Led inside, a fake smile evident to all, he was met with Strax waiting for him.
"May I take your coat?" he asked. The Doctor looked at him with a slight discomfort.
"No, thank you. I don't plan to be here long," he said. Vastra followed in behind him, and said, "Though he may be."
The Doctor frowned and took off his coat, handing it to Strax. Strax then proceeded to take it into some other room.
"So what do you want me to do?" he hissed in a low tone.
Vastra looked at him with amusement, removing her veil.
"Just try to be normal," she said, walking into a different room.
The Doctor followed, pressing on, "And what does that mean?"
"It means that I have an errand that Professor Song gave me, in looking after you, that I want to continue doing," Vastra said.
"So, basically, you're just making sure that I have less time to practice my 'habits'," he summarized.
"More than that, but for our purposes today," she said, leading him to where Jenny was serving tea, "No."
"No?" he asked in confusion.
"I already told you that I know what Professor Song gave you," she said with a touch of humor.
"How is that related?" he asked.
"You haven't made the connection yet?" she asked.
"The connection of what?" Jenny butted in, handing a saucer of tea to both of them, noting that they both remained standing.
Vastra sat politely, coercing him down as well, while Jenny just watched the silent exchange with curiosity.
"It's nothing, dear," Vastra covered.
Jenny bit her lip, sat down with them, and quietly took a sip of tea.
The Doctor could feel the measured silence from the women, and felt the urge to say something (but why, when he was so much more comfortable to the silence itself?).
"So what have you two done recently?" he asked.
They both looked taken aback by that, as if surprised that he was resorting to pleasantries.
"We're working on a case, right now," Vastra said.
"The Peter-Daniel case," Jenny said. "It's either fratricide or two people with absolutely no relations in the past, and we're 'aving trouble figuring it out."
"Does it matter?" he asked.
"We can't make an arrest unless we know everything, unfortunately," Vastra said.
"That law's in affect in this time period?" he asked.
"A law?" Jenny asked.
"It's preferred, though I'm not sure if it's law," Vastra shrugged. "I wouldn't want to eat an innocent man."
"Good to know," he said, taking a sip of tea."
Jenny, who looked immensely awkward with the situation. "I haven't heard Strax yell in a while. I'll go..." she trailed off, "Check on him."
Vastra nodded at her and said, "Thank you for that. I don't want to deal with the trouble of him destroying something important."
That left the two in the room alone.
"So, now what?" he asked.
Vastra smiled in a non-sincere way.
"The names of the medication River gave you?" she guessed. "I suppose it's fitting. Will you be taking your leave after?"
"I think it's for the best," he decided. "I'm impeding."
"You're not," Vastra denied. "We're not doing anything at the moment."
"You're resting. You said it yourself: you're working on a case. You need to rest," he said.
"We're rested very well," Vastra argued.
"Not the point, even it was true," he said, setting down his teacup. "Can you give me the names, now?"
Vastra sighed and set her cup down as well, wringing her hands.
"Luvecidrian, Vinitrol, Pelegostiviac," she said. "Very effective drugs, I've heard."
"Effective for what, exactly?" he asked.
"Anti-depressants for one," she said. "Pelegostiviac, specifically, for a more lasting effect."
"Don't ask me to repeat the names, you've proven many times that you have an eidectic memory in this regeneration," she said.
"I won't," he promised.
"I'll get your coat," she said, standing.
He followed her, a few paces behind, and stopped patiently by the door as Vastra gave him his coat.
He opened the door to leave when he suddenly turned around and said to her, "Thank you."
He left before he could see or hear her response.
The walk home was uneventful, even as he wished for some sort of excitement (?).
The climb up to the TARDIS was just as dull.
The only interesting part that he had the rest of the day was looking at the scanner, at the information he was given about the three extra medications.
LUVECIDRIAN- (3914 COPR. LUVEDIDRI CORP.) Used as an anti-depressant in humanoid species, side-effects eradicated.
VINITROL- (4162 COPR. JACKSON&SONS CORP.) Used as an anti-depressant for humanoid patients with level 4 depression signals in the psyche, side effects eradicated. Prescription use only.
PELEGOSTIVIAC- (4241 COPR. YULETUDEMEDS CORP.) Used as a mental barrier destruct in telepathic humanoid species, with level 5 mental disorders. Side effects- psychic and mental malleability, subconscious, unwilling, and unconscious psychic projection. Prescription use only.
He sighed. That's why Jenny and Strax were avoiding him, and Vastra was putting up with him while they didn't wish to.
He looked up at the TARDIS for a moment, and then asked out loud, "Have you been programming my thoughts, or has River been helping?"
The lights lit up and starting racing around the console before they shut off, leaving a sad beep resounding through the TARDIS.
"I don't really need to know, do I?" he said.
It wouldn't matter. Either way, he was going to kill River the next time he saw her.
Though he had to admit, even to himself, that she had worked in his best interest.