Canon | Camera Obscura
Excerpt from chapter twelve of Camera Obscura by Lloyd Rose, in which Anji and Fitz have a Talk whilst sitting around a mental institution:
===
‘The Doctor wouldn’t say what they talked about?’
‘No. He just made that cake.’
‘Good cake,’ said Fitz appreciatively.
‘It’s bothering him,’ she said irritably, ‘but he won’t talk about it. Sometimes
he is exactly like a human man!’
‘Hey, I speak up when something’s bothering me.’
‘That’s because -’
She stopped. Fitz grimaced and dropped and stepped on his cigarette.
‘Because I’m a boy?’
‘No!’ She flushed. ‘I don’t think that. I was going to say, because you’re,
well. . . ’ He eyed her sardonically. ‘Unique.’
‘Ah.’
‘I mean, you don’t care what people think,’ she went on, flustered. ‘And
things just sort of roll off you. You’ve been through a lot, Fitz - it’s kind of
surprising you’re not in a place like this.’
‘Mm.’
‘What is this, anyway? All of a sudden you’ve gone all self-critical. You never
used to give a damn.’
‘I don’t now, really. It’s just, sometimes I wonder what I’m doing with my
life.’
She looked at him in amazement. ‘Uh. . . Saving the universe?’
Fitz snorted and took out another cigarette. ‘He’s the one who saves the
universe. I just help out.’
‘Well -’
‘Anj, anyone can help him. He was saving the universe long before I met him.
And you know who was with him when I did first meet him? A teenaged girl.
It’s not exactly a job with high entry-level qualifications, helping him.’
‘For heaven’s sake, what were you doing before? You were a florist -’
He sat up, stung. ‘I was not a florist. I was selling plants.’
‘Same difference.’
‘It is not. Florists, like, arrange flowers. These were mostly in pots. With
leaves and stuff.’
‘Stuff?’
‘Twiggy stuff. Like wood. Most of them didn’t even have flowers.’
‘I see.’
‘And there were other things in the shop. Lots of other things. Gnomes for
instance.’
‘Gnomes?’
‘You know, the little plaster ones.’
‘I see. So you were a shop assistant.’
‘Yeah.’
‘And now you’re only a save-the-universe assistant.’
‘Let’s just drop it.’
‘You -’
‘I don’t want to talk about it!’
She smiled with mock smugness. ‘Just like a man.’
He opened his mouth to reply, then stopped, puzzled. She giggled. ‘All right,’
he said, trying not to smile. ‘All right. Another goal for Kapoor.’
‘You shouldn’t play out of your game.’
‘No,’ he agreed.
===
‘The Doctor wouldn’t say what they talked about?’
‘No. He just made that cake.’
‘Good cake,’ said Fitz appreciatively.
‘It’s bothering him,’ she said irritably, ‘but he won’t talk about it. Sometimes
he is exactly like a human man!’
‘Hey, I speak up when something’s bothering me.’
‘That’s because -’
She stopped. Fitz grimaced and dropped and stepped on his cigarette.
‘Because I’m a boy?’
‘No!’ She flushed. ‘I don’t think that. I was going to say, because you’re,
well. . . ’ He eyed her sardonically. ‘Unique.’
‘Ah.’
‘I mean, you don’t care what people think,’ she went on, flustered. ‘And
things just sort of roll off you. You’ve been through a lot, Fitz - it’s kind of
surprising you’re not in a place like this.’
‘Mm.’
‘What is this, anyway? All of a sudden you’ve gone all self-critical. You never
used to give a damn.’
‘I don’t now, really. It’s just, sometimes I wonder what I’m doing with my
life.’
She looked at him in amazement. ‘Uh. . . Saving the universe?’
Fitz snorted and took out another cigarette. ‘He’s the one who saves the
universe. I just help out.’
‘Well -’
‘Anj, anyone can help him. He was saving the universe long before I met him.
And you know who was with him when I did first meet him? A teenaged girl.
It’s not exactly a job with high entry-level qualifications, helping him.’
‘For heaven’s sake, what were you doing before? You were a florist -’
He sat up, stung. ‘I was not a florist. I was selling plants.’
‘Same difference.’
‘It is not. Florists, like, arrange flowers. These were mostly in pots. With
leaves and stuff.’
‘Stuff?’
‘Twiggy stuff. Like wood. Most of them didn’t even have flowers.’
‘I see.’
‘And there were other things in the shop. Lots of other things. Gnomes for
instance.’
‘Gnomes?’
‘You know, the little plaster ones.’
‘I see. So you were a shop assistant.’
‘Yeah.’
‘And now you’re only a save-the-universe assistant.’
‘Let’s just drop it.’
‘You -’
‘I don’t want to talk about it!’
She smiled with mock smugness. ‘Just like a man.’
He opened his mouth to reply, then stopped, puzzled. She giggled. ‘All right,’
he said, trying not to smile. ‘All right. Another goal for Kapoor.’
‘You shouldn’t play out of your game.’
‘No,’ he agreed.