| Characters: The Doctor, The Master, Brant Hysmith
Link to IJ: thread #75440.4618160 |
 The Doctor eventually strode over to the Master, and waved a gloved finger in his face, eyes gleaming. "Probably late, huh?" |
 "Was I right, or was I right?" the Master answered, eyeing the finger in his face. Gloves. Huh. |
| The Doctor refused to dignify that with his answer. He held up his hands about mid chest level, and started slowly and precisely working his fingers out of the gloves, although his gaze was still fixed on the Master's face. "Also, 'Koschei'?" he queried. |
| The Master nodded. He wanted to keep meeting that intense look, because he always wanted to meet that intense look. But he couldn't do that and watch the gloves come off. Choices, choices. His gaze kept wavering a little. "I've answered to it a few times here. Seems to help people differentiate." |
| "Well, I'm not answering to 'Theta' this evening," the Doctor said leaning forward a bit, but still working on the gloves. He whipped one off, and carefully put it in his pocket. |
| "I'd be disappointed if you did, Doctor." the Master answered. Finally glancing down at the Doctor's hands. |
| The Doctor smiled a bit. "Good," he said approvingly. And rewarded the Master a bit by holding the other hand up a little closer to his face while he took its gloves off. |
| The Master just grinned. |
| The Doctor grinned back, as he stuffed the other glove in his pocket. |
 "Do you two need to get a room?" Brant asked, lazily.
He'd been gone. For him, it had been a couple of years. He had no idea how long it had been, here, but it didn't really matter. He knew he'd fall out again sooner or later. If he wanted to or not. |
| The Doctor turned to the young man who has spoken to them and answered, just as lazily. "Nah, we're good right now." He stuck his hand out and said, "Hullo, I'm the Doctor. And my sparring partner here is the Master. Or apparently Koschei, for the evening." Then he paused and looked at the young man. Was that. Jack? |
| The Master has already noticed who he probably was and just staring. |
| Brant took the Doctor's hand and shook firmly. "Ah, right. I met someone who looked a lot like you last time I was here." He grinned. "I'm Brant. It's good to meet you, and." He tilted his head around at the Master, and kept the grin. "Your friend. Nice name." |
| The Master grinned at. Not Jack. Brant. And stuck out his own hand. "Thank you. Which one?" |
| Brant took the Master's hand and shook, firmly. "Which one what? Did I meet? " He shook his head. "No idea." |
| The Master shook his head. "I meant, which name. Anyway, pleased to meet you, Brant." |
| "That's an easier question to answer. Yours. Not that there's anything wrong with Doctor." He stopped. "Doctor and Master? Wow, that's just innuendo waiting to happen." He looked... mostly startled by that, actually. |
| The Doctor covered his mouth, trying not to laugh. "I suppose it might be."
"And when are where are you front, Brant?" |
| He blinked, shook his head and shook off the thought with it. "The Boshane Pennisula. Fifty first century. You?" |
| "Originally? Gallifrey. Lately. Earth. 21st century." |
| "We both are," the Master stuck in helpfully. Because context? Not the Doctor's thing. |
| Brant looked from the Doctor to the Master and nodded. "Sounds like a popular vacation destination." He added, "Earth in the 21st century, I mean." |
| "It is, isn't it?" the Master agreed. "I'm fond of it." |
| "Why?" Brant asked, very directly. |
| "Cradle of humanity. Right on the brink of pushing out to the stars. Amazing possibilities in flux. It's fascinating to watch," the Master answered, sincerely. |
| His eyes lit up, in a way that Jack's hadn't in so long Jack wouldn't have been able to remember it. "That sounds amazing. Maybe I'll get there, someday." |
| Both the Doctor and the Master smiled at Brant. Because it was a wonderful look, on Brant's face. On a face they were both fond of.
"Maybe you will," the Doctor said, warmly. |
| He eyed them both a little. "You two are kind of creepy, you know that, right?" |
| The Master blinked. Were they? Well, maybe they were. He was trying to decide if that was bad thing.
"Not sure exactly why you think so. But, if it helps to explain us. We have a good friend that might be you. Someday." He figured if the kid had been bumping around town for long. He'd had to have run into some future self or other. |
| "We've met," he said with a slightly... sad smile. "I just meant that you're obviously close. It's like watching a tennis match with the back and forth. It's actually pretty nice." |
| The Doctor grinned. "It's never dull." |
| He nodded, almost absently and looked around. "...This place is full of Jack." |
| "I'm sure he likes it that way," the Master snarked. What, the innuendo was sitting right there? |
| He turned and gaved the Master a startled look, then laughed. It was only a tiny forced. "I have no doubt. He's probably dragged himself off into a dark corner." He was never, ever, going to be able to tell all of these Jacks apart after this long. |
| The Doctor looked startled as well. Because what Brant was implying had never crossed his mind the slightest before.
"I guess if there's anybody who would actually do that, it would be Jack," he said in a slightly bewildered tone. |
| He looked back at the Doctor, and grinned wryly. "It's really not all that weird." |
| The Doctor shrugged. "To each their own. Not my thing, I don't think." |
| He shook his head a little. He did not hackle. He did take a deep breath and flush. "Well no, you've got a better half." |
| The Master laughed. "I'm pretty sure just about everyone in this room wouldn't know what to do with me being called his better half." |
| The Doctor smiled. "Oh, probably. Slightly more organized other half, sure," he said to the Master. "I see your point, Brant. Seriously, I'm the last person to judge people for having unconventional love lives," he tried to reassure. Because there was something going on here. He wasn't sure what. |
| "Better dressed half?" Brant offered, his tone mild to make it clear that he wasn't trying to be really insulting with the remark. It also bought him a little time to process.
"Why are you the last person to judge?" |
| The Doctor shrugged. "Loved a lot of people in my life. Never exactly in a way that would be called conventional in pretty much any culture I can think of. Loved some pretty unconventional people, too," he said, flashing a smile in the Master's direction. |
| "Right. There's a story there. I'm not sure I need to know it, but you know - you can still get a room." |
| The Doctor said, "Wasn't going to it tell it you. You asked me a question and I answered it. Everything ok, Brant?" |
| He nodded. "Yeah. I'm going to go on up and grab a room. It really was great meeting you both." |