Chapter 30: The Space Picnic

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[TARDIS Pool]

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[TARDIS Pool]

The Alchemist sighs as she sits at the pool's edge,  stirring the water with her legs. She elected not to go ice skating with the pair after the Doctor managed to get her out of her practice room. While the idea of somewhere cold sounds nice, she just wants to stay on the ship tonight.

"There you are!"

Frowning, the Time Lady glances over her shoulder and spots Martha in the doorway, a light purple coverup over her swimsuit.

"I didn't know you were looking for me," the Alchemist murmurs.

Martha sits next to her and dips her toes in the shallow water after sliding her flip-flops off.

"We just got back a little while ago. The Doctor said he thought you were going to swim. I hope it's alright if I join you," she smiles softly.

The Alchemist nods absently, "Yeah, that's... uh, that's fine."

Martha turns to her and frowns. One thing about the Time Lady that she's noticed is her disappearing act. Sure, the Alchemist will come and find her to sit in the sauna with her after a rough day, and always has breakfast ready for either just her or the three of them. 

Sometimes, though, she'll just emotionally close herself off and retreat into another room or even just go silent while they're all together. Martha will also never forget how anxious and upset the Time Lady looked during their visit to Bedlam.

She knows it's a bit forward, but the Alchemist seems to prefer it when people tell her something or ask questions outright rather than beat around the bush.

"I had this roommate when I first went to Uni. Really smart girl, always on top of things. But, she had horrible anxiety and depression," Martha mutters, looking about the Victorian-styled swimming pool.

The Time Lady pauses in her gentle kicking of the water and turns to her, "...Did it ever get better?"

Martha shrugs, "I like to think so, but knowing the little that I do about brain chemistry now... I think she just got better at hiding it than managing it."

"That's what I'm afraid of," the Alchemist admits, "I get all these ups and downs and I don't... I don't want to hide it from him, but I know it scares the Doctor. We've been trying to figure out ways to manage it lately; I've been doing lots of hobby work and meditating."

Martha turns and meets her gaze, "Then don't. Don't hide it, just manage it like you have been. Those are two great kinds of coping skills. Maybe talk about it; that helps humans at least, you know?"

"There's a lot we've discussed and a lot more we haven't. I'm just..."

"Not ready."

The Alchemist breathes, "Yeah."

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