Flower and Willow: Chapter Four
Sep. 15th, 2011 03:59 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
timelord1I figured, why not? One more for today...
They held hands as they walked back to the park where they’d left the TARDIS, but neither of them spoke. The Doctor’s eyebrows were knit at the center, announcing to the world that he was steeped in thought, and Rose was giving him his time. She noticed that people were taking note of them as they went along, and she realized she was probably the only blonde English woman in the entire city.
“I don’t want to bother you,” she began.
He looked surprised. “You never bother me. I was just thinking. Sorry.”
“No, it’s just that I think I kind of stick out around here.”
His head went to one side as he regarded her. What started as a casual stare turned into a thoughtful scrutiny, and when he clapped his hand over his mouth and chin and really started to study her, she made a face.
“Would you like an autograph?” she asked at last, sighing. “Seriously.”
“Yeah,” he said, boring a stare into her, nodding with pensive rhythm as a slow smile crept across his face.
“You want an autograph?” she asked.
“What?” he asked, his eyebrows bounding away from one another.
“What are you thinking about?” she asked.
“Oh. Sorry. Yes. What?” he was shaking his head, as if trying to rouse himself from a daydream. He had the strangest look on his face; his cheeks were bright red and he wouldn’t look her in the eye.
“Never mind.” He was clearly thinking about Ichisumi-san, and how wonderful and graceful she was. Not that Rose was a jealous type, but it stung more than she wanted to admit that he was still so taken with her; a woman he had never mentioned until that afternoon. Maybe that’s not what stung. As she thought about it, it was probably more that she knew, not for the first time, that he was not thinking about her at all. Not that he was supposed to, by any means, but he was at the forefront of her thoughts constantly, except when they were running for their lives. Maybe she was stupid to think about him so much, when sometimes it felt like she was an add-on to him. A tool. Now she was getting angry, which was also stupid.
“Are you listening to me?” he asked with a smirk.
“Eh?”
“You think I go to another planet when I’m lost in thought? You go to an entirely different universe,” he said, giving her hand a playful tug. “Stay here, with me, all right?”
“What did you say?” she asked, pulling her hand away.
“Are you up for some undercover work?” he said. They were in the park now, and he stopped her on the footbridge near the TARDIS. If it had been cherry blossom time, the trees overhead would have been full of flowers. It was an overcast November afternoon, and the cherry trees were little more than drooping hands with thousands of slick black fingers reaching down towards the two of them.
“What sort of undercover work?” she asked with a twinge of her annoyance showing in her voice. Serving chips as a dinner lady? Serving canapé at a fancy party at the mansion belonging to her parents-that-weren’t-her-parents? These excursions were never fun.
“Serving sake,” he began. Rose’s shoulders drooped. “What?” he asked.
“That’s all you think I’m good for. In all these scenarios, every time, I’m always some kind of a bloody waitress. Is that how you see me, as a waitress?”
“Not at all,” he said, stepping back from her as if something was wrong with her.
“I’m not doing it. Not this time. Get yourself another sake wench.”
He opened his mouth to say something, then closed it again. “I can’t exactly do it, can I?”
“Yeah, and why can’t you? Thought you said the best way to find out what was happening was through the kitchen staff. Well, you work the kitchen for a change. Have fun!” She pushed past him and continued on her way to the TARDIS, leaving him standing there, sputtering.
“I. You… Rose Tyler, get back here!” he ran after her, catching up as she stalked into the TARDIS and sat down at the controls. “Do you have any idea what I’m even asking you to do?”
“Does it matter?” she cried, throwing up her hands. “You want me to dress up like a maid and serve drinks while you schmooze the geishas!”
“You’re half right, anyway,” he said, scratching the back of his neck.
“Forget it,” she spat. “Do it yourself. I’m sitting this one out, Captain Jerk!”
His face broke into a grin. “Captain Jerk? Like Captain Jack?”
“Like Captain Kirk! Jerk. Just shut up.”
“Who’s Captain Kirk?” he asked. The stupid grin on his face was starting to burn her up.
“I’m not talking to you!” she shouted.
“Yes you are. You’re talking right now,” he said with a snicker.
“Stop it!” she cried. “Don’t make fun of me.”
“Rose,” he said, his tone gentle. He reached for her hand but she hopped off the seat and started towards her room.
“Forget it. So far today you’ve pointed out how wonderful somebody else is, then you stare at me like I’ve got tits on my forehead, and now you want me to play barmaid again while you get the fun part. No.”
“If you’ll just wait a tic and listen,” he said. Somehow the fact that he was now working so hard to fight back the stupid grin was worse than if he would just let it go. She had half a mind to smack him.
She folded her arms in front of his chest. “Go ahead. Tell me how important I am, and how you just need me to do the slop work because I’m so valuable.”
“That’s not what I was going to say.”
“Fine,” she said. “Tell me how much you need me to do whatever it is.”
He took a deep breath before speaking. “I do need you. I need you to go undercover at the teahouse. As a geisha.”
She stared at him, blinking her incomprehension. “How’s that?”
“I know it will probably be awkward for you,” he said.
She rolled her eyes. “Thanks.”
“I think I’m going to give up talking permanently,” he sighed to himself, rubbing his forehead. “If you pose as a geisha to get the teahouse perspective on whatever’s going on at the Chrysanthemum, you’ll be able to get into places that are off-limits to me. I’ll come at it from my side and together we can find the source of the fluctuation and deal with it.”
“What are you going to do?”
“I’m going to join the Army,” he said, speaking with an American accent.
They held hands as they walked back to the park where they’d left the TARDIS, but neither of them spoke. The Doctor’s eyebrows were knit at the center, announcing to the world that he was steeped in thought, and Rose was giving him his time. She noticed that people were taking note of them as they went along, and she realized she was probably the only blonde English woman in the entire city.
“I don’t want to bother you,” she began.
He looked surprised. “You never bother me. I was just thinking. Sorry.”
“No, it’s just that I think I kind of stick out around here.”
His head went to one side as he regarded her. What started as a casual stare turned into a thoughtful scrutiny, and when he clapped his hand over his mouth and chin and really started to study her, she made a face.
“Would you like an autograph?” she asked at last, sighing. “Seriously.”
“Yeah,” he said, boring a stare into her, nodding with pensive rhythm as a slow smile crept across his face.
“You want an autograph?” she asked.
“What?” he asked, his eyebrows bounding away from one another.
“What are you thinking about?” she asked.
“Oh. Sorry. Yes. What?” he was shaking his head, as if trying to rouse himself from a daydream. He had the strangest look on his face; his cheeks were bright red and he wouldn’t look her in the eye.
“Never mind.” He was clearly thinking about Ichisumi-san, and how wonderful and graceful she was. Not that Rose was a jealous type, but it stung more than she wanted to admit that he was still so taken with her; a woman he had never mentioned until that afternoon. Maybe that’s not what stung. As she thought about it, it was probably more that she knew, not for the first time, that he was not thinking about her at all. Not that he was supposed to, by any means, but he was at the forefront of her thoughts constantly, except when they were running for their lives. Maybe she was stupid to think about him so much, when sometimes it felt like she was an add-on to him. A tool. Now she was getting angry, which was also stupid.
“Are you listening to me?” he asked with a smirk.
“Eh?”
“You think I go to another planet when I’m lost in thought? You go to an entirely different universe,” he said, giving her hand a playful tug. “Stay here, with me, all right?”
“What did you say?” she asked, pulling her hand away.
“Are you up for some undercover work?” he said. They were in the park now, and he stopped her on the footbridge near the TARDIS. If it had been cherry blossom time, the trees overhead would have been full of flowers. It was an overcast November afternoon, and the cherry trees were little more than drooping hands with thousands of slick black fingers reaching down towards the two of them.
“What sort of undercover work?” she asked with a twinge of her annoyance showing in her voice. Serving chips as a dinner lady? Serving canapé at a fancy party at the mansion belonging to her parents-that-weren’t-her-parents? These excursions were never fun.
“Serving sake,” he began. Rose’s shoulders drooped. “What?” he asked.
“That’s all you think I’m good for. In all these scenarios, every time, I’m always some kind of a bloody waitress. Is that how you see me, as a waitress?”
“Not at all,” he said, stepping back from her as if something was wrong with her.
“I’m not doing it. Not this time. Get yourself another sake wench.”
He opened his mouth to say something, then closed it again. “I can’t exactly do it, can I?”
“Yeah, and why can’t you? Thought you said the best way to find out what was happening was through the kitchen staff. Well, you work the kitchen for a change. Have fun!” She pushed past him and continued on her way to the TARDIS, leaving him standing there, sputtering.
“I. You… Rose Tyler, get back here!” he ran after her, catching up as she stalked into the TARDIS and sat down at the controls. “Do you have any idea what I’m even asking you to do?”
“Does it matter?” she cried, throwing up her hands. “You want me to dress up like a maid and serve drinks while you schmooze the geishas!”
“You’re half right, anyway,” he said, scratching the back of his neck.
“Forget it,” she spat. “Do it yourself. I’m sitting this one out, Captain Jerk!”
His face broke into a grin. “Captain Jerk? Like Captain Jack?”
“Like Captain Kirk! Jerk. Just shut up.”
“Who’s Captain Kirk?” he asked. The stupid grin on his face was starting to burn her up.
“I’m not talking to you!” she shouted.
“Yes you are. You’re talking right now,” he said with a snicker.
“Stop it!” she cried. “Don’t make fun of me.”
“Rose,” he said, his tone gentle. He reached for her hand but she hopped off the seat and started towards her room.
“Forget it. So far today you’ve pointed out how wonderful somebody else is, then you stare at me like I’ve got tits on my forehead, and now you want me to play barmaid again while you get the fun part. No.”
“If you’ll just wait a tic and listen,” he said. Somehow the fact that he was now working so hard to fight back the stupid grin was worse than if he would just let it go. She had half a mind to smack him.
She folded her arms in front of his chest. “Go ahead. Tell me how important I am, and how you just need me to do the slop work because I’m so valuable.”
“That’s not what I was going to say.”
“Fine,” she said. “Tell me how much you need me to do whatever it is.”
He took a deep breath before speaking. “I do need you. I need you to go undercover at the teahouse. As a geisha.”
She stared at him, blinking her incomprehension. “How’s that?”
“I know it will probably be awkward for you,” he said.
She rolled her eyes. “Thanks.”
“I think I’m going to give up talking permanently,” he sighed to himself, rubbing his forehead. “If you pose as a geisha to get the teahouse perspective on whatever’s going on at the Chrysanthemum, you’ll be able to get into places that are off-limits to me. I’ll come at it from my side and together we can find the source of the fluctuation and deal with it.”
“What are you going to do?”
“I’m going to join the Army,” he said, speaking with an American accent.
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Date: 2011-09-16 06:35 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-09-16 06:51 pm (UTC)Glad you're liking it - chapter 5 is up on my main page already if you want to read ahead! :) I didn't want to inundate the other site...