"Blimey, these are good crisps." The Doctor said, a little surprised. He was sitting in a deli across the table from Adilah Jenkins. She was a lean, dark skinned young woman who had just proven herself to be quite indispensable when it came to sliding beneath two-ton solid steel security doors and escaping covert government ops. As far as skills went, the Doctor was impressed.

"Kettle chips," she said around a mouthful of sandwich, careful to keep her hand over her lips as she spoke. "They make them here in the shop."

"Excellent. Love a good shop." He took a sip of the coke he had ordered, they gave it to him in the bottle, but he had insisted on using a straw. He was a big fan of straws. "It's a relief," he added, adjusting his bow tie unconsciously. "To be sitting in a shop, instead of being dissected in an underground bunker. So, you know, thank you for that." He nodded gratefully in her direction. Things had certainly gotten a little more problematic than he'd originally anticipated. He couldn't say for sure he'd entirely given up hope by the time Adilah arrived, but nor could he say he'd been particularly optimistic when the surgeon had produced the electric bone saw.

"You are welcome, thank you for the diverting afternoon."

"You know Adilah," he watched her thoughtfully across the table. "You're quite clever." He wondered now, if maybe he'd spent a few too many trips on his own. Solo travel was marvelous, but there were always drawbacks. Such as potentially getting harvested for organs. That was a pretty big drawback. Adilah seemed a reliable sort of person who had the kind of practical knowledge to stay alive. Which was usually the minimum requirement. Mostly it was his only requirement.

"Don't forget pretty," she batted her eyelashes as she shot him a cheesy grin.

"And modest too, the full package." He said with a grin, she merely grunted her agreement. "Tell me Adilah, have you got any plans for the summer?"

"Beyond saving a bizarre young gentlemen from an untimely death?" She shrugged. "Working at the water park part-time until school starts up again. Nothing especially exciting. Unless you consider rearranging folding chairs for four hours a day engaging."

"I was hoping you might say that. I've got a bit of a proposition for you." He leaned forward on the table now, a smirk forming on his lips. He always liked this bit, the sales pitch. His favorite game was to guess what they'd want to see first. Adilah struck him as a dinosaur kind of girl.

She raised her eyebrow at him skeptically. "Generally, guys buy me dinner first."

"And here we are, sharing a meal." He gestured to the deli.

"I had to pay."

"Fair point." He shrugged. "I never really get the hang of money. It's all very," he waved his hand flippantly, his face full of scorn. "Archaic."

"You could just say you're broke." She snorted.

"Right, well. Anyway. I plan to do a bit of traveling. It's possible it'll all get a bit dicey, and I was wondering if you'd-" he stopped mid-sentence, staring at her sandwich. It wasn't the sandwich he had a problem with, as much as what she was doing with it. She had pulled back the top slice of bread, and was carefully layering the crisps inside the sandwich. "I'm sorry, are you…are you putting crisps in the sandwich?"

She looked up as she raised the sandwich to her mouth. "Yeah, why?"

"Have you-" he squinted as she took a bite, feeling a physical pain as she did so. The crunching, which he had presumed to be lettuce, was just so loud now. "Have you been doing that the entire time?"

"Yeah, I've always done that. Are you okay?" She must have noticed the queasy look that had come across the Doctor's face.

"Wrong, so, so wrong- Yes. I'm alright," he shook his head, trying to take his eyes off the offending sandwich. "I've just- I've never seen…" He couldn't make himself say it again. It was too profoundly disturbing. He felt ill just thinking about it. "Nothing. It's nothing." He cleared his throat and tried to smile.

"You're an odd duck," she said, shaking her head as she took another bite.

"So I've been told." He crossed his arms across his chest, restraining himself from hurling the sandwich somewhere where he wouldn't have to think about it anymore.

"You said something about traveling?" She prompted him when the silence had dragged on.

"Yes, I- No." He shook his head, suddenly adamant. "No. Not travel- Something else. Sitting. I'm a very active sitter. Yes, definitely, not traveling. It's very dull, drab. Bleh. Anyway, I've just got to-" he stood up hastily, nearly knocking his coke off the table. "Thank you, you were extraordinarily helpful. Today. Really. I do appreciate that." He was stumbling backwards out of the deli. He was the last of the time lords, undefeated by age or enemy, and he was retreating. "I really must be going. Lovely meeting you."

"Uh. Okay. What about those people who were-" Adilah looked around, noting the other customers. "You know, the bad ones?" She made a snipping motion with her fingers, deciding against announcing to the whole serving area that there was an underground band of organ harvesters loose in the city. Clever, she was definitely clever. It was just too bad there was no saving her.

"Oh, UNIT will clean that up." He reassured her, while making a mental note to alert UNIT before he took off again. They were better with paperwork anyway. He stumbled over a chair, striking one of the patrons with his elbow. "Oh, sorry. Terribly sorry. I'll keep in touch!" He announced to Adilah as he rushed for the door, the small bell tinkling overhead as he pushed it open.

"You don't even have my number?" She sat there, her arms spread in confusion. He shrugged and scuttled away from the deli like the coward he was.

Some things could be fixed, time could be rewritten. But he could not, in all good conscious, take on a companion who ate her sandwiches that way.