Open RP - The Master returns

[theregothedrums.livejournal.com]

((with the approval of the other Who muns))

He was...

He was in a slick heap on the floor, the smell of butter the first thing he consciously aware of. The smell. It was impossibly silent, an undreamed-of silence.

The Master, looking distinctly unmasterful in ragged, butter-drenched clothes, dragged himself from the room, pulling himself upright on the doorframe.

Silent, but for his breathing, and the butter dripping from him to the floor. His mouth felt greasy, and he spat to clear it. If only he could do the same to his mind! It was too quiet to think. He staggered into the hall.

He was...

He was alive. And that was all the starting point he'd ever needed.

The Master's laughter echoed down the stony corridor, echoing, folding in on itself. He was alive.

Comments

[theregothedrums.livejournal.com]

"Thank you, that's very helpful." He drew on his hypnotic expertise, laying down the subliminal suggestion that Rory wanted to be helpful, that it would be incredibly personally rewarding to make him as happy as possible.

[thefuturemrpond.livejournal.com]

Rory being Rory, this wasn't a hard suggestion to plant. His brow furrowed a little - something felt odd - but that was just the memory thing, right? He'd worry about that later, right now he had more important things to do. "The bathroom's this way. There is a cleaning spell but I'm not sure I've got the hang of it yet, so you might not want me pointing my wand at you. Speaking of which, you'll need to get your own wand - I can show you where after - and work out what house you're in..."

[theregothedrums.livejournal.com]

Now that was a gratifying reaction. Not as spectacular as remaking an entire world in his image, but it was always good to savor the little pleasures.

"Oh, do tell me more about wands," he said, with only a trace of mesmeric reinforcement. It didn't seem like Rory would need much encouragement to talk.

[thefuturemrpond.livejournal.com]

"Course." Rory drew his own wand, holding it for Carl to see. "This is mine. It's made of oak, with a phoenix feather core - they're all different, but you get the idea. Some people apparently turn up with enough money on them to go and buy their own, but normally you have to go to the Ancient Runes classroom for a second-hand one. You'll know when you get one that fits you without having to know any spells or anything. It just - feels right, when you pick it up. Mine sent out sparks." He put it away again, carefully. "And you'll need one if you're going to learn any magic here."

[theregothedrums.livejournal.com]

"Feels right, you say?" It could be a matter of superstition, of course, humans were as full of that as any primitive race. "Fascinating. Could be some manner of psychic feedback circuit."

[thefuturemrpond.livejournal.com]

Rory laughed, surprised. "Could be. I'm not the one you'd want to ask about that."

[theregothedrums.livejournal.com]

"Oh, don't mind me, just thinking out loud." The Master's tone was reassuring, but his grin was roguish. "And with these wands, you cast spells, is that right?"

[thefuturemrpond.livejournal.com]

"Yeah." He looked around to see whether there was something convenient to levitate. That seemed like a good demonstration, but he couldn't find anything obvious. "I don't think there's been an actual class held since I got here, but I know a few things. I could show you."

[theregothedrums.livejournal.com]

"Oh, would you?" It was so much fun sometimes, letting these creatures think they were in the one-up position. String them out a bit and they spill the most astonishing things.

[thefuturemrpond.livejournal.com]

"No problem." Rory smiled, opening a nearby door. "But I think we - yeah, the baths are through here. If you want to go get cleaned up, and I'll find a house elf to take care of your clothes - did I mention them?"

[theregothedrums.livejournal.com]

"Not yet," he answered cheerfully. "But you're going to tell me everything you know about them, aren't you?"

[thefuturemrpond.livejournal.com]

"Of course." ...obviously. Why wouldn't he? "The house elves do all the housework and castle maintenance and apparently more or less anything you ask for, within reason, or unless the Sorting Hat wouldn't like it. You never see them unless you need them for something, but they're always around. They look like - just wrinkly little people, about this big, with big ears."

[theregothedrums.livejournal.com]

"Fascinating. And have these oh-so-useful little creatures always been here?" This was fun. This human was responding so readily to just the slightest bit of hypnotic pressure, it was obvious he'd have been perfectly forthcoming even without it.

But it still gave him a toehold into Rory's mind. A foundation for more profound levels of hypnotic control. Glorious.

[thefuturemrpond.livejournal.com]

If the suggestion had been anything else, Rory might have resisted, or at least been a little more aware that something was wrong. He'd held on to his own mind despite Auton programming, despite hundreds of years alone guarding the Pandorica, but... all he was doing was answering a few questions. Helping someone out who was lost.

"As far as I know. The school, I've heard used to be different - not run by a talking hat, for a start - but I think they've always worked here, yeah."

[theregothedrums.livejournal.com]

"Run by a what?" The concept was so bizarre it was bound to be some sort of misunderstanding, or perhaps a mistranslation somewhere. "As in headwear?"

[thefuturemrpond.livejournal.com]

"As in headwear, yeah. Trust me, I know how it sounds. I've met him - it, whatever." He didn't want to go into how he knew the Hat's gender. "And you will have, technically, but I know you don't know. The Hat's the one who decides what house people belong in when we first get here."

[theregothedrums.livejournal.com]

It was almost disappointing, how freely this man was spilling information. It was, however, information the Master needed, and for now that was the important bit.

"I'm afraid I don't remember anything like that," he said apologetically. "And I'm not sure what you mean by Houses."

[thefuturemrpond.livejournal.com]

"That's okay! It might come back to you, but you - you'll be fine, anyway." He stopped himself saying might not want to know. "The Houses... it's an old-fashioned boarding school thing. In practice I don't think anyone pays much attention to it apart from deciding what dormitory to live in, but there are four Houses - Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Slytherin and Hufflepuff -" he wasn't really aware of the other ones "- and which one you're sorted into depends on your personality, what's important to you. Gryffindor if you're brave, Ravenclaw if you're intelligent, Slytherin if you're ambitious and Hufflepuff if you're loyal and hard working."

[theregothedrums.livejournal.com]

Probably not Hufflepuff, then. The Master's only loyalty was to himself. He put on his most charming smile.

"And if the answer is 'all of the above'?"

[thefuturemrpond.livejournal.com]

Rory smiled back, amused. "Yeah, good question. It's whatever you value most out of them ...or whatever's convenient, honestly, I think I ended up in Gryffindor because Amy was."

[theregothedrums.livejournal.com]

"It sounds terribly chaotic," the Master said, faking a touch of consternation. Internally, he was delighted. This much disorder would give him plenty of freedom to maneuver.

[thefuturemrpond.livejournal.com]

His expression turned solemn again. "It can be. And I should warn you now, it can get dangerous, too." He hadn't wanted to bring up the mad-exploding-demons side of Hogwarts before, not just yet - important as it was it would have been a bad thing to drop on Carl while he was still disoriented and unstable -

(something had been bothering him about that, hadn't it?)

- but it was important, and Rory wanted to help. As much as possible. "There are people you want to watch out for."

[theregothedrums.livejournal.com]

"How disturbing," the Master said, doing his best to appear concerned. "How can I tell who to look out for?"

Always good to have forewarning of potential pawns or hindrances.

[thefuturemrpond.livejournal.com]

"The computer network's one way - don't ask me why there's a computer lab in a place like this, but there is, and people have made warning posts when someone who's a serious threat arrives." He sighed. "Which happens. The two I've heard of... one's blonde and carries a sword and might look male or female or both, and one's ridiculously tall and wears a mask over here." He put a hand over the lower half of his face, briefly. "And if you see either of them just run, basically. They're both indestructible psychopaths. They can't kill you here, and I can show you defensive spells, but you don't want to have to use them."

[theregothedrums.livejournal.com]

A computer lab? That would be something to secure for his own purposes, for a start.

But something else needed explaining first. "And why can't they kill me here?"