It's been a few weeks since Lila encountered her first aliens and the knowledge that her boss and his brother, were also part aliens, and that's not something she expected to say so loosely, either.
The brothers, having realized that Lila's exposed to the concept of aliens unexpectedly, explained to her the concept of Lords and Ladies of Time.
Or as their father short handed, Time Lords and Ladies.
Two hearts, exception intelligence, strength to boot, and rather unique, genetically. For the brothers and their sister, even if they're one-half, they're still stronger than an above average human male, and then some.
Lila had to ask what the benefits of having two hearts entitled, which Hammond informed her that it's no different than having two kidneys. Having two hearts' proved beneficial for them and they evolved with them.
Their father's DNA so strong, it's likely their children's bound to have the same too, and so forth.
Rather bizarre, but after what Lila encountered just with her first time, she ended up coinciding that it's, well, the truth.
Especially, how Theodore proved to her that he can read her mind. Even talk in her mind. He said that he doesn't do it often to people he doesn't know very well, it's a safety precaution since telepathy among him and his siblings' rather strong for the average person. Theodore couldn't just start up a conversation in Lila's head unless he gets to know her precisely.
Not everyone's the same, mentally, and blasé use of telepathy would've incurred some undesired effects in people.
Hence, why Theodore's careful about using his abilities. He explained to Lila that between him and his family, they're not affected by adverse reactions, as well, they're family.
Their mother couldn't communicate with telepathy because she wasn't a Time Lady, just a human, but even then, their father struck up conversations with her in her mind.
With everything cleared up, Lila promised not to tell a soul what the brothers said to her, and she didn't. Keeping her word, she never uttered anything, and kept working at the library as nothing's wrong.
Theodore, after fumbling more than once, ended up getting into the rhythm of the library, earning the hearts of his coworkers except for the weary Lila.
He damn well carried heavy books back and forth without breaking a sweat, scarecrow that he looked without the baggy clothes, and he didn't look like a hobo anymore, but it still baffled Lila that he went out of his way to dress in his father's clothes.
Until she got the story on why he did.
It appeared that the Sontaran entered their world not too long ago and as his unusual nature, Theodore found out early on, and fretted that they'll find his advanced age father.
So, he did the unthinkable and took on his father's cowl, just to fool them, long enough to get rid of them before they discover the ruse.
He didn't mean for everything to get out of hand, honest, but things didn't go exactly to plan, and Theodore admitted that if he gone to his brother, it would've been resolved earlier.
Lila didn't hear the fallout with Mr. Smith, but it'd seem he's amicable about the whole thing, still angry at Theodore for getting himself in that mess in the first place. He's just glad no one got hurt and that everything worked out in the end, but he still cautioned his children, all the same.
He agreed with Hammond and Theodore's stuck as a librarian until further notice or until Mr. Smith finally cooled and collected himself to grant an audience with Theodore.
Never met the elusive John Smith, as he lived outside London, but the way Theodore lovingly talked about him, it sounded like he led an interesting life before entering his twilight years, enough to amass in friends and enemies, alike.
Almost a miracle he lived quietly as he did with the enemies he amassed.
Maybe it's a good thing Theodore intervened when he did, despite everything that happened.
Certainly, amazed Lila in all this, that someone willingly married a man like Mr. Smith, with all the shenanigans he got into prior, and the way Theodore explained how he met Mrs. Smith's sounded loony unto itself.
Mr. Smith's arrested on a military base. Ends up waiting in a cell for the admiral of the navy base. He met his wife as she was the first commander of the navy base and in charge of him during roster changes. A fake admiral arrives instead and tries to get Mr. Smith for nefarious purposes. With the aide of his then-wife, he prevents the kidnapping and murder, plus ensured the actual admiral arrived safely.
It's enough to give Mrs. Smith pause about her own military career and she left the base to join Mr. Smith on his bizarre adventures. Eventually, two opposites collided and they ended up married. Theodore and Hammond's Uncle certified their marriage.
Hearing this, made Lila think about how her dad met her mom.
Her mom worked as a nurse on the Norfolk base and met her dad after he gotten into a fight with people in his garrison. One thing led to another and out she came.
Nothing like how Theodore described it with his parents. Almost a miracle Mrs. Smith put up with someone like Mr. Smith for as long as she did, god rest her soul.
Meanwhile, Lila's mom would've twisted off her dad's ears if he got into the sort of trouble Mr. Smith did.
Maybe having boring parents wasn't that bad, considering Lila didn't inherit any trouble from them, on account what she learnt from Theodore.
That part of the story cleared up, Lila's able to piece together everything, and went from there. She kept quiet, still, and talked to Theodore privately.
All sorts of concepts he spoke of, sounded insane to a normal person, yet here's Lila, just quietly trying to find some sense of normalcy ever since the spaceman entered her life.
Her head so buried in her work, she might reach the other end of the planet at the end of it, hadn't Bill snapped her out of it more than once, reminding her of lunch or meetings.
Today's just a normal day. Normal. Funny. Here's Theodore entertaining children with his impeccable precision with juggling bright colored balls and what else came to mind. Almost impressed Lila he juggled books without bending the spine, if he even so much as crinkled a page wrong Hammond would've chewed him out on the spot.
Hadn't Hammond's schedule filled with board meetings, Theodore might've encountered his brother more often, and he took advantage of Hammond's work schedule for his own amusement.
To describe Theodore's weeks with the library: Brilliant, but exceptionally lazy, to the point Lila's astonished that he's even remotely related to the normally uptight Hammond.
As smart as he was, he would've made a few scholars cry, but he didn't seem interested in academics.
Though, with his brother not exactly interested in them either, Lila hadn't bothered to guess why that is, other than the brothers aren't exactly polar opposites as much as they act like it.
Whatever, rambling aside, that's the gist of what's gone on in the weeks Theodore worked with the library in the young adult department.
Everyone liked him and he shown natural strengths in dealing with children and getting them to listen better than the other librarians. He even gotten a few interested in science, just by making science experiments fun for them to try their hands at it.
Good for the library's quota, not good for the parents' rugs after the baking soda's added to the large volcano.
All in good fun and well, one can't exactly experiment without causing some form of mayhem.
Today's another rainy day and Lila's taping away on the keyboard, trying to get every book availability updated for the day, as they experienced a surge of students from the nearby school, checking out books for their fall break.
Book reports during children's fall break, what kind of nonsense is that?
When Lila was a young student, she fibbed on her tests after handed down that homework during her summer vacation.
She didn't have the drive to sit indoors reading a book she didn't have any interest in.
Dad worked on ships and he brought her and mom to Osaka with him, how can a little girl become interested in a book about some teen drama when she's got Osaka to explore with her mom while dad worked on the base for the summer?
Thankfully, the book the teacher tried making her read's something she easily found cheat sheets for and winged it, enough that nobody's the wiser.
Well, it wasn't one of Lila's proudest moments and she eventually turned herself around after getting a spark for reading from all the books she collected from around the world.
Still fibbed on books she wasn't interested in and required by her schools to read, but the rest she read without issue, and it eventually led her to becoming a librarian.
Sappy, she knows and not as illustrious as some other jobs, but it's better than working on a ship with no AC.
Losing focus, but the point being, Theodore managed to get the little rascals more interested in books they normally would've forgone, than Lila's able, and that's putting it mildly.
He got them to read Romeo & Juliet, a play Lila hated with every part of her being, and it made her smile when she heard some of the kids agreeing with her on that.
Yet, Theodore got the others' interest in Shakespeare's works, perhaps they'll grow up inspired to write their own works that'll transcend the book world.
He even said he spent a summer with Shakespeare, helping him write some of his works, which, at this point, Lila's not even going to attempt to dispel or debunk, because the man's eccentric mind's all but a Rorschach to her.
"He's really good with the kids," Bill rubbed lotion on her dark skin, trying to keep it from becoming ashy as the cold air's stagnating this week, and a bane on skins everywhere.
Lila rubbed her pale arms with the same lotion, her poor arms feeling the cold air too much, even with thermal shirts, replied with, "I think he's really a kid in an adult man's body. Don't quote me on that."
Chuckling, Bill mused Lila remained apprehensive about Theodore, to which Lila replied, "Oh, my sweet summer child, you have no idea."
As they're at the counter, overlooking the library, trying to pass the time as today's considered a slow day, since it's rather cold out, and everyone coming in just to use the computers.
With some free time, Bill checked her phone, to which Lila spotted, and inquired what sort of plans Bill made tonight.
Bill's modest, but Lila pried, asking, "Come on, what's her name?"
Looking down at her phone, Bill responded that she met her over coffee the other day. They worked out a date tonight and that her name's Elma.
"Oh, well, don't get into too much trouble, hm?" Lila winked at her, causing Bill to laugh before nudging her in return.
So slow, the day's becoming, Lila disappeared into a book under her desk, until she's jolted by the library phone ringing near her, and she picked it up to hear a woman on the other line.
"Hello, Downtown London Public Library, how may I help you?" Lila put on her professional voice that she uses whenever dealing with patrons.
The woman asked by name, Theodore and Hammond Smith, and if they're at the library presently, before Lila replied that Hammond's in a meeting and that Theodore's busy with the children, but she'll let them know that she's called.
Asking for her name, Lila's told that it's Odette, the youngest sister, and she's in London for a bit before heading off to another film shoot somewhere in the city.
Can't say much because of contractual obligations, but given her range, Lila hedged it's a show she's working on at the moment.
Oh, right, didn't get that far into it, as far as explanation goes, Lila's not exactly carrying around a folder of everything she's learnt within weeks after meeting Theodore and learning the truth about her boss.
Odette, works in films and television, specifically, as the prop master and a few other positions jumbled in between. Usually, she's not an actress, but she sometimes does crop up here and there when called for, nothing major, however. Mostly it's because of how her eyes look in the lighting that drew attention.
Never met her, either, but from what Theodore told of her, she's just like good o' "mum."
Cool, calm, collected, icy silver eyes, and as subtly snarky to boot.
She goes up pretty high heights for some of her tasks that crew members wouldn't dream of even doing for most of the shoots, and that edge makes her stand out, almost shocking that she didn't entertain the thought of becoming a stunt double.
Though with her share, no doubt that it'll be a hard explanation on how she's injuring her "stronger" coworkers by mistake because of her punches.
So, working as prop master and such, she is.
Writing down the information, Lila told her that she'll pass the message along, and Odette thanked her, before Lila hung up.
She waited for the opportunity and it came when Theodore finished with the gaggle of children hurrying with their teacher into the lift down to their waiting school buses.
"You're a natural," Bill complimented Theodore's ability to handle children.
Smiling, Theodore motions with his hands as he said, "It is all in the wrists!"
Lila handed off the message to him and he read it, his icy blue eyes twinkling with delight as he read that his sister's in London and wants to catch up with him and Hammond.
Excited, Theodore mused that he hadn't seen his baby sister in a few months, she's been traveling every which way to different shoots, and now she's come back for another shoot in London.
"Well, pass it along to dear brother," Lila motioned as Theodore did just that, with his telepathy, as he looked like he's staring off in the yonder for a brief moment.
He blinked before he moved with his duties and when Hammond came out of his meeting, he briefly discussed the details with his little brother, and for the first time since Lila knew him, Hammond smiled, that wouldn't be something of note unless it's known that Hammond generally didn't smile much while working in the library.
He'll put on a Cheshire grin for the children and officials, but hardly much for anyone else, and that's generous.
It took work for the brothers, but they managed to complete their duties for the day, going home to their respected places.
Theodore happily ran up those cobblestone steps and nearly slid through the mahogany stained wood towards his flat. In he went and he tore through his clothes, trying to find his best, as he wanted to present himself nicely.
As he's dressing himself, Hammond happily told him via telepathy that he better dress well, Odette's bringing a friend.
Friend.
"Who?" Theodore inquired who that'd be, but Hammond wouldn't tell him much. Just said that for Odette's sake, don't act foolish.
Theodore acted out more than once, but he cleans up, and he'd never do anything to embarrass Odette around her friend.
Looking at himself in the mirror as he's trying to find something decent to wear, hard to do when he's not exactly up to fashion standards in the 20th century.
Can't help that he didn't follow fashion trends currently, he just didn't have much interest in doing so, after all, his father didn't bother and his outfit's as iconic as he is!
"I don't like it," Theodore sighed as he walked off the side of the mirror, changing out of his latest suit. As he changed, he heard a rather horrible noise, the sound of a mechanic failure. After he changed, he gone out to check through the window, suspecting someone broke down outside his flat.
Looking down at the street, Theodore didn't see anything out of the ordinary, pretty quiet tonight, until his icy blue eyes spotted something on the corner across from his flat.
It's a police box and it's shadowed by the dim lighting on his street.
Theodore rubbed his eyes and when he lowered his hand, he saw it gone.
Blinking, it confused Theodore, but he needed to ready, he has to find his way to a restaurant.
Letting the curtain cover the window, Theodore turned around and let out a yelp as something's in front of him.
It's… it's…
"You!" Theodore's icy blue eyes widened.