Chapter 12
"Where to, ladies?" the Doctor asked Faria and Jennifer.
"How about a 1920's dinner party?" Jennifer said.
"Well, I do have a few friends in that decade, and if I remember properly, he said he remembered a young lady of my current description showing up to a dinner party in 1927 with two other ladies, which was, apparently, a bad night, which I forbade him tell me about, so I suppose that's us," the Doctor said. "What do you think, Faria?"
"I'm all for it," Faria said, intertwining her fingers with Jennifer's.
"I must warn you, back then, they didn't have much of a liking for two ladies being together so I'd keep the PDA to a minimum," the Doctor said.
"Got it," Jennifer and Faria said, dropping the other's hand.
"Go get dressed. Late 1920's is on the top floor," the Doctor said, and set the TARDIS' autopilot before following the two girls to the wardrobe room.
"Why didn't you tell us there was a guide to the fashion of the time and place in each section?" Faria asked, picking up a large binder labelled as 'Western Earth, Late 1920's Fashion Guide.'
"Because those weren't there until the other night. I had the TARDIS make these, because some companions aren't very good with the whole 'blending with the times' thing," the Doctor explained. "Like look here, it says that the 1920's saw Earth women with more boyish figures, meaning flatter chests and shorter haircuts."
"Really? Looks like not having large breasts has come in handy for once," Jennifer said with a smile, looking through the clothes. She selected a red dress and matching hat and shoes. Faria took her turn and picked a green dress with matching hat and shoes. The Doctor took her turn to look, and selected a blue dress with white accents with matching hat and shoes. The three left the wardrobe room once they had changed clothes and went to the console room, where they saw that the center column had stopped moving. The Doctor turned on the scanner, and saw they were in front of a nice house with a couple of cars (that Jennifer would call vintage and Faria would call ancient) parked in front.
"I'll be right back," The Doctor said before she went to grab the bag she had begun to use when in costume since she realized that the pockets are either much smaller or nonexistent in women's clothes. She saw a sword she had received in ancient Japan hanging on the wall in the room, and got an idea. She grabbed it, pulled it out of its sheath, and checked the sharpness. She pulled her hat off, throwing it on the bed. She lifted her hair, placed the sword behind it, and held the bottom part of her hair in place. She took a deep breath and cut through the long strands of hair, letting it hang around her upper back. She put the hair that had been cut off on her bed and put the sword back. She tied her hair back, put her hat back on, grabbed her bag, and went back to the console room.
"Let's go," the Doctor said with a smile, pulling the lever to open the doors.
The TARDIS Team left the TARDIS and strolled in towards the house.
"Ah, and who are you?" a man in a nice suit said to the Doctor.
"I'm Dr. Joan Smith, this is Jennifer Dunst and Faria McDonald."
"You're the Doctor?" said a woman in a simple orange dress.
"Yes I know, last time I was a man, but I know I explained my special circumstances during our last visit. This is September 3rd, 1927, correct?" the Doctor said.
"Ah, yes. The man who can change his face. He's a woman now! How odd," said the woman.
"Jennifer, Faria, this is Olivia Gold," the Doctor said, and Jennifer smiled.
"Lovely to meet you," Jennifer said.
"Yes, lovely," Faria said.
"John always picks his company well. Well, Joan's in this case," said Olivia.
"I try," the Doctor said with a smile.
"Anyways, I welcome you to my home," said the man who had greeted the Doctor. He led the group into the building and to the living room, gesturing to the furniture.
"Make yourselves at home. Dinner will be ready in a half hour. Would anyone like something to drink?" he asked.
"Champagne, please," said one woman. The rest of the guests, a total of five people not counting the Doctor, Jennifer, or Faria, agreed with her.
"I guess me too," said Jennifer.
"Agreed," said Faria.
"I suppose I'll go the same route," the Doctor said.
"So nine champagnes," said the man before going to get the drinks.
"So, Joan, you're a doctor? A doctor in what, exactly?" asked a woman in a gold and white ensemble.
"Practically everything," said the Doctor.
"Really? Isn't that a little ambitious for a woman your age?"
"Not really. I've lived a long time."
"And looking good on it, my goodness, I'd have guessed you were around 25."
"More like 2500."
"What?"
"Nothing."
The drinks were brought around to the smiling guests.
"Another fifteen minutes or so until dinner is ready," said the host.
"Dr. Smith, I must ask where you got that lovely ensemble!" asked another woman.
"I actually got it from a shop in the country," the Doctor said. "Why don't you talk to these lovely ladies, they'd love to have a nice chat." The Doctor stood up to let someone else occupy her chair and leaned against a wall.
"Of course. Miss Dunst, is it?"
"Yes."
The Doctor took a drink from her glass. She felt something wrong and set her glass down on a table.
"Something's wrong," she said. It took a second, but she knew what it was. She shouted as she began to have convulsions.
"Something's inhibiting my enzymes!" she shouted, "I've been poisoned!" She ran to the kitchen shouting for ginger beer. Jennifer, Faria, and a couple of the guests followed her. One person sniffed the glass the Doctor had drank from. "It's cyanide!" he shouted. "Nobody drink the champagne!"
"Ginger beer, I need ginger beer!" the Doctor shouted, then found it, drinking some, then pouring some over herself.
"It's cyanide! It's fatal!" said Olivia. The Doctor spit out some of the ginger beer.
"Not for me, if I can stimulate the inhibited enzymes into reversal. Protein, I need protein!" the Doctor shouted. Faria and Jennifer began searching the cabinets. Jennifer found something and handed it to the Doctor.
"What is it?"
"Almonds!" Jennifer said. The Doctor consumed a few of them, and whilst chewing them, she started miming for something by shaking her hand in the air.
"What is it? How many words?" Jennifer asked. The Doctor put up one finger. "Okay, milkshake, pepper, cocktail shake, what, you want a Harvey Wallbanger?"
"Harvey Wallbanger? How is Harvey Wallbanger one word?!"
"Sorry!"
"Salt, I was miming salt!"
Jennifer and Faria began searching for something salty, and Jennifer came up with a paper bag.
"What is it?"
"Salt!"
"No, that's too salty!"
"How about this?!" Faria asked, handing her a jar. The Doctor opened it and consumed a few of the contents.
"What's that?" Jennifer asked.
"Anchovies! What else!" Faria asked. The Doctor began miming with her hands in the air, fingers spread.
"A song, a show, Camptown Races!" Faria began guessing.
"Camptown Races?!" the Doctor said. "I need a shock. Give me a shock!"
"Alright, one shock, coming right up!" Faria said, dragging the Doctor up onto her feet by the front of the dress and slamming her lips into the Doctor's. She stumbled backwards, then pushed the Doctor off of her. The Doctor exhaled a cloud of dark grey smoke, and took several deep breaths, the oxygen actually taking effect as it should, as cyanide destroyed the ability of the red blood cells to pick up oxygen.
"You okay?" Jennifer asked.
"Yeah, I'm okay now," the Doctor said.
"Dr. Smith, you are something else! I don't understand!" Olivia said.
"Neither do I. My question is, who's poisoned me?"