eastbound | video; un: hide-and-seek

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video; un: hide-and-seek

[ Clara's sitting as privately as it's going to get in the Mouse House, still a little breathless. Not from exertion, but from realizing she might've heard something she shouldn't. She can't know for sure, but her gut tells her it's important. Her first instinct is to find the Doctor and tell him, but she'd done the first thing he'd asked her not to and wandered off. As always.

In need of semi-fresh air, she'd waited until he was busy talking to someone else before quickly excusing herself, walking away before the Doctor could protest. She'd walked a few blocks toward the ports when she'd overheard a small group talking about a person named Cain. The way the apparent co-workers tensed and glared at her when spotted, made her feel as if the complaining hadn't been meant to be heard by anyone, not just her. Back inside, she's decided to share what she overheard when she doesn't spot the Doctor right away. Whipping out her new device she takes a minute or two to understand how it works before her face pops up on the screen. ]

Hullo, I'm Clara. Met some of you during the [ Her free hand waves around vaguely. ] events. I'm not sure what is and isn't important here, but a talking fox told me I needed to make tea to get out of a murder house, so who am I to decide what everyone should or shouldn't know?

[ Either someone tells her not to worry about it, or she's given out something everyone needs to know. She should really wait for the Doctor, but there's no going back now that she's announced it. ]

Went outside and overheard two people talking about someone named Cain do..brick? [ She can't quite remember how it was pronounced, but hopefully, she's close enough. ] They've done something to make an employer angry enough to hit an employee after getting off the phone with Cain. Something about an offer involving parts and grease for Minaras and Eidris. There was more, but I'm not sure if this means anything or not. The people talking about it got pretty upset when they saw me, so I thought it might be worth mentioning.

[ There's a pause as she decides to wrap things up. ]

In case none of this matters, quick question. If you've met the Doctor, what was your first impression, please? [ There's a quick, cheeky and teasing smile that suggests knowing him before the video ends. ]

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I'm in Eidris when we can actually leave the Mouse House. [ Clara's own lighting isn't exactly great, but it's enough on both ends, and now River can actually see a one-dimpled smile. ]

Illegal time-traveling field trips sound like the best incentive I've ever heard; I'd do everything I could to be a favorite.

[ The adventures, the fun, the rule-breaking. But then she lets out a huff that may be a laugh. ]

The Doctor's ridiculous, I've learned to only listen to his opinions about 80% of the time. Let him criticize, he's the cheater with a whole ship at his disposal.

Edited 2022-10-22 16:52 (UTC)

I've been assigned to Minaras, when I'm not sneaking off to meet the Doctor. [ Meaning that she's really spent more of her time in the undercity. ] Definitely allergic to fun.

Eidris has a more casual approach, I understand.

[ Two sides of the same coin, maybe, but both existing at opposite extremes. ]

80? Really? I'd give him more like 75.

The Doctor loves to cheat. He also likes to pretend he knows everything. Why dig up an artifact when you can go have a chat with the person who used it?

[ And on occasion, she does exactly that, but she also appreciates that without the artifact, she'd have no reason. She'd become an archaeologist for him, to find him, but she'd grown to enjoy it. As much as she enjoyed any other hobby, anyway. ]

He used to make a lot of suggestions. Never trust the Doctor if he says you need a break. He'd send me off on holiday to deal with whatever seemed least interesting at the time but still needed his attention.

[ Clara laughs and shakes her head. ] You're right. 75. On a good day. I can understand his approach, but sometimes it's not about getting the answer right away. There's a mystery to it, going the long way.

[ She thinks she'd like it, remembers a time when she was much younger and wanted to be a paleontologist. Not the same, but close. ]

The two of you getting into trouble here, though, that sounds about right. [ She's smiling when she says it, glad that at least they've had one another in some way. ]

I've already learned the hard way about the Doctor and tricking me into going home. [ There isn't as much lightness in her voice when she says that, it's still too fresh. ]

Still found my way back to him though, more than once. Hopefully, he's learned his lesson.

[ He hasn't. Probably. ]

Love a mystery. The Doctor loves being right. And proving it.

[ Every chance he gets. He loves to put on a show. And so help her, it still works. You'd think after...how long have they been married again? Anyway, ] But trouble is what we do best. You'll be dragged back in with us soon enough.

[ Her smile doesn't change, but there's a flicker of understanding in her eyes. It won't do any good to repeat truths they both already know, but she likes Clara. She wishes her story could end differently. But maybe this has already changed the ending for all of them. ]

I wouldn't count on it, sweetie. He does what he thinks is best, misguided as it is.

No, I know. Lessons are given by him, not learned. And to your earlier point about getting dragged in? He needs all the help he can get. At least now it's two against one, sensibility's gonna have to prevail eventually.

[ Clara does smile again after sighing softly. ]

He should've at least told me who you were when I asked. If avoiding anything emotional was a sport, he'd be a grand champion, undefeated and unchallenged.

I wouldn't count on that, either.

[ But her smile brightens, just slightly.

Then she sighs again, softly, falling quiet as she lowers her gaze. ]

He's never talked about me, Clara, not even when I was right in front of him. For the Doctor, I died the day he met me. As far as he remembers. Our relationship was built on my death. He had to allow it. He never wanted that. He never wanted to fall in love with me.

[ Clara goes quiet, watching River on her screen and feeling that pit in her stomach deepen a little. She isn't sure what it is she feels yet, can't put her finger on it. ]

That's not fair. All you've done is love him, and he won't even say your name.

[ The conversation feels too big for them to be having over a device, and she sits up a little straighter. ]

If you don't have anything better to do, we could talk in person. I could bring some of the cake with me.

[ River laughs, though there's nothing funny about it. She's acutely aware of her own feelings, and just as aware of her husband's inability to shed light on his. She isn't excusing him, exactly. Or maybe she is. She can't seem to stop, even when she's the one suffering for it, especially when she's the one suffering for it. ]

Because he lost me, Clara. Because he believes if I hadn't loved him, my life wouldn't have ended the way it did.

[ And maybe it wouldn't have. But their story had already been written, long before they met, before she was even born. Neither of them could have changed it, and she wouldn't have wanted to. ]

Cake sounds brilliant. You'll be lucky to get it past the children.

[ This is going to have to be where the conversation pauses, because Clara's already getting up. ]

I'm a teacher and I've been a nanny. I know how to get cake by nosey eyes. I don't normally take things from kids, but I don't have alcohol and something says sugar is bad for children anyway, so I'm doing them a favor.

[ Once she has River's location, Clara snags one plate, a large piece of cake to share, and a couple of forks. True to form, she's stealthy around the kids and gets to River unscathed. She grins when she sees her and presents the cake. ]

Ta-da. They never knew what hit 'em.

[ She drops next to River and hands over a fork. ]

Whatever meal of the day this is, cheers.

Aren't you full of surprises.

[ She takes the fork with a smile. ]

Thank you.

[ It's good cake, considering where they are, and chewing slowly allows her time to think. ]

I know you're curious, maybe a little worried. [ She doesn't elaborate on what she means by that. ] But he doesn't need to talk about me anymore, sweetie. I do plenty of that for myself.

[ Clara preens a little playfully at the compliment before taking a bite. It is good and she hums in happy surprise. She's quiet after River speaks, purposefully taking another forkful because it's a good tactic, and she's stealing it for thinking. ]

I think you've done a lot to help him over his lives, and other people should know your name at the very least, that's all. I'm glad that I do now.

[ Her smile is warm and she takes another bite of cake. ]

And I'm glad there's nothing stopping us knowing one another, here. You remind me of my best friend in uni. We were roommates, she taught me how to dress as a quite short person.

[ Show off the legs with a lot of skirts, wear heels out, draw the eye down the body. Those sorts of things. She's happy to talk about something other than the Doctor, at least for a few beats of their conversation. ]

[ The way River looks her over is anything but subtle. Then she's reaching for another forkful of cake, eyes sparkling. ]

She taught you well.

[ Gesturing back toward Clara with the fork, she smiles again. ]

You know, I used to be not much taller than you are. Darker skin, though. Those were my wilder days, if you can believe it.

[ That's mostly true, anyway. ]

[ Clara settles in comfortably, like that final guard that was teetering has finally fallen down. At River's words, she grins, though the tips of her ears turn pink in appreciation. ]

You should've seen her.

[ Speaking of her former life, there's Clara's own look over River, and she hums. ]

Now you don't have to pretend to have legs for days, you've actually got them. What sort of wild child mischief did you get into?

[ River's laugh is loud, rich and honest, and she leans her head back against the wall. ]

The usual. Fights, unruly behavior, nicked a few things.

I stole a bus once. Well, borrowed, really. Unfortunately, the police didn't see it that way.

[ That's a laugh that fills a room with warmth, and Clara joins in, dimples deep. ]

A bus? I have to admire the determination you must've had to get your hands on it. [ Cutting off a bite of cake, she glances at River. ]

I was never awesomely rebellious, not like that. I did get into fights with bullies, though. Drove my parents mad. I was never any bigger than the kids being picked on. [ Clara finally takes her bite before making a noise of remembrance in the back of her throat. ]

I did nick a bra from Victoria's Secret in Sheffield once on holiday. So, there you have it, my teen rebellion stage. Didn't even have anythin' to put in it, at the time.

[ But it was a tenth-year tradition on the annual holiday, a rite of passage for only the bravest girls. ]

I needed a ride. [ Her words are accompanied by a shrug, as if that clearly justifies her actions. ] And I did return it.

[ She takes another bite of cake, turning the fork over to lick it clean before shifting her attention to Clara again. ] I bet they were all afraid of you. I've never liked a bully either, but they're never as strong as they act. And I expect you're relentless.

[ It's meant as a compliment. ]

See. We all have a rebellious stage. It just lasts a little longer for some of us than for others. [ She laughs again, softly. ] I think mine started when I was born, and I'm not sure I've ever outgrown it.

[ The compliment is taken as such and it makes Clara's grin brighter. ]

Something tells me you were never meant to lose it. Be rebellious, but for a cause.

[ Clara licks rogue icing off of her thumb. ] Where were you going? On the bus, I mean, when you stole it.

[ Something warms in her at Clara's assessment. She thinks too much of her, really. The Doctor's always been the one with a cause, with good intentions. River's nature is more self-serving; she's just been dragged along in his wake. ]

It was late. The easy answer is home. But I didn't really have one of those. I guess I just wanted to see if I could do it.

[ Life could be terribly boring in Leadworth. ]

I ended up in a holding cell. Amy had to come get me out, not for the first time. Or the last.

[ Knowing River didn't really have something as simple as a home makes Clara a little protective. Which is ridiculous because River's an adult now, and God knows, she doesn't need someone tiny as Clara trying to protect her. But still. ]

Pity the getting caught part.

[ Yet again, the Doctor's failed to mention anyone from his past, so she has no idea who River might be referring to. To Clara it's just a name dropped in a story. ]

But what uou're saying is, they got to know you well down at the station? Amy never minded?

In hindsight, I probably shouldn't have taken that shortcut through the botanical garden.

[ It's ridiculous and she knows it, her smile lighting her eyes, even with the memory of her parents lingering like a shadow. ]

We were practically on a first-name basis. [ She tilts her head in momentary consideration. ] I don't know if I'd say she never minded. I can still hear the lectures. But she always came when I called, just the same.

You didn't? [ Clara laughs again, then takes another bite of cake as her laughter dies down. Her smile returns at the description of Amy, and she's glad that River had that, a person who so obviously cared. ]

Have a number on how many times you got bailed out? She sounds like the exact sort of best mate anyone would want. Actually there for you when they say they will be.

[ She had that once, and then there'd been more death, more loss, more people gone when they shouldn't have been. ]

More than I remember. She and Rory probably could have told you the exact number and every reason.

[ Everything had been simpler then, their timelines less tangled, her secrets less numerous. She misses them deeply, misses how easily they'd accepted her, even before they'd known, when she was just Mels Zucker, Amy's rebellious second-best mate. ]

We grew up together, Amy, Rory, and I. In a manner of speaking. I'd gone backwards a bit that regeneration. It took me a long time to find them.

[ She falls quiet, just for a moment, as she studies Clara, apparently deciding something. ]

They'd let me keep a picture of my mother. I remembered what she looked like. Even when she was younger, Amy was unmistakable.

[ Clara's wrapped up in imagining it, this trio doing everything together, when River casually drops that the person she'd been imagining as an incredible friend was actually her mother all along. Clara's eyes widen, and puts her fork down on the plate. ]

You grew up with your mum, except she was also your age?

[ The sorry, what? is in her eyes but unsaid. She wants to ask at least three other questions but instead waits for River to continue. It feels too personal a topic for Clara to go deeply prying into the first time they've ever really met. Especially when she's being trusted with something that must make River feel so many different ways. ]

[ She'd expected as much, and as she sets her own fork down, she smiles to let her know it's okay. She knows she'll have questions. Whether she answers all of them or not, well... ]

It doesn't get less confusing for knowing the whole story.

They didn't know. [ If that isn't obvious. ] Not back then. But in some ways, it's the closest I ever was to them.

I've learned that when it comes to timelines, it's best to just not question until you need to.

[ Clara smiles in understanding; River doesn't have to explain the fine details of when. It's time travel, not simple. ]

How long were you with them?

[ Her voice is a little quieter because River's said was; her parents are in the past tense, and now what's left of the cake is completely forgotten, all of Clara's attention on the woman next to her. ]

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