Who: Troy & Rose What: Lunch Surprise! When: Back in early Feb Where: Troy’s Classroom Rating: Low Status: Complete upon posting!
Rose couldn’t help but smile to herself when she picked up the food and hailed a cab, heading to the UCLA campus. It was almost like how John had first found her; a sort of human scavenger hunt! She knew he was a literature major so she asked around for where that type of class would be. She made sure not to ask about the professor, wanting to take her time and explore the campus.
She had never really thought about returning to school, not until recently. It might have to do with her professor flatmate, but she had thought about it once or twice. She enjoyed being a flight attendant so far, but was that what she wanted to do for the rest of her life? That seemed so permanent to even try and think of something she’d want to do for so long! Rose shook her head as she wandered about campus until she reached the English building.
She glanced into windows that were available, opening a few doors and apologizing profusely if she happened to interrupt any classes. This is harder than I thought. She puffed out her cheeks and started down another corridor. Could it even be possible she wasn’t in the right place? Maybe he had today off or was already on lunch? Good thing I got sushi, I don’t have to worry about anything going cold!
She was ready to give up when she tried the last door. She opened it just a bit to see if the class was in session and when she saw an empty classroom, she opened it up more to see if there was a familiar face at the head table.
Troy sat quietly at his table, his class having let out a few minutes, and he had a few hours before the next one came by, meaning lunch would finally be made available. For now, though, he wanted to finish a few notes he had for his next class, as well as edit the ones he just went over with this last class; he’d gone on a few tangents, just as the students had with their own discussions, and so he hadn’t gotten to everything at once. Which he was happy about, he preferred thorough and engaging discussions over just prescripted coursework.
Checking a few boxes, he clicked his tongue a quiet moment before he heard the door opening, assuming of course that it was one of his students asking about some homework or maybe they’d forgotten something. Looking up, he gave a polite smile when he noticed it was Rose and he blinked a few times. Sitting up a bit, Troy cleared his throat and checked his tie a couple of times, knowing he probably looked a tiny bit haphazard after the long talks with everyone else. His jacket slung over the chair behind him an indication of how long this class had been.
Standing to his feet he gave a curious tweak to his brow, “Rose Tyler, as I live and breathe. What brings you all the way to my side of the L.A. map?”
Rose beamed when she realized it was the right classroom and she walked in, holding up the two bags. “I found you and I come bearing gifts!” She walked over to his desk, placing them down and making sure she didn’t crumple any papers that may have been spread about. “Do you know this is a very large campus? And there are many classrooms in this area?” She grinned, walking over to give Troy a hug and a kiss on the cheek.
“I hope I’m not interrupting anything important! I thought I’d take you up on the offer for lunch and surprise you! Kind of like a scavenger hunt!” Her smile continued to light up her face; she couldn’t believe that she had actually found him! “I have to say, I feel rather proud at the moment. I think this calls for a food celebration! Do you like sushi?”
Troy blinked at the exuberance with which Rose came barreling into the room; the woman was obviously excited in seeing him, which did surprise him to some degree. He wasn’t exactly the sort to be excited about, he figured that was better left for young men with long curly hair and who could harmonize, albeit poorly, in song. Still, watching her forced a smile to his lips that he wasn’t expecting and a shake of his head at her question about interrupting anything important.
Brushing at the papers, he scooped them up and set them into their pile again, “No, no, I have a couple of hours until my next class, and I was thinking about going to lunch anyway, was just finishing up some grading. Not due until a couple days from now though, so I imagine all will be well in that case.”
Staring at the young woman, he shrugged, “I do not hate sushi, it’s definitely a change of pace from the usual ramen noodles that I’m finding myself stuck with. You really didn’t have to pay though, I should pay you back--how much did mine come to? And I am impressed you found me at all, this is a rather large campus indeed. And, at that, quite spread out.”
Rose was usually a bundle of energy and she was so happy to have found Troy, that she hadn’t noticed if he might have been a bit overwhelmed by her sudden appearance. They had talked about her coming to visit him, surprising him even, so he must have been expecting it at some time, right? At least it all made sense in Rose’s brain. “It’s perfect! I just happen to look for you for lunch and you have a couple of hours to burn before your next class! It was meant to be today.” Rose beamed, happy that everything seemed to fall into place so well. It was going to be a good day!
She shook her head as she began to unpack her bags of various sushi and food. “No no no, not at all! It’s my treat! You can come surprise me sometime with food or a new book.” She gave him a wink, looking around for a chair to pull up. “Is it alright if I pull one of the chairs over?” She nodded towards the desk chairs.
Shaking his head with a bit of a laugh, Troy shrugged, “It must be fate then, destiny even; still, interesting that fate seems to be so preoccupied with our lunch habits. Seems there might be a few other things worth worrying about, but still I’m glad you came by. Usually these are rather boring times filled with reading papers and eating a rather poorly made sandwich.”
Another grin and Troy began to sort his sushi out before him before biting into one and then looking up at her, waving her over in response to the chair, “Of course, yes. Those things are moving most of the time anyway. So how have you been Rose? I trust all is well?”
Another bite and he seemed pleased with the assortment before him, leaning back in his seat as he crossed his hands over his stomach and watched her a bit, “A new book? Right, yes, I forgot that you wanted to start reading more. I can come up with something; in the meantime though, I did talk to Clara and she seemed relatively eager to do a book club. You should talk to John too.”
Rose laughed, dragging a chair over so she could it next to him at his desk. “Our destinies have been intertwined today!” She tried to say it with a mystical tone to her voice, waving one hand out before she sat down, the smile still on her face. “Nah, I think we’re pretty important! And sushi...that’s definitely important!” She opened her box as well, tucking in to a piece and savoring it.
“Itsh my fawvorwite.” Rose had no shame on talking with her mouth full of food and swallowed. “Well, this and probably chips. Chips are definitely a favorite.” She nodded her head, as if to solidify that they were, quite possibly, the best food ever.
Rose took another piece of sushi and chewed on it, swallowing before answering this time. “Things have been good, yeah! Been busy with work and traveling, that sort of stuff. John and I went out on a date, but that was...well, it was interesting.” She glanced at Troy, wondering if he would tell Clara. It wasn’t that Rose wanted to keep things from her, but she knew how she worried about her cousins, just wanting to make sure they were safe. Rose didn’t want to give her any worry, especially since they were both safe. “How about you? Still enjoying the California weather and getting accustomed with everything?” She reached over to take another piece, stuffing the whole thing in her mouth. Rose usually felt self conscious when eating something that would make her look funny; it just accredited Troy to how comfortable she felt around him. She wasn’t sure if it was because of his family relations, but there was something to him that she felt attached to.
“Oh bugger all, I forgot to ask John! But I think that still sounds brilliant! Any ideas to what we’ll start reading first?”
“Oh, right, you travel for work. How is that? I imagine it can be a bit daunting, but at the same time seems to have some merits. I’d love to see the world, I like traveling a bit. To travel for a living, to see all of the sights and sounds of the world, how fun could that be? Interesting, but yes, right, I’m sure you have been busy. Quite a busy travel time. And…”
He then blinked, “Wait, did you say you went on a date with John? And yes, California’s weather’s great--you say you went on a date… with John? The John I know? The John I’m cousins with? He went on a date?” Troy seemed genuinely perplexed by this and sat back in his chair thinking about it all. Interesting indeed, he tapped his chin then looked to her.
“Don’t worry about that, and we’ll likely be reading the Hobbit--where did he take you? Did he seem cordial? Did he know how it worked?”
Rose grinned always happy to talk about her new job. "It's been amazing! No out of country flights yet, but I'm still getting a hang of the ropes! I've almost gotten for the safety speak before take off so I'm starting to feel a little more confident." She gave him a confident smile, wondering when she would start to travel to more exotic locations that everyone seemed to be hoping for for her.
Rose raised her eyebrows at his keen interest to their date...and not in the respect that she would have thought. At least he didn't seem caught up on the mugging! With Troy's reaction, Rose began to wonder if having John ask her on an official date was a bigger deal than even she had thought. "Yeah John Smith, your cousin, my flat mate? Why is that so surprising?"
She couldn't help but laugh as Troy tried to respond to the book club question but came up with even more date questions. "It was really like any other time we had hung out or gone to dinner." Other than the extra person at the end "He chose a nice restaurant and didn't act any differently than the John we know and love!" She picked up another piece of sushi and chewed, carefully watching Troy take everything in.
"Did you think he would fail in going on a date?"
made “I just can’t imagine John going on many dates, the men in my family aren’t exactly romantics, we don’t go out looking for dates all that often. Even me, the one girlfriend I ever went on a date with was by happenstance; she was in a class with me, back at the University, and we both joined up in a book club and debated books long after the club was over,” He shrugged, “But I never asked her out. We just hung out more and more until it was kind of made official?”
Troy leaned back thinking, “Still, I never ask anyone on a date, and I don’t imagine John does it all that often. Like the rest of us in the family, he’s so focused on learning, and exploring, and understanding that you don’t really think of those things, they don’t really matter to you all that much. So, good on you Rose Tyler, you made John think about girls. In a way that is necessary to think dating a possibility. And I was also curious if he got creative with it at all, doesn’t seem like it.”
Troy shrugged, “It’s just a different thing for John, not a crazy thing, just not an expected thing. Took me off guard a bit. And yes, as for the book club, we’ll be reading the Hobbit.”
Rose made an understanding face, completely seeing how Troy was right on that notion of the men in his family. Well, the only one she really knew well was John, but he hit the nail on the head. She could get that same feeling from Troy and Duncan, but she didn’t want to completely assume.
“I feel like that’s the way it is with John and I,” she said honestly, taking another piece of sushi and popping it into her mouth. She looked at Troy and shrugged her shoulders as if to say ‘fine by me’. Part of her wanted a defined relationship but when she tried to figure out why, the other half jumped in with a ‘you’re fine with where you are.’
She couldn’t help but laugh, shaking her head. “I think that was a compliment, so thanks?” Rose wasn’t sure how Troy actually took to the date, wondering if maybe he didn’t approve. But he moved back on topic to the book club so she would leave it for now.
“I think I’ve read that before, but waaaay long ago. I just remember the ogre’s turning to stone. I dunno why I enjoyed that part so much…” Rose shrugged, taking one last piece to stuff in her mouth.
“Yes, definitely a compliment. Most definitely. Ah, so I’m glad you two have found that with each other at least; you both seemed incredibly comfortable with one another when I last saw you two together, so that’s definitely a good thing. I really wouldn’t know anyway, I’m hardly an expert at it. I’m far better with books than relationships,” The Doctor shrugged before biting into his sushi again and listening to her, “The ogres turning to stone is relatively early in the book, and probably the first adventurous thing that happens--which is why you remember it so well.”
Troy grinned and then turned his brow up, “But the whole thing is actually quite exciting and, though technically for children, it’s really quite expansive and fun to break down. I recommend it, really. It’s a good way to begin understanding out to break down literature. To enjoy it on that level and get into reading more.”
He finished off his sushi before leaning back and looking to her, “So you’re interested in traveling? Is that why you have the job you do?”
Rose smiled and might have even given a small blush. It seemed that many people were noticing her and John’s relationship except the two of them. Rose didn’t deny any feeling she had for him, but it didn’t feel like a typical guy she just happened to fancy. This felt like something more important, so she didn’t want to rush any type of labeling, even if part of her may have wanted it.
“I’m glad we found each other too. And look at the doors it opened for me!” She grinned, pointing one of her chopsticks at him. “I feel like I have a new group of friends because of him!” Troy and Clara were definitely included in that, as well as Gwen, Cindy, and another other friend that John seemed to have in his life. “Relationships are queer,” she said, knowing the truth behind it.
“I’ve never really done that before. Broken down a book. I was rubbish at school so I didn’t really pay attention at that part in class. But I would definitely be interested now!” Rose had never taken to school before because her mind was always somewhere else, daydreaming and staring out the window. Now that she was finally living a life that wasn’t just on repeat every day, she thought she could focus on something a little more intellectual than she was use to.
She leaned back in the chair, happy with the lunch she had decided on. Sushi had always made her feel full, but not to the point where she felt sick. “I’ve always wanted to travel, but never had a way too. Too expensive to do it and I couldn’t really go as a part of a school trip. But I always thought it would be exciting to see cultures outside of what we experience, different lands. I haven’t gone outta the states yet, but I’m still hoping!” She reached to grab her water bottle, playing with the lid before responding. “I think I lucked out with the job really. I was so bored at Starbucks and then Peter came along, advertising for air stewardess and…” She held her arms out, bringing back in to take a swig of her water. “The rest is history as they’d say. Have you done any traveling?”
“Rubbish at school? I find most people are rubbish at school because they don’t find the subject interesting and the teacher isn’t making it interesting for them; that’s generally, to me, the biggest mistake in teaching. If you can find a niche, something entertaining, if you can make the education fun? That’ll help you go a long way in making the education something fun, something that makes you want to learn more. When you break down a book with friends, you feel more comfortable and are more open to providing your opinion. It can be really fun.”
Troy took a drink from his water bottle then leaned forward as he listened to her, staring directly at her and seeming to be intent on what she was saying, chuckling when she brought these things on, “You like to travel then. Have you ever thought of something like art history? Or business? If you go to school for those things, there’s a lot of traveling you can do. Some think “I’m not an artist’ but that’s not the point; in art history, you can be into the art without being good at it. Travel the world, see all of the different sculptures, paintings, and then you get paid to do it.”
Shrugging his shoulders, Troy grinned and took another drink from his water, “I think you’re a brilliant woman, Rose; and yes, of course being a stewardess allows you to travel the world and what not, but it’s mostly going to stick you here, and it’s not going to let you travel too far from the airport too much. So, maybe go to school, do a study abroad, see the rest of the world.”
Rose laughed, hearing the words that John had said to her when they had first met. She nodded her head in agreement. “Yeah, I think you’re right. I was just never motivated before and it was easy to kind of slack off. My mum never had high expectations of me and I lived at home for so long…” She tapered off, realizing how much it sounded like she was trying to make an excuse for herself. While she had never been proud of not finishing school, it had never bothered her until lately. It may have been that she had started to make so many friends who were either going to school for a higher education or even those who taught it, such as John and Troy themselves.
She thought about the majors Troy had offered and gave a shrug of her shoulders. “Truthfully I’ve just started thinking of going back to school actually. I dunno for what though. I don’t think I have an eye for art. And business?” She made a face, tilting her head to the side. “But at least something to think about! Maybe I’ll think of something and apply for the fall. Or at least start to just take some basic classes, get a feel for it…” Rose wasn’t sure how she would be able to do school if she continued to travel with Baer, but she wasn’t going to rule it out altogether either.
Rose smiled at his compliment, but frowned at what he said. He had a point; did she really want to stay a flight attendant the rest of her life? It was exciting now, but ten years down the line, she was sure it would get old. And then what? Try and get a shoppe position again? “Definitely food for thought,” she said, mimicking Troy and taking a sip of her own drink. “I dunno, it’s just hard to try and put everything together, ya know? But I’ll definitely think about it. I’ll probably come and bother you a bit for some advice too. Hope you don’t mind!” She felt lucky to have Troy and John, two close friends to help her through this. She knew they wouldn’t steer her in the wrong direction and she would need all the help she could get!