"So, who were you sent to me by?" The Doctor asked as he unlocked the TARDIS door, "It must've been Martha. Martha Jones right?"
"Sure," Tristan shrugged, "Wow, it really is bigger on the inside." She paused right in front of the entrance and looked around. The Doctor had his arms folded and was smirking at her reaction. It never got old.
Everything she saw with her blue eyes matched what she heard with her ears that night on the telephone. From the glowing lights, the massive coral supports, the grate floor, and the low humming of the ship, it was warm and perfect and she felt at home.
"Everyone seems to say that." The Doctor's comment snapped Tristan back to reality.
"Everyone I've talked to, yeah." Tristan chuckled as she put her backpack on a seat.
"Everyone?" the Doctor's right eyebrow shot up.
"I mean, Martha," She smiled awkwardly, "So, where are we going?"
"Chip shop." He shrugged, "I was planning on looking for one until you showed up."
"Oh! I love chips," She grinned, "I know the best place, come on." She grabbed his hand and pulled him outside.
"This is a nice change, I'm usually the one who holds hands first." He grinned as they halted in front of a regular looking chip shop.
"So I've heard," She smiled, "Come on!"
They spent about five minutes quietly eating their chips. During that time, the Doctor kept glancing at Tristan. He wondered why Martha sent her to him. Did she think he couldn't take care of himself or something? He had lived more than 900 years more than she had.
"What?" Tristan pulled him from his thoughts, "Do I have something on my face?"
"No, no," He exhaled, "I was just wondering if…um, if you lived alone, that's all." He focused on his chips, prodding them with his fork.
"Yeah, I actually do." She replied.
"Really? You look quite young." He looked up and saw she was smiling at him. All the tension was released from his mind, "I'd guess about 20."
"I am 20 actually," She kept smiling, "I was put in an orphanage when I was very young, in fact, I don't even have any memories of my parents or any relatives. I was a pretty big troublemaker, so no one wanted to adopt me, and no one in the orphanage really wanted to interact with me. I got several jobs when I was a teenager was able to save up enough money to purchase my own flat and move out at 18."
At that moment, the Doctor knew that he would get along with Tristan easily. She too knew what it was like to be excluded and independent.
"So you are a…. risk taker?" He asked and she nodded, "You like to…stare at danger in the face?" He lifted one eyebrow and she burst out laughing.
"I think I do Doctor."