Prydonian Common Room

The Prydon common room seems to buzz with quietly restrained intensity. The room is luxuriously decorated, the walls lined with bookshelves and decorated with portraits of some of the Chapter's most notable members. A crackling fireplace sits in one corner, providing warmth and light to the room's inhabitants.

Students of the Prydonian Chapter can always be found talking in excited whispers about their studies and, occasionally, more illicit activities.

Sat as close to the fire as possible, Sapphire rarely spoke with the other people here. In fact, she generally avoided even making eye contact. This wasn't her home; she didn't belong here. She'd find a way to get out soon, and then she would find her own way to her real home -- there was no way it was gone. The Gods wouldn't allow that to happen to her people; she was obviously just being lied to to keep her here. So there was no point talking to the people if she'd be gone soon.

At least, if they wanted to talk to her, they'd try. No use approaching anyone if they didn't want her here.

The new Healer in training entered the Common Room for the first time, eyes darting around the place. Books, lots of them books, enough to fill a whole barn at least, and then some. She looked up at the domed ceiling--that was another thing she'd have to get used to, walls and ceilings. At least they had a fire, even if it was contained in a small corner. There was a person sitting next to the fire, alone, kinda scared and sad looking. She looked like the Drylander felt.
The light from the fire reflected her white clothes, making it look like she was on fire. She tugged the tunic self consciously. It wasn't that the clothes itched, just the opposite. They were more comfortable than felt right.
She looked over the room, found a soft chair in a corner, and sat in it, watching the rest of the room.

This one felt different. For a moment Sapphire thought her own discomfort had grown beyond coping; like her own mind was mocking her, but a cursory glance around told her someone new was here. She looked -- no, she felt -- like she didn't quite belong here either. She was almost tempted to approach, but-.. would she even be understood? Gallifreyans understood everything, no? Or was that just Time Lords? How was she supposed to tell, again? Either way her accent was so atrociously thick and her Gallifreyan so broken that she doubted they were understanding her vocal attempts alone. And, come to think of it, she understood them somehow, so perhaps... Or should she just try telepathy? Would that be rude? They seemed to see telepathy differently here to back home.

Realising she'd been staring near-hopefully for some time, she sighed and quickly returned her gaze to the fire.

Her eyes darted around the room several times before she realized that the one by the fire was watching her, only to have the other quickly turn her gaze back to the fire. She sighed. This new thing she could do, feeling other people's emotions, was starting to get really annoying. Maybe these people would teach her how to make it stop, once they realized that she was a Drylander and really didn't belong here. But there was still the other. She went over to the fire and sat down next to the other person, close enough to talk comfortably but not enough to startle.
"That's a right nice fire," she began, her speech making her even more self-conscious. "Funny how they keep it so closed-up like that."

Sapphire's gaze flicked up as the stranger spoke, startled to hear another speaking so out of place -- the accent and speech wasn't hers, no, but it was different enough that she almost smiled for a moment. More unusual still was that Sapphire could understand her. She still hadn't quite gotten used to that "Where I am from," she began, deciding to try in her own tongue, "the sky was fire. Not like here where it pretends to be." Eyeing the fire here for a moment, she sighed, "This one is so small. We had ones like this, but-.. big. Grand. They would light a whole room on the darkest night."

She smiled at the new one. Some detached part of her mind noticed that the accent was a bit different, even for her, and thought maybe she wasn't speaking Gallifreyan even. But she still made herself understood.
"We had fires where I come from too. Big ones, out in the middle of the village, where everyone could meet and dance on Festival nights. The wood kept the creepy crawlies away too, so we could stay up all night." She cocked her head.
"Where you're from? You ain't from around here either?"

"We had those!" A spark of reminiscent happiness lit in bright green eyes at the thought of her home's 'pathfires', "to call upon the Gods and light our way onward."

Gaze growing distant again, the spark was gone as soon as it came. "I am from Sol, I think you call it. From the galaxy your people call Mutter's Spiral. Someone brought me here to hide from war and never took me back. They say home is gone; that this is home now. They think I'm one of you. I don't believe them."

She watched the other's eye light up, only for a brief moment, while she talked about the fires, calling her Gods home.
"Sol? Mutter's Spiral?" The words were unfamiliar to her, but clearly held meaning for the new one. "Sorry. I ain't ever heard of them. Sounds lovely though, what with the real fire-like sky 'n all." She stopped, letting the full implications of the girl's words sink in.
"Hang on. The war? Gone?"

"I-.. yes." Keeping her eyes on the fireplace, Sapphire heaved a heavy sigh. "There was a War between my people and another. Something happened, I-.. there was a great storm, and-.. and things started to break apart. Then this man came, he-.. he appeared in a box and took my hand, then-.. then he left me here. He never told me his name-.. just left me here, and now-.. now I'm supposed to stay here." Her voice cracked as she spoke, arms wrapping tightly around herself.

The young Healer in Training watched as the other shrank into herself. She could feel sadness and loneliness and some fear in the other's mind. Loss. Grief. She moved closer to the fire, and put a hand gently on the other one's shoulder, concentrating on calming, like she was being taught in her lessons.
"I'm right sorry if I brought anything painful up. Didn't mean to, just...explains why you're so quiet-like. Still, you ain't a stranger here, not if the Doctor brought you. You've got a home now here, 's long as you'd like. It ain't home, but it can be homelike."
She watched the other one's reactions.

The Doctor. So that was his name. She had that, now, at least. The girl's touch was gentle and soothing, her words no different, and it-.. it reminded her of home. "You're a Healer, a-aren't you," she realised, smiling just slightly despite the tears that fell free now she was calm enough to let them. "This-.." she continued, indicating the hand she could feel trying to soothe her, "m-my mother would do this." 

She had heard talk of Healers here, some even spoke of her that way, but she had assumed them different -- cold and Godless like the scientists who had visited her home, not soft like this one, with Light and kindness. Perhaps there was more to this place than she believed. "You-.. Th-thank you. I-.. M-my name is Sapphire, I-.. don't think I said that."

The Drylander blinked, surprised, but kept her emotions under control. It wouldn't do to scare this Sapphire back into her self-imposed isolation, she knew that much. She shook her head and gently broke the connection.

"Ain't a Healer, not yet. They say I'm gonna be one once I get all taught and trained up." She smiled, the first time since coming to this Academy. Then she cocked her head.