Jenny walked right out of the house. She was determined. He pace was faster than usual for the petite woman, yet the tall Silurian could easily keep up.
"Where are we going?" Vastra asked. The ancient warrior had somehow obtained a high status in this society of the apes, and was rather used to being in the lead.
"The Flint's" Jenny said bitterly, her anger showing on her face
"I already killed the man," The green lady reminded Jenny.
"That is not the purpose of our… visit." Jenny said cautiously as her expression turned neutral. "I left something there. Something important".
"What is it?" Vastra asked.
"I think it is called a Vortex Manipulator," Jenny stated. "It is how I came to Victorian London in the first place. It could be broken, but maybe we could repair it."
"You had a Vortex Manipulator? How did you get it?" Vastra asked.
"I became a Time Agent, of course," Jenny responded as though it was a silly question. "I thought it would help me get closer to my father. I guess in a way it did."
Vastra sighed with relief. Other ways she had heard to retrieve such a device were far more unpleasant. "I don't recall you wearing it by the time I saw you that day," she stated, "And I think the Doctor would have noticed".
"When I regenerated into a child it didn't fit me anymore. It fell off of me in an alley" Jenny recalled. "I had forgotten what it was, and was rather confused. I guess it looked rather inconspicuous. No one else picked it up. I recognized it as somethin' that belonged to me when I came across it in the alley later on tryin' to stay out of the cold winds as a match girl. I picked it up and brought it 'ome. I knew it was peculiar lookin' enough that…" she was about to say 'my aunt and uncle', but then recalled they had not in fact been her kin, "the Flints wouldn't like it. Probably would try to destroy or sell it". Jenny said. "So I 'id it away".
"That was clever of you," Vastra approved.
"I felt kind of protective of it," Jenny explained, "But I didn't really know why."
It took them a while to reach the part of town where the Flints had lived. Vastra had been tempted to call a cab or for Mr. Parker, but then chose not to. It seemed like Jenny wanted to walk. Maybe it was helping her process or blow off some steam.
When they came to the old house, they noticed it was a wreck. It had always been in poor condition, but now it was definitely worse. Paint was chipped off all over the place and the wooden paneling was rotting and molding. Jenny knocked on the door and waited impatiently. There was no answer. Jenny tried again a little more petulantly. "I know she's home," Jenny said. They waited, yet still no one came to the door. Jenny, losing her patience, removed a couple of hair pins and tried the lock. Within a few minutes the pair entered the home. Both Jenny and Vastra noticed that the condition inside the home had deteriorated even more than the outside. An unconscious woman rested her head on the table next to an open bottle of gin. Jenny scoffed in disgust when she saw Mrs. Flint, then whispered to Vastra "No need to wake her".
The lizard nodded in agreement as they tip toed around the creaky old house. They went up the stairs. Jenny opened the door to what might be considered a bedroom, yet it was smaller than the coat closet at 13 Paternoster row. The room would barely fit a cot. There wasn't one though. No window either. There was a small chest of drawers, which like everything else in the house was broken. A small blanket was neatly folded on top. "It's just the way I left it," Jenny stated sullenly.
"This is where you slept?" Vastra attempted to whisper, but her aggravation was noticeable in her tone. Jenny nodded to confirm. Vastra imagined the small child that Jenny was shivering on the floor in a corner of the dark room on a cold winter night. The Flints may have been poor, but not as much as they pretended to be. They could have provided the Jenny with at least a straw mattress to protect her from the chill. As a child Jenny had been more neglected than Vastra had been aware. If she knew about Jenny's treatment she would have intervened. It was too late now though.
The petit woman moved the blanket and picked up the chest to move it to the other side of the room. She then felt along the floor boards until she came across the one she knew was lose. She smiled as she lifted it and set it aside. She dug into the space beneath and pulled out a leather wrist strap. She put in on her arm and replaced the floorboard and chest. The blanket she took with her though.
Just as stealthily as before they walked down the stairs, trying to avoid the creaks. When they reached the table Jenny unfolded the blanked wrapped the covering around the woman who had raised her, albeit poorly, for nearly six years. Vastra was awed by this display of compassion. Jenny never seized to amaze her.
They left the house, locking the door behind them, and started their return to Paternoster Row. In the light of day, Jenny opened the flap on the device she retrieved to study the Vortex Manipulator.
"It is burnt out," Jenny informed her wife. "No matter, I'm sure we'll find a way to fix it."
"Yes, I'm sure we will," Vastra affirmed.