instance. Not enough death there to go around, he suspected. The poor fellows assigned out there had to be bored out of their immortal minds. "Ah...just one problem, Mr. Smith," Grell pointed out, hands twisting in his hair again. "We're, ah...stuck in here."

Which was really the worst way to spend a vacation. Certainly, he was supposed to be on administrative leave or some rubbish like that, but he looked at this as a sort of demented holiday. He didn't have to reap, William wasn't making him fill out forms, and he was pretty much left to his own devices. While he would have preferred his powers and weapon restored to him, he couldn't argue with the little bit of down time.

Letting out a sigh, Grell untangled his fingers from his hair and murmured, "Oh, well, if traveling is your business..." Just how suspicious was this man? First, lying about his name. Next, his aura. Now, the fact that he never stayed anywhere? What was the Doctor? Why didn't he stay? The mysteries surrounding him were intriguing and, combined with his somewhat boyish good looks, Grell was finding this shift to be rather delightful. He always did love a man with a few skeletons in the closet. It made it more fun when he tore the Record out of the guy's broken body. "How many countries have you visited, sir? Which would you recommend?"

"Well, we are now, but we won't be forever. You can travel once you're been returned home," the Doctor said matter-of-factly. He'd intended to do some investigating last night to further that end, but running into the child had shifted his priorities… He frowned, wondering where they boy was now.

The frown disappeared quickly, replaced by a grin. He tended to think of things in terms of planets rather than countries, but he had visited his share of countries on Earth. "Oh, well... I've lost count somewhere along the way, but I've visited a lot of them... most of them, probably, but not all of them, not yet. They keep changing their names and borders."

For recommendations, he could have had something more specific to recommend if he knew when Grell was from (some places were lovely except for during certain years, after all), but there were general recommendations he could offer. He was willing to bet that Grell was from a time well before humans developed space travel, so recommending other planets was right out. "Well, it all depends on how far you are willing and able to go. I'm rather fond of the whole of Great Britain myself. America's not bad, either, but it depends on when you go. If you enjoy parties, they throw excellent ones in France. Or you could go to Norway, see the fjords... Egypt and Greece are very nice if you want somewhere with a bit of history."

He paused, thinking, and then looked incredibly pleased with himself. "I know! Barcelona! The city, I mean, not the— not the planet. The city."

Travel once he returned home? Hardly. He'd be put right back to work and be stuck in London once more. Death gods were usually busy, but with the recent staff shortages for one reason or another, Grell had been run exceptionally thin. Everyone was on duty at all hours of the day, no breaks. It was really no wonder why he'd jumped at the opportunity to stand by the Madam's side. It was a lot more fun and 100% less paperwork. "...if I can find time, perhaps, but once I return to London, I should get back to work."

That was, of course, hinging on whether or not he had been fired.

Now, most interesting was where this Doctor had been. He certainly wasn't lying when he said he'd been around. Britain, America, Norway? History, Grell could do without, having been around for most of it. Then again, he hadn't been around for Greece's history, so that could be fun. They had been a bloody lot, hadn't they?

Blinking, Grell turned to the Doctor, both incredulous and somewhat confused. "....there's a planet called Barcelona?"

"You should try to," the Doctor encouraged. "Everyone ought to see beyond their little bit of the world if they can." He knew that travelling wasn't necessarily for everyone, but that was no reason not to give it a shot. If Grell had to get back to work right away, maybe he could find a master who travelled more and go with him.

Talk of Barcelona made the Doctor grin. He really ought to take more people to Barcelona; maybe he and Donna could— No, they couldn't, not anymore, but maybe he would make a trip on his own. It had been a while since he'd been there on his own. "There is! And a rather nice planet it is. I'd recommend it, too, if I thought you could get there."

It seemed like the Doctor couldn't see through Grell's disguise, which was good. It meant he could relax a little for the time being. And really? Grell would have loved to travel, but he'd seen enough of the world in London to last him eternity. People were people no matter where they went and unless someone interesting came along to shake things up, then he spent his days in a fair amount of boredom. Which was why the Madam had been so beautiful and also so very disappointing. Nodding slightly, Grell looked down at the book beside him again and ran his fingers over the spine. "I-I suppose...if I get the chance."

Out of the corner of his eye, Grell caught a grin from his mysterious Mr. Smith and he had to hide a smile himself. He was such an eager man - so full of life, so very long lived... What his Record would show could fill Grell's life with endless entertainment. It really was a shame that his deathscythe was missing. Remembering his role, Grell made sure to stare like the Doctor had grown a second and then a third head. "A p-planet? A planet called Barcelona? Are you quite mad? There's no such thing!"

For Grell's sake, the Doctor hoped Grell would get the chance. It was a big universe, after all, and even if all a human could see was his tiny little planet, that was big all by itself. He couldn't imagine staying in one place his whole life and not seeing anywhere else.

And maybe in Grell's case, seeing more would broaden his perspective. 'No such thing'? Really! "Of course there is," he said matter-of-factly. "You lot just don't know about it yet, probably. But in a few thousand years, well..."

Day 38: Patients' Library

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