cw: violence of the being attacked down a dark alley by gang members kind

once again using the big whatever 2012 book and Vastra's letter to the Doctor this time as inspo. (I'm betting that Vastra edited the conversation somewhat when relaying it to the Doctor)

Introducing: Jenny's piece of flint.

The gang found her in the February of 1887, selling matches from the factory she'd worked at before, shivering and after a rough winter, weak enough that they could haul her down an alleyway.

She kicked and cursed and even screamed but she'd never really screamed before and it came off kind of hokey, even to her ears.

"Hold the wench still!" the leader of the Tong's boys sneered. "I wanna deal with her myself." He drew out a sharp looking knife and pressed it against her cheek. "Bet you thought we'd forgotten all about you, little Flint." He hissed.

"I ain't little!" She spat and kicked him in the balls. He dropped to the street.

"Ow! She kicked me inna nuts!"

"You little…" one of the men holding her gaped.

"I. Ain't. Little!" Jenny repeated, tripping his legs out from under him, sending him cursing to the ground. The boss had regained his feet and as she tried desperately to wriggle free from the two other men holding her, he grabbed her face, slamming her head against the wall. Dazed, she stumbled, only to be pressed against the wall, a hand gripping at her throat. She shivered in fear, her mouth dry and there was no smart comeback, no nothing, not even a plea. The third man was on his feet by this time, grabbing her arm and holding it out to the side, pressing a leg against hers to stop her kicking out again. A sharp pain bloomed in her side as she felt the knife cut through her clothes and her skin. She didn't realise blood could be so warm, so alive.

"After all you've done, you little bitch, I thought I'd kill you nice an' quick, string you up for an example no problem. But after kickin' me like that, you're gonna be in a lot of pain tonight, a lot of long, slow pain." The man hissed as a knife replaced his hand at her throat.

There was a disdainful snort from the darkness up the alley that made them all turn. "I rather think that you are, gentlemen." A rather cultured sounding voice with a Scottish twang rang out. "But I'll make it as quick as possible." The gang peered into the gloom but for Jenny a distraction was a distraction and she didn't care where it came from. She bit down hard on the hand holding a blade to her throat. It dropped the blade and more cursing ensued. She spat on the floor, the hand had tasted disgusting. She got an elbow clean to her face from one of her captors as they sprang towards whoever it was. She took advantage of her momentary freedom to drop to the floor, blood pouring from her nose, fumbling round to pick up the knife. She had never killed anyone but she didn't want to find out what the gang boys were going to do to her. She'd gone seventeen years without a man doing much, (women were a different matter) and it wasn't going to happen now. She got whacked on the back of the head again as a heavy body collided with her and sent her crashing into the wall, the world going dark.

The next thing she knew she was coming round on the alley floor. It was wet with blood but she felt too groggy to deal with it. There was no sound of movement except a small swish of a skirt. Her attackers were gone or perhaps dead. She lay still, playing dead until a hand moved her face and she bit it, grabbing the knife that her fumbling hand had found and scrambling upright to get a look at her saviour. She stared dumbfounded, blinking, then blinking again, not quite able to believe it.

"You…" The dizziness overcame her and she collapsed into darkness.

She woke with stars before her eyes and a splitting headache, feeling hot and shivery. She groaned and tried to get up from wherever she was but the world span and she retched. She was only vaguely aware of arms catching her.

She opened her eyes a little more cautiously on the second return to consciousness and didn't move. There was a ceiling and, slowly rotating her eyes, she found a small room. She herself was in a pallet bed in a corner of it.

"Ah. You're awake. Don't be alarmed. There really is no need to faint." She remembered all of a sudden. That bloody Lizard Woman had come and scared off the Tong gang and had apparently rescued her.

"I din't faint cos o' yor scaly face. I passed out cos I got walloped a lot." She gingerly touched her head and winced, coughing at the tightness in her throat from the strangulation, massaging it gently.

The Lizard Woman looked mildly affronted that Jenny hadn't found her that terrifying but also a little pleased. "Oh." She sniffed. "I did wonder. You were out for a while. I dressed your other wound."

Jenny frowned and then realised that she was quite clean, had a bandage around her middle and was dressed in an overlarge nightgown that most certainly wasn't hers. Her eyes went wide.

"What? You were covered in dirt and blood, although at least you don't smell as bad as other apes, and you were bleeding. I had to do something." the lizard shrugged unconcernedly as she discerned the reason for Jenny's consternation.

"Wot've yer done wiv me clothes?"

"Burned them. They were disgusting. I don't know what you picked up but it made the fire burn blue and green and give off a rather acrid stench."

"That would've been me matches." Jenny rolled her eyes.

"Matches?"

"Yes. Matches. I'mma match girl. I sells matches. They wuz in me clothes and you, ya stupid lizard, burned 'em all up. How'm I gonna make a livin' now ey? Wot'm I even supposed to wear? An' me flint gone too!" Jenny buried her face in her hands.

The Lizard Woman tilted her head to one side and then sat down on the bed beside her, holding out an upturned hand. Jenny glanced at it, having felt the bed shift. In the middle of a soft, scaled palm was her flint.

She glowered at the Lizard woman, swiping it off her hand. "Still gotta work tho ain't I? Gotta earn money."

The Lizard woman looked thoughtful. "So must we all. But this is an age of luxury. I rather fancy some of it." She gave Jenny a grin.

"Oh yeah? You got money then?" Jenny eyed her curiously, not exactly trusting that grin.

"No."

"Well 'ow you plannin' on gettin' luxury then?"

"Fear not. I shall think of something." She grinned again. Jenny found her lips twitching into a half smile despite herself, the lizard sounded so confident.

"Well that sounds all well an' bleedin' good fer you an' I wish yer luck but 'ow about gettin' me some clothes so as I can be on me way?"

The lizard woman stared at her. "You are still injured. And if you should be attacked again, will you be able to fight them off?" Jenny's face grew solemn at the thought of the Tong Gang. "I only slew a few of them. I have observed them, there are many more. They regularly accost women."

"I know." Jenny picked at the covers and hung her head. "Not that I ain't grateful or nuffin' but you shouldn't 'ave 'elped me. They'll be after you now. They'll kill yer fer killin' their men. You stupid lizard…" she whispered softly.

"Really." Jenny looked up into a predatory grin that she definitively did not trust. "Hm. That does sound like a challenge. Well, for now, you may stay here and recover."

"Stay 'ere?"

"Unless you have somewhere else to go?" the lizard woman quirked her head.

"…not really, no."

"Well, then. That's settled. You can sleep in the bed. I'm going out." She got up and drew a cloak about her before stalking out.

After staring dumbfounded for a while, Jenny flopped backwards onto the bed. Rest sounded good, although she couldn't quite reason why the lizard woman was being so nice to her. Hadn't even threatened to eat her yet.