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Hi there Jeffy, I...

...

...

[Pause. Wait a tick.]

Did Jeffy just talk?

[Because that? That shit pretty much trumped the entire conversation right there. Did the little shark just say hi to her? It was seriously the most adorably disturbing thing she'd seen in a while, and there were ghost pokemon around.]

Jeff talk nowww! [ Says the landshark cheerfully, like a toddler proud of his scribbled drawing.

Gwen turns the camera back on herself and rubs the back of her neck, looking a little exasperated. ]

Yeah, like he said. Jeff talks now. I think it's something Sodder did. I put a wish in my basket saying I wanted to be able to understand what he wanted better and then, next thing you know, BAM! Vocabulary and everything.

I see! well that's positively adorable, Jeffy.

[No small amount of slightly disturbing, but it definitely accomplished the desire for better communication. It wasn't like pokemon where you could catch meaning from inflection and the like, or Susan who was highly intelligent but just didn't care about being unable to talk. This probably would help a lot.]

You've got your own little chatterbox don't you? I think it might have gotten mentioned, but my house is a veritable zoo lately. The Doctor and Jack are staying on the second floor, so even with some improvements inside the house it can get a tiny bit crowded.

Is it still just you and Jeffy?

Not just us. Back in April, Sodder gave me a kitten too. I call him Fresh Prince Honjo, or just Honjo for short. He comes with his own set of... complications.

[ Because gifts from Sodder can never be straightforward, can they? ]

That's nice of you, to give the Doc someplace to stay. How long have they been crashing with you?

Oh wait! This is the one that teleports, isn't it? I remember now! Are Honjo and Jeffy getting along?

[She'd been a tiny bit concerned about that, though Jeffy seemed content with his bone at the moment.]

Honestly... since not long after Rose returned home. I try not to speak about that event too much with him. It hurt him a lot to lose her, and he needed somewhere to stay. Jack's been a blessing. I swear if she returns, it's going to become a three-way commitment and I won't be able to understand a word they say together.

[God help her.]

Yeah, that's the one! Jeff loves him. I think Honjo's still a little shy around Jeff, because Jeff's so much bigger, but they don't fight with each other, at least.

[ Small blessings. ]

Oh, yeah... That's how it was in canon, too. Granted, when Jack, Rose, and the Doctor were all together, the Doc was wearing a different face.

Good. That would have been a concern. Jeffy's a good boy, but he is a predator, so you never knew how it would go.

[Blink blink. No, no, she wasn't surprised anymore. She had to remember this. Gwen knew about many of their words.]

Yes, I believe I know the face you're speaking of. He was more surly in those days. I think that iteration was hard on him.

Yeah, but I've been training Jeff since before we ever got here. He's a good boy. He knows not to attack anything living unless I give him the go ahead.

[ Hearing his name, Jeff's head pops up, and he chimes in: ] Jeff good boooyyyy!

[ Gwen laughs, reaching down to pet him on the fin. ]

That's right, bud. You're a good boy.

[ But, back to the topic of the Doctor. Gwen nods, face turning a bit more somber. ]

Yeah. That Doctor had just been through a lot... I don't know how much he's told you, and I don't want to go spilling the beans on stuff he'd rather keep secret, but... He had a reason to be so surly.

Definitely a good boy, Jeff. [Ok, that was actually moving from disturbing to incredibly cute. It probably took some getting used to though.]

The Doctor has told me a great many things, but not everything. I don't know that I have the time in my life to know all of the things he's been through. But yes... He has a lot of reasons to be surly over that.

He's doing better these days though, and I'm glad for it. Will you be at the commitment?

[ Satisfied that his status as Good Boy is not in question by anyone present, Jeff waddles off to go find something to chew on.

Gwen collapses back onto her sofa and kicks up her feet, smiling at the thought of being invited to The Doctor's wedding-- TWICE. ]

Yeah, I'll be there. My tiny shipper heart couldn't handle missing out.

Mmmm, there is something to finding love in this place isn't there? Not where you would expect to find it, so you want to help watch it kindle and burn, do you not?

Makes it feel like a better place.

Yeah... It kind of makes the bullshit a lot easier to tough out. Like... Yeah, we're gonna be psychologically, emotionally, and physically tortured and maimed and might die multiple times, but... At least we found love?

And we're not alone. [She bit her lip and worried it a little.] Sex just... isn't the same as love, is it? That's... something I've learned pretty surely.

I'm very glad you've found it.

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