[He probably isn't fond of it but she finds the abstract ramble kind of adorable. It's not often that he's uncertain about things. Or perhaps just not often that there's outward evidence of that uncertainty.]

If it helps, I think you're doin' all right, Doctor. [She takes another sip of her wine. It's her turn to ramble a little.] It's not--I still want all of--if you're goin' to keep your promise then I still want all of...that.

[He really wasn't fond of it, no, but hey, if it gets the point across. And if he catches on that she likes seeing that sometimes he also isn't totally sure, then there is a chance, however slight, he'll show that side a bit more often.

When she starts talking, he looks over at her. The words do make him feel a bit better; at least he's not screwing everything up.] I am not going to break that promise, Rose Tyler. You can have... all of that, if you want it.

[In general it does and it also makes her feel a bit better about not having a clue how to handle this.

Oh Doctor, he is so far from screwing everything up. It's just a detour.

It takes her a few moments to answer but when she does, her answer is certain, quiet and determined.]

Yes. [And then just a half a pause afterwards.] Please.

[They can both be ridiculously clueless and fun together and fumble over everything and shit. Yay.

Those are a few moments of intense tenseness. She can probably see the ten tonnes of metric pressure just sort of steam themselves out almost immediately after she says yes. It's really not that he's worried she's going to leave or that they won't be friends or anything - mostly just that he doesn't want things to change. Anything to change. He was happy and just getting used to things that were happening and is really worried about the state of things.]

Good. Excellent. Yes, absolutely. I mean, it would be kind of horrible to offer it and then say no after you're accepted the thing. Stuff. [Yes he is going to taste the wine now.]

[And it will be awesome. To someone. Not them.

She can see the pressure and even feel it before she says yes. When she does, it's almost like a balloon popping. His response gets a smile out of her, a real one. Not brilliant and lighting up the Universe but at least it's relaxed and happy, even grateful.]

Be a bit rude, yeah. Might worry 'bout you as well, changin' your mind so quickly. [She'll take a sip of wine as well. Surely it will help the situation.]

[I think a decent part of their lives is probably awesome to people who aren't them.

Smiles are wonderful even if they could be bigger. He always likes them anyway but at this point obviously they're quite appreciated.]

I was rather under the impression I was quite... wishy-washy. At least in some respects. In this regeneration. Not about some things I suppose. Some things stay the same across.

[Good point.

She bites her bottom lip and looks up to him, reaching one soapy, bubbley hand out to hold his hand. She wiggles a couple of fingers, beckoning him closer.]

Wishy-washy about some things but sorta like the things that stay the same across the board. [Of course she's a bit biased. One of those things is her.] Keeps you my Doctor.

[He just leans forward at first, to almost-comfortably reach and take her hand, because she is still in the bath and that is yet new territory, but he stops being silly and moves to sit on the floor next to the outside of the tub.]

Think I can handle that.

[I'm sure his superior Time Lord biology can handle somewhat bubbly wine.

He makes a very poor attempt to avoid the water, considering he's sitting right next to the source and that doesn't do much to your dodging abilities. At least he doesn't spill his glass all over anything, although he does set it down since it looks like that is an increasing possibility. The laugh is an excellent sound to hear.]

Oi! Now, if I wanted to get all wet, I would have had my own bath.

[She smirks a bit at him, arching one eyebrow.]

All right then. If that's how you wanna play that.

[She closes her eyes and sinks a bit down into the tub, all the way up to her chin, knees sticking up out of the water.]

[He blinks. He was vaguely expecting more sloshing after that. The sinking back down up to her chin and showing him more of her knees was not in the list of possible reactions he had mildly prepared for.]

Making yourself a smaller target or just eliminating the need to splash you at all by immersing yourself?

[She opens one eye, looking at him, a grin twitching at the corners of her lips.]

You were objectin' to gettin' all wet, weren't you? M'doin' what you told me to. For once.

[She has a point.

Well, he can tolerate all of about twelve full seconds of sitting there with just her face, knees, and a slightly-decreasing-amount-of-bubbles to look at before he's already categorised all the real reasons that moths are so attracted to light - 'nobody knows', pft - and is bored.]

Addendum to rule number two. No. Three. Always do as I say unless I tell you to do something boring. And I'm already wet. This didn't help that at all. In fact I'm between wet. [He's picking at his shirt through his jacket.] This is like one step between damp and wet-wet. Are you all pruney yet? When do you humans start 'pruning' in the bath?

[She looks over at him and grins. She knew he wouldn't be able to last long just sitting there. She holds a hand up.]

Gettin' a bit pruney.

[And then, since he pointed out that he's wet already. Or rather between wet, she sloshes him with a good bit more water.]

[He pretends for a moment to not care that he's so predictable and that she knows him that well, instead reaching out for her hand so he can properly examine this pruning thing.

Hand instantly turns into a shield when she sloshes more water over the side at him.] Hey! [Due to positioning he is quite soaked now, with bits of his suit that are wet starting to stick to him. He sits there and attempts to wring out his trousers while he's still wearing them on the floor, and after a few seconds gives up.] Well I might as well have just got in with you now.

[She gets control of the giggles after a moment then arches an eyebrow up.] You ready for that, Doctor?

[Because sitting with her while she's taking a bath and taking care not to show any naked bits is a good deal different from being in the bath with her. Of course, at the same time, her tone is teasing because she's fairly sure he didn't think that through all the way to naked.]

[It is quite clear from the look on his face he did not think that through beyond the 'if I were in the bath, I'd be slightly more wet than I am now' and hadn't made it to 'if I were in the bath, I'd be naked in a bath with Rose, who would also be naked'. He sports that look quite impressively for a couple of seconds and then he hides the brief picturing-that-mentally phase carefully under a thoughtful expression.] Used to have an old sort of bathing suit. One of those horrible stripey ones, make you look like an escaped American 1950s convict from a tropical island prison.

[She both enjoys the look on his face and turns a bit pink at it. She giggles at the idea of his bathing suit.] Remind me 'fore we go to the beach [She stumbles a little over the word beach, teasing tone in her voice faltering mostly because she was just at the beach and it wasn't the fun, splashing time at the beach she would have preferred to have. She recovers the teasing only in part.] next to go bathing suit shoppin' with you.

Now, shopping for bathing suits I don't think I'll ever be ready for. Don't fancy the convict look? The dashing rogue misunderstood by laymen and the entire collective penal system, out for a nice swim to clear his mind of the trauma of a daring escape. [He mentally constructs this image and dismisses it almost as quickly.] Nah, me neither. Stripes go the wrong way anyhow. Wouldn't want that. [He did notice the verbal hiccup, he just tends to do better not acknowledging such things. Especially when they're related to things people just got quite angry with him about. He's rapidly becoming about as fond of beaches as he is with Christmas anyway.]

We could get you somethin' sort of Hawaiian themed. A pair of trunks without any stripes at all. Besides, won't have to worry 'bout it for a while. S'too cold for swimmin' and visitin' the beach now. [They've got to contend with Christmas coming 'round and she really hopes that one won't be awful.] We'll have to get back to the dashing misunderstood rogue 'round May.

So I've got a few months to mentally prepare for this shopping trip. That'll probably be enough time. [Really, for someone as preening as he can be, the trying on of clothes and finding things is not that high on his list of fun activities.] You've got to hit the right balance with cold beaches. I don't think this place does it. Subtlety here is in about as much supply as fluvian oil in a dry season.

Hawaiian? Big floppy flowers and red and all?

Think we ought to just avoid the cold ones completely. From here on out and nothin' with bad or wolf in the title at all.

[She considers him a moment and then nods.] I was thinkin' more blue background with the white flowers and the like but yeah. [She swipes her hand through the bathwater.] Gone cool now. You wanna go put on somethin' dry while I get out?