Eight hours until they arrive at the Europa station, with the itinerary, there's plenty of events to pass the time until they arrive, among them's ballroom dancing.
Not surprising, Al's keen on ballroom dancing and he's been talking up a storm with poor Bumble, poor as in she's being courted by a machine that looked like Dean Stockwell, but didn't have the mannerisms just right.
Still, Al persisted, but he knew when to reel himself back, give Bumble room to think on what he's doing, and the way the woman looked, it's hard to say what she's thinking.
Why Al decided to flirt with someone, now, maybe it's a form of midlife crises for the TARDIS, maybe he spent so much time as the character, he's adopting the characteristics, who knows, but it's almost like being in an episode watching Al, who'd normally wear gloriously colorblind outfits on the daily, as he flirts with the woman of the week.
Of course, in the show, except for an old lady he was trying to save and the little girl who thought he was an angel, Al never succeeded wooing a woman while being a projection.
Somehow, he's managing his composure despite the drawbacks of being a projection of the TARDIS inner mind.
Of them all, Lizzy found it adorable that Al's tripping over his words like he's still in high school while talking to Bumble, that she mused that since she started traveling with Bumble years ago, hardly anyone went far as flirting with her.
Lizzy's a different story, of course, but no one ever gave Bumble the kind of attention that Al's giving her that she giggled while leaning over to tell Bumble, "Miracles do happen, after all, Bumble!"
Bumble's confused, having never experienced this level of attention, that Lila offered to hit Al for her if she felt uncomfortable at any point, but the odd woman wasn't all fussed about it.
She's just confused, is all.
Seeing the look in Theodore's icy blue eyes, Lila immediately reminded him through their link, that Al's not out of the woods, yet.
They still have eight hours before they arrive at Europa station, plenty of time before Al does something to make things awkward.
"Don't get comfortable, spaceman, I've seen my brothers crash and burn within the two-hour mark," Lila tells him of her brothers attempts at love, more than once, they lose their chances after two hours, for several reasons, but always after two hours.
Lightly tapping her foot with his, Theodore reminded her that things can and have happened, complete with a mischievous grin.
Rolling her chestnut eyes, Lila bemoaned, "Lord, who let this spaceman into my life!"
Time continued to tick away with them following the itinerary to the letter, which involved different things, such as food and alcohol tastings and pairing classes, which due to Bumble not eating or drinking, she spent much of her time with Al, who greedily consumed his worth.
He says he's only treating himself, but Theodore had to remind him that the wine bottles he emptied weren't from the run-of-a-mill liquor store.
Let's say if not for the psychic paper and heaps of charisma, they'd be faced with a hefty bill for all that wine.
"Hah! Wine's one of the most overpriced things humans can put a price tag on!" Al lambasted the thought that humans willingly put what he considered incomprehensible prices for bottles of wine and casks.
For a machine with access to world history from here and beyond, he didn't see the importance of fine wine, it seems, and Al says that there's more prized things worth taking up, and wine isn't it.
"So, what is it?" Lila inquired what could've been worth more than the finest wine that they'll ever drink and Al informed her something that… surprised her more than it did impress her.
Pennies.
"Um, Al, did you forget a step somewhere?" Lila blinked as she looked at him with a quizzical look after he told her that it was pennies, not wine, that's worth more.
Nodding, Al insisted that people never think much about them, but there's worth to pennies that's more than wine.
"Explain yourself," Lila questions Al's choice and he happily tells her that pennies were made of copper, which is the most important metal in the known world, because of everything that uses copper.
Copper wiring, kettle, anything that needs proper electrical currents and even heating, copper's the best choice, hence, it's more valued than wine.
"But pennies?" Lila brought him back to the matter at hand and he then elaborated that, pennies are bountiful, people never think much about them, and if they had their way, they'd be out of circulation by tomorrow.
Since they don't have much value outside the rare once cent stores, with effort, they could stow away hundred if not millions of pennies, and exceed value.
"You realize melting them's not exactly legal, right?" Lila brought up that melting pennies is considered a felony before Al reminded her that it's only a felon in the States, but where he and Theodore stand, not so much.
Point is, pennies are valuable, wine not so much, even if the wine has been stewing for over three hundred years or so, made with any extinct variant of grapes.
"Why do you think I took your pennies?" Al mentioned how he partook in the thieving of the stashed pennies Lila kept.
While they don't have value in the UK or much value back home, Lila kept them all the same, never know when there's an opportunity that calls for a penny.
Which Al found.
Aghast, Lila remarked, "Pretty sure stealing's still illegal between the oceans, thief!"
However, Al remained firm about the pennies and he pointed out that Lila wasn't getting much use out of them, especially in a foreign country that exchanging them for something useful wouldn't be worth the effort, that they served a much higher purpose with him than languishing in the dark corners of the closet in perpetuity.
"I've just been robbed… ten dollars and fifty cents!" Lila bemoaned the theft as she tried to find some semblance of normality in her life.
Having a machine pilfer the jars of coins for pennies, making it difficult, more when Theodore found it amusing more than horrifying.
Time continued moving forward and it's getting closer to dinner time, on the itinerary, the ballroom dancing happens after dinner, giving patrons time to work off their dinner.
"What do you think?" Theodore asked for Lila's answer telepathically as they're looking out the window on their side of the cabin, Lizzy taking a nap across from them, Bumble continued staying beside her during the duration of the nap, and Al went off to check something, not wanting to wake Lizzy.
Pondering quietly to herself, Lila finally responded with, "I don't know, we're not exactly coming from 'Downtown Abbey' and not to mention, I'm not exactly versed."
Lightly tapping the top of her boot with his loafer, Theodore assured her that she doesn't have anything to worry about, reminding her of the aloof giant sitting next to her.
He then proceeded to mention that at least, they're not twisting around corners, this time, which already's wearing him thin, even with his elevated healing.
"You drive a hard bargain," Lila sighed as she admitted that Theodore did have a point.
They're not running from their lives, causing unseen damages to their legs, this, they're just causing unseen damages to their reputation.
"Worry not, Lee, your affably dressed Doctor's here!" Theodore grinned at her, causing her to mutter, "Lord, who let this spaceman into my life?"
Closer to dinner, now, Theodore's stomach announced its desire for the wafting aroma of food going through the train carts as the kitchens are readying for the influx of patrons.
Lizzy talked about her love of food and it's enough for Theodore to jump in, leaving Bumble and Lila watching them with looks on their faces, and Bumble even far as leaning forward, asking Lila, "Does he do this a lot?"
Sighing, Lila says, "Trust me, you do not want to see the food bill."
Let's say, if not for Hammond's charitability, Lila would be faced with a wrathful Mrs. Hudson because she wouldn't be able to afford so much as a piece of store brand bread.
Bumble mentioned that Lizzy doesn't look it, but give her a lazy Susan worth of food, she'll have it cleaned off within hours if you let her, and the only reason she hadn't gone overboard with food's because of the patrons and them.
She liked to keep the façade of forced politeness, at least until behind closed doors.
"I can believe it," Lila mused that it wasn't her first-time hearing something like this, hell, she experienced it enough times with Theodore, it doesn't register, anymore.
Like everything else.
On the clock, everyone poured into the dining room, bottles popped, liquid poured out of bottles as everyone talked to one another at their respected tables over the copious amount of food.
Just about ate his weight in food, Theodore couldn't help himself, the food's delicious, and maybe it helped that he missed breakfast this morning, who knows, but he dined with the three as Bumble sat adjacent of them, a look of disbelief on her face seeing Theodore eating plates worth of food, but somehow kept it elegant.
Lila says he practiced.
The moment the last plate's cleared from the table, everyone wiping their faces down with the neatly pressed napkins, they gone through the elegant doorway ahead, into the ballroom.
Stunning, expensive, and it made Lila feel even more out of place, seeing how everything looked like something from one of those period movies, she was almost afraid of touching anything out of fear.
Of course, the aloof giant comforted her as he showed her his pearly whites, before he gently pulled Lila towards the crowd of dancing patrons.
It's almost comforting that they're in a technically advanced universe, but it didn't have cellphones or cameras, because Lila wouldn't hear the end of it from her brothers, had they found video proof their sister dances.
Which, with the aid of Theodore, Lila had this going for her, she didn't look like an idiot who suddenly learnt how to move her legs, for a moment, she thought she could dance.
Theodore gingerly helped her dance and for an aloof giant, he didn't have two left feet, though, at this point, nothing could surprise Lila.
Hammond would be shocked if he saw how his brother danced, considering he didn't think it'd be possible, but here they are.
Dancing to the tune of the band as they're set up adjacent from the dancers, Theodore briefly spun Lila around, and as he did, Lila caught sight of something that would've melt anyone's heart.
Among the dancers, Al and Bumble were in attendance, and they're dancing, but with Al's encyclopedia knowledge, he knew everything down to the dorky dances from the '50s.
Here they were dancing and it seemed Bumble enjoyed the dancing, more when Lila saw Lizzy dancing with a random patron, looking over periodically to check on Bumble, a smile appearing on her face before she's twirled by the random patron.
The dancing continued well into the night, but eventually, it finally ended, with all the patrons leaving for their cabins where they remained for the duration of their trip.
After dancing, who knows how long at this point, Lila fell asleep and used Theodore as her pillow, with his large arm keeping her in place as the train goes over bumps in the tracks.
Lizzy danced herself to the point that she threw off her heels and rubbed her aching feet, before laying on the seat, her head on Bumble's lap, stretched out as she felt immediate relief, and fell back asleep to the sound of the train briefly whistling.
Bumble kept a hand on her waist as she felt the bumps in the train track, while she slept.
Not wanting to wake them, Theodore, Bumble, and Al kept quiet for much of the ride, until Al's eyes started swaying back and forth, and he quietly excused himself as he departed from their cabin.
Carefully readjusting himself, Theodore held onto Lila as he felt the bumps in the track becoming increasingly erratic, to the point it woke Lila and Lizzy from their sleep.
"What's going on?" Lila groggily looked up at Theodore as she rubbed her chestnut eyes, the bumps growing in strength that it's enough to wake her fully.
Theodore couldn't tell her much and Bumble became alert with Lizzy looking around, frightened as they felt the bumps strengthen to the point they're nearly launched from their seats after the train went over them.
The door to their cabin opened on its own from the erratic bumps in the train track and Al poked his head in, fear in his brown eyes as he looked at the three trying to stand from their seats.
Seeing the worry in his eyes, Theodore asked him what was wrong, and sometimes he wished he didn't ask.
Of course, never should've concluded that this would've been a nice train ride to the opera house.
"Um, we're being boarded," Al tried not to set off alarms, but failed spectacularly in his quest not to scare Lizzy and Bumble.
His icy blue eyes widening, Theodore asks Al who's boarding them and he felt the familiar thudding noises under his feet.
The immediate reaction's enough for Al to summarize that, yes, it's what Theodore think it is, and motioned with his hands for them to get out of the train cabin and follow him to safety.
Rushing through the doorway, the four followed Al, doing so, Lizzy questioned why they're running, and around the corner, she sees Rufus slumped on the ground towards the wall of the train cart.
Lizzy wanted to run to his side, but was stopped by Theodore, and forced to look closely by Theodore and Lila, as there was already someone near him.
It wasn't human.
"Delete!" A guttural robotic voice hissed.