#unit au

[College Party Meme from @bitofanexile.]

“Who keeps chanting 'give us the socks?'” ------------

"I'm not sure, but they're making it very hard to keep a straight face." The culprits had been turning up in different rooms of the house, sometimes louder, sometimes softer, once accompanied by a scream and slamming door. And now, a crash that sounded like chairs being knocked over.

[College Party Meme from @itsthebrigadier.]

“I need everyone to stop encouraging The Doctor.” ------------

"In our defense, Brigadier, he's going to do that whether we encourage him or not." 'We' being herself, Benton and Yates, who were standing either side of her holding drinks and wearing expressions that hovered between 'not my fault' and 'oh damn'. Music pumped from speakers beside a dance floor, and she'd momentarily lost sight of the Time Lord in the crowd.

[Meme from @itsthebrigadier.]

"You're really pretty" ------------

['Said to my Cat' Meme from @bitofanexile.]

“Ah, does that bribe no longer work?” ------------

"No, I'm afraid not! Or at least," Thera spared him a quick glance, "not right this second." It was less surprising than it once was that the Doctor might have simply thought to make her a cup when he fetched his own - but they were less settled into admitting it. Less awkward all round to pretend (or half-pretend) otherwise.

[Forced Proximity Meme from @itsthebrigadier.]

Oh no. Don't tell me it's locked. ------------

" ... OK." Thera answered after a beat, eyes still on the door handle she held and with a rapidly arriving sense of dread. As in OK, she wasn't going to tell him, but she'd let her continued twisting of that handle and push-pull on the door to say it for her.

She paused, staring at the latch as if she hoped for heat vision to burn it through. "Shit."

Of all the stupid, mundane, ordinary disasters for the two of them to get into, it was almost laughable. No aliens, no invasions, not even the wild weather being promised on the news ... well, not really. The early signs were definitely on the way in, and that was why she and the Brigadier had ventured into the old supply shed for more blankets, candles and other possible needs if Headquarters' power happened to go out.

Only for one of those early gusts of wind to blow the door solidly shut behind them. With, y'know, its automatic lock. Thera rattled the door handle, gave a sigh.

[Medieval Meme from @itsthebrigadier.]

❛ I am at your mercy, your grace. ❜ ------------

Thera kept her eyes cast down. One of the things about being 'in her Majesty's service', military or enforcement, was the inevitable visits from nobility. Obnoxious and potentially inbred, the kind of nobility that insisted on a guided tour either derided UNIT's mandate entirely or expected them to parade out 'Martians' like an alien petting zoo.

Or such was the impression she'd gathered from the complaints as the place was 'tidied up' before the tour, and she was very inclined to believe them. Fortunately today's visitor was too young to recognise her as she stood behind the Brigadier, clothing neat, feet together and holding a clipboard to her chest, the civilian match to Benton and Yates beside her, at attention.

[Banter Meme from @itsthebrigadier.]

You're lucky you're so cute. ------------

"We work with what we have, Brigadier." And we absolutely do not weaponise it to coax the local innkeeper into finding them a table when the place was already full. Much. At all. In any case, the private event space upstairs wasn't in use that afternoon, and income from ordinary customers was better than none at all.