Staring at the ferret as it sat on his chest, Matt's confused as he looked at it. He almost thought he's having one of those weird dreams if not for the sudden appearance of Jodie, checking up on him, and spotted the ferret sitting on his chest.
"Jodie, please tell me, I'm dreaming," Matt asked her.
Jodie shook her head.
"You got a ferret on you!" Jodie pointed with her slender finger at the ferret as it stared back at Matt. "When did you get a ferret?"
Matt's landlady wouldn't allow pets and he's certain he'd remember having a pet ferret if she did.
The ferret poked him with its nose and did it incessantly until Jodie said that it wanted him to get up.
Matt did and the ferret jumped to the corner of the bed before resting on his leg, looking up at him.
"Wha-what does it want?" Matt asked Jodie.
He never had a pet ferret before. Never knew anyone who did. He's just the Doctor who sells things at the Odds & Ends, he's not a ferret expert.
The ferret made noises and Jodie translated it as: "I'm hungry."
Matt blinked as he gotten out of bed and shuffled out of his room towards his kitchen with the ferret's feet pattering against the hardwood as he went towards the cabinets and opened them.
He didn't know what ferrets ate.
Jodie told him that they occasionally eat raw meat, preferably sliced beef and not ground. Bugs worked too. Pellets high in vitamins were mostly what they ate.
Matt didn't have a bug problem and there's no food pellets.
Opening the refrigerator, Matt looked through the shelves, before pulling out packaging for sliced roast beef he'd gotten from the butcher shop. There's enough slices that he can give to the ferret and have enough for his lunch on his off-days.
Sitting on the kitchen island, Matt watched at the ferret shimmered up his chair and jumped onto it and pattered towards the packaging.
Opening the packaging, Matt planned to give it a few slices, but the ferret had other ideas and took several from the packaging by itself.
Stacked, the six pieces barely lasted at the ferret consumed them in seconds. Like a typewriter it went from one end to another, until there wasn't a slice left. Afterwards, it made noises which Jodie translated as, "Thank you!"
Sitting at the kitchen island, Matt's befuddled at the sight, and asked where the ferret came from. None of his neighbours kept pets and if they did, none of them were ferrets. He's not even sure how the ferret got into his flat in the first place.
"Oh, I can ask it!" Jodie excitedly said
Matt inquired how she knew how to speak ferret and she rolled her dark eyes before stating, "I can speak any language!"
Pointing out, Jodie said if she wanted, she can start a fight with Matt's printer and have it spew insults back.
Matt's curious about that, but, one at a time, he needed to know where the ferret came from and who it belonged to. He couldn't keep it, that much he knew, and he didn't see Ripley, either.
He watched the scene unfold as Jodie "talked" to the ferret, although scrunching up the face while doing it didn't look much like talking, and she gave details to Matt.
The ferret's name is Starlight.
She got separated from her siblings and didn't know where to go.
She tried to find her way back, but chased by some dogs and wound up climbing the side of Matt's flat, shimmering across the gutter. Until she dropped down to the windowsill and opened the window.
"And she said that her and her siblings' new owner is a little boy, but not yet, they're a present. She would've been with her siblings, but got memorized by something shiny and when she looked back, they were gone," Jodie told Matt what Starlight told her. "A man's supposed to deliver them and because she's not with them, he's probably out looking for her."
Through Jodie, Starlight explained what happened and what led her to inevitably break into Matt's flat. She's part of a present to a little boy and she really wants to get back to the man who's supposed to deliver them because she's excited about her new owner.
"Well, I'm sorry, Starlight, but I'm a bit down with something, and after the experiences I have, I don't feel like going out," Matt tried to tell the ferret.
He's sick and after encountering the Drekker, he did not want to leave his flat until he's cleared and healthy again. The next time he encountered the Drekker, there's no chance he'll talk himself out of the situation. Once is enough.
"But you don't understand!" Jodie translated the ferret's pleas. "I have to be with my siblings. Oh, please, I thought you were the Doctor!"
Matt froze as he looked down at the ferret, its pink paws together as it pleaded with him. He responded, "The Doctor?"
The ferret spoke and Jodie replied, "Yeah, aren't you?"
Matt's baffled as he haphazardly responded that he was the Doctor and asked the ferret how she could've known that.
Jodie translated Starlight as she made noises, "Well, yeah, everyone knows the Doctor!"
It's not everyday that a ferret of all animals knew who the Doctor was and Matt's just about seen everything since he started traveling in the TARDIS!
"Huh," Matt's stumped.
Sniffling, he went for the box of tissues and blew his nose. He groaned as he tossed the used tissue in the bin before seeing Starlight on her hind legs motioning with her front paws.
"I don't know how much good I am to you, Starlight, I can barely breath through my nose," Matt coughed.
Jodie responded after the ferret chattered, "Well, the Doctor gets sick all the time, but he won't miss a date!"
It roused Matt's curiosity and he asked for clarification.
He heard back, "Who did you think brought us here in the first place!"
Through Starlight, it seemed the Doctor who had them stopped in Matt's universe for something and ended up losing her.
"So, wait, if I'm the Doctor, then, how's he the Doctor?" Matt's confused as he coughed.
Starlight told him through Jodie, "Well, because you're both the Doctor!"
Pleading with him, Starlight looked at him in the eyes and for some reason, maybe it's his nature, he felt compelled to help the ferret find her family and the other Doctor.
If there's another Doctor present, then, maybe he can learn something for his trouble. Not every day he got to meet one.
"Should we tell the boss?" Jodie asked Matt.
Matt flinched and said that they shouldn't. She's busy working and swamped right now, the last thing she needed was to have to stop working to help reunite the ferret with a Doctor. Just saying it out loud might get some looks from her.
"You sure?" Jodie's concerned that Matt should at least tell Ripley.
Matt waved his hand and said that they'll return Starlight, be back at his flat, and nobody's the wiser.
Ripley would box his ears if she found out he went out while sick and even if it's a good cause, she didn't want him getting sicker or worse.
Standing up, Matt told Starlight as she returned to all-fours that he'll get dressed and help her.
Excitedly, the ferret squealed with joy as Matt went into his bedroom, closed the door, and threw on his usuals. Blowing his nose, he tossed the used tissue in the bin, washed his hands, and grabbed the essentials. For good measure, he shoved a face mask on his face so he wouldn't risk anyone else getting sick.
He shoved packets of tissues into his tweed pockets, cough drops, and handheld hand sanitizer.
With the needed provisions, Matt stepped out of his room as Starlight and Jodie "talked" to each other.
Matt's not even going to describe Jodie's face and he called to her as she stood up from the kitchen island.
"Does she know where he was last?" Matt asked her.
Jodie nodded and replied that Starlight said he was near the Windsor Marketplace with the ferrets.
"Okay, let's go find the Doctor," Matt sighed as he went and fetched his keys.
With his mobile shoved into his pocket with the tissues, Matt went with the two out of his flat, and down the stairs.
He got into his blue beetle with Jodie and Starlight in the passenger side. Buckling in, Matt fixed his mirror, and turned over the engine.
The beetle sprang to life and he pulled away from the curbside and made their way to the Windsor Marketplace.
It's crowded, he had to park further in the back, and trail behind as Jodie and Starlight ran ahead to look for the purported Doctor who's delivering ferrets to a young boy.
Matt straddled, but he got his bearing, and found the two looking, with Starlight on top of Jodie's head, peering over the crowd with it's paw over it's forehead with Jodie doing the same with her hand.
"I don't see him," said Jodie.
Starlight made noises.
"No, I don't think so," Jodie frowned.
Catching up to them, Matt asked if Starlight's sure that the Doctor came to the Windsor Marketplace. Starlight affirmed and said he was looking at a Hammond organ player someone's selling. He decided against because he didn't think he'd be a good player and went to look at a vintage vehicle someone else was selling.
Apparently, he was somewhat of a gear head and fancied the vehicle. The way Starlight said it, it sounded like he would've bought the vehicle if it remained on sale when he returned from gifting the ferrets to the young boy.
"Um, what vehicle?" Matt inquired what vehicle was the Doctor interested in.
Windsor Marketplace's become popular with retro car shows as of recent, so there's been auctions here and there, sometimes private sellers wait for potential buyers. If anyone wanted to look for an old car, this is the place for it.
"Oh uh," Jodie looked up to Starlight as she chattered. Going back and forth, Jodie concluded, "It's a roadster. Black and yellow with leather seats. Got some mileage on it. He really fancied it."
The Doctor liked it and would've gone back to it hadn't Starlight became distracted by something shiny.
"Maybe he's by it?" Matt suggested.
It's likely he went back to the roadster as means to look for Starlight since it was the last time, he'd seen her.
Following them, Matt walked through the crowds until they started thinning and he saw rows of retro cars, some of which his dad and uncle would've loved the chance of sitting in.
Jodie followed Starlight's directions and Matt followed.
They stopped, finally, when they saw the roadster Starlight describe. However, Starlight didn't see the Doctor, and she squeaked sadly as she rested on Jodie's head.
"He's not here?" Matt looked around.
Starlight squeaked and Jodie replied, "No. I don't even see him."
Frowning, Matt went around with them to look, but there was no sign of the Doctor and Jodie tracked down the seller for the roadster.
An old man looked at her quizzically as she had a ferret on her head.
Jodie asked questions about a potential buyer and the man nodded as he remembered. "Carried around a carrier," he said as he described the Doctor. He said that the Doctor waited for a while, but eventually moved on. Jodie asked where and the old man said he didn't know, but given his strange wardrobe, he's probably lurking around the secondhand shops.
Looking over to Matt, Matt flinched.
They didn't have any clothes matching the Doctor's description and he wouldn't stop at Ripley's shop for furniture if he's still looking for Starlight.
"Well, thank you, anyway," Jodie thanked the old man as she hurried back to Matt as they shared looks with each other.
"Wait a minute, if he's also the Doctor, can't you track him?" Matt remembered.
Jodie's the TARDIS and if the Doctors use her, then she would've known where to look.
Grimacing, Jodie responded that she isn't sure if she could or not, it's been a while. Not to mention, she didn't want to risk tearing space and time. Not a very good thing to happen, indeed.
"Well, you'd have to know where he is, right?" Matt gestured. "He piloted you, didn't he?"
Jodie took sharp offense as she corrected him.
"I never let anyone pilot me, I pilot me!" Jodie jabbed him in the chest with her finger.
She's rather sore about that and in fear, Matt apologized for setting her off.
Jodie calmed down and calmly said that if she's who she thinks she is, he's probably looking at naval stuff. Call it a hunch.
