When Jenny met Vastra

“Noted,” the Judge said. Jo squealed as she was deposited back on the bench, next to a woman with chin-length black hair and tits that were barely concealed behind crossed arms. “Considering the next potential juror.”

In the centre of the room, Clara was still squirming. The stories she heard brought a blush to her cheeks, both from the memories they stirred and a reminder of just how much worse her situation could be. She squeezed her legs together, trying to ignore the other effect the stories were having on her, because being surrounded by naked women wasn’t the time for that. Well, it kinda was, but not like this.

At least it was a distraction. Otherwise she was in the centre of the room; she appreciated the Judge giving them something else to look at besides her.

On the bench, the black-haired woman, Peri, moved closer to Jo. She brushed shoulders sympathetically, giving the intention of laying an arm over Jo without needing to reveal anything more.

“The Master did that to you too?” she murmured. “Least it’s over, huh?”

Before Jo could reply, there was a flash of light again and yet someone else was lifted up, bare legs kicking uselessly against the forcefield as she was brought into the centre of the courtroom. This time it was a woman with a rather toned body, judging by the leagues of pale skin on display, with long black hair falling as low as her shoulder blades while it was loose, messily whipped around as she squirmed and tried vainly to cover up.

“Jenny Flint, 1890s, Earth,” the Judge said.

“Why are you doing this?!” Jenny yelped, still visible straining against the forcefield that kept her arms in place.

“Biases from personal experience must be determined before selecting the jury to try Clara Oswald,” the Judge said, as though she’d asked a legitimate question rather than a **** plea. “Please tell us of a time you were naked.”

“I knew there were weird things out there, back then. Like, anyone on the streets did, people vanishing for unknown reasons, odd shapes in the fog… But I always thought that if I just kept my head down, it’d never bother me.

You’ve kinda got to think things like that. Too hard to bear otherwise. So I thought I’d be safe, only…

I was walking back to the place I slept when I felt something whip across my neck. A few seconds later and I slumped down, stunned. I was only vaguely aware of something approaching me before I passed out.

When I woke up, I was somewhere different, darker, with the feel of earth under me. If I squinted, I could see that it looked like I was underground. There were bars in front of me, not like iron bars, but flat slats at different angles, sturdy with the gaps too thin to squeeze more then a few fingers through.

On the other side were… I didn’t know what they were at the time. I’ve heard a lot of names, Homo Reptilia, Eocenes… but I like Silurians. Green, scaled… people. I thought they were humans the first time I saw them, until I got a better look.

They’d stunned me, picked me up, and taken me down here. And it was only as I sat up that I realised they’d taken my clothes too.

When I squealed, they realised I was awoke. I scrambled to pull my knees up to my chest, blushing bright red, as the two figures turned to look at me through the bars.

“The ape’s awake,” one said. I learned later his name was Ilkar.

“To think they’ve come so far…” the other, Vastra, said.

She tilted her head and peered at me for longer, and I wrapped my arms tightly around my legs, trying to cover up as best as I could. I didn’t know what had happened, or what they were, just that I was very naked in a strange place.

“You sound almost like you admire them,” Ilkar said.

“It is impressive, is it not?” Vastra said. “When we went asleep they were still living in trees, but look what they’ve built now. I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it for myself.”

“Maybe,” Ilkar said. “Still don’t know why you’re keeping this one from Meroc.”

“We’ve enough samples,” Vastra said dismissively. “Besides, I rather like the look of her. Not the same as Ershon but I do miss it.”

“Well, that’s your business I guess,” Ilkar said.

He moved away, apparently content I wasn’t going to do anything. I bit my lip; I wasn’t sure I wanted to attract any more attention.

While he finished off talking to Vastra, I looked around my, well, cage. It wasn’t exactly spacious, but the gaps around the slats stopped it feeling too cramped. The floor was bare dirt save for a springy grey stretch near the side, and the walls went up high; if I had any desire to stand up, someone else could stand on my shoulders, and someone on theirs, and they’d only just reach the top. Handholds and wooden rings resting on rope hung from the solid wall; the other three sides were the slats, through which I was far too visible.

When the two Silurians looked away, I pushed myself off of the earth, my behind dragging across the ground, to get to the flat surface of grey. I’d hoped there would be some sheet or something I could use to cover up; there wasn’t.

When Ilkar left, Vastra came up closer to the cage, peering inside at me. My cheeks warmed again and I remembered to pull my legs back up to her chest.

“Where am I?” I said. I remember my voice shaking.

I wasn’t scared, not really. I don’t know why. The romantic in me wants to say I felt safe around Vastra even then, but I think I was just too distracted for it all to sink in.

Vastra stared at me, as if amazed. I whimpered when she didn’t answer.

“Can I have something to wear?” I tried.

“I’ve never known any apes to need clothing,” she said. She still stared at me. “You really can talk, can’t you? I knew you’d developed language, but this is more than I would have believed.”

“What are you talking about?!” I yelped.

“You’re not the same as my old ape Ershon, but I think you’ll fit in,” she said. “Now let’s see…”

She walked away for a minute. I relaxed, physically at least; it was uncomfortable to constantly keep my legs pulled up to my chest. I stretched out, leaning back, only to yelp when she returned and again curl up.

There was a slot in the cage she could open up from the outside. She pushed a handful of fruits through it, resting on a leaf basket.

“There,” Vastra said. “I’ll look after you.”

“What are you?” I said.

“My name is Vastra,” she said. “You brighten up my room wonderfully. I’ll see if I can find any toys.”

I spent a week, always nude, in that cage before I started to piece it together. Her species had been asleep for thousands of years, so they only know humanity as ape-like creatures that they’d apparently kept as pets, so she thought of me as one of them.

She saw nothing wrong with keeping me there like a fish in a tank, a few things to play with and regular food and water, there as decoration on the regular occasions she had people visiting. They seemed to think my blushing were endearing.

I don’t know exactly how many weeks I was there. I spoke with her a lot; I had to get used to her seeing me naked, I couldn’t keep covering up whenever she was in the room. She lived there after all.

I had to stretch. To begin with I tried to walk in circles, or just stretch my legs out, exercise to keep me feeling good, but I stopped as soon as she came back. Eventually I just got too tired of jumping up and down that I kept going whenever she came back.

Soon I got used to standing up and circling the cage even with Vastra watching. She seemed to like looking at me. I’d walk in circles, stretch my arms over my head, or stretch my legs out in front of me; a few times I tried the basic climbing frame they’d set up into the wall, obviously for apes. It was… ok, but always embarrassing when I’d turn around and find her staring at me.

I do remember how badly it ended. It was when we met the Doctor too, after what happened to the rest of Vastra’s nest, but that’s… that’s another story. I got out then; I stole one of her outfits, barely getting it on while I ran out.

She found me again fairly quickly. I hadn’t been trying to hide, I suppose. And that’s all!”

Jenny swallowed, beet-red, still feeling all too much like the centre of attention. She looked around, breathing heavily. Was Vastra there? Green might stick out in the sea of flesh, but there were a lot of people, and the judge had said something about humanoids only so she didn’t know if Vastra counted. Maybe, maybe not.

“I detect resistance to the truth scan,” the Judge said. “What part of the story aren’t you telling?”

Jenny yelped. “Nothing!”

“Readings indicate… Was that the only time you were nude in such a cage?” the Judge said.

“The only time like that,” Jenny said. “The other times it’s just us, and she’ll let me out as soon as I ask, and- ah! Stop it!”

Jenny squirmed again, somehow managing to flush even deeper at what she’d revealed to the courtroom.