Soul's Shadow (Doctor Who - SI)

Part X (II)

"I don't think you're crazy, Lucy," said the Doctor with a widening grin. "Blimey! Isn't that brilliant?"

The Master snorted. "What? The fact that the portal probably transported us between time and space or do you refer to this bunch of rotten apes?" He wrinkled his nose in a display of disgust.

We walked to one of the few still empty tables and sat down on the crude stools around it. A short guy with a cigar leaned over to the pianist, asking him for a new song which he promptly started to play. It was a slow and still happy tune, filling the room with a casual lightheartedness.

A blond woman came over, asking what we wanted to drink.

"Just wat-" the Doctor started, but got interrupted by the Master.

"A beer for each. And it's on the house, because we're so likeable." The Master put on a smile so charming that it could make a nun blush.

The blond definitely did and she barely hid a smile when she quickly replied, "On the way, Sir."

"Before you complain," the Master drawled, "tell me if you got any local money on you, Doctor."

The other man closed his already opened mouth, letting the rebuke vanish into thin air, it's only remnant pursed lips. In the end he managed, but not for the actual topic.

"I actually didn't want to drink!" protested the Doctor, maybe only to let it out, if he already had no argument against the hypnosis of the waitress.

"Shut it. If this is how I remember it then people get suspicious quite fast if you order water."

Indeed, I didn't see anyone who wasn't drinking some sort of alcohol. People didn't come here to stay sober. Some eyes were already glued to our table, suspicious, curious. We surely must have look strange to them, although our outfits weren't too weird. The Master fitted with his waistcoat, the Doctor in his blue suit a little less. And I in only jeans and a green plaid shirt. My outfit wasn't suited for women at all, at least in those times, but neither was my hair cut, or my specs. Once again I simply relied on them thinking I was a boy. That probably would be easier.

The beer came in glass mugs, golden and with foam. Probably warm, since they didn't have the means to keep it...

"Huh? It's cool." I wrapped my hand around the glass and took a sip. Not very strong, also not too bitter.

"Yeah, that's quite interesting," the Doctor muttered, running a finger along the condensed water on the glass. "It's too cold to be kept in a river or well.

The Master said nothing, just glaring at the beverage with a slightly raised eyebrow. It appeared that it wasn't his first time in such a setting. I also couldn't imagine the Doctor never having been in that time period, but on the other hand didn't he seem to have a good memory for human customs. He was even worse at this than I, which was quite the ironic thought, considering my condition.

"So..." I took another sip. "What's this place? I mean... we wandered through an enormous whatever and then stepped through a door of light. I can't imagine this is only a time portal to the cowboy age."

"Mhm... probably not, no," the Doctor agreed, still not touching the drink. "I'll need to have a proper look, talk to some people, find out if anything strange happened or happens or will happen. No, they can't know about the will, but at least about the have and is."

"Let's stay for a while," the Master suggested, sounding suspiciously chipper as he downed half of his glass in one go. "Drink, Doctor, drink."

"Eeeehhhh... I don't knoooow." He glared at the glass as if it were a monster. "There might be ginger in it."