The Doctor - as usual - found interest in the most normal of things.
The Doctor - as usual - had gotten himself into a heap of trouble.
The Doctor - as usual - had put your life at stake.
He considered this thought as he hung from the 45 metre high metal pole...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~A few hours earlier...~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Hello." A Homo-feline sat next to the Doctor on a bench he'd settled on. He gave the feline a cursory glance, then glanced back. They were young, very young. And they weren't in any sort of uniform, opting instead for more casual jeans and jacket.
"Hello." The Doctor said to the young boy. The boy managed a smile, but it seemed poisoned with a peculiar sadness or irritant. The Doctor clicked onto this instantly.
"You're not from around here." The boy said amorously.
"No, I'm not." The Doctor agreed. "But you don't look like you're from around here either." The Doctor said absentmindedly as he tugged on his jacket sleeve. The cat boy looked down at his hands, furling them as if concerned greatly by a matter he wished to share, but did not want to vocalise. He bit his lip, and the Doctor glanced over at him.
"Something the matter?" He asked gently, turning away when the boy looked at him.
"What's it to you?" The boy asked. He so obviously wanted to scream out loud what he knew, if he knew about something...
"Thought you might want to tell someone. You know what they say..."
"What do they say? And who is 'they'?" The boy sounded annoyed.
"I don't know who 'they' are, but whoever 'they' are say a problem shared is a problem scared-...wait, no. That's not right at all." The Doctor frowned. The boy hid a grin.
"So you want to scare my problems away?" The boy couldn't have been older than nine or ten.
"If you like. Never tried, mind. Don't know how to scare a problem..." He paused. "So you do have problems?" The Doctor pulled lint off his jacket.
"...Not the only one." The boy said, realising he'd slipped up when saying 'scare my problems away'.
"Quite right. You've got problems, I've got problems, that person over there's got problems, this planet's got problems. But your problems are irksome. Annoying. Demanding attention now. And don't tell me I'm wrong, because I'm right. You sat here to talk to me. Tell me something important. Something that demanded attention now, so tell me. What's on your mind?" The Doctor was focused heavily on the boy as he sat there. He realised that his tone may be a bit pressuring. He smiled. "Name's the Doctor." He held out his hand. The boy cautiously shook his hand.
"Joseph Jones." He kept his head slightly lowered, as if he was speaking to authority. The Doctor wondered what had made him so nervous.
"Care to share?" The Doctor asked again. He watched the boy glance around, looking swiftly around the horizon for whatever he was watching for. The Doctor looked too, seeing nothing of importance. A few buildings...a few workers...
"What-" The Doctor began, but Joseph shushed him.
"Not here. Never here. They'll hear." Joseph seemed on edge, like his senses were heightened past paranoid.
"Who-"
"Shut up." Joseph demanded quietly.
"But-"
"Shut it." Joseph put a finger on the Doctor's lips, and the Doctor stared at him wide eyed, wondering what situation he'd gotten himself in.
He wished for you to be there to stop him.
