Rose's days reminded her of her life as a 19 year old shop girl now. It was only knowing that this was temporary that kept her going. She could only imagine how the Doctor must feel, cooped up in his growing TARDIS when he used to have the universe.
She kissed her mum's cheek goodbye and hopped on the bus. Her heart always fluttered excitedly now when ever she saw anything suspicious. The cause this time was a small dog she could see out of the bus window. She was sure, just for a moment, that it lacked a nose. Sadly, it did have one, had eyes had just been mistaken.
Maybe the fat man next to her was a slitheen, she thought, smiling to herself.
A few stops later the bus screeched to to a stop and Rose climbed out, checking her phone for the time. She felt her lips curl upwards into a grin. She had to be at work in five minutes. She loved having to run.
She set out at a brisk pace, her blonde hair flailing behind her in the breeze. She could tell from the way the moist air cut across her forehead that it was going to rain soon. Her sneakers bounced off the concrete, the same way they had on countless planets in countless skies.
The mannequin filled window of the shop soon came into view, the plastic people sending chills down her spine. She slowed before coming to an eventual halt in front of the show window with only seconds to spare.
The shop door was already unlocked, so Rose yanked it open no problem. Rose's brow furrowed, confused, as she looked up. In her usual place at the register stood a girl around her age who Rose had never before seen.
The girl had bright ginger hair that would make the Doctor cringe with jealousy. Rose made a mental note to never let the Doctor come round the shop to meet her for lunch if he had scissors in his pockets. He'd probably make himself a wig out of of the girl's hair. Not that he needed new hair. His hair was spectacular already. It just wasn't ginger.
"Helloo," The girl greeted, stretching out the 'O' in what was obviously a Scottish accent.
"Hello," Rose replied, a bit confused. "Not to be rude or anything but… Who are you?"
The girl laughed nervously. "Amy… Amy Pond. I just started working here," she explained.
"Oh, sorry," Rose apologized. "I'm Rose. I was just confused 'cause you're at my register."
"Yeah, Ms. Tyler, I want you on customer service today," Rose saw her boss heading out of her office. "You can start by putting these on the mannequins in the front window." She tossed Rose a pile of clothes that trailed glitter as they flew. Rose caught them agiley with the skills she'd acquired from the Doctor throwing various objects at her when he got too excited and forgot she didn't also posses his super time lord catching abilities that he apparently had (she'd never actually seen these abilities in action, she supposed she never get the chance to falsify them now).
Dressing mannequins. That felt like begging for trouble.
Nothing out of the ordinary happened though, which for Rose, felt rather unordinary in of itself. Soon enough she felt her stomach gurgle in hunger. Looking at her phone, she realized it was almost her lunch hour.
She headed to the store exit, seeing the new girl, Amy. The girl looked a little overwhelmed by all the customers, which just made Rose ever happier that her boss had finally hired someone else to share to workload.
"Pond, Tyler, take lunch!" The two girl's boss addressed them. Amy looked absolutely relieved as she practically sprinted from her station.
"Hey!" Rose called after her. Amy slowed, looking over her shoulder to the blonde shop girl. "Wanna take lunch with me?" Rose invited.
Amy stared apprehensively. Her only possessions at the moment were the clothes she was wearing, and enough money from what the lady(who she guessed was this girl's mum) yesterday had given her to maybe buy a cup of tea, and even that was a stretch. She had decided to take up fasting until she got payed from her new job. Rose seemed nice, and she really didn't want to ruin what might become a friend with the news that she was basically homeless.
"I don't… I don't like food.." Amy stammered. Rose looked at her bewilderedly. Great job not seeming weird, Amy thought sarcastically.
"Don't be like that," Rose said kindly. This girl was really skinny… Like model skinny. Maybe she had some sort of eating disorder. "Here I'll treat you! You did just make my job 'bout 50% easier!" Rose offered a smile.
Amy couldn't help but grin in frantic relief. The more people bought her food, the less she would have to worry about the fact that she had absolutely none. She wished desperately she had a purse so she could slip some of whatever Rose bought her inside it when Rose wasn't looking, but the inside of her bra and a napkin would have to do.
"Sure! That's so nice of you! Thanks!" Amy affirmed a bit awkwardly. She probably sounded a bit odd, but at this point, she didn't care.
"Come on then!" Rose grabbed Amy's hand, giving her a tug in the direction towards lunch.
"I don't really know my way around yet," Amy explained. "I'm new to London." Amy had been to London before, but things here were different. The stores seems to be rearranged slightly, and everything just felt a bit off. Not to mention the zeppelins floating above her.
"Well I can show you around. I was new a few years ago… Well… Sort of… Kind of hard to explain."
"Tell me about it," Amy said under her breath. This girl had no idea.
Amy had been dropped off into a new environment before. She moved to England when she was seven into a room with a crack in the universe on it's wall! This was different though, because she had no idea where she even was.
"Oh there's a good place!" Rose called, cutting off Amy's thoughts. Amy followed her pointed finger to a small sandwich shop on a street corner.
After many failed attempts, the two girls managed to get across the street without fear of mortal danger from a car zooming down the busy London street. The shop was small and brightly lit, the floor's tiles freshly cleaned, smelling of chemicals and soap.
Amy decided on a sandwich that sounded appetizing and Rose was even kind enough to buy some chips for them to share. They sat at a small square table with their food, devouring the food, hungry from work that morning.
"So when did you move here?" Rose asked, biting thoughtfully into her sandwich.
"Ummmm… Yesterday," Amy said, deciding to at least say something truthful. Rose's eyes widened in surprise.
"Oh! Do you like it here so far?" Rose wondered.
Amy shrugged. "Not sure."
"Where are you living?" Rose wondered curiously.
Amy paused, her insides freezing up. Well I was living in a time and space machine before getting stuck in zepplin filled London she thought to herself. How would Rose react to that? She remembered her childhood, the constant stream of physiologists, just because she believed in the magical blue box and the alien inside. Rose would probably cast her off as insane.
"I don't have a place to stay yet, I slept in a hotel last night," Amy said half truthfully.
"Neither do I! I've been living at my mum and dad's with my deadbeat boyfriend… Well… He's far from a deadbeat… And a lot more than my boyfriend… He's amazing, he's just going through a really rough time right now, he just lost his job and all…"
"Yeah, your mum mentioned. I saw her yesterday and she told me about the job opening at the shop." Rose raised an eyebrow. She held back a laugh, remembering something her mum had said the day before about "a homeless girl who had told her to get rid of the Doctor".
Rose seemed to be preoccupied in thought, so Amy took the opportunity to wrap up half her sandwich in a napkin, along with a few chips. She slipped them inside her long boots discretely.
"Any plans on where you're going to move?" Rose asked curiously.
"Well.. I'm sort of broke," Amy admitted. Sort of was a bit of a stretch.
"Yeah, my mum did say you were homeless so…" Rose trailed off, leaving her thought unfinished. "Won't be soon though. This job may pay like Hell but it's better than nothing."
Amy smiled, nodding, but Rose seemed to be lost in thought again.
Rose's only real friends in this universe were various Torchwood workers scattered around the globe. She only really saw them at work, which she wouldn't have for at least a few more months, until Torchwood reopened. She had no one who could possible help her pay for a flat, considering the Doctor was equally broke, with no job at all.
Although Rose had just met her, Rose felt something around Amy. It was almost as if Amy understood the out of place feeling that clouded Rose's mind in this universe when she wasn't occupied. Maybe, Rose thought, she had finally found a friend. A normal friend. A friend who wasn't into hunting down evil aliens like the Doctor and her mates at Torchwood.
And maybe, she had found a roommate.
If they split the cost of a small flat two ways, the salary from the shop would probably suffice, leaving just enough to buy food.
My own place. Rose liked the sound of that.
She debated asking Amy about this now, but decided she'd probably seem a bit forward. She did know that hotels in London were extremely expensive, so decided on a simpler question.
"You could crash at my place if you'd like until you find a place. I know hotels can be really expensive."
Amy looked a bit reluctant. "Didn't you say it was your mum and dad's place?" Amy raised her eyebrow questioningly.
Rose frowned, crossing her arms. "Yeah. It sucks, I know. I really want to get my own flat but I don't make enough to pay for one," Rose paused. "Hey, you don't have a place either," She pretended to realize. "Maybe, after our next pay day we could split the cost of a flat 50/50!" Rose suggested, a bit nervous about how this girl would react to her odd proposal.
Amy felt her head spin. She didn't belong here! She belonged with Rory and the Doctor in the TARDIS! When were they gonna show up? She knew the Doctor was bad with timing(Some time lord, she scoffed)but was it ridiculous on her part to get a job, rent out a flat, and start building up a life here?
Amy's eyes made their way over to Rose. Rose looked so nervous and hopeful. I could wait another 12 years, Amy realized. Fear clouding her mind, she found herself uttering a loud and clear "Yes."