"Theo, you've been checking my nose for the last ten minutes, I think I'd know if it's broken," Lila nasally pointed out to Theodore as he meticulously checked her nose, after it stopped bleeding, and she cleaned her face thoroughly with a soft plush rag with some lavender scented soap.
Shaking his head, Theodore says, "It's precautionary, even if it doesn't feel broken, there are concerns for long-term damages."
Despite Lila's insistence, Theodore didn't want a risk of issues forming because an untreated injury, even if she says it's only a bruised nose, he didn't want to chance an underlying issue that got overlooked.
Gingerly looking over her nose one more time, Theodore sighs as he confirmed what Lila told him, there's no damage, nothing broken, she'll be sore for a while, but otherwise, there's no permanent injury.
Just a sore nose.
Thankfully, there's things in the TARDIS that'll ease the swelling and pain, but the storm's doing a number on the energy in the area, that Theodore must wait until morning before he can easily pull the medicine from the comfort of the bed.
Until then, Theodore shall tend to Lila, much to her bemusement.
"Killer books, glowing eyes, we're a couple items short of a bad '80s horror movie," Lila bemoaned their predicament.
There's a grand piano somewhere in the mansion, forget it.
If watching bad horror movies and the ghost level of a video game she used to play over the weekends while staying with her grandparents taught Lila anything, nothing ever good happens with going near or plying grand pianos.
The warbling effect of the de-scrambler didn't help the scene in the horror movie in question, either.
Worse's when the old CRT started going haywire and the screen started messing up at odd intervals to the point that it started messing up during the ghost level.
Besides that, it wasn't like Lila's Beethoven or Mozart that she can crank out a few tunes before the piano eats her.
Thank God she didn't watch 'the Ring' over that CRT!
Going through her messenger bag, Theodore grabbed the book from it, plopping down on the edge of the bed, flipping through as he searched for any stories about the supposed poltergeist that attacked them.
"You don't believe in that stuff, do you?" Lila asks Theodore how he felt about poltergeists and whatnot.
Yeah, there's residues because universes rub against each other, whatever, but Lila was curious about Theodore's thoughts on the unknown, and as he flipped through the pages, Theodore gave his thoughts.
"My father taught us to be logical," he summed his thoughts on the matter before adding, "and I don't believe it was a poltergeist that assaulted us with books."
Theodore didn't believe in ghosts of paranormal origins, he only believed they're remnants of a universe bleeding into the current universe, nothing more.
Nothing detested him more's when people scam others who genuinely believed in the phenomena.
A cold rag on her nose, stung, but it felt good after a minute, Lila goes, "Okay, if it wasn't paranormal, it wasn't that, what is it?"
Continuing to flip through the book, Theodore's icy blue eyes caught glimpses of passages mentioning the supposed poltergeist that periodically appeared in the mansion, if part of the passage's laced with sensationalism drumming up interest, there's accounts of individuals who've stayed in the mansion becoming victimized by this poltergeist that seemingly attacked them in different areas of the mansion, throwing things at them.
Of the stories, there's one regarding a man being assaulted by a book, and like Lila, suffered a heavy nosebleed and need suturing.
"It's something else," Theodore concluded that what they're looking at isn't conventional or paranormal.
Blinking as she sat beside him, looking down at the book, Lila goes, "Well, it sure as hell isn't some hokey trick."
Not exactly a good way of drumming up business when guests are being injured by books thrown at them.
Closing the book with one hand, Theodore stated, "I'm heading back into the library."
On his mind, he thinks there's something afoul with the bookcase, the only way to be sure's checking it closely.
Which, of course, he couldn't do, now.
Once everyone went to bed and Harold retreats to his bedroom, well, no one's the wiser.
"Wait, what about me?" Lila asks where she comes in, but Theodore gently touches her chin as he emphasized with every tap, "You, my dear, rest. It'll be suspicions if we're both out of bed."
Since it'll be expected of them staying in their bedroom after dinner, well, no maid or butler's going to raise concerns if Lila's still in it.
All she had to do's tell them he's taking a long bath and no one will be the wiser.
"Fine, I'll play pretend. Just don't get stuck in the walls, 'Kay?" Lila warns Theodore to remain cautious of his surroundings, else he risked becoming like the mice at her grandparents old place.
Gently tapping her chin, Theodore assures her, "Don't you worry, dear Lee, I'm quite flexible, remember?"
A devious smile on her face, Lila responds with, "Yeah, I know."
His plan on sneaking in the library, Theodore worked out the details, ensuring that Harold wouldn't know what he's doing, lulling him into a sense of security.
"Okay, say it goes according to plan, which we both know hardly happens, you're still looking at a chance of Harold figuring out that something's going on," Lila pointed out as Theodore briefly stood up, putting away the book, before situating himself back on the edge of the bed.
Reaching into his stitched pocket, Theodore pulled out his trusty pocket watch, handing it to Lila, instructing her what to do, should Harold suspect something.
A tap on the side of the watch face, it'll be like he's there. She could fool Harold into thinking Theodore gone to bed and Harold wouldn't dare wake his sleeping guest.
"And if you find anything?" Lila asks him as she held his father's pocket watch.
Theodore tells her that if he did find anything, she'll be the first to know, and he'll make sure Al knows it, too.
Gently touching her chin, again, Theodore smiles, "You worry too much, Lee."
Frowning, Lila says, "Whatever that was in the bookcase should play pitcher, I can't imagine what it'll do beyond that."
Whatever attacked them with the books's strong enough to launch them at speeds that almost broke her nose and bruised her and Theodore to hell, capable of some damage if it's feeling frisky enough to attack directly.
Checking the time, Theodore says he'll go down to the parlor and chat Harold up, see what he knows, maybe he can sneak a peak in his brain, get some ideas.
Once Harold's at ease, Theodore will go to dinner, have a maid or butler bring Lila some food, when that's done, he'll return to the guest bedroom, act as though he's going to bed, when no one's looking or asleep, he'll sneak out.
With the pocket watch, they won't notice anything suspicious.
Hugging her tightly, Theodore leaves the bedroom, heading over to the parlor room where he sees the three men in the plush chairs talking to each other over glasses of bourbon and whisky.
Harold's surprised seeing him, but Theodore convinces him that Lila's resting, and that he'll bring her dinner.
"Not terribly hurt, is she?" Harold asks him, Theodore telling him what he deduced.
Bruised, but nothing serious.
On Doctor's orders, she's to remain in her room while she recovers, that said, he couldn't help but question what happened, leading Harold to tell him about the poltergeist, the same as the stories in the book.
"Yes, but Mr. Thornton, poltergeists don't just materialize out of nowhere, from what it seems, it's been a dull eighteen years before tonight," Theodore pointed out, causing Harold to snort, asking if he read the book based on the mansion.
He downplays the poltergeist as something that comes and goes, leading Professor May to say as he pours himself a drink at the liquor cabinet, "No, I concur with the good Doctor, we've had some inquiries in the past, almost all of them agree that the phenomenon happens in one specific room. The stories I hear have these happenings in different corners."
Marveled, Douglas goes, "And here I thought the old professor's a man of science!"
Scoffing at this, Professor May states, "It's my interest to know everything, even if it's malarkey. Helps with debates."
Pouring himself another glass of whisky, Harold asked Professor May, "Then, what do you believe it is, professor?"
He's curious about the professor's thoughts, if he doesn't believe the incident was the work of a poltergeist.
Bringing his glass close to his lips, Professor May says, "Well, I'm still a man of science, and, I say someone very well assaulted the Doctor and his companion."
Tilting his head, Harold's subtly shocked at the professor's deduction, so much that Theodore caught him thoughtfully looking away the moment Professor May inferred that someone assaulted him and Lila, but said nothing aloud.
Catching it, Theodore subtly raised his brow as he quietly drank his whisky, seeing how the usually studious Harold looked distressed.
It gave him an opportunity to see into Harold's mind and as Theodore attempted this, he noticed that he's incapable of reading Harold's mind.
Everything Theodore tried, simply didn't work, he couldn't read Harold's mind, and Theodore's spent enough time harnessing his telepathy, that he shouldn't have problems.
No image of a brick wall, no iron will, nothing, it felt like Theodore's pressing his brain against his skull.
"Did you happen to see anything?" Theodore's called on by Douglas.
Looking towards him, Theodore shrugged as he replied, "No. But, when the world editions started hitting us, I didn't get much of a chance."
Hard to look when Theodore risked losing his eyes.
He noticed Harold animating as he interjected, "You can't honestly believe that someone assaulted the Doctor and his companion, can you, what would be the point of doing such deed, in my own mansion?"
Douglas shrugged as he suggested, "Perhaps they sprung a trap unknowingly, then?"
The mansion underwent renovations, powerful people owning it over the span of years, always a chance they snuck in hidden additions that wasn't written down.
An aging trap suddenly springing because of Theodore and Lila going through the bookcases, it's a possibility.
"I hate to ask, but why on earth would there be a trap in a bookcase?" Professor May inquired more about Douglas's logic in believing that Theodore and Lila fell victim to an aging trap that suddenly sprung on its own.
Shrugging, Douglas tells him before he finished his last glass of bourbon, "Well, professor, as you know, traps are steeped in history. I'd say at some point, someone hid something they shouldn't and threw up a trap to keep someone from finding it."
Raising his brow at this, Theodore's about to comment, but something to Douglas's comment subtly unnerved Harold.
Rather risking his brain trying to get into Harold's mind, Theodore's forced to rely on his wits, conversing with the men until one of the maids came in, telling Harold that dinner's ready.
Standing up, Harold held his hands together as he asked the men to join him, and they did.
Led back to the dining room, the men sat around eating their dinner, talking to each other, still Harold had a subtle look in his blue eyes that Theodore caught with ease.
Maybe Theodore couldn't read his mind, but reading faces always proved reliable when nothing else works, and the conversations bothered Harold, that much Theodore gathered.
Harold attempted to send food up to Lila, but Theodore tells him that he'd prefer doing it himself, giving off an excuse that he's falling into a food coma, so he might as well save time.
Didn't get much from Harold, but he didn't question Theodore's logic as he had a maid bring him a tray as he filled plates with food and cups of drinks.
He'll need a snack while waiting for an opportune time leaving the guest bedroom without someone catching him.
Outside, the storm continues to barrow down on the area, Theodore felt the chaotic energy coming from the storm.
The moment the storms clear for the night, the chaotic energy will disperse, returning to normal until the following storm, though the more severe the storm, the more chaotic the energy.
Unlike storms needing a set condition to spawn, there's no issue with chaotic energy building during severe storms, they'll certainly affect the storms, but they won't suddenly open a wormhole.
It wasn't like the movies.
Those kinds of scenarios are absurdly rare to the point that a person chanced winning the lottery several times over before it's even a consideration of scenario happening.
Theodore would be shy 450 years old and the scenarios haven't occurred!
Adventure wise, he'd have to taken 42,000,000 adventures for a whopping 1% on top of everything else.
Let's say, creating storms of the century's easier.
Booming thunder rattled the mansion, lighting flashed through the windows, it deafened the conversations had between the three men while Theodore went and brought the tray of food and drinks to Lila.
She sat on the bed, reading through the book, she lowered it when she saw him coming through the threshold as she asked, "How was dinner?"
Setting the tray and drinks on the desk carefully, Theodore says, "Not worse than his meetings."
He stepped over to the bed as Lila sat up, he checked her nose, the swelling's coming done, and it looked better than it did before.
"Still hurts?" Theodore asks her and she tells him that it stings, but far cry than what it felt like when the book launched at her.
Nodding, Theodore encouraged her to eat, as he filled their plates with enough food to fill her.
"Anything new?" Lila asked if Theodore found anything new about the incident or Harold, before Theodore told her how he can't read Harold's mind.
Lila found it weird, Theodore gestured as he insisted that he didn't have problems before, but here he was, having them.
"Weird," Lila commented as she sat with Theodore, while they listened to the storms outside the window.