ADIUTRIX | DOCTOR WHO

↳ thin ice #4

Their stare down got broken by a creaking sound, The Doctor gave the former handmaiden a look that said only speak if necessary. She nodded an agreement, keeping her face amiable enough.

"Doctor Disco, from the Fairford Club!" His blue eyes looked greedily over the time lord, hoping this consideration was serious. "Obviously, one aspires to membership, but to actually be considered for...

His excited chattering died down as his eyes landed on Bill, who tried to smile nicely but it just looked sassy. Tension began to fill the room and Ophelia's heart began to race in anticipation of trouble.

"Who, who let this creature in here?" Sutcliffe looked back to his butler, anger dripping from every word said. "On your feet, girl, in the presence of your betters."

There were certain kinds of trouble one could expect when traveling in a stolen TARDIS with a semi stable time lord and one extra sassy human being. Being chased by an angry mob of ugly aliens, having laser beams shot at you, spending nights in uncomfortable holding cells. Those were all experiences Ophelia looked forward to because they would mean bonding, they'd mean growing closer to both people until they were best friends. Not one drop of imagination could have prepared her for what happened next.

The Doctor tapped Lord Sutcliffe on his left shoulder nonchalantly, as if simply to ask where was the bathroom but when he turned around to answer a fist flew into his face, fast and strong, knocking the man out cold.

"He's human." Bill stood up in shock while Ophelia just stood there frozen. "Thirty one years of age. Low on iron."

So much for tact and diplomacy.

"Yeah, that was pretty convincing racism for an extra-terrestrial." Bill's voice sounded breezy but her friend could see it had hurt a little (overwhelmingly surpassed by awe at witnessing a racist get sucker punched).

"My thoughts exactly." The Doctor nursed his left hand which probably hurt a little.

Two burly men entered the room and startled all three, who tried to come up with a believable excuse as to why their boss was passed out on the spot.

"Oh, hello. Can I just say, this is very unlike me. I don't normally do this." Ophelia wanted to flick him on his time lord forehead.

"Yeah, he was aiming for charming." Bill was getting a flick too.

"Basically."

Intention of being charming did not serve as a good reason for them because in a few minutes they stood with their hands tied behind their back, facing Lord Racist while he nursed his wounds. Ophelia didn't feel bad for hoping it hurt a lot more than he was letting on.

"Well, you're not from the Fairford Club." Sutcliffe stated without any prompting.

"The creature in the river, where did it come from?" A list of the Doctor's talents would begin with 'completely ignoring what was said'.

"Who the devil are you people?" His question got ignored.

"Where did it come from?" Bill would have to congratulate him later for seeming so patient.

"Nowhere! It's always been there." Ophelia would have jumped at the pretentious lord if weren't for his slimy butler. "The secret's been passed down in the family since, I don't know when. As far back as records go."

How many years in chains? How many years suffering without anyone noticing? All of that for what?

"Then tell me, do you also keep a record of how many it has killed?" The Doctor didn't dare taking his eyes off the man because if his friends were anything other than perfectly fine, he'd get punched again.