I've got to deliver the last of the money to the people that need it.
After that, I'm officially done playing Robin Hood.
[She casually leaves off specifically where it is she's heading. But she knows he must realize where she's going if he thinks on it. He's gone with her to visit this elderly couple a few times. And every time they leave, she always makes a comment about how she wishes they could do more to make it easier for them.]
[ It does take a moment for that to sink in before he realizes what she means.
And then: ]
ah
will you let me know when you're done?
[ Not being mega concerned, no, of course not. It's not as though Sedorum has any safe areas, but Sedorum most definitely has more dangerous neighbourhoods, and the place Clara's venturing off to veers somewhere between 'more dangerous' and just plain 'bad, turn back, do not go'. ]
[And that's the last message he gets for a while. Because she heads off to the part of town she really shouldn't be going to alone. But of course she goes alone, and doesn't think much of giving the money she's gathered to the people there.
Only this time, things are different. The people aren't satisfied with what she gives them, and demand more. They become enraged when she doesn't have more to give, and Clara fears they may try tearing her apart when the group claws at her. She knows they're desperate, that this place has gotten to them. But it doesn't stop her from being terrified and screaming in her fear.
Her earpiece connects to him as she thinks of him as she's trying to fight her way free of the small mob that's tearing at her, and all he'll hear at first are her screams and sobs. He can hear her huffing and attempting to fight off hands that claw at her face and her hair, at the clothes she's wearing. There's the cries for more, demands that she give them more.
And the last thing he hears is her crying out his name in desperation, as if he's going to magically show up and save her.]
[ The Doctor ... admittedly doesn't wait around, even when she's gone offline to run her 'errands'. No, he knows better; he knows where Clara means to go and what she intends to do while she's there, and though he knows that Clara is more than capable of doing things on her own, because she is, of course she is — this isn't that sort of situation. No one ought to roam those areas on their own, not even the bravest, toughest, biggest being.
Going off on his own comes with risk and he's seen hundred upon hundreds of planets, and so the moment her last message is received by his comms device, he's already setting foot for that darker district. But it isn't until he hears screams and shouting and the horrible sound of a struggle that he starts to panic — just a little, just enough to quicken his steps. It's Clara crying out that sets his pace ablaze, has him hurtling himself through every narrow alley, every crevice, to get that much closer to her. He knows he ought to be more careful, he's still running on that regenerative energy that might combust at any point, but right now he doesn't care.
He doesn't care about anything but getting to his impossible girl. ]
Clara! [ He starts to yell into his comms, breath huffing. ] Clara, what's happening? Please — speak if you can hear me!
[Hearing his voice gives her renewed strength to get away. She can't worry him more than she already has, can't be killed here and have goodness knows what happen to her. He's taught her that she doesn't just walk away. Not from people that she loves.
And it's her love for him that has her doing all that she can to get away, twisting and turning and pushing.]
Doctor!
[She sobs out his name as hands tear at her hair.]
I thought I could give them what was left. I -
[She's cut off by hands pressing and clawing at her face, smothering any other words she means to say to reassure him. The cries for more are so loud now that it sounds more like a mindless threat than begging.
It's in that moment that Clara realizes they really will tear her limb from limb if she doesn't give them more. And she's not about to let them have the only thing left of value that she has on her.
She screams in anger as she manages to pull free, and takes off at a run. They give chase, of course, and Clara hurries her way along as fast as she can go.]
It wasn't enough, Doctor. Nothing will ever be enough.
[The sounds of the cries for more sound off behind her as she runs. She realizes they're less tortured souls at this point and more fractured beings that have given in to greed. They're little more than people who had been turned into monsters by darkness and fear. And nothing she can do here will help them.]
I'm coming to you now — [ He hears her, knows how it hurts to admit that what good she does can never be enough, but he doesn't respond to that. Not directly. They can talk about it later once they have the time (and a little breathing space), but right now he worries that the situation very well might escalate. They could really hurt her, and he won't let that happen. ] — I'm on my way. Just run, Clara. Run!
[ And oh, doesn't this truly make Sedorum the sort of place that good, devout Givanians would tell their children of? To warn them against doing bad deeds and to save every last penny they make if only to avoid being sent to a place like this?
The Doctor, feeling his lungs sharp and painful in his chest, pushes onwards until he can hear Clara's cries past their comms, and along with that: the shouts of souls moaning for more. She's close. He flings his arm up towards the sky, his sonic screwdriver set at its highest frequency and enough to send all of the poor and unfortunate souls scattering — they cover their ears or otherwise whatever receptacles they have for hearing, distracted now in their agony from reaching forward to tear at whatever's left of Clara. ]
Clara! [ He desperately looks for any sign of her, his sonic screwdriver a small beacon of bright green light for her to find and follow. ] Clara!
[Yelling out to him, she hurries toward the sound of his voice. She continues to call out his name, up until she hears the familiar sound of his sonic screwdriver. She rounds a corner toward that wonderful sound, and there he is. Standing tall through the scattering crowd, the green light he's holding up guiding her way back home.
There's an exhale of relief, and a smile that crosses her face at the sight of him. And then she's running, faster than she's ever gone before, shouting his name once more.]
Doctor!
[She nearly plows him over as she leaps right into his arms, forgetting the delicate state he's likely still in. He's safe, she's safe, and nothing else matters.]
That was definitely not what I thought would happen.
[ The Doctor squeezes her as tightly as he can with one arm still raised high to the sky, the sound of the sonic screwdriver pulsating a tone most of the souls are aggravated by. He buries his face into the crook of her neck, practically breathes her in, reassured that she's okay, she's alive — and he'll check her properly for scrapes and injuries later. They've still got to get out of this district.
He steps out of their embrace just enough for him to snatch her hand in his, gripping it tight. The running isn't over just yet. ]
Let's get out of here. We can talk all about it once we've gained a little distance.
[ Though they're two individuals now, he still doesn't doubt that the lot of them could overwhelm them, possibly even come after his screwdriver, which would really, really make him cross. ]
[Her hand is trembling when he takes hold of it, and all she can do is nod in response to what he's said. She trusts him more than anyone, and feels safe with him. So she tries to relax, even as his lanky legs lurch into motion and she's pulled along with him.
It's like she's on autopilot as she runs her fastest to keep up. She doesn't look back, doesn't do anything but focus on what's ahead. But eventually her lungs start to burn and she's reminded she's very much so alive, and she starts to slow down.]
Maybe -
[She stumbles a bit, but his hold on her hand tug her along and keep her on her feet.]
[ The Doctor keeps going. He runs and he runs until he can’t hear the sounds of the cries and shouts and wailing, the slap of feet chasing after them in an attempt to overwhelm. He keeps a hold on Clara’s hand and steers her forward until they’ve made enough headway that the sounds have faded, and they've wound around the city so many loops that it’d be impossible to follow them.
Only when they’ve entered an isolated part of the city — close enough to the main square that they might be able to use it as a means of escape, a means of defense, or a means to call for help — does the Doctor stop. He turns to face Clara, somewhat abruptly (sorry, Clara), and lets go of her hand to lean in and take her face in both of his hands. He meets her eyes, and checks for any scrapes or scratches or bruises or any other signs of harm, and he studies her expression to look for the fear and any other possible signs of distress.
Give him a reason to go back there and show those people just what it means to cross the Doctor — but no. No, it isn’t their fault. Ultimately it isn’t anyone’s fault. Sedorum simply turns desperate souls more desperate. ]
You’re all right now. [ He can still hear the sound of her sobbing his name over the comms. He moves in to press a quick kiss to her forehead before he pulls back and lets his hands drop back to their sides. ] You’re all right.
[She's trembling by the time they actually stop, eyes wide and brimming with tears. The kiss to her forehead earns her looking up at him, bewildered and confused about how this could go so far downhill so quickly. As much of a realist as Clara can be, she desperately wants to believe in the good in others. And she wants nothing more than to be good herself. Right now, she feels like a monster, one that set off the greed and darkness inside those souls.
She turned them into monsters and put herself in a position to be attacked. And she can't understand why she continues to mess up by doing this.]
All right? I could've wound up in Purgatory.
[she realizes, not really knowing the truth behind the matter. Viveca's only made them appear to be souls. But what would have happened to her if she had been killed just now? She could've been taken away from the Doctor, never able to find her way back to him.
That thought makes her want to be closer to him. They're already standing directly in each other's space, but it doesn't feel close enough. There's a choked sob as she tries to muffle the sound from existing. People here feed off weakness. She hides it away and buries it in a hug, his taller form shielding her from the sight of others for just a moment more.]
[ The Doctor’s arms go around her without hesitation, helping to shield her from whatever it is she needs to be protected from. It’s what he does; it's what he'll always do.
He knows what Clara set out to accomplish and admires her for trying; really he does. He wouldn't deign to stop her from doing whatever it is she needs to do to try and help people because that is something she will always do. But the people in Sedorum ... they're different. They're tortured and tarnished and unfortunate souls, and for all they might recognize a good thing when they see it, it's much too rare, much too fleeting for them to give it up. They'll want as much as they can get because they know it won't come again too soon.
It's desperation that leads their hearts here, and Clara simply won't ever have enough to satiate them.
He gently strokes her hair, murmuring reassurances to calm her down and bring her back to herself. ]
[It feels like all too often, she's exposing vulnerabilities and leaving herself open and emotional in the middle of missions. Sometimes it makes it hard to see why the orb keeps her around at all, but she knows that even with the upset she's feeling now that she's done some good here too.
There's children here she spends time with and helps. That good balances out the chaos she's unintentionally unleashed.
And she's done something for the Doctor, too. That thought presses into the forefront of her mind as she pulls back out of the hug just enough to shift and dip her hand into the pocket of her dress. She pulls out something, glancing around to ensure they're pressed safe and close together before she opens her hand to reveal his watch to him.]
I noticed you were without it. So I tracked down who had it and won it back for you.
[There's a pause, her eyes looking up to his as she tries to piece together what he must be thinking right now.]
I kept it safe.
[For him.
Because it's a part of him, and therefore it's important to her. It's with a shake of her hand that she urges him to take it and put it back on.]
[ It does take a moment, the Doctor simply staring down at the trinket in her hand and remembering that — oh, right, yes, he did have a watch once, and he did barter it off in a bit of gambling when he'd been ... well, going through something. Funny how things like this can be forgotten so easily in the face of bigger, greater, scarier other things.
But he recognizes the watch in all of its insignificance, the slightly scratched gold wristband, the large circular face also just a bit scuffed up from wear and tear. He doesn't even remember where he'd snagged it from or how, and he stares at it like it's something foreign, like it isn't something that had been around his wrist since he'd regenerated. Prompted by Clara jiggling it towards him to accept it, the Doctor curls his fingers over its front face and swallows. ]
You didn't — [ He huffs a soft exhale, feeling foolish and uncharacteristically with a lack for words.
He tries again. ]
Clara, if you got yourself into any sort of trouble winning this old thing back for me, I'll be very cross.
[ But his smile is soft and touched when he puts it back around his left wrist, right where it belongs. ]
[She laughs through the remains of her tears, looking pleased once the watch is back in its proper place. Her smile is a little shaky, but she manages to keep it intact. And it stays on her face as she crosses her arms over her chest, trying to interject as much Lancashire sass into her pose as possible.
Anything to lighten the mood.]
I'm not sure I approve.
[But it's hard to stop smiling up at him in that lovesick sort of way she's prone to doing, even as she takes a step back to give him a little space.
She likes the fact that she's answered his question without giving him a proper answer at all. Of course she went through trouble to get the watch, and went through even more trouble fighting to keep it just now. It's why she had fought so hard to get away, why she had reached out to him screaming for his help. But he doesn't need to know that. All that matters is the watch is back where it belongs, and they're together to face whatever other horrors Sedorum has in store.]
Hah. [ He boops her nose lightly. ] Are you sure it's not you sounding like me?
[ But he takes a moment to admire his returned not-treasure-that-has-now-become-treasure, not wanting to think of what it took Clara to get it back.
No. No, he won't think of it if only because he's got a very large imagination and it'll take him places, and those places might not be good ones. Certainly not ones where he might follow the trail back to whoever he'd lost this watch to and then do something that won't make him the Doctor that Clara knows and loves.
So! ]
Right. Now, why don't we head a little bit that way, then? [ A light gesture to the busier parts of the city, the least 'dangerous' as it were. ] We could get something to eat. Maybe buy another lock, eh?
[She decides, reaching up to give a quick straighten to his bowtie. Her palm presses against his chest soon after, other hand reaching over to securely take hold of his.]
Both is good.
[And like the good old days, she lets him take the lead and follows along at his side. There's no reckless charging forward, no need to be the boss. It's just the Doctor and Clara Oswald, hand in hand, making the most out of their current adventure.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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you heard me.
big. CHIN.
you know a thing or two about those, I wager
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why do you suppose I took the time to bring up your watch?
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i don't know
should i know? is this some sort of test?
what did you do clara? what are you up to?
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I have something to give you. But you'll have to wait until after I'm back from running this errand.
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But she's somehow —
And now she wants to — ]
and what errand is that?
where are you?
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After that, I'm officially done playing Robin Hood.
[She casually leaves off specifically where it is she's heading. But she knows he must realize where she's going if he thinks on it. He's gone with her to visit this elderly couple a few times. And every time they leave, she always makes a comment about how she wishes they could do more to make it easier for them.]
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And then: ]
ah
will you let me know when you're done?
[ Not being mega concerned, no, of course not. It's not as though Sedorum has any safe areas, but Sedorum most definitely has more dangerous neighbourhoods, and the place Clara's venturing off to veers somewhere between 'more dangerous' and just plain 'bad, turn back, do not go'. ]
text -> voice
[And that's the last message he gets for a while. Because she heads off to the part of town she really shouldn't be going to alone. But of course she goes alone, and doesn't think much of giving the money she's gathered to the people there.
Only this time, things are different. The people aren't satisfied with what she gives them, and demand more. They become enraged when she doesn't have more to give, and Clara fears they may try tearing her apart when the group claws at her. She knows they're desperate, that this place has gotten to them. But it doesn't stop her from being terrified and screaming in her fear.
Her earpiece connects to him as she thinks of him as she's trying to fight her way free of the small mob that's tearing at her, and all he'll hear at first are her screams and sobs. He can hear her huffing and attempting to fight off hands that claw at her face and her hair, at the clothes she's wearing. There's the cries for more, demands that she give them more.
And the last thing he hears is her crying out his name in desperation, as if he's going to magically show up and save her.]
voice — ;
Going off on his own comes with risk and he's seen hundred upon hundreds of planets, and so the moment her last message is received by his comms device, he's already setting foot for that darker district. But it isn't until he hears screams and shouting and the horrible sound of a struggle that he starts to panic — just a little, just enough to quicken his steps. It's Clara crying out that sets his pace ablaze, has him hurtling himself through every narrow alley, every crevice, to get that much closer to her. He knows he ought to be more careful, he's still running on that regenerative energy that might combust at any point, but right now he doesn't care.
He doesn't care about anything but getting to his impossible girl. ]
Clara! [ He starts to yell into his comms, breath huffing. ] Clara, what's happening? Please — speak if you can hear me!
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And it's her love for him that has her doing all that she can to get away, twisting and turning and pushing.]
Doctor!
[She sobs out his name as hands tear at her hair.]
I thought I could give them what was left. I -
[She's cut off by hands pressing and clawing at her face, smothering any other words she means to say to reassure him. The cries for more are so loud now that it sounds more like a mindless threat than begging.
It's in that moment that Clara realizes they really will tear her limb from limb if she doesn't give them more. And she's not about to let them have the only thing left of value that she has on her.
She screams in anger as she manages to pull free, and takes off at a run. They give chase, of course, and Clara hurries her way along as fast as she can go.]
It wasn't enough, Doctor. Nothing will ever be enough.
[The sounds of the cries for more sound off behind her as she runs. She realizes they're less tortured souls at this point and more fractured beings that have given in to greed. They're little more than people who had been turned into monsters by darkness and fear. And nothing she can do here will help them.]
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[ And oh, doesn't this truly make Sedorum the sort of place that good, devout Givanians would tell their children of? To warn them against doing bad deeds and to save every last penny they make if only to avoid being sent to a place like this?
The Doctor, feeling his lungs sharp and painful in his chest, pushes onwards until he can hear Clara's cries past their comms, and along with that: the shouts of souls moaning for more. She's close. He flings his arm up towards the sky, his sonic screwdriver set at its highest frequency and enough to send all of the poor and unfortunate souls scattering — they cover their ears or otherwise whatever receptacles they have for hearing, distracted now in their agony from reaching forward to tear at whatever's left of Clara. ]
Clara! [ He desperately looks for any sign of her, his sonic screwdriver a small beacon of bright green light for her to find and follow. ] Clara!
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Doctor?
[Yelling out to him, she hurries toward the sound of his voice. She continues to call out his name, up until she hears the familiar sound of his sonic screwdriver. She rounds a corner toward that wonderful sound, and there he is. Standing tall through the scattering crowd, the green light he's holding up guiding her way back home.
There's an exhale of relief, and a smile that crosses her face at the sight of him. And then she's running, faster than she's ever gone before, shouting his name once more.]
Doctor!
[She nearly plows him over as she leaps right into his arms, forgetting the delicate state he's likely still in. He's safe, she's safe, and nothing else matters.]
That was definitely not what I thought would happen.
o ya action —;
[ The Doctor squeezes her as tightly as he can with one arm still raised high to the sky, the sound of the sonic screwdriver pulsating a tone most of the souls are aggravated by. He buries his face into the crook of her neck, practically breathes her in, reassured that she's okay, she's alive — and he'll check her properly for scrapes and injuries later. They've still got to get out of this district.
He steps out of their embrace just enough for him to snatch her hand in his, gripping it tight. The running isn't over just yet. ]
Let's get out of here. We can talk all about it once we've gained a little distance.
[ Though they're two individuals now, he still doesn't doubt that the lot of them could overwhelm them, possibly even come after his screwdriver, which would really, really make him cross. ]
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It's like she's on autopilot as she runs her fastest to keep up. She doesn't look back, doesn't do anything but focus on what's ahead. But eventually her lungs start to burn and she's reminded she's very much so alive, and she starts to slow down.]
Maybe -
[She stumbles a bit, but his hold on her hand tug her along and keep her on her feet.]
Maybe we've outrun them?
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Only when they’ve entered an isolated part of the city — close enough to the main square that they might be able to use it as a means of escape, a means of defense, or a means to call for help — does the Doctor stop. He turns to face Clara, somewhat abruptly (sorry, Clara), and lets go of her hand to lean in and take her face in both of his hands. He meets her eyes, and checks for any scrapes or scratches or bruises or any other signs of harm, and he studies her expression to look for the fear and any other possible signs of distress.
Give him a reason to go back there and show those people just what it means to cross the Doctor — but no. No, it isn’t their fault. Ultimately it isn’t anyone’s fault. Sedorum simply turns desperate souls more desperate. ]
You’re all right now. [ He can still hear the sound of her sobbing his name over the comms. He moves in to press a quick kiss to her forehead before he pulls back and lets his hands drop back to their sides. ] You’re all right.
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She turned them into monsters and put herself in a position to be attacked. And she can't understand why she continues to mess up by doing this.]
All right? I could've wound up in Purgatory.
[she realizes, not really knowing the truth behind the matter. Viveca's only made them appear to be souls. But what would have happened to her if she had been killed just now? She could've been taken away from the Doctor, never able to find her way back to him.
That thought makes her want to be closer to him. They're already standing directly in each other's space, but it doesn't feel close enough. There's a choked sob as she tries to muffle the sound from existing. People here feed off weakness. She hides it away and buries it in a hug, his taller form shielding her from the sight of others for just a moment more.]
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[ The Doctor’s arms go around her without hesitation, helping to shield her from whatever it is she needs to be protected from. It’s what he does; it's what he'll always do.
He knows what Clara set out to accomplish and admires her for trying; really he does. He wouldn't deign to stop her from doing whatever it is she needs to do to try and help people because that is something she will always do. But the people in Sedorum ... they're different. They're tortured and tarnished and unfortunate souls, and for all they might recognize a good thing when they see it, it's much too rare, much too fleeting for them to give it up. They'll want as much as they can get because they know it won't come again too soon.
It's desperation that leads their hearts here, and Clara simply won't ever have enough to satiate them.
He gently strokes her hair, murmuring reassurances to calm her down and bring her back to herself. ]
I would never let it happen.
no subject
There's children here she spends time with and helps. That good balances out the chaos she's unintentionally unleashed.
And she's done something for the Doctor, too. That thought presses into the forefront of her mind as she pulls back out of the hug just enough to shift and dip her hand into the pocket of her dress. She pulls out something, glancing around to ensure they're pressed safe and close together before she opens her hand to reveal his watch to him.]
I noticed you were without it. So I tracked down who had it and won it back for you.
[There's a pause, her eyes looking up to his as she tries to piece together what he must be thinking right now.]
I kept it safe.
[For him.
Because it's a part of him, and therefore it's important to her. It's with a shake of her hand that she urges him to take it and put it back on.]
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But he recognizes the watch in all of its insignificance, the slightly scratched gold wristband, the large circular face also just a bit scuffed up from wear and tear. He doesn't even remember where he'd snagged it from or how, and he stares at it like it's something foreign, like it isn't something that had been around his wrist since he'd regenerated. Prompted by Clara jiggling it towards him to accept it, the Doctor curls his fingers over its front face and swallows. ]
You didn't — [ He huffs a soft exhale, feeling foolish and uncharacteristically with a lack for words.
He tries again. ]
Clara, if you got yourself into any sort of trouble winning this old thing back for me, I'll be very cross.
[ But his smile is soft and touched when he puts it back around his left wrist, right where it belongs. ]
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[She laughs through the remains of her tears, looking pleased once the watch is back in its proper place. Her smile is a little shaky, but she manages to keep it intact. And it stays on her face as she crosses her arms over her chest, trying to interject as much Lancashire sass into her pose as possible.
Anything to lighten the mood.]
I'm not sure I approve.
[But it's hard to stop smiling up at him in that lovesick sort of way she's prone to doing, even as she takes a step back to give him a little space.
She likes the fact that she's answered his question without giving him a proper answer at all. Of course she went through trouble to get the watch, and went through even more trouble fighting to keep it just now. It's why she had fought so hard to get away, why she had reached out to him screaming for his help. But he doesn't need to know that. All that matters is the watch is back where it belongs, and they're together to face whatever other horrors Sedorum has in store.]
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[ But he takes a moment to admire his returned not-treasure-that-has-now-become-treasure, not wanting to think of what it took Clara to get it back.
No. No, he won't think of it if only because he's got a very large imagination and it'll take him places, and those places might not be good ones. Certainly not ones where he might follow the trail back to whoever he'd lost this watch to and then do something that won't make him the Doctor that Clara knows and loves.
So! ]
Right. Now, why don't we head a little bit that way, then? [ A light gesture to the busier parts of the city, the least 'dangerous' as it were. ] We could get something to eat. Maybe buy another lock, eh?
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[She decides, reaching up to give a quick straighten to his bowtie. Her palm presses against his chest soon after, other hand reaching over to securely take hold of his.]
Both is good.
[And like the good old days, she lets him take the lead and follows along at his side. There's no reckless charging forward, no need to be the boss. It's just the Doctor and Clara Oswald, hand in hand, making the most out of their current adventure.]