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Chapter 2: Manners

"I can't believe you just asked her that!" Rose stormed into the TARDIS, slamming the door into the Doctor's face as he hurried behind her, his blank expression a real picture.

"What?! I really don't get it, what's so bad about asking that? It was a simple, straightforward question! And anyway, she brought up the subject to start with!"

Rose sighed in frustration, hopped up onto the Captain's chair and glared at the confused Doctor. "That's not the point!"

"Then what is?"

Rose shook her head. When she'd first met him, she'd quickly realised that he could be rude and obnoxious, but back then he was rude and obnoxious when he meant it. Now, in this new body, for all it's charisma and... appeal, he seemed completely oblivious to the fact that his mouth often got carried away and kept on gabbing long after his brain had finished.

She tried to reason with him. "How would you feel if someone said that to you?"

"No one would say that to me!"

"Well, what if someone said something to you that offended you?"

He grinned, reached in his pocket and brought out his sonic screwdriver. Rose sighed again.

"No, that's not an option."

He felt a little crestfallen at that, and thought hard, rocking his heels. "Well, generally a lot of people don't like me. Usually important people. Like this one time, I found myself in the White House, and-"

"Doctor!"

He shut his mouth abruptly and looked at her. "What?"

She racked her brain trying to think of an example that would make him understand.

"What if someone said to you... you're stupid?"

"A lot of people have said that, but they're wrong, aren't they? I don't need to prove how smart I am, you of all people know that!" He crossed his arms, pleased with himself.

Rose rolled her eyes. "Okay, bad example. How about... if someone said they hate bananas?"

The Doctor shrugged, unconcerned. "All the more for me, then. Oh, can we go buy some?!"

"Trying to make a point here!"

"I meant later," he added sheepishly.

Rose strolled around the console, her fingers playing idly over the controls. She smiled as a new idea entered her head. "What if someone said they didn't believe the TARDIS was living?"

The lights around her dimmed disapprovingly, and she quickly apologised to the ship.

The Doctor grinned at her, feeling he had won this argument. "You see? I just don't get offended. Really."

Rose frowned at his smug face, and that gave her a thought. "What if I said you look nerdy? Especially with your glasses."

He sniffed disdainfully. "Nothing wrong with 'nerdy.'"

"What if I don't like 'nerdy'?"

The Doctor grinned at her, his eyes piercing her. "Now, Rose, I know that's not true."

Rose blushed a little, remembering how she'd felt her heart almost skip a beat when he'd arrived at her mum's flat on Christmas Day with his new look.

His new look...

"Okay, I've got one!" she yelled eagerly. "I don't like you any more."

He frowned at her suspiciously. "Why not?"

"Because you're not ginger!"

His eyes widened in horror, his mouth opening and closing like a carp but refusing to vocalise. He eventually managed a squeaky disapproval before fleeing into the depths of the TARDIS.

Rose grinned to herself. "Gotcha!"

----

Rose found the Doctor in the wardrobe room, staring at his reflection in the mirror and playing self-consciously with his hair. She grinned, and headed over to him, putting a comforting hand on his arm. The Doctor frowned at her. "Did you mean it?"

"Of course not."

"But you said it!"

"And that's my point. You said something to that poor woman that's gonna make her feel down for days, and it didn't even bother you. You've gotta start thinking before you speak."

The Doctor sighed, deep in thought. "Maybe I could just keep asking you if I'm being rude."

Rose shook her head. "Nope, not good enough. You've got to see it for yourself."

The Doctor sighed, utterly deflated. "Not promising anything," he mumbled.

Rose squeezed his arm affectionately. "As long as you try. Now come on, back outside; go and apologise to the tour guide."

He nodded reluctantly, and followed her towards the door. "But she mentioned babies, I just assumed she was expecting!"

"Doctor!"

He groaned. Then he frowned again, his hand flying back up to his hair. "You know, I could always dye it-"

"Dye it and you die!"

He swallowed nervously at her stern tone. "Right; no ginger."

----

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