| Date: 28 December 2007
Characters: Susan Foreman, Kurt Harding Location: outside Link to IJ: thread #21246 |
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 "He had this rhythm." Kurt beat it out with his fingers on Susan's arm: da-da-da-dum, da-da-da-dum. "It tied in with this satellite network and somehow that helped him hypnotise people into believing in him. And it was in his head too. He used to talk about the drums in his head." |
 Susan frowned softly, tilting her head to the side as she studied the area on her arm that the Captain had beat the rhythm out on. "He used to have headaches," Susan said softly.
"He'd get really angry whenever they came on. Said and did things that he wouldn't normally do whenever they got really bad. But he always felt really bad about whatever happened during them after. Once...he yelled at me. Called me a worthless little annoyance and told me to leave him the hell alone and not to even think about coming near him again. But about an hour later, he came, gave me a hug, and apologized. Said he wasn't himself when they got really bad." |
| Kurt exhaled slowly. "We are definitely talking about the same person here."
He shuffled round to sit beside Susan and his arm came round her shoulders, strong and comforting. "I'm sorry you had to deal with that, Susan. It can't have been easy for you, just a kid." |
| Susan leaned into the embrace, closing her eyes with a sigh, "It wasn't traumatizing or anything. But I didn't really care for it much, no." |
| Kurt's lips brushed the top of her head and his arm tightened around her shoulders. "I just don't want you getting hurt by him again. It could be much worse this time. And I don't want that beautiful, optimistic outlook of yours spoiled. It's a wonderful thing to have, if you can hang onto it." He sounded wistful. |
| Susan smiled softly, blushing a bit as she turned her eyes up to him, "I don't plan on letting it go anytime soon," She said, turning back and resting her head against his chest. "I'll be careful. I promise." |
| "Good girl," he said, his arm squeezing gently. "Haven't met any other dodgy characters around, have you?" |
| "Nope. No one else that seems dodgy at all," Susan said, smiling softly to herself. "Just Grandfather, Captain Jack, a nice young boy named Brant, a Welshman named Ianto, Professor Yana, and a boy named Rowan." |
| Kurt's eyebrow going up was his only outward reaction to that. Inside, his reaction was a little more intense.
"Well, well," he drawled, "isn't this just a cosy little meeting place? Really making me wonder who's behind it now. Specially as I'm fairly certain that that Welshman named Ianto is a member of my team and that Professor Yana is the Master hiding in human form at the end of the universe." |
| Susan blinked curiously at the Captain before frowning softly, "Curiouser and curiouser," She said before giggling to herself. "As long as we don't see any white rabbits, perhaps we'll be all right." |
| He laughed. "Yeah. You should be all right with Yana, by the way - he won't remember he's the Master, unless the Master gets to him."
He sighed. "I really think I need to go and find the Doctor or Jack or someone and start warning people about the Master. He's probably fairly harmless here, but you can't be too careful." He was also intensely curious about this 'nice young boy named Brant', and the mention of Ianto had brought up a yearning he'd buried years ago. He drew Susan to him again, tightly, and said into her hair, "It's been lovely meeting you, Susan, grandaughter of the Doctor." |
| Susan grinned softly, "It's been a pleasure meeting you as well," She said, turning and hugging him back. "Don't be a stranger, all right? I don't plan on going back home anytime soon." |
| "You can count on it." Reluctantly, he let Susan go and got to his feet. He gave her a wide smile and a little mock salute, then turned and strode off towards the town. |