Chronicles of the Keyblade Book 3: Meet the Doctor

Chapter 4: Trouble in Las Tine

I woke to the sound of the Tardis humming quietly. She only made that sound when we landed somewhere. I stretched in my bed and sat up. After that nightmare last night, I slept pretty good.

I get up and get dressed, brushing the bed-head look out of my hair and braiding it before going out to see the doctor. One more oddity about the doctor, I've never seen the man sleep. I'm sure he does, but only now and then like Shadow.

He was standing by the console as I usually found him in the morning. Hearing me enter, he looked up and smiled. "Good morning Em!"

I smiled. "Morning Doc. Where and when are we?"

"A planet called Las Tine." The Doctor replied, pointing to a monitor that showed us outside. "From the looks of it, these people like fire."

I look at the screen and indeed there was the flame symbol almost over every door in the market place we landed in. Every one was wearing a shade of auburn or red, but there were also yellows and oranges… the market looked like it was ablaze with all these hues. But there was something off about the place… I couldn't put my finger on it…

"Well?" I heard the Doctor say. "You wanna look around?"

I look at him, and of all things he had a fez on his head. "Not with that." I told him with a chuckle.

"What?" He asked. "Fezzes are cool!"

"No," I told him, taking off the fez. "Bow-ties are cool. These things aren't."

"You have no style." He said, but he was smiling as he adjusted his coat.

"I know," I told him, returning the grin. "But the best style is no style sometimes." With that I opened the Tardis doors and stepped out.

Oh my WORD! It was hot out! Everyone must have been wearing silks to endure the heat! I look toward where the sun was… strike that… two suns. one farther away from the other. That would explain the heat. But heres the funny thing… after a moment, the heat became bare able to me. Like a bedroom on a summer morning. A comfortable warmth.

"Phew!" The Doctor said. "Warm out here! But nice weather. But for now, lets see about those directions."

"Because we're lost." I reminded him teasingly.

"Because we need to make sure this is the right time and era." He said. "Lets try this way." He led the way down a street. The market was huge! With sights and smells that I've never experienced before. I smiled as we stopped at a trinket stall, it was full of necklaces, bracelets, rings, and other jewelry items.

The Doctor asked the dealer questions while I looked at a necklace. It almost looked like my emerald shard, only bright read and it looked like there was a flame trapped inside. But it must have been a trick of the light.

"You like it?"

I jumped at the question. The dealer was a young woman, with raven black hair, pale skin and striking amber eyes. I smiled and nodded. "It's a neat one." I told her, touching the necklace pendant with my forefinger and thumb.

"I'm having a hard time selling to anyone here." She said, her voice surprisingly even as she takes it down off the peg and put it in my hand. "You keep it." She said.

"Really?" I asked. "I might have something I could at least trade for it but-"

"No, I insist." She said. "It's been sitting there waiting for someone to pick it up. Guess you're the one."

I smiled at her. "Thank you ma'am." I said and put it on. Since my emeralds shard was now in my watch, I kinda missed having a necklace.

"Ready?" Doc asked.