alcesverdes | [Crossover] Kyoryuger / Doctor Who

Title: The Dangers of Nostalgia
Fandom: Zyuuden Sentai Kyoryuger / Doctor Who
Wordcount: +730
Rating: G
Characters: Madame Vastra, Torin
Notes: Rewatching Doctor Who knowing new canons pays off interestingly
Summary: Set after the episode 8x01, "Deep Breath", of Doctor Who. Madame Vastra finds a lizard-like bird man visiting London.

Humans have the strangest customs, Madame Vastra thought, sparing a glance to the flower arrangement she carried as she walked through the London night. To leave plants in someone's resting place… how does that provide closure? So many things wrong in this scenario she agreed to so Jenny stopped nagging, and not only because Silurians did things differently.

She didn't need closure; her only connection with the creature was that they were around back when she was a little girl. Nothing more. Besides, she doubted that the place where the Tyrannosaurus exploded because she decided on the wrong snack could be properly called her 'resting' place. Yes, it was sad, but beyond pity Vastra felt nothing else. Perhaps she should've insisted that her wife came along. Or instead. The way Jenny went on and on about it made it sound like she needed it more.

The flapping of wings three blocks away from the original containment zone, made her stop and press herself against the wall. The way they sounded announced a creature several times bigger than a dove. Enough to make Vastra feel glad she brought her swords.

She left the flowers on a windowsill and, with her hands ready to draw her weapons, she got to the corner in silence and took a peek. There was something—someone—standing just ahead and giving its back to Vastra. It had four limbs not counting the wings, and it stood upright on two of them. A sword hung from what could be called its waist. Such weapon spoke of a degree of civilization, and that creature just stood there without hurting anyone—a moot point since there was no one there to hurt—, so she thought of giving it a try.

Making sure her steps made the proper noise this time, she approached the creature and cleared her throat. "The night is quite calm, isn't it?" she said.

The stranger turned around. It wore a hood just as she wore a veil, except that a beak was quite visible. Not exactly betraying him, though; the wings had already taken care of that. "It certainly is, madam," the answer came, politely. The hood came off revealing a bird-like face, although with enough reptile-like features to make Vastra feel nostalgic. "My name is Torin," it said in a voice so deep Vastra thought it'd be safe to call the creature a he. Human habits rubbed off. In any case, he tilted his head. "It has been a while since I last saw a Silurian."

"I'm Madame Vastra," she replied moving forward and removing her own veil. But not before she reined in her surprise. "You know about my people?"

Torin nodded. "Not much. You all went to sleep soon after I arrived on Earth, so my contact with you was limited."

That statement provided all sort of questions. Was this Torin a being with his own time-travelling device? Or one with a long-lasting life? Vastra had heard of species that prided themselves for their longevity, but millions of years was… unexpected, at the very least.

"I have been around since," he continued, seemingly reading her thoughts. "Marveling at how life moves on and evolves. It always finds a way, you know?"

"Now, that's something I am not in a position to deny. So, did you come here to marvel at the human city of London?" It was an interesting place, but not one with an abundance of wonders. Although that could very well be her own bias speaking.

He shook his head. "I came here because of a song I hadn't heard in millions of years," Torin said. "For a while it seemed like a dinosaur found its way here. But apparently I was mistaken."

The longing in his voice, how obvious it was he expected to meet a long-lost friend, cut deeply. It made Vastra remember her own nostalgia. If only because of that, she owed Torin an explanation of what had happened in this place. Vastra put a gentle hand on Torin's arm. "You were not wrong," she began. Then, she remembered the flowers. For the first time in the evening, Vastra was glad she brought them. Jenny might have thought they were important, but she had no way to foresee how, exactly. She'd make sure to thank her wife, but later. First, she had to help someone else to find his closure.