After yet another rough training flight by Katie, she and the Doctor stepped from TARDIS. The Doctor's hands were in his pockets, but his voice gestured grandly. "Welcome to Kurunathan, a planet known for good schools, safe streets, marvelous health care, and general peace all round."
"So basically it's the suburbs of the universe."
"Well, more like the countryside of the Middle Ages on Earth combined with modern convenience."
"Suburbs of the universe."
"Yeah."
Katie smiled. "There's got to be a catch somewhere."
"No, not this time," the Doctor said. "All perfectly legitimate. Trust me, I've been here before."
"Does this mean we don't have to run?"
He gave her a look. "What's wrong with the running? I thought you liked the running."
"I do, but sometimes it's nice to walk." Katie stepped forward down the brick street. "Come on! I bet they've got some marvelous stores."
Katie was, as usual, correct. They hadn't gone far before they came across a street bazaar. They wandered through, trying the odd vegetables (one of which was ice cold but smoking), finding the best version of a local drink that reminded Katie vaguely of sunshine, and swapping recipes with a food stall owner. The things being sold seemed to be arranged into sections, and as the foods petered out they came across the first signs of garments and accessories.
"I'm not sure where to look first," Katie said, blinking, though her voice held awe rather than scorn.
"Something for everyone here," the Doctor agreed.
"I wonder—" Katie broke off her sentence suddenly by reaching out with a gloved hand and catching the backpack of the child in front of her. He immediately started struggling, but Katie just pulled him back so that he was alongside her.
"Lemme go!"
Katie held out her hand. "Give it back first."
"I don't have anything that isn't mine."
Katie got down on one knee, still not letting go of the boy's pack. He stared defiantly back at her with hazel eyes, his arms crossed. In one hand he held a small green pouch. "I'll make you a deal," Katie said, "and my friend here can judge whether or not it's fair."
The boy gave her a suspicious look. "What's the deal?"
"I'll wager that I can say what's in that pouch you've got and that you can't."
"What's on the line?"
"The contents of the pouch."
"What if I don't want to make a deal with you?"
Katie smiled. "Then the two of us can wait right here while my friend finds a police officer to judge if the bet is fair."
The boy didn't even hesitate. "Alright then. Guess."
Katie shrugged. "If you say it's your pouch, I think you should guess first."
"An oval shaped rock," the boy said. Katie nodded.
"Good guess. I'll go further. It's black, completely smooth, and it's not a perfect oval. Open the bag so we can see."
The boy smiled in a cheeky grin. "No, I believe you." He held out the pouch and Katie took it, tucking it into her messenger bag. When she withdrew her hand, it was still clenched. She held it out towards the boy and opened it at the same time she let him go. In her open palm was a small copper figurine, no more than an inch in length. The detail was marvelous, the shape obviously a young woman in a fleecy dress.
"Take it. Payment for the pouch."
The boy grinned, picked up the figurine, and was gone in an instant. Katie stood again. "General peace all round, huh?"
"Everybody has a few scruples. Why aren't you wearing that around your neck like you usually do?"
Katie looked openly at him. "The Rahki have already marked me for something. I don't need evidence of their tampering hanging around my neck." She looked back to the stalls. "Come on. Let's see if we can't find you a different outfit."
"What's wrong with my suit?" the Doctor said, falling into step with her again.
"Nothing, but I see it all the time. You need variety."
"I have a brown one too."
"Not what I meant. The least we can do is get you a new tie." She stopped by a stall with several swaths of cloth, just the right size to be cut into a tie. She pulled one off a rack and held it up against him. "Maybe orange."
"No. No orange."
"Yellow?"
"No."
"Bright purple then."
"No."
"If you keep saying no I'm going to get you all three."
The stall owner drifted over to them, a pretty woman wearing a scarf. "Looking for something?"
"Yes."
"No."
Katie gave the Doctor a look which he ignored, directing his words to the woman. "Thank you, but we were just browsing." He took Katie arm and started pulling her away. She set the scarf down again.
"We'll be back." The stall owner nodded at Katie, giving a small smile.
Katie and the Doctor continued on, not really stopping. The Doctor became momentarily distracted by the wind chimes a booth selling jewelry had when he looked up and noticed Katie over at a dress stall. She was standing in front of a mirror, holding one of the dresses up to herself. The skirt was almost to the ground and the dress had only one sleeve, which was long. It was a deep red almost to the point of being purple, with no sequins or embroidery, and seemed to be made of something similar to very fine linen. He walked up behind her.
"You should get it."
"Right, like skirts mixing with me is a good idea," Katie said, still examining herself in the mirror. "Not even sure why I picked it up. Just being in any kind of dress shop is probably tempting fate."
"The planet's safe."
She locked eyes with him in the mirror. "You sure?"
"Very."
Katie folded the dress over her arm and walked over to the stall owner, reaching into her bag to find something to bargain with.
A few minutes later, Katie appeared from a curtained changing room, wearing the dress. The Doctor nodded approvingly as she twirled about, ending in an overly dramatic pose. He raised an eyebrow as he noticed her feet.
"You're wearing open toed shoes."
"Another bad luck thing," she said as she lifted her skirt to reveal the light brown sandals. "I figured two negatives made a positive." She peered at the box in his hand. "What'd you get?"
He handed her the box. "Another negative."
Giving him a suspicious glance, Katie carefully opened the box. Her eyes widened for a moment before she caught herself and gave the Doctor a look. "A necklace?"
He shrugged, a light smile on his face. "I thought it would go with the dress."
Katie smiled and nodded. "You're right on that account." She pulled it out of the box. The chain was made of intertwining silver links, giving the impression of being delicate while guaranteeing to hold. The pendant on it was a small purple crystal. She handed the box back to him and put the necklace on, centering the pendant. "Now, the only question is how to counter the extra negative." Katie snapped her fingers. "I know."
Reaching behind her head, she pulled out the several pins and hair ties holding her cedar hair up in a bun. Katie shook her head and her long hair fell loosely down her back. She gave a self-satisfied smile. "There. Four negatives still come up to a positive. Do I look sufficiently feminine for now?"
The Doctor nodded and Katie flashed him a wicked smile. "Now that I've had to get all decked out, I'm going to go back and buy those three scarves, and as soon as I've made them into ties I expect you to wear them."
Before the Doctor could protest, Katie was already heading back towards the booth. He shook his head as he watched her go before starting to continue on down the rows. Katie would catch up on her own time.
As he walked, he looked out towards the surrounding landscape. Mostly it was grassy hills, but on top of a hill a little ways out he caught sight of a large very modern building. Catching the eye of a nearby stall owner, he pointed to it.
"What's that for."
"It's the Institute sir," the man stated in a large voice. "For the nutters." The Doctor looked puzzled.
"So close?" he asked. The man shrugged.
"The people who built it built it strong. No one can get out without someone noticing, and they have to be nearby in case someone goes into fits."
"Fits?"
"Just so sir. See that man there?" the stall owner said, pointing a rather large finger at a nearby couple. The man had a thick white band around his upper right arm. "That's one of the recoveries, another out of dozens. If he's down here getting used to people again it means he's on the mend, but there's always the risk something might happen and you'll get a violet relapse. Besides, there are always the new ones to consider."
"Do people go mad on a regular basis?" the Doctor asked. The man nodded.
"Sure do. People take in relatives or friends, and then they of course go visiting them! But it's like there's something in the air inside that place, and likely as not the visitors also drop a few marbles, if you know what I mean. I reckon it comes from seeing their loved ones cooped up like."
"Is that why it's so big?" The man shook his head vigorously.
"No, naught like that. That place is the best of its kind, and people from all over the county get sent there. Always someone being released or being committed."
The Doctor stared at the building for a few more moments before turning back to the man, smiling.
"Thank you for the information." The man smiled back at him.
"Always happy to help."
The Doctor continued on, this time in the direction of the building. Katie caught up with him a moment later, a box tucked under her arm. She slipped her other arm through his like a curious child. "So, what do we get to see next?" The Doctor nodded at the large building.
"I'm taking you to the local loony bin."
Katie smiled up at him sweetly. "Feeling lonely?" she asked. He shrugged.
"I thought you might want a taste of home." Katie stuck her tongue out at him impudently before they picked up their pace.
*Constructive critisisim welcome, praise happily accepted, flames not wanted*
