[And to her credit, she does wait. Very patiently, standing around their room in just her underthings. She's busy styling and admiring her hair in the mirror hanging on the wall, which can take her upwards of an hour if she's not careful.]
[ The Doctor does his best not to waste any time, effort made and timepiece kept and everything, and yes, he does stop for the briefest moment to say 'hello' to the horses parked in front of the saloon, getting absolutely no reaction from them, and heads into the establishment. He passes Tommy Jellison, the pianist, and the barkeeper Emzi Hanegan too, and makes a sort of (flappy) beeline to the room he and Clara are sharing together. ]
Hello, Clara, I'm back —
[ He starts, rapping his knuckles against the door once or twice, just to be polite before he pushes the door open and lets himself through. ]
Oh. [ And immediately any sense of the Doctor's coolness flies right past the thin, single-pane glass windows. He lifts his hands up like he's about to gesture back towards the door, even though his boots are quite rooted to the floorboards. ] I didn't think you'd be — should I —
[ He's about to ask whether he should leave her to get dressed, even if that would be against the whole ... corsetting bit, wouldn't it? Ah. Didn't think this one through, exactly, then. ]
[She spins about, face lit up with a smile upon hearing him there. But then it dawns on her that he's standing there, looking at her. And she's certainly not completely naked, but she's more exposed right now than she ever has been in front of him before.
No, she definitely didn't think this one through.
But she can't turn back now. Brave heart, Clara. Move forward, one foot in front of the other. Her smile doesn't fade in warmth but does become a little self-conscious as she gives a light shake of her head.]
No. You're fine, Doctor.
[She can insist on that much at least. Even if she is becoming very aware of the fact her heart is already beating faster and this is definitely a situation that can become very not okay in a blink of an eye.]
The corset's on the bed. If you don't mind grabbing it?
[ The Doctor swallows, feeling slowly returning to his legs, finally presenting the opportunity to — you know, move. And move he does, across the room and towards the bed in question, to retrieve the corset. ]
It's certainly a bit more complicated than I anticipated.
[ What with all the strips of bone and the lacing and all the little button holes. And the Doctor is a clever man, make no mistake, but he suddenly feels as though he's a little out of his element. Not that he won't give this the ol' college try, as they say. Aside from clever, the Doctor is also impossibly stubborn, and his ego added to the mix means he simply won't admit defeat.
He clears his throat as he comes back over to where Clara is, gesturing towards the standing mirror. ]
[She rapid fires off the question about whether everything is under control the second he's finished speaking. It's not that she doesn't trust him to do this, because she wouldn't have insisted on him doing it if she didn't. It's that she is acutely aware of how close to toeing the line this is. If she was showing any little bit more, the line he had drawn in the sand would be completely blurred.
And maybe on some levels, that line has already started to be blurred. The kiss in their shared dreams and that kiss beneath the mistletoe...
Well.
She already has goosebumps, and they're only standing beside one another in front of the mirror. So yeah, maybe a little tease will help make her feel more in control of the situation.]
text; 2nd night in Scorpion's Bend
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that's the bit that goes around eh? and then with the tightening? under the dress?
honestly clara, i don't quite see why i ought to start
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I have a corset, Doctor.
one that I need to wear so I can work the occasional night at the saloon
this was my attempt at trying to ask for help in putting it on properly
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oh well
why didn't you say so?
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but now I see that I need to just be direct
we're currently married so it's required you get me into this corset
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you know i don't think i've gotten to that bit in the manual but if it's something a husband does, well who am i to refuse?
now
what do you do with a corset?
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and then certain assets are put on prominent display for the duration of my shifts at the saloon
I'm going by the name Oswin Osgood there, by the way. In case you ever decide to pop in.
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[ cue: blank stare ]
right noted
is this just at the saloon or is this a name you'll be using everywhere else?
i was going to remain the doctor
but then 'john smith' is always a classic
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A certain someone spoke up and said their name was the Doctor and now I'm Mrs. Doctor.
Mrs. Clara Doctor to be exact
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[ eh-hem ... ]
it's got a rather nice ring to it, eh?
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oh i could definitely get used to hearing it
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mrs doctor
hmm yes
ah
yes
right, corset! so! have you got one? do we need to get you one?
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two can play at this game]
are you offering to take me out for Scorpion Bend's idea of lingerie shopping?
down boy
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what?
no!
i mean not like that
shut up
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make me
also, relax. I already have one. Corset i mean. all you have to do is show up and have good hands
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for the corsetting and the
anyway
where did you get one?
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just as long as it winds up pushing my assets up high enough to get in the good graces of whoever comes into the saloon with information
[she's doing this on purpose]
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that it will
right
[ she's an absolute demon ]
when do you need me to show up with my good hands exactly? because i can absolutely make arrangements to show up with good hands
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you're not busy are you?
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but i'm on my way back to saloon now
shouldn't be more than a few minutes
[ Give or take the Doctor's penchant to be distracted a little ... but it's important! So. He'll make an effort. ]
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[And to her credit, she does wait. Very patiently, standing around their room in just her underthings. She's busy styling and admiring her hair in the mirror hanging on the wall, which can take her upwards of an hour if she's not careful.]
action ;
Hello, Clara, I'm back —
[ He starts, rapping his knuckles against the door once or twice, just to be polite before he pushes the door open and lets himself through. ]
Oh. [ And immediately any sense of the Doctor's coolness flies right past the thin, single-pane glass windows. He lifts his hands up like he's about to gesture back towards the door, even though his boots are quite rooted to the floorboards. ] I didn't think you'd be — should I —
[ He's about to ask whether he should leave her to get dressed, even if that would be against the whole ... corsetting bit, wouldn't it? Ah. Didn't think this one through, exactly, then. ]
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No, she definitely didn't think this one through.
But she can't turn back now. Brave heart, Clara. Move forward, one foot in front of the other. Her smile doesn't fade in warmth but does become a little self-conscious as she gives a light shake of her head.]
No. You're fine, Doctor.
[She can insist on that much at least. Even if she is becoming very aware of the fact her heart is already beating faster and this is definitely a situation that can become very not okay in a blink of an eye.]
The corset's on the bed. If you don't mind grabbing it?
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It's certainly a bit more complicated than I anticipated.
[ What with all the strips of bone and the lacing and all the little button holes. And the Doctor is a clever man, make no mistake, but he suddenly feels as though he's a little out of his element. Not that he won't give this the ol' college try, as they say. Aside from clever, the Doctor is also impossibly stubborn, and his ego added to the mix means he simply won't admit defeat.
He clears his throat as he comes back over to where Clara is, gesturing towards the standing mirror. ]
Right. It's all under control, eh?
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[She rapid fires off the question about whether everything is under control the second he's finished speaking. It's not that she doesn't trust him to do this, because she wouldn't have insisted on him doing it if she didn't. It's that she is acutely aware of how close to toeing the line this is. If she was showing any little bit more, the line he had drawn in the sand would be completely blurred.
And maybe on some levels, that line has already started to be blurred. The kiss in their shared dreams and that kiss beneath the mistletoe...
Well.
She already has goosebumps, and they're only standing beside one another in front of the mirror. So yeah, maybe a little tease will help make her feel more in control of the situation.]
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