On an old-fashion styled train to the Europa station, a woman, about her twenties, in a Victorian dress settled in her spot, the dress stiffly ruffling as she looked out the window, seeing the multicoloured dunes as the train passed them, she mused aloud, "I never seen anything like this back home!"
Never knew there could be dunes of different colours, why, she saw the rainbow by this point!
"Hm, how could you, with the smog?" She overheard her companion mention as she turned her head to see her companion, hard to say whether she was in her twenties as well or possibly in her early thirties, sitting across from her, a long leg over the other, wearing a black sleeveless pinstripe suit, complete with a pinstripe bowler hat keeping her brunette hair underneath, her unusually blackened cold hands on her knees as she briefly glimpsed outside.
Sighing, the woman noted her companion's correct, however, she pointed out that they're here and not there, now they're somewhere grand!
"Your father's waiting for us, don't forget," her companion reminded her that her father's waiting at the station for them before taking them to their vacation home in Summerfield.
Shaking her head, her brunette hair tightly in a fitting hairstyle, the woman bemoaned her father forcing her to come with him to their vacation home, always having her stay there, never letting her go anywhere that wasn't vetted, felt more like a camp than a vacation.
Her companion felt differently, saying that it's for her safety, reminding her of her family's fortune, and that's enough to garner unwanted attention from anyone scheming.
Her matte burgundy lips barely glistened under the soft light, the woman cheekily tells her companion, "Oh Bumble! I'm not scared, I've got you!"
She insisted that with her companion, Bumble, she wouldn't have to worry about those types trying to kidnap her.
Bumble may not look it, a tall scrawny pale woman with blackened hands, but she packs a nasty surprise if anyone makes the mistake of messing with her charge.
Awkwardly shrugging, Bumble responded with, "You're not too easily swayed when you have your mind set on something, Lizzy."
In little words, Bumble pointed out that Lizzy gets into trouble regardless if she's with Bumble, when her mind's set on something, she's not stopping for anything or anyone.
Only when the troubles arises, does Lizzy get some sense into her, but she insisted that she's better at it, now, than before.
"As you say," Bumble only said as they went back to looking out the windows, seeing the passing dunes as they traveled far from the Titan station they waited at for almost an hour before the train arrived.
Time passed before the door to their cabin opened and one of the conductors poked his in, asking for Lizzy.
"What is it, Rufus, I thought the tickets were the right colour," Lizzy's concerned as Rufus never entered their train cabin like this, and he gestured with his white gloved hands as he assured her that it's nothing like that.
He's in a pickle, is all, and needed her blessing on a matter.
Lizzy asked what matter and Rufus informed her that they have two passengers that needed a cabin, but the others were full up, somehow, the ticket master overbooked.
"Again?" Lizzy tilted her head as it wasn't uncommon for the ticket master to overbook train rides, when she came through here last spring, her and Bumble had to share a cabin with two other patrons because of it and Rufus admitted that it seems like it.
Having experienced something like it before, Lizzy looked towards Bumble for guidance as she said they wouldn't have trouble sharing their cabin for the duration of their trip, and Bumble agreed to the arrangement.
"They won't trouble you, I promise, one's a doctor," Rufus informs them that one half of the pair's a doctor and it intrigued Lizzy as Bumble took her spot next to her as she made room for the patrons.
Rufus thanked them for their understanding before briefly disappearing, returning with the patrons, allowing them entrance into the cabin.
He reminded Lizzy and Bumble when they're supposed to arrive at the Europa station as he closed the cabin door behind the patrons, moving to the empty seats across from Lizzy and Bumble.
One's a woman wearing a beige stitched overcoat and her head wrapped with a red stitched scarf with her chestnut hair poking out at the side.
The other's presumably the doctor, wearing a similar stitched coat, a multicoloured scarf draping over his body as he settled beside her, his wild mess of a hair bobbed as he scratched the side of his head.
Immediately, Lizzy struck up a conversation with them, figuring it's better than awkwardly sitting in the cabin.
This doctor knew a lot more than what Lizzy figured a doctor would know, though he didn't seem to know a whole lot about medical subjects.
He introduced himself as the Doctor while his companion's named Lila, they're going the same way as Lizzy and Bumble, towards Diamond Springs, where they're due for an appearance at the renowned opera house of the same name.
Lizzy introduced herself and Bumble, gaining curious looks from the Doctor and Lila as they stared at her companion.
It's happened more than once, people never met anyone like Bumble before, but Lizzy happily talked about her, assuring them that she's been her companion since she was a small girl.
Why, her father introduced them, and they been friends ever since, he entrusted Bumble to watch her whenever she wasn't with him.
"Oh, but I promise, you, she's a wonderful person, a bit brash at times," Lizzy summed her companion who modestly tipped her bowler hat at the two.
Time elapsed and they're still a couple of hours from the station, that soon it was time for lunch.
The four departed from their cabin and ventured through the narrow hallway towards an open area with clothed tables, other patrons sitting around talking to each other while dining on their respected dishes.
Finding an empty table big enough the four sat and continued their talking, noticeably, of the four, Bumble never ate anything from the trays of food.
She simply talked with them and declined offerings.
"I've been to London. All the time, actually, it's truly the centre of the world, isn't it?" Lizzy talked with Theodore about his time in London.
Of course, their versions of London different, he had to rely on visual cues and gleaming what little he could from her mind to continue the farce, and Lizzy talked up a storm.
Lila strikes up a conversation with Bumble, learning that, what she suspected, Bumble wasn't the name she originally had, Lizzy gave it to her when they met.
Stuck since, can't exactly shake off years of hearing it.
"So, what is it?" Lila asks her what her real name happened to be only for Bumble to shyly say that she didn't like saying it.
"It's not like your name's Mildred, is it?" Lila asks her, though she affirmed that her name wasn't Mildred.
Looking at her hands, Lila grew curious, asking about them, only for Bumble to tell her in small ways, "No point covering them."
Didn't elaborate more than that, but she didn't want anyone touching her hands, the only one allowed's Lizzy, but she's careful about touching them.
Lunch continued up until it was time to return to their cabin, the servers collecting the used dishes and silverware, beginning to clean the dining area for dinner.
They continued their talking when Lila excused herself and gone out of the cabin to find the bathrooms.
What really happened's that Lila spotted someone peaking in through the tinted windows in the cabin door, that she used the excuse to step out and see who's peaking while Theodore kept the two talking.
She found the culprit with ease, it's Al.
Al's dressed unusually, which shouldn't been a surprise, but the unusual part's that he wore a normal black suit piece, and the reason he came around's because…
"What?" Lila looked at him with confusion in her chestnut eyes as Al told her that he spotted Lizzy's companion during lunch and became instantly smitten.
He wanted to look the part, but Lila's having difficulty understanding what he's implying.
Gesturing, Al explained that he has needs, too, and he can't help that he gained attraction to Bumble.
"I got that, but Al, do you really think the woman would be interested in you?" Lila inquired how Al's sure he has a chance with Bumble and Al scoffed, explaining to her that he's a ladykiller.
Shaking her head in disbelief, Lila pointed out, "You're forgetting one detail, Al, you're not the real deal!"
In the show, Al's prone to chasing skirts, but hearing it from their Al, it's drawing blanks, but Al scoffed that he knows the difference.
It didn't change a thing, though, he's got his eyes on Bumble, and well, he's got enough stories and jokes to last him!
"If she's interested in you at all, which you don't exactly know for sure, do you?" Lila brought up that Al didn't exactly talk to the woman himself and peeking through tinted windows like a horny teenager isn't exactly going to win her heart, either.
If you told Lila that a machine was bartering her help in wooing a woman years ago, she'd tell you that you're insane and seek help, but here she was, having the TARDIS beg her help.
"I'll sweeten the pot!" Al bribed Lila with something he kept for the rare occasion someone got his heart.
Lila asked what that was and he said that if she let him woo Bumble, that he'll happily give them an advancement for their upcoming break.
Anywhere they wanted to go for their break, he'll take them there and back, no questions asked, no chances of them having to stop what they're doing.
Lila questioned the terms, pointing out that Al risked Bumble rejecting him, but he swears that even if it doesn't work out, her and Theodore gets their advancement.
It's certainly tempting and seeing the poor AI begging's enough for Lila to agree to his bribe.
"Not a bribe, an advancement for your upcoming break," Al corrected her, but Lila said differently, before she did leave for the bathroom, coming back to the cabin, where Al waited for her, and he then explained the setup.
He's their friend, which, of course he is, but that's beside the point, and he's going to the same opera house with them because someone owed him a favor.
Rattling off the cover, he gestured as Lila processed it, before she pointed out, "You're a hologram projection, you can't exactly fool those women, Al."
Scoffing, Al tells her that he's got everything planned, he didn't spend his younger years causing problems for nothing.
It's not polite calling a machine, certain things in public space, so Lila bit her tongue as she joined Al inside the train cabin, surprising Lizzy and Bumble.
Theodore already knew the story because Al bombarded him telepathically, so it came off as natural, and Al sat beside Lila.
"Spring came and left already!" Lila communicated with Theodore telepathically as they shared a private conversation while overhearing the conversations between Al and the women.
Theodore sighed as he agreed with her point, before pointing out that Al's a machine, and machines don't have the same constrictions on seasons as humans and animals.
"I'm not going to have to worry about a shotgun wedding, do I?" Lila asks Theodore if they should expect them being forced into going to the wedding of Al and Bumble, before Theodore assured her that they won't have to worry about that.
Painful stereotypes aside, it's not possible for either two having relatives capable of bringing shotguns.
"Okay, how about messy divorces?" Lila continued asking Theodore the chances that the hypothetical romance between Al and Bumble won't end with something set fire and so forth, but Theodore believed there's a chance that Al has a chance for a happy marriage.
"How do you know?" Lila raised a brow as she wanted to know how Theodore's certain Al has a chance with Bumble, for all they know, it won't even get off the ground, poor Al's just a machine with his wires in a twist, and centuries old lust.
Subtly turning to her, Theodore says that it's his job to know these things, and Lila still doubted that Al has a shot.
"Care to wager?" Theodore asks Lila if she wanted to make a game out of this, only for Lila to ask about the terms.
His foot lightly bobbing as he settled in his spot next to her, Theodore waged that if Al indeed strikes up a relationship with Bumble, one without the chance of chaos and destruction, Lila's cooking for the next week.
Raising her brow, Lila pointed out, "I do that anyway!"
Ever since this all started, she's been coking for them and the aloof giant's been cleaning out pantries like he's just gotten out of prison and consuming every food he can find.
Theodore then added the stakes.
If he's wrong and the relationship doesn't go anywhere or turns something out of a reality show, he'll cook for them for the whole week and he'll even stock the whole kitchen.
Even if he snacks on a bag of jelly babies, he'll go out of his way to replenish it in the kitchen.
"You know, normally, these wagers have money as the stakes, food usually doesn't come to mind," Lila mentioned how unusual this seemed to the outside perspective.
Shrugging his wide shoulders, Theodore mused that he figured it's more interesting and something any of them can do, besides that, it's easier than arranging money payments.
"On top of Al promising us a bribe for helping him, hell, why not?" Lila agreed to the terms.
Couldn't hurt when she's getting something out of the bribe from Al and not having to worry about paying off an assumed debt because the wager didn't go her way.
Wagering who cooks dinner for the week and getting a favor from a machine, if anyone told Lila that this was her lot in life, she'd never believe them in a million dreams.
Now, it's a matter of how far this goes.