Rainfall In The Silent Night (Doctor Who/Wings of Fire)

Homeward Bound, Part 1

(The Dream Feather and hidden Vault rings are not in the picture but she is wearing them. The top necklace is the Guardian of Thought, and the bottom necklace is The Truths Fang. the silver and blue flower is just a hair pin, no Animus enchantments.) 

Though Rain knew it was silly, she felt anxious about returning to London. She didn't know why, there was nothing bad waiting for her there. If anything it was the comfort of home that would be waiting. Yet she was anxious. It had woken her up early, before the sun rose in her room. She'd eaten her breakfast and found something for her to wear already.

Now she was sitting on the cushioned benches of her patio and looking out over the forested valley, waiting for the sky to lighten and change colors. The uneasy feeling still lingered. Making her stomach bubble uncomfortably. It was putting the shy and already cautious girl on edge, and she didn't like it. Her attempts to distract herself hadn't worked either. She'd tried designing jewelry, making jewelry, even sorting through the treasure room. None of it helped.

A gentle humm warbled through the air. Rain recognized it as coming from the TARDIS, the sentient ship she was inside. It baffled her that the ship was alive, but she knew it was true. She could sense the mind of the TARDIS, a soft humm against the shields around her mind. The ship sang if Rain opened the barriers to her and let her in. Though Rain suspected the TARDIS was able to bypass the barriers on her own. That would be the only way she'd created a room so perfect for the dragon girl.

"Good morning TARDIS." Rain spoke softly to the ship, something she'd become more comfortable with while waiting for her hands to heal. The TARDIS responded by gently brushing alongside her mental barriers. Like a cat would to someone it wanted affection from or to show affection to someone it liked. A smile found its way to Rain's lips as her cheeks turned pink. She wasn't sure why the sentient ship seemed to like her so much.

"Wish I knew why I feel all nervous." Rain sighed and she stroked her fingers along the smooth wooden railing as though to pet the TARDIS. The ship hummed happily in response to the attention.

"You really are like a cat, you know that?" Rain smiled as the TARDIS made a very convincing purring sound.

"Silly old girl." Rain patted the railing as she stood up to stretch out her muscles which had been growing stiff. Closing her eyes and breathing in the fresh air slowly, holding it for a few seconds, then letting it out gradually as she relaxed her stretching. The TARDIS hummed again, drawing Rain to open her eyes and see a thin trail of lights leading out of her room. Rain raised an eyebrow, but curiosity won and she wandered off along it.

Rain was led out of her room and through the halls, deeper into the infinite ship. The walls hummed under her fingers which she trailed along the walls as she walked. Curiosity as to where the TARDIS was taking her kept anxiety at bay for now. Perhaps that had been the ship's intention. To successfully distract her from the uneasy she woken up with. It wasn't long before the trail came to an end in front of a silver door with flowers engraved around the borders.

"What's in here?" Rain asked, though she knew the ship couldn't tell her with words she'd understand. With a soft click the door opened just a crack. Enough to entice Rain to open it all the way and look inside. The view alone awed her. It was a garden that seemed to go on forever. Flowers and other beautiful plants of all kinds, sections of the garden resembling the traditions of some cultures Rain recognized and others that she'd never seen.

It was here that the Doctor and Rose found her some time later when they were both now awake and had gone looking for their friend who hadn't been in her room. Rain was crouched on the side of a cobblestone path, gently smelling a large deep purple blossom she'd never seen before. The Doctor found himself just standing a few feet away and watching her. Seeing how she handled the flower with such a gentle touch, and how her expression was calm, happy, and relaxed.