Working in the garden tentatively, Theodore went through the list of chores that needed doing for the day, going between sections of the garden, with the various tools at his disposal, Theodore cut, trim, pulled, anything that needed it, helped dig holes for the newest trees that Mrs. Ortega asked planted so they'll take root before autumn.
It'd seem that Mrs. Ortega wanted cherry blossom trees in her garden, that she imported them straight from Hokkaido, Japan not too long ago, they've just been released from quarantine, and now ready for planting.
She went far as having surveyors and coordinators double checking before going through with this ordeal while they were house searching, wanting the trees since her trip to Japan last spring.
"Oh man, I remember the huge cherry blossom trees dad took us to see in the park, they're beautiful!" Lila gushed about the cherry blossom trees she saw when her father was stationed in Japan.
He'd taken them to a park with cherry blossom trees over twenty-years old.
It was the right time that they'd blossomed, the ground covered in petals, and Lila remembered the subtle smell from smelling them.
"I even ate them in desserts, they're not as floral as rose, more subtle," Lila recalls the desserts she had made with the petals.
Dad liked the sake made with them, of course, Lila couldn't have any, she was only seven, and when she was older, she was able to try it.
She preferred Japanese styled beer to it.
Noticing the looks Theodore gave her as they're planting the trees, aged about two-three years, give or take, Lila mustered that it just came to mind, she couldn't help reminiscing her past trips to Japan with her family.
"So, how about you, you guys ever take trips, er, aside from visiting Hamon?" Lila asks if Theodore and his family gone places and as they're working in tandem, Theodore replied that they've taken trips that weren't to Gallifrey.
Only trips around Europe, though, never gone that far.
"Figured your dad might've still had it in him," Lila pointed out that as much adventuring Theodore's dad went on, he would've taken time adventuring Earth, and Theodore noted that at the end of his tenure, his father simply lost the taste.
Once or twice, he mentioned he got it out of his system after adventuring for so long and settled after marrying.
"So, what about you?" Lila asks Theodore if he ever gone places outside Europe.
Shrugging his wide shoulders, Theodore said that he never had the time, working two-three jobs does that, and when he finally had time to himself, he spent much of it sleeping.
Since Hammond annexed him to the library, it cut down his jobs to one, now two with the TARDIS in his life.
"Well, where would you go on a trip?" Lila hypothetically asked Theodore what his trip would've been as they're finishing up the trees, doing everything to the letter, ensuring they'll have chances rooting.
It never crossed his mind much, honestly, one expected him growing curious, and exploring, but he never had the drive like his father did when he adventured.
Only when the TARDIS came back into his life, did Theodore adventure, but even then, it's not exactly local.
"I don't know, I never really gave it much thought," Theodore admitted that he never had an idea.
All the money in the world, he wouldn't know where direction to go, unless it's home or the TARDIS.
Gesturing her gloved hand, Lila mentioned that Theodore might've liked Japan.
He wouldn't have to worry at all, Lila speaks Japanese, quite well, actually.
Living abroad with her family, she picked it up due to her age and the frequency of visiting Japan, she retained it since, even going far as looking up recipe cards in Japanese.
Kanji's still difficult, though, but it's expected, otherwise, she didn't have trouble reading the characters whenever she felt like reading one of her old books she bought on a trip.
Old ladies she met over the years mentioned her having a Kansai accent, kinda like an equivalent to a southern accent, if Lila had to haphazardly explain what the Kansai accent sounded like to the untrained ear, but they're impressed at her speaking it well.
Thinking about it, Theodore mentions that he heard a lot of stories revolving around the technical advancements and the unique shops that tourists flock every time they arrived in Japan.
Food, as well, heard everything about it, including unique experiences only found in Japan, and hardly anywhere else.
Rich history and mythologies, too.
"Hm, I dunno, wouldn't know where to start, honestly," Theodore thoughtfully said that if given the opportunity, he wouldn't know where to begin with adventuring in Japan.
"Well, you could start with the beaten path and work your way around," Lila suggested Theodore start with the touristy areas first, then work himself out of those.
If Theodore doesn't get confused and wind up somewhere he doesn't belong, such as a yakuza headquarters, he'll be fine.
"I'll keep that in mind," Theodore noted caution if he ever traveled to Japan.
Watering the trees per instructions, Theodore pondered to himself while Lila worked around the shrubbery.
"When was the last time you went?" he'd abruptly asked Lila while she's carefully trimming.
Yanking off a stubborn branch from the shears, Lila mentioned that the last time she went to Japan's when she was sixteen.
It was during Obon, Lila gotten a few things from the stalls with mom. Dad bought them kimonos the night before, they wore them to it.
Lila's a soft pink with cherry blossom patterns on it, one of the rare pink clothing items she has.
Mom had a blue kimono with waves on them.
Little joke from dad, mom almost smacked him for it, but they reconciled, and they went to the festival.
Still have the kimono, hadn't had a chance wearing it, but it's still pristine compared to then.
Going around the corner with the shears as she's trimming the shrubbery, Lila instinctively recoil, pulling the closed shears towards her.
A girl nosying around, overhearing them talking as she's hunched near the blackberry bushes.
"Giving haircuts isn't in my job description," Lila lowered the shears as she looked down at the girl, helping her stand, as she patted down her knees.
It's Nina, she'd snuck out to see the new gardeners.
"I've been to Japan," Nina tells Lila that her family visited when her dad had business there.
Didn't get to go the festivals like Lila did, always had to leave the moment her father's finished with business.
Never got to experience the stuff Lila did, her father's straight to the point, and didn't like to dawdle.
Pappy always took his time, when he was alive, though, but Nina's father wasn't like him.
Theodore gone over to them as he looked down to Nina as she wore a yellow sundress with white stockings and black Mary Janes, she looked up to him eagerly with her blue eyes.
"I believe you're not scheduled for outside time," Theodore tells her and she crossed her arms disapprovingly.
She insisted that she did her homework, her lessons, everything everyone wants her to do, now she wants to do what she wants to do, on her own terms.
"Usually, I'm out the door at this time of year," Lila noted that every summer, she's outside in the sun, basking in it, while doing what children did during the summer.
Shaking her head, her auburn braided hair listlessly moving, Nina responded that she doesn't have anyone to play with her in the neighborhood.
Most of the kids her age went to camps or overseas, the rest weren't her age group, and wouldn't play with her if she asked them.
"What about your friends?" Lila asks her and she said the same thing.
Either in camps or overseas.
"I'll see them when we go back to school," Nina pouts that she wished summer was over so she could be with her friends at school, it'll be the only time she'll have unadulterated fun without having to take lessons from private tutors.
Normally, no kid naturally wanted their summer break ending, but Nina's a different story.
Having no friends to play with, as they're unavailable, and her free time revolving around the schedule picked out by her parents wanting her continuing her education beyond school, no doubt gave her the feeling that being in school's better than being on break.
"Are you the Doctor?" Nina looked up at Theodore with her blue eyes sparkling in the sunlight.
Theodore didn't tell her much when she contacted him, just that he'd come to her aid, never told her what he'd looked like.
She even pointed out, "She would've said something if we gotten new gardeners."
Glancing towards Lila, Theodore frowned before he admitted to her that she's right, he is the Doctor, and Lila's his companion.
He told her that he'd come and help, so he did, but he couldn't do it externally, since he couldn't simply rent a house for a few days with questionably sourced income.
Nina's excited that the Doctor came like he said, but Theodore calmed her down, reminding her that he's incognito for the time being.
He can't let the monster know that he's here, after all.
"Did you see anything else after you called us?" Lila inquired if Nina saw anything after the phone call and Nina said that she didn't.
Mr. Whiskers worked hours after the incident, he worked in an office job somewhere, and he just got home the other night.
Nina didn't see anything out of ordinary other than what she saw, he was too tired to even do anything.
"Hm, how much are these houses, anyway?" Lila asked how much the houses cost and turned paler than a ghost when Nina casually told her the prices.
Looking towards him, Lila tells Theodore, "I'm starting to question the validity of Mr. Whiskers' moving into the house."
Theodore agreed with her, the way Nina described him, there's no chance he could've afforded his house.
"Um, when your other neighbor moved, did you physically see him leave?" Lila asks Nina if she saw her former neighbor leave in a moving van or something and Nina responds that she didn't know.
During that time, she was learning the violin, so, she didn't get a whole lot of time to herself.
Furrowing his brow, Theodore asks about Mr. Whiskers, where did he come from, and Nina told him that she doesn't know.
He's not social, hardly the type to stop and chat with anyone.
"You don't think he'll come for me, do you?" Nina gulped in fear that if Mr. Whiskers finds out that she snooped on him, he'll come after her, and both Theodore and Lila assure her that nothing's happening to her, not on their watch.
"You said he was afraid of doctors, right?" Theodore recalled what Nina told him over the phone and she nods as she affirmed that Mr. Whiskers' afraid of doctors.
Tenses up like a plank of wood.
"Failed experiment?" Lila wondered the identity of Mr. Whiskers.
Not the first time a monster made from science has a phobia of the profession that made it in the first place.
Thinking to himself, Theodore replied that he's not sure, but they'll find their answer.
Not wanting Nina getting into trouble or having their cover blown too early, Theodore suggested Nina hurry back inside and pretend she wasn't doing something she shouldn't.
They'll figure out the missing pieces and go from there, but Theodore affirmed their promise to Nina, they won't let Mr. Whiskers lay a hand on her.
"By the way, what's his real name?" Lila wondered what Mr. Whiskers legally goes by, since they'll have to do some detective work, and knowing the real name of the neighbor's a good way getting somewhere.
Patting down her dress, Nina says that she doesn't know it, she doesn't think anyone in the house knows his name for sure.
"Not that social, is he?" Theodore raises a brow.
Shaking her head, Nina affirmed that he wasn't.
Nodding, Theodore sent her inside the house, ensuring she wouldn't get into trouble, and left him and Lila sharing looks as they're trying to come up with ideas.
"Weird," Lila mused.
Agreeing with her, Theodore says that there's more to this than meets the eye, and he reached out to Al, asking him for information regarding Mr. Whiskers.
Where he works, his legal name, where he came from, everything that Al's able to scrap from databases.
He wasn't happy about Theodore putting work on him on top of everything else, but the mention that a child's afraid, put him in a mood, and he went down every avenue including tax records.
"Huh," Al's confused as he searched for answers.
Theodore asks what he's found and Al said to him that he didn't find anything.
No record, no name, nothing.
Checked for the records on the house, it's still under the name of the original owner.
"And the original owner, what about him?" Theodore asks what became of him, causing Al to tell him that he doesn't see him showing up anywhere, but he found that the bank accounts held saw recent activity after a brief inactivity.
No signs of him buying a new house or renting vans, nothing of that sort.
"Do you have an idea what we're dealing with?" Theodore inquired if Al knew anything from Nina's statement about the monster and he thinks he might.
It'll take some time, it's in the logs somewhere.
"I don't think he's going to come after you, but he'll certainly try," Al warned that while Mr. Whisker' cautious, he'll easily throw it aside if pushed enough.