"I- I mentioned Bev yesterday, didn't I?"
Bernice rubbed her temple and before she had to look Roda in the eye for too long, zipped over to one cupboard for some painkillers, rummaged through it, and swallowed the pills down with her coffee. She said it, but she didn't want to think too hard about it. Spilling things over a hungover morning cup- where'd she heard that before?
She was also still reeling from the little dream about an almost nauseatingly perfect wedding that was by all probability never going to happen. ...Or maybe the nausea was the alcohol. Brax said he always carried her bridal- that might've had something to do with it too.
Roda gave her a weird look. Bernice's expression was several layers of puzzled and conflicted. What was the big deal with this Bev? She raised an eyebrow. "Mentioned her? Think so. What's wrong with that?"
Benny snapped back to reality and stumbled over her words. She felt like she had to explain this to someone, but she really didn't know how. And telling Roda to be wary of someone she was close to but had what could be perceived to the outsider as a fight with lately wasn't exactly great.
She took a long, deep breath, and then let it out before she started to explain.
"I... We- Beverly was one of the people that Brax has screwed over. In this timeline and that one. Less so, she made it out with her arm this time at least, and I was involved with the retroaction bullshit- but... still." It was just so hard to sum up, and Bernice was clearly struggling. "I might love him, and he's sweet for me- but his nature still makes a lot of things about gains. Self-preservation, manipulation- yes, it's typically to protect people best he can, the greater good and all that..." Benny trailed off, rubbing the back of her neck.
Roda gave her a pointed and suspicious look.
"I'm detecting another 'but.'"
Bernice carefully placed her mug down on the table and it clinked as it rested on the coaster. Her head resting on her hands, she sighed and put it bluntly. "I'm sure Brax didn't just hire you because of your skills as a thief. He may not believe you about the whole 'ancient times' thing, but Brax definitely sees something. Something he thinks he can use." There were so many cases of this, she couldn't even count them all. Even Jack, arguably among his tamest examples of an employee-sized ulterior motive, was hired so he'd be there to defeat Avril Fenman.
"Good luck with that. I'm not gonna fall for it." She briefly shot a glare over her mug at the implication. Roda wasn't naive. She would not just sit there and take being somebody's puppet ever again, and was going to make that perfectly clear to anyone who would listen.
"That's what we all said..." Benny took a long, uncomfortable slurp. Too much. It was far too much back then. And the way things were going now- not particularly great either.
Roda gave a pointed question. "What do you think he'd even want to use me for- better yet, what do you think would make me not already be giving him enough of what he wants to be worth it?"
Bernice looked Roda straight in the eye for what must have been the first time this entire conversation. Her gaze wasn't hostile, but it was piercing and dangerous-looking. A sort of determined smoulder that could cause an average person who had enough common sense and knew even a thing about Bernice Summerfield to shiver- or possibly inspire them. It depended entirely whose side she was on.
Then she put it plainly.
"You're a Time Lord."
Roda only shrugged. Obvious enough of a statement, after all. To the people that she was willing to tell, anyway.
"So? He's one too."
Benny tried to list exactly why that was a red flag. And it was a big one. "For several reasons that I'm still not quite clear enough on to be sure, he doesn't seem to like other Time Lords around here very much- at least when he can get away with it." Save for the open invitation for the Doctor from this universe, who'd shown up all of once in her memory, she couldn't recall a prior instance where he'd been particularly happy about it.
She suspected that was part of the pushback on Nix's acceptance too, she herself had to imply- but not directly say to Braxiatel, that Roda's presence had to be an okay for that part and played a little dirty to leverage it for their admission, in fact- in Bernice's mind that only pointed more towards her conclusion. "There has to be a reason why he'd want you. And that can't be good. At all."
Roda huffed. Braxiatel seemed okay enough with her dying, and she was relatively accepting of that. A lot of people legitimately wanted her dead, after all. But Bernice suggested it ran a lot deeper than that. "Puts me in a position for something serious then, does it? What you think he'd try?"
"Roda- Brax'll do anything," she warned.
She rolled her eyes. There were a lot of people who'd supposedly do anything and most of them weren't to be taken too seriously, save for a few. One, in particular, Roda held a deep, deep hatred for. "Okay, so what sort of level of 'anything' are we talking about here? What kind of power does he seriously have and how much would he really consider using?"
Bernice's look over her mug was uneasy.
"While I'd say a lot less now- if we're going all in and including old Brax, then... ahem- a couple genocides," Benny paused, cleared her throat again, then added, "-that I know of."
Roda blinked.
"That murder clause in my contract makes a lot more sense now..." she muttered to herself, quietly swearing.
Bernice gave a resigned sigh. She wasn't going to believe her, probably. She didn't sugarcoat it, and she didn't force anything down, she just took a sip, and her expression turned pleading. Sure, this might be a little paranoid and presumptuous, but if there was no awareness before something happened, no one could stop it. "Look- Roda... just be wary. I'm not saying you should just leave, but I did say I was involved in the last situation, and I don't want to end up hurting you. Or anyone, if I can help it."
Roda crossed her arms. "I'm a lot tougher than I look, and I'm already not handing out my trust to just anyone. Don't worry, Professor."
Bernice shook her head.
"It's Benny. We're friends now."
"Benny? Alright." Roda paused, gathering her words together. "You have weird things to say about your boyfriend. You sure you're okay?"
Bernice swallowed down a big gulp and slumped over, groaning and then producing a pained, ironic laugh. "Oh, you don't even know the half of my complicated relationship with him. It's been pretty great here so far, actually. But complicated history, even more complicated relationship. And don't- use boyfriend. We don't know what it is yet, but it really doesn't work. But... yes. I'm okay. We've made some... important promises."
Roda nodded, unsure of exactly what she meant, but going along with it. "Okay. Uh huh. That's good? ...I don't really know how romantic relationships work."
"Messily." Benny sat there for a minute, and her eyes darted from place to place in the room. "I better go- just... leaving you something to think about."
At that, Bernice got up from the table, poured herself some more reasonably warm coffee, and left the kitchen with her mug, disappearing down the hall with soft barefoot steps.
Roda sat there and stared off, only shaken back to reality when her communicator vibrated. She absentmindedly picked it up. A loud, theatric, familiar voice felt like a kick in the head to her migraine.
"Good mooooorning!"
"Jack!" she groaned, looking at the screen.
He let out a breath of relief and his eyes dimmed in calm. "Oh, good- you're finally awake. I did leave you a few messages already- I suppose you must've missed them."
Roda's head fell into her hands. "Yeah, sorry- do I need to apologize for what I did last night? Think I owe you a favour or ten." It was still a lot.
His tone turned sweet and almost bashful. "That would be awfully nice of you- and I certainly wouldn't complain." Having that disaster yesterday and still being almost performatively flirtatious in his nature? Yep, Jack was back to his old self. He must've finally gotten some rest.
Roda made a sort of polite face and apologized. "I'm sorry. Really. And for getting ahold of that ginger beer? Ugh, my head. Are you mad at me?"
Jack shook his head. Frustrated, yes. Angry? "No, not really. I was far too exhausted to be angry. And you're really that susceptible to ginger? It's ironic I should have to put the soft drinks somewhere harder to reach," he chuckled to himself.
"Honestly, I don't usually drink like that. Sorry, again."
His lip quivered upward fondly for a second, but he brushed it off and fell into bitter and patronizing sarcasm. "At least you were trying to be helpful after I found you two. That's more than can be said for some of the drunks around here," Jack paused, thinking over why they were at the Rabbit in the first place. Not everything was crisp and clear for him either- despite being stone-cold sober, he'd run on empty so long that by the time the Rabbit closed he'd just barely made it up to his bedroom before passing out. "Successful girls' night though, I take it?"
Roda yawned. "Yeah, think so. The professor seems happy enough with it. Mars, adventures, gossip. Gave me an ominous warning today though."
Jack rolled his eyes and snorted. "That's just Benny. So cynical. Just wise beyond her years about that, she says. She's also a terrible liar. But good, I'm glad you're sober and alright. I've already cleaned the mess up, but if you could help me out for an evening and cover for me at the Rabbit, that would do just fine, if you're free and Irving doesn't mind, that is. I'd like to leave early if I can- planning a bit of a date, and Diego alone on a night shift isn't a great idea. He can handle the workload, mostly. But we're still waiting on that backup staff..." he trailed off.
Roda made a quiet 'ah.' "...Right, you said something about a boyfriend... I can't see Braxiatel minding. If he has a job for me I can do it and still get there for when you need me."
Jack brushed off any of her remaining concerns, going back to one more thing. "Yes, yes, all lovely- but circling back to Mars ...When you're sober and aware, please don't ask her about it again in my vicinity if you can avoid it. While I do so enjoy hearing her talk, that is one thing she never shuts up about once you get her going." He rolled his eyes.
She cringed.
"I'll... try and remember that."
"Do you remember how to get out of the mansion or should I come and find you? I have a good memory, I should know the route to your room..."
She chuckled. "First of all, it wasn't my room, second- I'm in the kitchen. Or... a kitchen. There's probably a lot of them. I still need some more sleep, but I should be able to find my way out okay. What time do you need me at the Rabbit?"
Jack shrugged nonchalantly. "It doesn't have to be today, and no strict time yet- I'll call you when. Need to set that date in stone first."
She huffed and took another sip. "Okay- I'll hop over later anyway. But if I help out, we're even and you'll call me dear Roda again? Hate to lose one of the only friends I have," she half-joked. Roda didn't think that would happen so easily, of course... but it was still true.
"Yes, we'll be even. All tied up in a neat little bow. Have a break, enjoy my date- and then we're debt-free. If you just help Diego out, perfect." He gestured dramatically, 'sentimentally' putting a hand to his heart.
The idea that she wouldn't return the favour of him dragging her here seemed far too preposterous to be true. "Of course I'd help! Even if I didn't owe you one. But he'll be doing most of the drinks, I think... I don't really want to even look at alcohol for at least a few days. But I can wait tables and clean up and what have you...?"
Jack gave his signature shark-tooth grin. "That would be lovely, yes. He has the skill, but even on a slow night with the much, much nicer people here, poor Diego will not work out front alone. Please don't tell him I told you, but Legion did something to him..."
She took a sharp inhale. Yep... "I gathered with the chair incident last week. But even I didn't much like Legion and I'm used to that sort of place..."
"Well, he was used to it. But obviously just didn't adapt in the happiest way." Jack didn't elaborate further. Probably part of the 'Don't ask' said shortly after she met the boy.
"Right... Anyway, happy to help."
"Why thank you, dear Roda."
One dear. One dear was always better than two or three, wasn't it? At least if she wasn't just seeing patterns in things that weren't there, or delusional. Good, maybe.
"Anytime, Jackrabbit."
She smiled fondly. Jack really was too good a friend to throw away and lose because of some stupid mistake, and it'd hardly been two weeks since they met. But he wasn't mad, and that was reassuring.
Roda closed the communication link and got up, yawning.
Time for some more sleep.
Now- where was that bedroom again?
