For a while after the Doctor left Vastra and Jenny sat in silence opposite one another. Jenny was carefully watching Vastra, waiting for her to say something, but the reptilian woman avoided her new maid's eyes as best she could. Jenny knew that in higher society it was customary for a woman of wealth to commence the conversation when speaking to someone of a lower class, but she wasn't sure if that rule would apply to the society Vastra had been a part of. Even so, she waited and waited and it wasn't until the sun was rising higher into the sky that Vastra finally made eye contact with Jenny once more.
"Are we going to sit here in silence for the rest of the day?" She murmured, for the first time seeming really uncomfortable instead of just up tight.
"I don't know ma'am," Jenny answered softly "that's entirely for you to choose. I'll leave if you really don't want me 'ere, I wouldn't want to be a burden... I'm sure I'd be fine in my old job, an' my family would understand why my wages would get cut." She felt herself shaking a little as the last words passed her lips but she refused to look away from Vastra in case her prospective mistress took the opportunity to look away herself. Somewhere in the back of her mind Jenny was hoping that Vastra would let her stay. She'd always wanted to work in service, it was so much safer than her current job and it paid better as well. Her family could eat a proper meal at least once a day if she were to be employed as a maid in this house, especially since it seemed that Jenny would be the only person doing a job which really needed at least three other pairs of hands.
Vastra was regretting ever listening to the Doctor and agreeing to help the apes in the first place. At first it had seemed like a reasonable idea, it would be something to keep her occupied and every once in a while she would still get to have ape flesh for her dinner, even if she did have to live with knowing that the flesh she was consuming was the flesh of a criminal. When she had agreed to it, however, she had not foreseen the man forcing one of the apes on her as... what? Her pet? Her servant? He'd called the girl her 'companion' but that word could mean anything. What was she supposed to do with a human in the house? She wasn't comfortable there alone, let alone with an ape sneaking around and becoming a part of her life. How could the Doctor do this to her?
Of course, Jenny had said she would leave if Vastra asked, but Vastra couldn't help but wonder what would happen to the girl if she did send her away. Would she be okay? What if she lost too much money because of what happened? The girl was so small as it was, surely any further lack of food would kill her altogether. Internally Vastra growled at herself, what was going on in her head? The Doctor was right, it was almost as if she was beginning to care for the apes, or at least the one sat before her at that moment.
"You should stay" she said finally, smiling ever so slightly as she saw a light spring into Jenny's eyes that she hadn't seen in the whole time they had been speaking. "Only to keep the Doctor happy you understand... he would be most displeased with me if I were to tell him I had sent you away after everything. Besides, I suppose a little company wouldn't go amiss." Jenny nodded firmly, happy to accept any reasoning Vastra wanted to give as long as it meant that her days as a match girl were over. "I should warn you though Miss Flint, I'm not very easy to live with. I almost always spend the first half of my nights out working, the cover of darkness makes my job much simpler, and what I do during that time is not always safe."
"So you need someone to take care o' you once you get 'ome. I'm used to a lack o' sleep ma'am, stayin' up 'alf the night would be no 'ardship for me."
"And if I were to return home injured?" Vastra couldn't help but smirk to herself at how eager the young girl seemed to be to take the job.
"I'm from the wrong end o' town miss, I've done my fair share of cleanin' wounds an' all that in my time" The Silurian nodded in approval and continued to explain the living situation to Jenny.
"There's also the issue of my food, you cannot be squeamish, I'm afraid I only eat raw meat and drink blood but don't worry about how you should get hold of those things, the Doctor made a deal with the local butcher for me when moved into this house." Jenny nodded yet again, taking mental notes as Vastra spoke in the hope that she wouldn't forget anything. "Oh, and the winter months can be a difficult time for me. As my appearance suggests I am a reptilian and as such I need heat to live. Unfortunately cold blood and your winter months do not mix agreeably for me and I can get rather sharp tongued. I've been awfully hard on the Doctor as of late because of it but I'm afraid the only way to make me agreeable at such times is to keep the house and myself as warm as you possibly can." The list of things that Jenny had to remember seemed fairly small although she wasn't entirely sure how she felt about living with a dangerous creature who got moody when the temperature dropped too low, she would definitely have to make the heat of the house her top priority.
"Is there anythin' else ma'am?"
"Yes, just one more thing. You will need to wake me in the mornings or I shall never wake up particularly when it's cold, my body automatically goes into hibernation when placed in lower temperatures." The girl nodded her understanding. "I should warn you though, you will have to be careful about it. The last time I was woken up suddenly a group of apes tried to kill me, it would be a pity if anything were to happen by accident if I believed myself to be under attack." Vastra's expression was serious and all of a sudden Jenny didn't feel quite so sure that she wanted this job after all. Her mistress must have sensed her discomfort because she allowed herself a small smile in attempt to reassure the girl. "Don't worry, as long as you are gentle with me I will not harm you. Most apes make the mistake of being too rough, but I don't believe you are like most apes.
"Why do you call us that?" Jenny tried not to frown but since first meeting Vastra she had heard the word ape used to refer to human beings more times than she had heard it used in her entire life. She had tried not to be offended at first but the Silurian's use of the word was becoming excessive and there was a certain tone that she used that sounded to Jenny as though Vastra believed humans to be dirty or less worthy of being addressed by their actual species. Vastra herself was a little taken aback by the question and it took her a few minutes to collect her thoughts. She had never really considered why she referred to the humans as apes before, it had just always been her way. As a child her mother had called the humans apes and so she had mimicked it as all children do when learning about the world around them.
"What, apes?" She asked, not entirely sure how to explain it to the girl so that she would understand. "I suppose it's because the ape is the animal from which you are descended. To me all humans are apes still, although I must admit you are much more advanced than the apes I am used to."
"Forgive me, ma'am, but I still don't think that makes it right. I mean, 'ow would you like it if I were to call you a Lizard?"
"I would simply correct you on your lack of knowledge."
"An' that's exactly what I've jus' done." Vastra had never realised how quickly human emotions could change. Only moments ago Jenny had been grateful to her for supplying her with work but now it felt as though the girl would walk out at any minute in a state of pure indignation. It appeared this was the first thing Vastra would have to learn about her maid, her feelings were easily hurt and Vastra would have to be careful how she phrased things when speaking with the girl.
Gradually the conversation dropped into silence once more and Jenny wondered if it might be best for her to suggest she return home and explain matters to her family. In all of the commotion she seemed to have forgotten about her parents and brother and only at that point did it occur to her that they would probably be worried about her. She hadn't returned last night and still she was sat in Vastra's greenhouse in silence, surrounded by plants and watching her new employer as though she had nothing else to be doing with her time. She was just about to speak when Vastra cut her off abruptly (something Jenny noticed the woman did quite often although Vastra didn't seem to realise it herself).
"How old are you Jenny?" The girl frowned and Vastra began to worry that she may have said something wrong. Although she had been trying her best to learn the norms of conversational patterns in the present day it was proving to be more difficult than she had first anticipated and when practicing with the Doctor she often found herself being berated for asking inappropriate questions.
"I'm seventeen," Jenny responded a little apprehensively "but perhaps it would be better if you didn't go around asking people's ages if you don't mind me sayin' ma'am, most women don't appreciate it, particularly when they barely know the person askin'." Jenny wasn't sure but she could have sworn that the scales covering Vastra's cheeks had gone a few shades darker. Was that the Silurian version of blushing? Until that point it hadn't occurred to Jenny that Vastra may not know much about normal interaction but if Vastra was blushing then maybe she really hadn't known that what she had asked was unusual between people who had just met. "I'm sorry," she started softly "I didn't mean to embarrass you."
"Oh don't... I have to learn these things somehow. Better I learn it from someone who understands why I don't know the correct social conventions than waiting until I ask someone I shouldn't." Although Vastra hated to admit it, maybe the Doctor had been right to suggest the girl stayed. It was lucky that they had found a human who was so understanding of Vastra, and maybe being around Jenny would allow her to learn and adapt to human ways faster and more efficiently.
"Um, ma'am? As much as I'd like to continue with this, an' I do still 'ave some questions, I wonder if I could return 'ome for a short while? I wouldn't ask, only I'm sure my mother must be worryin' about where I am by now."
"Oh, of course... of course" Somehow Vastra had forgotten that the girl had a family at home who probably hadn't seen her for at least twenty-four hours. She resolved that while the girl was away from the house she would prepare a room for her. Then another thought crossed her mind, would Jenny be safe walking all the way back to that awful part of London that they had been in the night before alone? It certainly hadn't seemed to be the sort of place that a seventeen year old girl should be wondering around in by herself. "Will you be okay getting home by yourself... will you be safe?" Vastra sounded far more concerned than she had meant to and once again she found herself cursing internally. Why was she investing so much emotion in this girl? She was no different from any other human as far as Vastra could tell, with the exception of her capability for compassion, her refusal to judge Vastra for her differences and her exceptional looks that for some reason the Silurian simply couldn't stop noticing. Thinking about it that way Vastra realised that in reality Jenny was very different to any human she'd ever met before.
Jenny was regarding Vastra with a strange look in her eyes, something distant and confused hidden in the darkness of them, but Vastra also noticed how the corners of the girl's lips turned up slightly and her cheeks flushed a gentle shade of pink. Jenny stood form her seat and made sure her purse was in her possession before wrapping her tattered shawl around her shoulders loosely. She turned back to Vastra once she had readied herself for the outside, still with that strange look in her eyes.
"I'll be fine," she reassured her mistress, pulling her shawl tighter around her. "I've walked them streets a thousand times before and never 'ad a problem until last night."
"But there was the problem last night Miss Flint, and what's to say that won't happen again?" Jenny giggled slightly and shook her head almost in disbelief.
"You know, for someone who's only known me a few hours ma'am you seem to care an awful lot about my wellbein'," once again the shade of Vastra's scales darkened and Jenny smiled softly at her clear embarrassment "I'm touched by your concern, but I promise, I'll be okay." The Silurian nodded and led Jenny back inside and through the house until they reached the front door. "I'll be back in an hour or two," Jenny assured her "jus' long enough to explain everythin' to my mother an' pack my things. If I'm not back by dark you 'ave my permission to come an' find me" she smirked cheekily and Vastra snorted despite her attempts to hold back the small laugh.
Vastra watched from the window until the girl was out of sight, then proceeded to decide which room would be most suitable for her new 'companion' as the Doctor had so eloquently put it. She tried her best to reassure herself that it was normal for an employer to worry about the safety of their employees for fear of losing their service but somewhere in the back of Vastra's mind another reason for her worries had sprung up - she just wasn't sure how accurate her suspicions could be until she had grown to know Jenny a little better.