Her eyes lingered on him, before shaking her head slightly and shifting forward. How was she going to put this in a way that he would understand?
“I just regenerated. Recently. Recent-recently. And through that I realise how much I bloody CARE about everyone, and how much I’m sick of losing them.” Tilting her head to the side, she peered back to him, taking a couple of steps towards The Master. “’Everyone’ includes you, especially you actually. And since it’s OBVIOUS that rehabilitation doesn’t work on you– what I’m offering here isn’t that. It’s friendship.
Master, this isn’t me trying to get you to stand by me. It’s me trying to get you to accept that I can stand by you. That I want to. Screw trying t’HELP you my way. You need a friend, not a babysitter. I want to try it your way.”
‘’Everyone’ includes you…. You need a friend… I want to try it yourway…’
Koschei sucked in a breath as the words rang in his mind. Suddenly he sprang forward and snatched her hand, holding it tightly as he studied her face, looking for a lie, for the smallest deception, not even caring about the skin on skin telepathy, conflicting thoughts and feeling tumbling through his mind.
“Tell me right now that you are lying, that you are just humouring an old man, who had only just wanted to be on the same side as his bestfriend, Tell me that right here, right now, and ill forgive you for being KIND in your own twisted way.” It had been, Oh So long since the Doctor had said anything like this without a reason behind it, last time it was to save Earth.
Very much a plot twist. The Doctor just stared, very much shocked at the words that no other but The Master had said. “Well, that’s a surprise. Is it my new LADY looks or..?” She rose her eyebrows, tilting her head a little as she just ASSESSED him.
He just stood, arm spread slightly, as if bowing. “Or… ive decided to try, and play by your rules.” He confessed to her.
“It took a little while, but i figured out, that while they took the 4 beat signal from my mind, they scrambled the memory of our last encounter as well… but, you cant scramble a master telepaths mind for long, we like to keep our memories in a neat and organised order… which meant, when i found that memory, it fell into place, our little ‘get out the way’ had more meaning than anyone – bar Rassilon perhaps, would have guessed.”
He licked his lips and let his arms fall to his side. “So how about it? Shall we forget about the incident, on the Mondasian ship, as if that never happened and start from our truce? Would it still be an honour to have me to travel with you… or would you prefer, if i left?”
“…Lady looks then. I mean, makes sense. Just look at me. Boy, River would have liked this.” She muttered, unable to stop herself. Because when things shocked her, she tended to make jokes. She was starting to realise that as time passed. No, no. This was sidetracking. What The Master was saying was more important. Very much… more important.
“Are you serious? You’re not just pullin’ my leg like every other time you’ve – especially in this regeneration – tried t’fool me?” She rose an eyebrow, expectantly, watching him closely. Because HONESTLY… The TARDIS would always be open to The Master. By invitation, at least. That offer… always on the table. Because even though she had seemed to be revamping herself, she still held a past, and within that past, were feelings. Her feelings towards The Master were very clear to The Doctor. She would fight to her last breath to help him, especially if he was ASKIN to be helped. At the same time – there was mistrust there. And this regeneration? She mistrusted the most.
“Why should I TRUSTyou?” She wanted to. God she wanted to. Please give me a reason to trust you.
He made a face at that mentioning of River Song. Sure she was HOT, but she had went and marriedhis Theta and he didn’t like to share much…. but he just might, it depends….
He was getting distracted again.
“Heh, i honestly don’t know how… but perhaps the fact that i’m finallyasking you for help, came to you, because i know you would give me another chance, like you tried to do so many time and i refused…”
“I dont want to wait any more, i’m tired of being on opposite sides,”
“…Still alive. That’s good. For once I’m happy t’see you.”
“I’ve been lookin’ for you.”
The Master Made a face that was a cross between delight and confusion. Basically delighted confusion.
“Oh? You are!? How delightful…! But Why? What brings Theta Sigma, the Runt of the Lungbarrow house, across time and space, to try and find Lil-Ol’ Me? Im honestly touched.”
“Oof, the full title. You’re really gettin’ into it, ain’t ya?” Been a long time since she had been called by that name. She had half a mind to just throw it back in his face, since he loved being called THE MASTER so much, it was bound to annoy him.
“Thought you’d be pleased; someone actually WANTIN’ to be around you and such. You going to let suspicion ruin it now?” Cocking her head, she moved forward. She had had a bit of time since she had regenerated, and now she knew what she wanted. “In your future, you stick around with me for a long time – though a bit unwillingly. But y’end up learning a few things and becomin’ all better as person and such. FIGURED– might give y’the chance to do the same for me. Y’know what I mean?”
He made a face at that knowledge. “You mean you try to turn me GOOD?”
“Well, i guess that isn’t SO far off, seeing as you are The DOCTOR. The one who make people better.” he sneers slightly.
“So what? You’ve decided that you want to try it on me as well?” The Master scoffs.
“…Still alive. That’s good. For once I’m happy t’see you.”
“I’ve been lookin’ for you.”
The Master Made a face that was a cross between delight and confusion. Basically delighted confusion.
“Oh? You are!? How delightful…! But Why? What brings Theta Sigma, the Runt of the Lungbarrow house, across time and space, to try and find Lil-Ol’ Me? Im honestly touched.”
“nobody is beyond help. and trust me, i want nothing more than to have you by my side, koschei, you know that.” she had been relieved and honestly, ecstatic to hear his terms of redeeming himself, to build some kind of bridge.
“but, you can’t pretend that you’re a good person, that you’ve done nothing bad. what we’ve done defines us, good or bad.”
He chuckles bitterly. “Im not even trying to pretend that i’m in any way a good person…. but, i am willing to play by your rules… to try and turn a new leaf.” he repeats and he will continue to say it, till she realised that he was serious.
“Its practically the reason i’m… asking for your help… For, correct me if i’m wrong, but did we not agree on a silent truce an age back? Before i heroically forced Rassilon back into the time lock?”
Very much a plot twist. The Doctor just stared, very much shocked at the words that no other but The Master had said. “Well, that’s a surprise. Is it my new LADY looks or..?” She rose her eyebrows, tilting her head a little as she just ASSESSED him.
He just stood, arm spread slightly, as if bowing. “Or… ive decided to try, and play by your rules.” He confessed to her.
“It took a little while, but i figured out, that while they took the 4 beat signal from my mind, they scrambled the memory of our last encounter as well… but, you cant scramble a master telepaths mind for long, we like to keep our memories in a neat and organised order… which meant, when i found that memory, it fell into place, our little ‘get out the way’ had more meaning than anyone – bar Rassilon perhaps, would have guessed.”
He licked his lips and let his arms fall to his side. “So how about it? Shall we forget about the incident, on the Mondasian ship, as if that never happened and start from our truce? Would it still be an honour to have me to travel with you… or would you prefer, if i left?”
“cold?” she pauses, trying to keep from showing just how much that comment stung. “you don’t get t’ talk to me about cold. nothing that i could ever do could be as cold as you, so don’t you even start.”
He took a breath through his nose, knowing that this was not the time to get angry or upset.
“Look, i’m trying my best here, can you at least give me that? At least I came, here, to show you that i’m willing to try and change…”
He let out a harsh sigh. “So whats next? Are you going to say that ill never redeem myself in your eyes? That i’m so beyond help that you wont even give me the chance? hmm..?”
She sees him outlined by the sun, backlit so that the contours of him are orange and glowing, her Icarus.
His profile is the same as ever, eternally childlike and round, deceptive in its seeming innocence. Her hearts tighten as though anchors are buried in them and drag her ineffably toward him.
No gasp of horror this time, no cold sanctimony, no ulterior motive. Magnetism simply propels her toward her best and oldest friend, with reignited hope.
“Koschei.”
When was the last time she said that word? When was the last time she thought on those days, lazy and aimless and innocent, running, tumbling, rolling, in red grasses?
She stands inches away now.
And she smiles.
He stood there silently, Hands in his pockets, just watching her.
Watching how the sun reflected on her hair and The wind flowing through her coat.
And that smile… Heh, he was a sap, But, he wouldn’t say that out loud. That smile, made her beauty, even greater.
He didn’t notice a small smile growing on his lips at the sound of his old name. Yet there may be a smile, but regret shone in his eyes. He had much to regret, but he would try his best to be better in her eyes.
“Hello, Theta.”
The returned the favour, the name falling from his lips as if he had said it every day and time had not passed since the last time he spoke it.
“Its been a while, hasn’t it. A few weeks for myself.”
“Should’ve known it’d be you.” Acutely, she knows it is him, before the other Time Lord even steps into her field of vision. “Said it myself, so many times, didn’t I — ‘ Time Lords do not like to die ’ — but I FELT it.” The Doctor shakes her head, her hair blown by the wind and the sea spray. After Sheffield, the ocean feels like breathing again, something serene in spite of something lost. It seems she is like this now, trying to find small lights in the bleak. She’s not quite sure whether she speaks to Koschei, or to the ocean. “I told them NOT to.”
He assumed she was talking about a companion. A companion that she just lost and had told them to stay away and then didn’t listen… or she could have been talking about something else entirely…
He walks over to her side and stands next to her, not saying anything, especially not that he was now finally taller than her by 8 whole centimeters.
“What happened?” he asked her softly. Yes he was still in pain from what he had been through last week, but he had managed to bandage himself up, ‘fix’ himself up so to speak, as much as he could by himself.
But Theta sigma was upset… Theta was upset a week ago, with grey hair and angry eyebrows, but that was his fault and he couldn’t take back what he had done… this… this perhaps he could help with… at least with comfort… hopefully she would let him.
