The eyes declare a truce of trust (River)

[Romanadvoratrelundar]

The console of a type 102, was similar to that of the long since considered ancient and outdated TARDISes. Various knobs, and levers all placed haphazardly on a console, of which included a Time Routers. The chameleon circuit had been activated as she landed at a 30th century planet located someplace in the Mutter's Spiral.

Scanning read that the atmosphere was breathable, normal levels of toxic activity, not at all harmful to a human, none-the-less the more much sturdy, reliable body of a Gallifreyan.

With the scanner showing the image of the location, she noticed a few key facts. The fact that there were similarities to Earth, although it was not of the proper location to be Earth. Then it hit her, as she watched a wall of fire sweep through tress.

“Avalon. I landed in Avalon.” She replied and shook her head. “What are you doing? I told you to take me to (0,0) not these co-ordinates.” Romana chided to the machine, which in turn sprang a lever, and alarms sounded warningly.

The Time Lady glared at the console before she slid across the floors and stopped once she reached the wardrobe. With the various clothing styles, Romana had to look into what was fashionable, and what was not. A deep orangey-red fabric was lined with pieces of an amber beading, all different shapes and sizes, and gold embroidery lined the waist and shoulders. The sleeves of the dress had slits at the top, and were fastened together by small jewels. The edge of the sleeves flittered about ends of her wrists, and the fabric, which went from that dark orange, to red, to a pale colour in-between concealed her lithe form, although a simple rope belt was tied around her waist.

It was moments like that, that the time lady missed having long hair, as the look was not complete without the braids that contained fabric and glass beads, short, black hair was certain to be something to draw attention to herself.

A deep red shroud hung by the spot where the dress had been, and the slim woman slid the heavy material over her shoulders, sifting through jewellery a pendant caught her attention, and she slipped it around her neck. Sandals were chosen, and she slipped them on, before she returned to the type 102's console room, and cleared her throat as she exited the time machine, and began to wander aimlessly around Avalon.

Mist. The air was mist filled, a strong scent of magic, if ever one existed, and she knew then that it was the place she could remain. At least for a while. Romana knew that she could not exist in Avalon as Romanadvoratrelundar and had to take another name. The only name she knew of legend, or rather history, was Morgaine. And it was Morgaine that she would take on the persona of.

All that the Time Lady knew she had to do was to find her way about, and to get used to the planet. It wouldn't be too difficult, although at the very same time, it was that of which made her feel giddy. A feeling she had not been accustomed to. A sensation of which was not expected, and perhaps an emotion that she had long believed extinct.

The mists of Avalon drew her in, and her steps took her to a temple, of which she was greeted welcomingly, despite the fact that Avalon was not likely to truly expect such intruders, unless it was true that the priestesses of Avalon were as mentioned in human legend. That they possessed some sort of insight.

Amongst the things that Romana recognized was the fact the women were not human, but perhaps elvish.

It took what would have been decades for Romana to be allowed to become a priestess of Avalon, had she not been whom she was. Although she had indeed gone by the name of Morgaine since her arrival.

On a fateful day, the temple was to have off-world visitors, and it was her chance to shine and share the wisdom of the priestesses, even if her own experience was perhaps deceptive.

“Welcome to the holy temple of Avalon.” Her words were crisp, clean, and calm.

[River Song]

In the 51st Century, River Song was working feverishly at two specific things: 1) earning her Ph.D. from Luna University, and 2) gathering as much data as she could about The Doctor so that one day she would be able to find him through the vast expanse that is Time and Space.

Ever since the day she met the Eleventh Doctor and regenerated into her current form in 1938 Germany, River felt drawn to the mysterious, timey-wimey man - and she was kind of irked that Amy - her mother and the Doctor’s Companion - had never told her that he was hot. At any rate, he had promised to marry her - and then her Love dropped her off with the Sisters of the Infinite Schism at the best hospital in the universe and vanished, leaving her only a blue TARDIS-shaped diary to remember him by.

Now, well on her way to her Doctorate, River Song had been tasked by her professor to take on a new project - she was to choose a planet and a culture to study with her archaeological skills. Any artifacts found were to be brought back to the university and catalogued in their archives, and she was to write up a paper to detail her findings.

A list of suggested planets showed one name that stood out amongst the others: Avalon. The planet that inspired Earth’s authors to write of the Arthurian Legend (though, none of them knew the great King Arthur had, in fact, been an alien).

River made her selection and then went to pack for her journey...

Rather than sign out one of the university’s transport vehicles, River chose to use her vortex manipulator. The darn thing was hugely addicting - and much faster than flying through space the old fashioned way. She had intended on arriving on Avalon during this same Century, long after Avalon’s civilizations had died out - that would be the proper way to handle an archaeological study, after all...

But, she was still getting used to the vortex manipulator - it was still new to her - and River wound up on the surface of Avalon in the 30th Century, thinking that it was still the 51st.

She found herself in a wooded area, surrounded by a thick mist. The air gave off a strange but wonderful feeling of Magic that was absolutely enchanting. Off in the distance, River spotted what she thought must be the remains of a great temple, so she headed towards it, not expecting to run into another living soul - at least, not an intelligent one.

So, imagine River’s surprise as she neared the temple and saw what appeared to be humanoid creatures moving about in what looked to be ceremonial robes. Then, one of them came forward and welcomed her to ‘the holy temple of Avalon’.

River thought she must have made some sort of amazing discovery - the civilization long-thought to be dead was thriving!

She smiled and replied, “Thank you, Priestess. My name is River Song, and I have been sent here on an educational journey - I am studying to be an archaeologist and had planned on doing some field research while on your beautiful planet.”

As something of an afterthought, River thought to ask, “Say, what’s the date today?”

---

OOC: River’s wearing something very similar to what she wore in “The Impossible Astronaut”, as seen HERE.

[Romanadvoratrelundar]

Romana silently watched the woman that was not at all fitting into the scenery and could tell just by looking at her that she was not even from the century they were in. The way that she had long, wild curls, was not something found on Avalon, as the people of avalon were tall, with dark hair and dark eyes. Even with such a strange person, she hadn't been surprised.

The priestess lightly smiled and then nodded once. “My name is Morgaine, and I shall accompany you through Avalon. It can be a very dangerous place, as beautiful as it is.” As her smile faded, she was asked the date.

“The date? I have an answer you may not be pleased with. I can tell you were not meant to have come this early in time child. The year is 2918, day 208 on our Calender year.”

The thing that struck her the most is that the woman clearly had no vehicle. That was when Romana realized that River had a little-known device attached to her wrist.

“A Time Agent, are you?” The priestess asked with a slow, even tone.

She took a small step forward then another step, and to the side, before walking around the archaeologist-to-be. She took in every small detail she found and kept it to herself mentally.

“You're far, far from home River Song. What century are you from? The 5100s?” She inquired with a quirked eyebrow.

“No... No. That's not quite right. You have grown up in different times, non-linear. But, how is that possible?” Romana shook her head slightly.

“I shall show you around the temple, and introduce you to the ways of Avalon.”

[River Song]

It was 2918 - River had arrived on Avalon a few thousand years too soon... Oops!

River tried to hide her annoyance with her newly acquired Vortex Manipulator and instead put on a polite smile, listening to the priestess Morgaine. Rather than freaking out at the curly-haired blonde, Morgaine calmly explained that she could tell that River was out of her time.

"What Century am I from?" River asked, repeating Morgaine's question. "Well, that's a tough one - I'm not quite sure how to answer that," she said apologetically.

Seriously, how was she to explain that she had been conceived in the 21st Century, born far, far away from her 'native' planet during the 52nd Century, was brought up by The Silence on Earth in the 20th Century, then she ran away from The Silence and found her parents on Earth in the 21st Century while posing as their best friend, and then River wound up in the 51st Century where she began studying Archaeology at the brand new Luna University on Earth's moon. If anyone's life was truly wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey, it was River Song's.

The Priestess then asked point-blank if River was a Time Agent. Her heart began to beat faster and faster in her chest, and River began to worry - because the Time Agency wouldn't be formed until the 49th Century... This woman shouldn't even know who or what a Time Agent is, unless of course, she was like River and was here on Avalon out of her 'regular' time.

"Oh... I gather you are familiar with a Vortex Manipulator, then?" River asked with a bit of a smirk as she held up her arm with the device strapped onto it. "Lovely gadget, this... It doesn't always work the way it's supposed to, though, as I was supposed to arrive here in the 51st Century." River sighed a moment, shrugged and then let her arm fall back to her side.

"Before I acquired it, it had previously belonged to a Time Agent - but I assure you, I do not work for them," River explained with a little bit of distaste in her tone. "I may or may not have had something to do with the fall of the Time Agency, but... That's a story for another day - besides, I have my own mission and can't possibly be bothered with anyone else's..." River teased, not yet revealing who she was seeking out Somewhere in Time.

How was she supposed to utilize her archaeological skills if the civilization she had come to study was still flourishing...?

Then again... Perhaps her assignment would be easier than she had thought if she didn't have to dig... Avalon would be full of first-hand accounts - people she could speak to and get direct accounts regarding any sort of artifact she might get her hands on.

“I shall show you around the temple, and introduce you to the ways of Avalon.”

"Oh, that would be brilliant!" River happily exclaimed. "Maybe the Vortex Manipulator didn't mess up, after all..." she mused, curious about and very much interested in this Morgaine woman.

[Romanadvoratrelundar]

Sharp features kept a neutral expression. Something from her upbringing in the traditions of Gallifrey. How cruel the twist had been. From the poster-child to a woman who never stops running. A fearful creature that should not have been on Avalon in the first place. Still, she had to put it all aside and keep her head clear. The lies she had weaved to the priestesses had been believed, and she couldn't just step away from being known as Morgaine.

The confirmation of how the woman known as River Song was unable to truly explain what time she came from, only made her certain that her role was something that she had to leave. Something inside her was ticking like the sound of a clock. She knew that she had to settle things, before it got out of control. She had no idea what she could confirm, and what she could not for the woman before her.

With the non-linear path she seemed to be following, she could hardly even keep track of her age. Was she three-hundred? Four-hundred? Or was she older? Truth be told, she had lowered her own age, not wanting to be known as a six-hundred year old. She'd admittedly lost track, something that was uncommon.

The last great time war, was where she should have been. Locked within a set time, forever living the same cycle over and over again. Yet, she had escaped long before that date. She had practically been the one to set destruction upon her home. She had been known as various titles. Lady President, and War Queen. Imperiatrix, and Mistress. Now, she was known merely as the priestess Morgaine.

Realizing her mistake a moment too late, Romana had to think over ways to get around having knowledge of the Time Agency, and of the Vortex Manipuators. Her first thought had been to play it off as being gifted with the sight, but she'd long known the Time Agency, and she could only tell the truth in her situation.

“I suppose that you could say that I am.” Romana replied and her eagle-eyed gaze fell onto the rather pitiful excuse of a time-device. It got the job done, sure but, the side effects could be nasty. “Lovely? I'm not quite certain that that would be the right word to use. It's rather primitive.” Romana couldn't help but feel such a way.

“That is rather reassuring.” Romana stated, as she caught the dismay in River's tone of voice. “This mission of yours. I must cannot deny has caught my curiosity.” Romana stated, simple and to the point.

"Oh, that would be brilliant!" The eager, happy tone was noted and stored mentally. "Maybe the Vortex Manipulator didn't mess up, after all..." Had River even realised that she had spoken her thoughts?

“Come now. I suppose that I shall show you the way now, as opposed to waiting. I must inform you that it is nearly the time for silence to be observed. It is part of a ritual, that after an hour I shall tell you about, as there is little time to do so prior to the silence.” To be speaking as a priestess left her with four beats, strong as drums in her head. Her hearts beating in a pattern of one-two, three-four left her almost apprehensive.

Certainly an archaeologist could put two, and two together and realize that she was not in her own time, not to mention that she did not fit in with the people of Avalon. The fear of being confronted was real, and she could hardly contain her thoughts.

(Sorry for taking so long. I've been swamped. )

[River Song]

The fact that a priestess from Avalon found Vortex Manipulators to be 'primitive' raised some questions in River's mind. A priestess from here, from this long ago? How could she have knowledge of such a thing?

Unless, she wasn't from the Here and Now, like River. Maybe she was a traveler, like Amy and Rory, and had been through Time and Space... Perhaps she might even know The Doctor...

River decided that she was going to have to keep a close eye on this 'Morgaine', and maybe she'd work her way up to discussing why she had really come here, which was to seek evidence of The Doctor and help narrow down where and when he might be... River was absolutely determined to find him again.

So naturally, River acquiesced to keep her mouth shut for an hour, respecting the priestesses' ritual. Though... she had been quite tempted to use her Vortex Manipulator to pop ahead about one hour's time and skip over the whole thing - but, something told her to wait it out and be patient.

When the hour was up and the silence could be broken, River looked to Morgaine with an inquisitive look. She didn't want to speak first - mostly out of respect - and so, River waited for Morgaine to explain what that silence had been about.

---

OOC: No worries, hun. I'm glad to see that you're still here!!!

[Romanadvoratrelundar]

As a priestess, Morgaine had to partake in the rituals. Briefly she had left River's side and found her way to the sisters of Avalon. She helped prepare the rituals in grave silence, and then returned the to woman's side.

Without even needing to be signified, the hour was up, and Morgaine drew in a sharp breath as she began to think of the best explanation.

“The priestesses of Avalon were in fact honouring ancient traditions. The meanings of which are best explained as their primitive offerings to their goddess.” She had broken character, Romana had caught herself too late, but it was perhaps best to finally leave the charade of being Morgaine behind her.

“I regret to say that I have deceived you. My name is not Morgaine, even though it has become an alias. There is much to show you, and perhaps little time. I know you are here for research, but there is an ulterior motive isn't there? Perhaps you are looking for someone, or something. I'm not quite certain what.”

[River Song]

River lifted an eyebrow as she listened to 'Morgaine' explain the ritual in such a way that sounded as if she wasn't a part of the sisterhood of priestesses, after all... like River had suspected earlier.

She grinned.

"Oh? So, that isn't your goddess?" River playfully asked. "I bet 'Morgaine' isn't your real name, either, Sweetie..." she continued, letting the other woman know that the jig was up - but she did so softly, so as not to attract the attention of the other women, because River didn't wish to break the other woman's cover.

'Morgaine' replied with an apology, and she still seemed quite interested in showing River around Avalon, but also... she seemed to have sniffed out that this research project of hers was a bit of a red herring (though, she really did have to do the assignment). The research project had been an excuse to come here, to try to - perhaps literally - 'dig up' more information on The Doctor.

The woman had amazing insight, and River had nothing to hide (and could expose her to the other women if she turned out to not be friendly). So, River replied, "It's alright, you know... 'River' is an alias, too." She smiled.

"And, yes... I do have a research project due for one of my classes at Luna University, and I chose Avalon as my research subject because I am looking for clues about a particular person, and I have reason to believe that he has been here before... Unless I got here too early and he hasn't been here yet..." River rambled, finishing up with a bit of a shrug.

"You don't, by chance, happen to know anyone called 'The Doctor'?" River asked. She assumed that either 'Morgaine' would instantly recognize the unforgettable title of that amazing man, or else she would simply assume that River was asking about the local medicine man, or something generic like that.

[Romanadvoratrelundar]

Oh, how thrilling. How absolutely thrilling it was. Even though she had dropped the guise of being Morgaine. It was true that she did not worship a god or goddess, but something completely different.

With a neutral expression, she met the other woman's gaze and nodded in confirmation.

“Even though I have been inducted into the sisters of Avalon, I cannot lie and say that I believe in their goddess. Indeed, Morgaine is not my real name.” It was not uncommon knowledge that the priestesses had unusually high gifted foresight but as a Time Lady, Romana had not but to think, as she knew what was to happen. Soon, there would be war, and the Merlin would show up as a young Doctor.

With a small smile, Romana finally nodded and then cleared her throat. “My name is Romana. Be assured that it is my true name. It is not full, as I believe that my name is too long for one's knowledge as of current.” She stated as she listened to the other's story.

The name “The Doctor” struck through her like white hot irons. “...Do I know anyone called The Doctor? Oh, child... You don't even know.” She began and then pursed her lips briefly. “I know the Doctor very well.” The statement was true. Four, Six, Eight, those were the ones she recalled the most. The tall man with wild brown curls, who had gone from a competitive prat in her eyes, to a friend. The man with colorful clothing, and a bad temper. Curls. She always saw him with curly hair. She'd last seen the Doctor shortly before the destruction of Gallifrey. How could she explain such things?

“Let me just say, that I have been a companion, a friend, an equal, and an enemy of the Doctor's.”

[River Song]

River lit up like a Christmas tree, though she could hardly believe it! She was absolutely thrilled that Romana knew The Doctor - she just hoped that the 'enemy' part was long in the past...

Smiling, River said, "Then, I am very glad I ran into you, Romana."

"My 'real' name - the one my mother gave me - is Melody Pond, but when I last regenerated, I switched over to 'River Song'," the curly haired blonde explained. "My parents are companions of The Doctor - his eleventh form, that is." River had just revealed an awful lot about herself to Romana, but for some reason, River felt that she could trust her.

But, she didn't tell her that The Doctor had proposed to her as she lay dying after being shot by Hitler - before she regenerated... and before she tried to kill him with that poisoned lipstick.

River also failed to mention that she is the woman who is destined to kill The Doctor.

"He's not here, is he?" River asked hopefully, already suspecting that there was no such luck.

[Romanadvoratrelundar]

Romana had a habit of analysing situations, no matter how small they were. Picking up on the immediate response that came from the woman, she raised an eyebrow. The way she lit up was enough to tip her off that it was excitement that coursed through the blond's body.

The smile and the words that followed only confirmed it. "Then, I am very glad I ran into you, Romana."

She could only give a small smile in response and nod. “It is fated, or so they would say. History has now been written.” But, it could easily be unwritten as it was not a fixed point in time.

"My 'real' name - the one my mother gave me - is Melody Pond, but when I last regenerated, I switched over to 'River Song', my parents are companions of The Doctor - his eleventh form, that is.”

Something about that did not sit right with her. Regeneration was for those who went through the training to become a lord or lady of Time. Even though all Gallifreyans were born to be, only select made it through the initiation ceremony. Only those that were through their school years typically had regenerations, as far as she knew.

“If you can remember my full name, which even the Doctor could not, I shall allow you to call me by it. My full name is Romanadvoratrelundar. I was a companion of the Doctor many, many years ago.” Although, she kept it to herself that she was a timelady. Not to mention, that she had quite the complex relationship.

“He isn't here.” She confirmed, and then closed her eyes. “It is soon that he will be here, although I doubt in a form you would even recognize.” Which, was another reason why Romana had finally given up her guise of being Morgaine. She did not want the Doctor to know of her continued existence outside of the timelock around Gallifrey and the wars.

[River Song]

River beamed when Romana revealed that she had been a companion of the Doctor's many, many years ago. She also just absolutely adored the woman's name - but, chances were that like the Doctor, River would have a hard time remembering the whole thing in its entirety - but, the main thing that River observed about Romana's beautiful, rambling name was that it was clearly not a name from Earth.

Romanadvoratrelundar was an alien. A humanoid alien, to be sure, but... River wondered where she was from.

Romana said that the Doctor wasn't here on Avalon just now, but that he was going to be arriving sometime soon, and that Romana doubted that River would recognize his face.

Little did she know that River had pictures of all of his faces back in her office at Luna University in the 51st century. However, River didn't know which one of his faces was going to be coming...

"Ooh, I do love a good surprise!" River said gleefully. "I hope he shows up while I'm still here... I'd so love to have a chat with him!" she gushed, not realizing that Romana didn't want him to know that she was here.

[Romanadvoratrelundar]

Romana kept a careful eye on River's expression throughout the time she had spoken, and the fact that River had practically lit up like a Christmas tree irked her perhaps just a little. Her name was only a mere eight syllables yet it still provided trouble for memory apparently.

Due to the fact that River was from the future, she had certainly begun to wonder what she knew of Gallifrey, although certainly that was slim to nothing, or else she would have been outcast, for certain.

How little Romana wanted to see the Doctor. It was her most dreaded aspect, and the reason she wished to leave Avalon. If the Doctor saw her, he would recognize her automatically due to their history. She had left Gallifrey like a coward. One who was supposed to have been Lady President.

Upon listening to River speak, she grimaced.

"I'd rather not be around while that happens. Whatever happens, the Doctor must not know I am still alive." None less out of the time lock, and away from Gallifrey, far, far away. Oh, it was intriguing how River could be so giddy. Giddy like a schoolgirl, or so the expression went.

"If you speak to him of Avalon, do not. I repeat do not mention my name." She warned, her expression steely and her tone grim.

[River Song]

River was surprised that Romana seemed to want nothing to do with the Doctor - Romana said that she didn't want River to let the Doctor know that she is still alive, and she went so far as to ask that River not even mention her name in regards to Avalon. River didn't bother trying to hide her confusion, and it shone on her face as clear as day. The notion that someone wouldn't want to see the Doctor again absolutely boggled River's mind.

"I shall keep our meeting here to myself, if that's what you'd like," River said gently, as her face returned to its normal state. "He never has to know that you and I met on Avalon," she promised, though she didn't understand Romana's strong desire to remain hidden from that wonderful man.

"Though, I must say... It would absolutely break my heart if something made me feel that I had to keep myself hidden from that magnificent man and never see him again..." River added, to somehow empathize with the Time Lady. "May I ask why you wish to remain anonymous, Romana?" River asked gently and with concern.

[Romanadvoratrelundar]

Romana took in the confused expression and processed the possible reason as to why. She was certain she knew the reason why within a mere second. It was most certainly because she wanted to remain hidden from the Doctor. Her suspicion on the matter was only proven correct, as River spoke.

"I would appreciate that." The Time Lady responded as she stood straight and passive. She had no reason to be in any other states of mind as she continued her own words unable to keep herself from correcting River, "He never has to know, and so long as you do not tell him he never will know, River."

"Though, I must say... It would absolutely break my heart if something made me feel that I had to keep myself hidden from that magnificent man and never see him again..." River added, to somehow empathize with the Time Lady. "May I ask why you wish to remain anonymous, Romana?"River asked gently and with concern.

"I understand where you are getting this idea from but, the Doctor and I are not on good terms. Not while I am like this, I should add…" The question threw her off for a moment, uncertain of how much to tell the other woman. "Well, I wish to remain anonymous to the Doctor for I should not exist outside of a certain place and time." Was all Romanadvoratrelundar could bring herself to admit to.