Doctor Who: Surprise Holiday

Chapter 5: Moon Menace

Clara's thoughts were interrupted as she crossed the lobby of the Grand. She could sense a change of mood in the staff. Curious, she walked over to the check-in counter where Gustav stood with a practiced indifference.

"Hi Gus!" she said with a wave. She put her elbows on the counter and leaned in on her arms. "How are you?" she said with a smile.

"And a good afternoon to you, Miss Oswald," he said stiffly before shedding his professional manner. He smiled and leaned in as well, sighing.

"I wish we had more guests like you, Clara," Gustav said in a slightly conspiratorial tone. "It would balance out the ones like him." Gustav nodded towards the elevators.

Clara paused before turning to casually look over her shoulder. There was a somewhat overweight man with pale skin untouched by the sun. She guessed him to be in his mid-fifties. He had a small bag over one shoulder and wore a cowboy hat as he walked towards the main entrance. Clara watched as he passed by, his attention focused on a handheld device. She recalled seeing a man in a cowboy hat on her first day.

She turned back to Gustav. "Hasn't he been here before?" she asked quietly. She didn't need to be quiet; the man was already gone, but the lingering mood still hung in the air.

"He graced us with his presence about a fortnight ago, but he only stayed the one night," replied Gustav. "I've heard from friends he's been changing hotels, never staying long, and now he's back," he said unhappily. "He checked in yesterday. I'm surprised you haven't noticed him. That thing on his head makes him stand out."

Clara smiled sympathetically at Gustav. "I haven't spent much time here. I've only eaten in the dining room a couple of times."

She looked around the lobby. "Is Sophie about?" She didn't want to bother Sophie via linx if she was working.

"Sophie will be in soon. She has a shift this evening in the Offworlder's Club," Gustav replied.

"I see," said Clara as she considered her options. "You know, Gus, I haven't been to the Offworlder's Club. What is it, exactly?"

Gustav smiled. "It's not an actual club. It's an overpriced restaurant on the top floor of the Grand with a view of the city, and in spite of its name, it's not limited to offworlders, though offworlders are its main clientele."

"So basically, it's a posh place full of snobs?" Clara inquired with a raised eyebrow.

Gustav chuckled quietly. "I didn't say it," he replied mischievously.

"Poor Sophie..." Clara said as she stared off in thought for a moment before turning her attention back to Gustav. "Can I make a dinner reservation for tonight, if it's not too late?"

"For you, it's never too late!" declared Gustav. He grinned broadly. "And I know just the table. Is 19:00 good for you?"

"Perfect!" replied Clara as she grinned back.

At the appointed time, Clara took the express elevator to the top floor. The doors opened directly into the foyer of the restaurant. The walls all around were glass, giving a near three hundred sixty degree panorama of the city. The Grand was an older building and not the tallest, but it still had enough height to be impressive.

It was the people seated in the Offworlder's Club that caused Clara to become momentarily disoriented. There was a riot of color, and for an instant it seemed as though her eyes could not focus on them properly. Then with a shock, recognition hit hard—they were wearing clothes.

That first day nightmare of waking up and finding herself the only one naked struck home hard. Clara felt her heart leap in her throat, and she almost turned to run for the elevator when a second realization dawned on her: the patrons were divided into two camps; those wearing clothes, and those not wearing clothes, with the "not" camp in the slight majority. They were even seated apart, with clothed patrons predominantly on one side of the restaurant, non-clothed on the other, with the center a largely empty no-man's land.