Cosmo || Doctor Who

68 : The Scene And Herd

𝔐𝔞𝔫𝔥𝔞𝔱𝔱𝔞𝔫, 𝔑𝔢𝔴 𝔜𝔬𝔯𝔨, 𝔈𝔞𝔯𝔱𝔥
𝔑𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔪𝔟𝔢𝔯 1930

There was a look of Marilyn Monroe in the blonde woman with the gun. Perhaps it was just a product of the time, that blonde was attractive, and pale skin conveyed richness. Or, the sun just wasn't shining on this part of Manhattan.

     She dragged them towards her dressing room, which meant that they must have been inside of a theatre of sorts. Though, her white and silver flapper dress told them that alone. EJ was curious about her; a fire in the way that she directed the gun, but a kindness and a jaunty way she spoke. It was like she only wanted a friend.

     Eventually, when the woman was looking into her mirror, only half paying attention to them, Martha spoke. EJ was glad of it, because having it be him would only ruin it. "Who's Laszlo?" Granted, that was not the first thing that he would have asked, but it broke the silence, and the lack of tension, nonetheless.

  "Laszlo's my boyfriend." She seemed to be locked in a dreamlike state until thwacked back into reality. "Was my boyfriend. Until he disappeared, two weeks ago. No letter, no goodbye, no nothing. And I'm not stupid, I know some guys are just pigs, but not my Laszlo. I mean, what kind of guy asks you to meet his mom before he vamooses?"

"It might..." The Doctor cleared his throat, gesturing to the gun, which she was so liberally waving around. "It might just help if you put that down..."

"Huh?" Her eyes widened, before shrugging. "Oh, sure."

There was a mass flinch as she tossed the gun without regard to the idea that the trigger might release a bullet. It landed, barrel facing them, on a chair stacked with costumes.

She rolled her eyes, mockingly. "Oh, c'mon! It's not real! It's just a prop." When she realised that no one else found it funny, she hmphed. "It was either that or a spear."

"Well, it's one hell of a prop." EJ sneered at the sight of it. "But you can tell we're in America, Jesus Christ."

Martha bit her lip, and titled her head. "What do you think happened to Laszlo?"

"I wish I knew." The woman shrugged again. "One minute he's there, the next- zip- vanished."

"Listen, em," The Doctor paused upon realising he knew less than he'd hoped, though his frustrated tone remained gentle. "What was your name?"

"Tallulah."

"Tallulah." He nodded.

She smiled. "Three l's and an h."

EJ held the breath in his lungs before sighing deeply. "Oh, she's hard work."

"Right..." The Time Lord trailed, unsure where it was going to go. "Um, we can try and find Laszlo, but he'd not the only one. There are people disappearing every night."

"And there are creatures." Solomon said, his tone wavering, clearly harrowed from the experience they'd been through. "Such creatures..."

It was as if Tallulah had turned into a movie character, leaning an arm over the back of her chair, narrowing her eyes sassily. "Whaddaya mean, creatures?"