The Master chases, the Doctor runs. That's how it has always been, that's how it will always end.
Deep inside his hearts the Master knows it.
It is one reason why the death of his human gnaws so much on him. With her it was the other way around.
But...
And yes, the updates are coming slow. Lack of energy, burnout and depression will do that to one...
But... they are coming. ;D
Also, most of you won't know the character that gets introduced here. I listened to too many Big Finish audios and the dynamic between her and the Master is just pure gold! I couldn't resist. She's fun, I promise ;D
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There was no awkward morning after. When I dragged myself out of a dreamless sleep the sun still hadn't come up again, but even in the darkness I could feel the empty space next to me.
My head swam with memories from the night. The whole experience felt utterly surreal to me and yet, in a way, familiar. I sensed that we definitely had done this before, no doubts there. Our minds slotted together like pieces of a puzzle, perfectly shaped or even moulded to fit. That wasn't a coincidence.
Something about my mind made the Master's drums quieter. Or less notable. Depending on how I wanted to see it. For the end result the details probably didn't matter much. So, for one reason or the other, I was certain, I had offered to share minds with him before. To soothe the drumming and maybe even gain something for myself.
The sense of belonging perhaps. The experience of feeling understood without judgement, without strings attached, without having to hide almost everything about who and what I was. Never in my life had I experienced that. No one had accepted me, not without conditions.
Change the way you think and act and function. Change the very foundation of your existence and then, maybe, just maybe, they will accept you.
That was the deal. Always. With everyone.
Except for the Master.
Definitely weird. Definitely not what I expected when I had volunteered to come here.
Groaning, I rolled out of bed and slipped back into my clothes. The small, adjacent bathroom luckily offered a tooth brush and a shower, so I felt somewhat refreshed when I entered the tavern below. Well, it wasn't really a tavern, too modern. And yet, it appeared to serve the same function. That or I decidedly consumed too much fantasy literature.
A small lump sat in my throat. This was a foreign place, after all and I didn't understand the language. Not many people sat in here right now, at this late an hour, tired looking faces, one group of three that shared a last drink. The staff looked relaxed, they probably worked in shifts. What if I was alone here? Would it have been wiser to wait in the room? And what, a nasty voice in my head whispered, if he wasn't even here anymore?
One of the waitresses almost bumped into me, apologising (or maybe cursing at me, who knows) and giving me a confused look. That one I often got. That one where people suddenly realise that I exist in the same reality as theirs. Maybe he had simply forgotten that I was here and had moved on. No thought wasted.
