"You didn't actually do the full reset," Ashildr asked Holo-Clara in a hushed voice as she appeared in the main console room, "did you?"
"No, Me," Holo-Clara replied, "I did exactly what was discussed."
"She is so predictable," Ashildr laughed quietly, placing the strip of webbing on the central control unit. "Oh and," she paused, glancing sideways, "you almost slipped up on the three hundred years thing. Can you please be careful?"
"I am incapable of lying," Holo-Clara replied. "Unless you directly instruct me to."
"You're a time machine," Ashildr answered, "three hundred years and a month are effectively the same thing so you're not really lying. Anyway," Ashildr dismissed her, whispering as Clara approached, "see you later. Oh, and have one of those red drinks I like waiting in my room for me upon my return. And," she lowered her voice even further, "wear the black dress."
"Yes, Me." Holo-Clara winked.
"So," Ashildr said loudly to Holo-Clara with the slightest of smirks as Clara passed the threshold, "do you think it will fit?"
"Do you think what will fit?" Clara asked them loudly.
"Yes, Me," Holo-Clara stood with her hands on her hips. "I am, however, unable to complete any technological work without the permission of the primary user." Holo-Clara held out her hand towards Clara. "Clara is the primary user."
"I am not giving any sort of permission," Clara stood between Ashildr and Holo-Clara, inhaling heavily, raising the volume of her voice gradually, "until you two tell me what the hell you are conspiring about!"
A silence hung in the air as Clara aimed narrow glares between them. She folded her arms, inwardly fuming at their secrecy. Holo-Clara held her usual pose, only blinking occasionally.
"No?" Clara said more aggressively than she had intended.
"I believe there is an old Earth saying about keeping one's underwear on-" Ashildr started.
"Trust me," Clara replied spikily, "my underwear is going nowhere right this moment. It is the last thing on my mind. Tell me!"
"The watch," Ashildr replied, distracted as she smoothed the webbing out. Her eyes twinkled, betraying the enjoyment she was clearly taking from irritating Clara.
"What watch?" Clara creased her eyebrows.
"This watch," Ashildr said, retrieving an object from the right pocket of her faded green skinny jeans. She positioned it on her left index finger and held it up to Clara's eye level.
"That is a beautiful watch," Clara examined what was being presented to her.
"It is, isn't it?" Ashildr looked at it smugly.
"What are you doing with something like this-" Clara paused. "Hang on... hey!" she exclaimed as she recognised it. "This was the one I tried on in the shop! The one I bought!"
"Was it?" Ashildr said in a blaise tone, clearly lying. "I don't think it was-"
"This," Clara looked blankly at Ashildr, snatching the watch away from her, "is mine! Why are you taking my things?" Clara held the watch between the fingers of her right hand, the tepid metal shimmering under the white lights. "What else have you taken?!"
"I thought it looked good," Ashildr smiled, goading her. "It brought out the colour of my eyes."
"It brought out the colour..." Clara repeated, "of your eyes? Your eyes are grey. How does a watch bring out the colour of your eyes? That is ridiculous!" She put the watch onto her left wrist and admired it.
"You weren't here," Ashildr said without missing a beat. "So I borrowed it. You can have it back-"
"Just- Just- don't take," Clara shouted, realising she was becoming unreasonable, saying at a quieter volume, "my things."
"Are you quite finished?" Ashildr folder her arms and raised an eyebrow.
Clara remained silent, aiming a glare back. "Yes," she hissed.
"Good. Anyway, I figured if this thing can make a telephone-" Ashildr started.
"I do apologise for interrupting you, Me," Holo-Clara said politely, "I am not a thing, please do not refer to me as such."
Clara laughed once to herself quietly, amusing herself after her outburst by pretending to adjust some dials.
"OK," Ashildr corrected her, "if the... TARDIS... can make a telephone instantly, I was wondering if the... TARDIS... would be able to place the insides of the sonic sunglasses into something of a similar size." She looked at Clara, willing her to make the same conclusion Holo-Clara had done minutes earlier.
"Oh my god," Clara exclaimed out loud, excitedly turning to Holo-Clara on her right, "could we put that stuff into a watch?"
Ashildr rolled her eyes behind Clara, knowing that she was going to immediately claim the idea as completely her own.
"It is possible to combine the two items," Holo-Clara explained.
"You will be able to make me," Clara grinned, "a sonic watch?"
"This is correct," Holo-Clara answered, remaining still.
"I said we needed something more feminine, Me!" Clara enthused, "I mean, who carries a sonic screwdriver? Who carries sonic sunglasses... when you can have," she paused for effect, pointing at her left wrist, "a sonic watch? Why didn't I think of this before? It's the perfect sonic device! Inconspicuous, easy to carry round, can match all my outfits, actually does something useful even without being sonic... like a smart watch, but sonic!"
"What an excellent idea!" Ashildr said sarcastically to herself.
"So what do we do?" Clara addressed her hologram. "How do I, sorry, we get a sonic watch?"
"I need permission from the primary user to complete any technological-" Holo-Clara said blankly.
"Do it!" Clara snapped quickly back. "Come on! You, err... have my permission."
"Very well, please place the two items into the TARDIS service inlet," Holo-Clara held out her right palm towards a vertical VHS shaped opening that had appeared in the smooth light grey surface of the central console.
Clara glanced towards Ashildr briefly before taking two steps to her right. She undid the clasp on the watch, removing it from her wrist and peered down the hole, noticing a flat ledge a couple of inches inside. "Here?" she pointed at the space, "this is the TARDIS service inlet?"
Holo-Clara nodded her head, her body still.
Ashildr picked up the milky white webbing and made her way to stand on Holo-Clara's right. She dropped it into the slot after leaving it dangling for a few seconds like a wriggling earthworm.
"This is actually really nice," Clara sighed before placing the watch into the compartment, "can you please try not to make it look all, you know... Gallifreyan?"
Holo-Clara's face remained blank.
"How long will it take?" Ashildr asked.
Clara watched as the inlet sealed. A cover slid under the opening from the left and then melted into the surface, as if nothing had ever been there. "It's gone," she said, impressed, running her right hand over the now non-existent slot, "how does it do that?"
"This task should be completed within the next sixty seconds, Me," Holo-Clara replied. The hologram image flickered intermittently before becoming clear again. "In answer to your question, Clara, the outlet has an element of active camouflage so that it is impossible for anyone to contamine the interior, on a molecular level it manipulates the atoms, resonating at the exact frequency-"
"Actually," Clara interrupted holding up her hand to indicate Holo-Clara to stop, "save me the science. I am far far too excited about my new accessory."
"As you wish," Holo-Clara nodded, returning to her usual position with her hands resting in front.
The TARDIS emitted a short, sharp, microwave-esque ding to indicate the task had been completed. The service inlet became visible again, opening with a hiss and a large puff of thick smoke lit with a bright white light.
Clara coughed as she momentarily struggled to breathe through the fog. She waved it away in between clearing her throat, stepping back to get some fresh air.
The smoke began to clear, leaving Ashildr and Clara staring at the object rising from the console. They both looked towards each other briefly, smiling in bemusement before turning back to see.
"Please remove the prototype from the inlet," Holo-Clara directed.
"Now that," Clara pointed with her right index finger, her eyes wide with excitement, "you have to admit, that is cool."
