Can we climb this mountain? I don't know.

[smithnjones]

Martha Jones sits at a table in the restraunt part of the lobby with a book of World Geography.

She's going to leave again in three days. Martha has to. She can't afford for her stomach to get used to eating food regularly and three times a day again, because going through the process of starvation, of the initial hunger pangs would only slow her

Comments

[impossible_thng]

Jack was somewhat worried by her managing to get away - if nothing else, because it is hard to get away from him when he wants to keep an eye on someone - but he'd figured she wouldn't leave without at least saying goodbye.

He is very relieved to see her, when he finally does, however, and slides into a seat beside her, resting a hand on the back of her neck. "Hey. You are remarkably stealthy when you put your mind to it."

[smithnjones]

Martha looks up at him and smiles, grateful as always for the touch.

"Sorry. Just had a lot of practice is all. Meant to be back before you could figure out I was gone, but... ran into the Doctor. Number Five that is and the TARDIS."

[impossible_thng]

"It's fine," he says with a smile, because he can't hold anything against her. Ever. "Just would've liked a little warning, you know? And I don't think I've met the fifth - maybe you can introduce me some time."

[smithnjones]

"Yeah. Won't happen again. Promise. Least not without a warning first."

Martha nods, flattening the World Geography book out on the table and tilting her head toward him.

"Yeah, of course! Love to introduce you two. He's blond, longer hair, wavy. Different than the other Doctors, but... it's still him. Underneath it all, y'know?"

[impossible_thng]

"Thank you. That's all I'm asking." He shifts to shrug his arm around her shoulders, and pull her in toward him a little.

"It always is," he says with a smile, his tone a little distant. He shakes it off quickly, though, and glances to the book on the table. "What's this about? Brushing up on world geography for... I don't know, pop quiz?"

[smithnjones]

Martha hears the distant tone to his voice, but doesn't comment on it. She doesn't have to. She understands. At least as much as she can.

She slips her arms around his waist and presses close to him, laughing at that.

"No, not quite." Martha hesitates and decides that not knowing how it all comes to be is enough. It won't hurt Jack to know she's travelling the world. Anyway. She doesn't think. Bloody hell, the 5th Doctor knows he's going to destroy his whole planet. "Preparing. For when I've got to leave again." She sighs a little. "Just a few days I think."

[impossible_thng]

He likes her pressed up against him like that, her arms around his waist. He rests his chin on the top of her head, wishing a little they could just stay like this, forever. Of course, they can't - he'd wished that with Estelle too, with Rose, with the Doctor... It doesn't work that way for him. Doesn't mean he's going to stop falling for these brilliant, amazing people he always seems to meet.

"Ah. Where did you come in from, then, if you're traveling? You can tell me that much without spoiling me for my own future."

[smithnjones]

"Russia. Not sure where exactly. Southern... part. Hopefully. And then I'm headed down to Asia, I think."

Martha's heard stories about Asia.

It's worse there. Far too many people, not nearly enough food. She'll bring a whole pack of it from the Inn, but it won't last long. She won't be able to resist handing it out.

[impossible_thng]

"Russia. I've been there before. Not bad, all things considered, though I wasn't seeing it under the best of circumstances... I'm usually not."

He pulls her just a little tighter against him. He's going to worry about her when she leaves. Jack is quite capable of worrying himself sick over some people, and from the sound of it, Martha's all on her own. That scares him even more.

[smithnjones]

"No, you're usually not." Martha agrees and nods against his chest in a way to say that neither is she, but she's sure he's already garnered that much. "Do you ever think about going back to those places? ...after all of the wars and everything?"

[impossible_thng]

"Considered it, once or twice," he says with a sigh. "It would be nice to see the world when it's not being torn apart at the seams. But... I don't know. I like to stay around Cardiff, unless there's some major crisis elsewhere in the world."

He's afraid otherwise he'll miss the Doctor. Because Cardiff is the one place the Doctor's bound to come back to, sooner or later. Cardiff, or anywhere there's trouble.

[smithnjones]

"Yes, I suppose I could have guessed that..." Cardiff is where to go to wait for the Doctor. She knows enough from Jack's dramatic entrance to realize that he'd been waiting.

He'd been waiting a very long time.

Martha slips her arm from around his waist to grab hold of his hand, linking her fingers between his to show as best she can that she understands as much as anyone could understand.

She closes her eyes. Three days of this would not be enough.

[impossible_thng]

He squeezes her hand as she twines her fingers through his, lifting her hand to his lips to kiss the back of it lightly. He appreciates it. The understanding, the silence, all of it.

After a moment, his gaze flickers back to the atlas.

"How're you finding your way through Russia if you don't speak the language? You don't speak Russian, do you?" Of course, there's a lot of people in Russia who speak English, but even so... He's impressed.

[smithnjones]

Martha smiles at the kiss on the back of her hand, breathing in deeply to try and memorize his scent.

"No, I don't. Not a word of it. You just have to find a translator right quick, see if they can travel with you as long as its safe. S'long as they're willing." She glances at the map on the table. "Eventually I picked up a few key words."

She asks 'Do you speak English?' in Russia. "That's the most important one. Don't exactly have time to learn Russian." Or Chinese or any other language for that matter.

[impossible_thng]

He chuckles softly. "Well, that works. Not like you exactly have time to learn... I've got quite a few languages on me, but that's just left over from being a Time Agent. For the record, ancient Latin is actually easier than Russian, so don't feel bad. And don't even get me started on Mandarin."

Sometimes, Jack just starts rambling. It's easier than focusing on all the bad, painful things he can't do anything to fix.

[smithnjones]

"Mandarin?" Martha looks up at him with a hopeful little smile. "Do you know something useful in Mandarin that you could teach me? I'm headed to that area next, after all..."

She likes it when he rambles.

It's very cute and distracting.