Who: Will Laurence and Clara Oswald What: Stopping in for a catch-up When: Recently Where: Clara's Diner/TARDIS Ratings/Warnings: Low/none Status: Complete
Laurence still wasn’t used to seeing the diner popping up willy-nilly wherever it wished, but at least now when he saw it, he smiled instead of questioned his sense of direction. Especially because it meant, if he had time, that he could catch up with Clara.
He had time today, and so he stepped into the diner and greeted Clara with a smile. “Good afternoon, Clara,” he said warmly. He couldn’t recall when he’d started calling her by her given name, but he suspected that it had been after their trip to the Battle of Trafalgar.
It was the joy of the TARDIS that Clara could basically be anywhere at any given moment. Mostly it was based on where she needed to be as it wasn’t just her dad’s TARDIS that took you where you needed to be, not necessarily where you wanted to be. Oh sure, sometimes the two were the same, or there was no specific necessity to being a place. But that was also part of the fun.
So when she heard the bell announce someone showing up, Clara looked up to see who it was that had entered and if she would be pulled into an investigation as often those who found her were in some sort of need of her services.
Instead it was Laurence, and not only that? He was calling her by her actual name. Which was a welcome change and had been ever since he started. Either way, she just smiled in greeting.
“Why good afternoon to you, too.”
“I’ll have a coffee, thank you,” Laurence said, sliding into one of the stools at the counter. He had just eaten not long ago, and so there was no need to trouble Clara with anything other than the coffee. “How have you been? I hope you’ve had plenty of chances to get out and enjoy this nice weather.”
“One coffee, coming up.” Turning to where the coffee pot, Clara went about making Laurence a cup before turning back to the counter and giving it to him. For how she had been? “I’ve been alright. Ran into an old friend from London, Peggy. Otherwise, doing my usual thing,” which for Clara really could be anything, “And yes, I’ve definitely been getting out. How about you? Anything new and exciting?”
Laurence didn’t think he knew Peggy, though that was hardly a surprise. It wasn’t as though Laurence knew everyone in London. “Nothing terribly exciting, I’m afraid,” he said, and then paused. “Well, perhaps in a place like this, that isn’t such a bad thing.” The Orange County had enough excitement without Laurence bringing more upon himself. “I was deployed on a brief training mission not long ago, which you of course already knew about. Aside from that, it’s been mostly work.”
He probably didn’t, while Peggy’s brother had been military, it wasn’t like their paths would have crossed, and Peggy was someone she had known before university, so a different time frame from when she had known Laurence.
“Yeah, seems the second anyone mentions things being quiet or bored, something happens in typical Orange County fashion,” If that meant the area was sentient or not? Well that was harder to say - and something Clara didn’t like to entertain because honestly? It was just really creepy to think about.
“Well there’s nothing wrong with that. So long as you remember to take breaks as well.” Hey, just because she no longer had to worry about pesky things like rest didn’t mean those she cared about were so lucky.
“Then let us refrain from that,” Laurence said, with a bit of a half-smile. Another boredom had never killed anyone, which was more than he could say for the Orange County ‘events’ that occasionally happened.
“I do make a point to stay rested while I’m home,” Laurence said. Some men believed that only by hard living could men be prepared for life in the military, but Laurence found that men who were well-rested and well-taken-care-of in their usual life generally performed better when they were thrust into less-than-ideal circumstances.
“Have you been on any interesting trips lately?” he asked, not quite able to stop himself. How could one not ask about time travel when the opportunity presented itself?
There was a part of Clara that was bored. There were strange things to investigate but there was also a strange silence. Though it might just be more apprehension than boredom. Things had been quiet for a few months which was never a good sign. But she also knew better than to voice such a thing as that was just inviting chaos. “That’s the plan!”
Clara might be reckless, but she wasn’t that reckless. And she wouldn’t wish insanity on those who weren’t prepared for it or able to defend themselves. It was why when there was nothing to investigate here and she was up for adventure? She just travelled either in time or space. It usually depended on the day and her mood.
“That’s good. More people should do that.”
And a question on her travels. Which wasn’t shocking, they were catching up plus she did have that ability to travel where and whenever she wanted, so there were always stories.
“Let’s see. There was a trip to the Exposition Universelle,” She’d done the Chicago World Fair already so why not the one in Paris in 1889? “Then there have been some trips outside the galaxy to different planets.”
“The Exposition Universelle sounds magnificent,” Laurence said, obviously awed. While he did enjoy his relatively simple life, he had to admit that he felt a small pang of envy at that. “I hope that you brought back some interesting souvenirs. I can’t say I was… aware that your ship was able to travel through space.” He wondered if it was common that time machines could also travel through space, and then wondered when he started thinking of time machines as anything that could be common.
“Well obviously!” After all, it wasn’t anything that would disrupt the fabric of time, no paradoxes or the like. That of course was always a concern but Clara knew that some things were in flux, others were fixed and even those in flux, she knew how to keep from doing anything that would lead to a serious change in the present.
As for the comment? “Yep. TARDIS, short for Time And Relative Dimension In Space. So going into space is always an option as well. In case you were ever curious.”
Because how could Clara not offer? It was one of the things she enjoyed. Okay, so there had been that one time she had fallen in love with the stars and refused to come back until the Orange County thing had worn off. But still.
In case he was ever curious? Laurence couldn’t help it, he was a little curious. There was a part of him that thought it would be better if he kept his feet firmly upon the earth, but there was an even greater part of him that wanted to see it all. That was the same part of him that had had him run away to join the Navy when he was sixteen in the first place.
“Have you ever encountered any lifeforms up there?” Laurence asked.
While most people would definitely be curious, Clara knew that wasn’t everyone. Shame but that was life, to each their own and all of that. So she did still need to ask. But if someone ran away to join the Navy for the adventure, the option to go to space?
“Here? Not yet. Unless you count my dad.” Time Lord and all, “But in the Dreams? Definitely.”
And so far, none of the species she had met up there that would want to cause harm had yet to show up in Orange County. But that was also something her TARDIS and K-9 would scan for as well, and she knew if her dad caught wind of anything, he’d let her know, or just show up.
“Unless you count your…” Laurence started. That only lead to more questions, ones that Laurence was itching to ask, but he knew to do so could be considered rude and so he kept them to himself. It didn’t take long for him to reach the logical conclusion though. “I take it that means your father also Dreams?” he asked. It didn’t answer whether or not Clara was entirely human, but that was a question he couldn’t bring himself to ask for propriety's sake.
“Even with the lack of other life forms, I think I would very much like to see space someday,” Laurence said instead.
Watching Laurence work through what she just said, Clara grinned in amusement. If he was worried about appearing rude, Clara had dealt with much worse. But she’d be nice and not point it out. Especially as he found a different way to word his question.
“He did. And now he travels the universe in his own TARDIS because he got bored of staying in one location for any given amount of time.” Which made sense, Doctor and all.
“Well let me know whenever you want to go up, and we can definitely go on a space adventure.”
“That must be nice for him,” Laurence said, wondering a little if Clara ever missed her father. His parents had always been fairly sedentary, typically only moving from their family estate in Allendale to their home in London when Parliament was in session, or travelling when his father’s parliamentary duties required it of him, but Laurence had found himself missing his mother terribly his first few years at sea. “I hope you are still able to communicate with him regularly.
“I believe I have some time off coming up in the next couple of weeks. I will have to check my schedule to be certain of when.”
“It is. After the Dreams, the whole...needing to travel thing was pronounced for him since that’s all he does in them.” And honestly Clara couldn’t blame him. If she hadn’t made connections in Orange County, if she didn’t have Bucky, it was hard to say if she would have stuck around. She had already left teaching because she found it didn’t fit her anymore and she had that itch for investigating and adventure. But there was enough in Orange County to keep her busy with that. She just had different tethers to the world now. She did miss her dad, though, even when she’d been frustrated when he had first moved after her. “I am. TARDIS console. Plus, before K-9 joined me more full time, he was sending me updates.”
Nodding at the comment on needing to check his schedule, Clara grinned.
“Brilliant. Just let me know.”
“I can understand the Dreams awakening things in you that you might not have otherwise discovered.” Laurence woke most mornings wanting nothing more than to be able to climb on dragon back and fly through the sky, the chilly air whipping through his hair and burning his skin. Unfortunately, in a world without dragons, this was a desire that he was unlikely to ever be able to recreate, and so he had no choice but to ignore those urges.
“Of course,” Laurence said warmly. “Do you have much on the agenda for today?”
“Basically.” Clara was lucky in that sense. She was able to travel as she liked. Especially given she no longer had a ‘real world job’ to tether her to Orange County and take up time. So if the whim struck? She could just take the TARDIS and explore and be back in time for bed.
“Nope, nothing planned for today.”
“Then I hope you won’t mind too much if I while away the time a little longer here,” Laurence said. He always did enjoy spending time with Clara, and hearing about her exploits.