Another day, another sale, the mantra went.
West of Bleaker Street, the Odds & Ends, where the pair worked tirelessly to meet the demands of the customers of all walks that came to the shop. Slowly, areas of the shop ended up barren from customers buying up stock and other areas slowly amassed with things bought from the customers.
By the afternoon, footsteps echoed as there's not enough items on the floor to deafen the sound while the pair swept and cleaned, ready to go on lunch.
Setting out the new wares they've cleaned, tagged, primed, taking up the once empty areas of the shop for the next batch of customers to come in after lunch concluded.
There's a few record players in good quality, they'll make a good pence on them, and they have rare records to go with them, too, so more the merrier.
A wardrobe from the early 1900s, still in great shape, worth a pretty pence by collectors and homeowners who want a wardrobe.
Rarer Blu-rays that still had their shrink wrap, untouched, left in the bins near their players.
Laserdiscs near their players, cleaned carefully to avoid white blotches from appearing.
Speakers from a defunct company, quite popular among the audio fanatics who claimed they'd make the best quality sounds.
An amp to go along with a repaired guitar.
All kinds of neat things for the bargain hunters.
In total, Ripley's expecting to earn at the most, six thousand or by the end of the week.
She's flexible with her earnings because people always wanted to barter for a perceived better deal. The unplanned variables that crop up every now again.
With popularity of old stuff, none of the stuff present's sitting around for no more a week before someone buys it off Ripley.
While that's said, Ripley's working hard running her shop, accompanied by Matt.
"Can't wait to try that new café," Matt eagerly said as he swept a pile of dirt into the dustpan before dumping it in the bin, tapping the dustpan against the metal rim.
A new café opened up near Matt and he wanted to try it with Ripley.
They've spent hours working in the shop that Matt felt that they deserve some time away, certainly better than eating in a shop smelling of cleaning liquid.
Matt looked at the menu before he came in and it had some interesting dishes he wanted to try with Ripley and best of all, it's cheap, and from the reviews he browsed, filling too!
Traffic's light this week due to the construction finally finishing, so he can go with Ripley and come back without a minute lost.
"All that food and you hardly gained a stone," Ripley poked fun at this.
All the times that Matt consumed more he should, he never gained any weight from it, and Ripley knew plenty of people who'd envy him for that.
"I'm just a growing boy, Rip," Matt smiled cheekily.
He then pointed out all the running they did that helped burn off the extra calories as well as the life-threatening situations that they're put in that helps melt fat away, almost literary!
"I assume you're going to have a feast on your birthday, then?" Ripley asked him regarding his birthday plans.
It's next week, he's already discussed the movies he wanted to see with her, and she wanted to know whether or not to bring the antacids as a birthday present.
Matt smiled as he told Ripley how he planned his feast, everything he'd need to celebrate his 29th birthday, the last hurrah before his inevitable 30th birthday next year.
Shaking her head, Ripley reminded him, "You're only old as you feel. You're still young."
Welcoming Ripley's pep talk, Matt thanked her with one of the ways he thanked her, with a romantic kiss.
As he pulled away, he asked her about her present and she cheekily told him, "Spoilers."
Ripley had his present ready and hidden away. He wouldn't know where to look and all the tickling he did wouldn't get her to talk. It's a banger of a gift and hopefully cheer him up about turning thirty next year.
Even Ripley won't tell all about his present.
It's a present that took time and planning and for Matt, well, he's worth it, so Ripley worked hard to get everything ready for his birthday.
When the time's right, she'll give him his present and she expected the response to it, well, as one expects of someone like Matt.
"Not even a hint?" Matt eyed her.
Ripley giggled and shook her head again.
"You'll have to wait until your birthday," she poked him gently.
Despite Matt's attempts, she won't tell him anything about his present until it's his birthday. She empathized that not even the Tickle Lord could've compelled her to fess up.
"So, don't even try, lover boy," Ripley grinned.
Won't stop Matt from trying to guess what Ripley got him, but it is in Ripley's nature to keep Matt on his toes.
Already, Ripley saw the cogs turning in Matt's head.
This will be a long week up until his birthday.
One could only wonder how he'll react come his 30th birthday present.
"Fine," Matt said dejectedly.
Unconvincingly, Ripley might add.
Walking from behind the counter, Matt continued to help Ripley set everything up for the next line of customers.
When they finished, they readied to leave for the café when the phone on the counter started ringing.
"I'll get it, Rip," Matt went to get the phone.
There's always the one customer to call before they leave for lunch.
Picking up the phone, Matt gave the same spiel as he's given to people who called the Odds & Ends since ever and heard a familiar voice and his face changed to reflect what he felt.
"Hello, sweetie," a very familiar voice said.
Matt sighed heavily as he regretted picking up the phone. He watched as Ripley came towards him and stood next to him, looking at him. A silent nod is enough for her to have her face change too.
"What do you want?" Matt asked, his usual cheerful tone changed as well.
He heard sharply, "What's wrong with calling my favourite space man?"
Trying to keep his composure, Matt forced himself to remain polite to Mallory.
"We're headed off to lunch, now, Mallory, you can bombard us with another one of your schemes another time," he tried saying in the politest way possible.
Matt's already hungry and he aimed to have a quaint time with Ripley at the café. He does not want to travel in the TARDIS and just wants to hang up on Mallory.
Mallory felt differently and she suddenly said, "Come find me!"
She insisted Matt and Ripley come find her, but she didn't tell them exactly why they should come find her, other than they needed to find her.
The strangest thing, her tone of voice, it's off.
The pair knew Mallory for a long time and they know when she wanted something or hiding something from them, this, it sounded almost like she's pleading for them to find her.
There's no hidden undertones or anything to suggest she wanted something from them. Outright, it sounded legitimate.
"Wa-where?" Matt wanted to know where Mallory's.
She never told him, only for him and Ripley to find her before the line cut, and Matt's left holding the phone as he turned to Ripley, confused.
Setting the phone down, Matt conferred with her about the strange phone call.
"She called the shop," Matt blinked. "Why didn't she call the TARDIS?"
Ripley crossed her arms as she pondered that.
Mallory always called the TARDIS, never the shop, and it sounded off, even for her. Ripley wondered if she's in their universe, but Matt wasn't sure.
"I don't know. Doesn't seem like something she'd do. She'd come into the shop if she was here, wouldn't she?" Matt based this off the time Mallory came to Ripley for help.
Uncrossing her arms, Ripley sighed as she tried to think.
None of them wanted to help Mallory this time around. They've spent countless times trying to not die horribly and it's always because of her. She'd always spin it every time, saying it was for the greater good. However, the pair hardly see what that entailed.
"She sound distressed?" Ripley asked Matt.
Matt shook his head.
Mallory didn't even sound in pain at all, no hint of anything, she just told him what he relayed to Ripley.
Ripley didn't want them going off to an unplanned adventure on an empty stomach, especially when Mallory's involved, but the universe has a funny way of forcing the pair.
The shop phone rang once again and this time, Ripley took over and answered, she expected to hear Mallory's voice again, but it wasn't her. It wasn't even a customer.
"Is this the Odds & Ends?" Ripley heard a refined man ask over the phone.
Ripley responded, "Yeah, who's this?"
She didn't hear him give her his name, instead he asked, "Are you an acquaintance of Mallory Malloy?"
Ripley raised a brow as she's confused by the question and replied, "Hardly. She's a pain in our backside. Why're you asking about her, she get into any more trouble, what she need bail?"
The man over the phone didn't laugh nor snap at Ripley, simply said that it'd be in her best interest to come find the woman. Ripley asked him why and he's rather aloof about telling her. He only told her, "I do believe it's in your vested interest to find her. After all, she has something you want."
Cryptic, the man told Ripley that Mallory had something Ripley wanted, but she couldn't get him to tell her what, only that if she wanted it, to find Mallory.
"I'll forward the coordinates for you, but don't dawdle, nobody likes a late guest," chided the man.
He hung up on Ripley as she did the same, Matt beside her with a look of confusion on his face.
"Who was that?" Matt asked.
Ripley shrugged as she replied that she could've get him to tell her and what he'd told her. She didn't know what Mallory had that she wanted, the woman didn't steal anything else from her, and she made extra sure that she couldn't get the key from her again.
"I got a bad feeling about this, Rip," Matt frowned as he didn't like the sound of things.
First Mallory called then the line went dead.
Second came the man calling and he claimed that Mallory had something.
What that is, the pair didn't know.
The fax machine came to life on it's own and spat out sheets of coordinates that piled neatly on the floor. Ripley fetched the papers and looked through them. They're your standard coordinates, but she's no expert in such field.
Standing up as she looked at them, Ripley heard Matt sigh and he asked, "One of those days?"
Ripley frowned as she glanced over to him, "I'm afraid so."
With their interests piqued, they're forced to abandon their plans and went into the backroom where the blue beauty waited with the coordinates. Inside, the TARDIS read off the coordinates with ease and coordinated the way to it.
"What could've she have gotten into now?" Matt wondered as he snacked on a power bar that Ripley stowed away in the TARDIS for emergencies.
Ripley sighed as she shrugged.
"Anything's possible with her. Hadn't heard a peep since she found that damn journal of hers," she responded.
Ever since Mallory found that journal, she's been radio silent ever since, and while that sounded lovely for the pair as they dealt with her constantly to the point they dreaded when she reappeared in their lives, it started worrying them.
Maybe Matt, but that's just in his nature.
"I hope she's okay," Matt frowned.
While he's just about had it with her as Ripley, it's his job as the Doctor to make sure she's alright, even if that means he has to clean up whatever mess she made and smooth things over.
The TARDIS came to life and the air cooled and shifted. The sounds of metal sheets rubbing against each other echoed throughout the console room until it stopped.
The pair went to the door and opened it, poking their heads out to see where they landed.
The coordinates the mysterious man sent them led the TARDIS to a gloomy place with grey overcast skies that darkened the area around them.
Green lively trees looked black, their leaves fluttering in the heavy breeze, the smell of fresh rain touched the pairs' noses as they stepped out of the TARDIS and surveyed their surroundings.
"Where could've she go, now?" Matt wondered.
