ADIUTRIX | DOCTOR WHO

↳ knock knock #1

"I am about seventy three per cent sure Nardole hates me." Ophelia's hair blew around as they walked around Saint Luke's campus, finally loose after her friend insisting it'd look good. "And I only called him egg man once."

No one mentioned an oath shaped elephant ever present. She didn't question because with him relevant things came up in due time. That'd be a problem for future them, right now they both enjoyed some quiet on cobble lined paths, arms filled with papers to grade and hearts full of warmth. It had been a week since they'd landed back at that office, which meant ten whole days since Canassis Manor but there were no more tally marks. As much as the Doctor appreciated Nardole, and he truly did, Ophelia's presence made everything a lot better.

"Well, he'll come around." His white curls danced around too, an amused smile breaking out as their walk approached its end. "Unless his contact name still is Humpty Dumpty on your phone."

Some faculty members came through an old fashioned door, holding it open given how none of the two would be able to, exchanging pleasantries before it closed.

"He will have to take the long way home then." A shared laughter echoed around. "Good morning, Miss Blythe."

"Good morning, Miss Watson." The older woman smiled at her. "Doctor."

Seeing both together had become usual for those working these halls, it made the man look a lot less mysterious with her by his side.

"Watson?" His expression changed to a degree of amusement reserved especially for her. One eyebrow arched, eyes slightly squinted, lips barely curving in a smile.

"Watson." Ophelia balanced a pile of assignments about how pop culture influenced modern society on one arm to push some annoying hairs away. "I needed a last name to make our arrangement believable."

Even if Nardole did hate her, his biggest concern was keeping the oath intact. And if the Doctor insisted on keeping this one around, what else could he do? He moved some things around, called a few people using a voice modulator and suddenly Saint Luke's university had hired a new teacher's assistant as a present for their longest running teacher. All that they had asked for her to be properly trained for a week to assure their institution kept its good name.

"Ah." He put on a mask of mock seriousness as they approached his usual lecture hall. "Our arrangement."

The time lord was a man prone to lies and half truths, specially when talking to himself. In fact, not once in two thousand years he had been honest to himself about feelings. They were messy, tended to cause complications and leaving him even more hurt than before. Every time one of his companions ended up leaving, some part of him swore to not populate the TARDIS with more ghosts. But then a bright eyes human would come along, thirsting for something they didn't quite understand and it all began again. With Ophelia, circumstances were a tad different and she wasn't quite human so maybe it'd not end in disaster this time. Both girls had made his life considerably better since they arrived.

"As you know I don't need much sleep." Thankfully that had returned to normal after sleeping most of Sunday away once their adventure's fallout ended.

"So the TARDIS tells me." She should've known that ship would end up ratting her little adventures out. Some of them should remain embarrassing secrets.

Once again he looked at her with pure amusement as it became usual for them. Since Monday morning, the Doctor watched as Ophelia discovered a whole new world around her, each action opening up a myriad of other choices which usually ended up with her and Bill in fits of giggles.

"Not the point." Both walked into his usual lecture hall.

Shaped like the fourth part of a circle, rows of chairs rose like they belonged in movie theaters, fitting almost two hundred people. Running along its back wall there laid a passageway to be used as observatory, three columns sectioning it but her favorite part had to be those great windows. As many as there were columns, they let beautiful sunshine into this old fashioned room.