owl to the Master

[thefuturemrpond.livejournal.com]

I want to talk to you. If you're interested meet me in the Great Hall.

- the Lone Centurion

It was a short letter for two reasons. One, Rory was not sure about the wisdom of setting up a meeting with the psychopathic alien who'd threatened to do unpleasant things to you with a cocktail stirrer. But he needed to know more than he did, to protect Amy and himself and the rest of the school and possibly even the Doctor because what the bloody hell had he got himself in to? And he had a bargaining chip, sort of.

Which was the other reason the letter was so short. He couldn't remember how to write anything more elaborate in Old Norman dialect. Still, that ought to get the Master's attention.

Comments

[theregothedrums.livejournal.com]

"And fun, too, I'm sure. A good romantic brood can be awfully satisfying, and nothing says romance like archaic weaponry. I'm sure if you'd had the inclination you'd have been neck-deep in starry-eyed virgins wanting to console you."

He didn't think there'd have been many. Rory didn't seem the type.

"It must have been fairly dull, waiting for literacy to catch on so you'd at least have something to read in the meantime."

[thefuturemrpond.livejournal.com]

"...that's one way of putting it," Rory said, quietly. There'd been excitement, of course, there'd been keeping out of trouble badly, but there had also been long periods of nothing, not even sleep, and after long enough, 'dull' turned into 'soul-destroying' and - he didn't want to think about those times.

And he wasn't going to dignify the 'starry-eyed virgins' thing with a response.

[theregothedrums.livejournal.com]

"And how long did you spend hating her?" he asked with a feral grin. "Leaving you alone like that for so long. Oh, it must have been a weight."

[thefuturemrpond.livejournal.com]

Rory tensed, struggling not to yell. "I never hated her."

...not quite true. He'd hated a lot of things, during the mad times, and sometimes, yes, one of those things was Amy, flying off in her box and leaving him behind. But he'd never meant it. And he'd always hated himself much more.

[theregothedrums.livejournal.com]

"Oh, you don't have to pretend to me," the Master laughed. "And really, that kind of long-term emotional fixation, it's fascinating."

[thefuturemrpond.livejournal.com]

"Oh, and you -"

...oh, shit. He'd really just said that.

[theregothedrums.livejournal.com]

"...don't deny it," he finished off, smirking. "Nothing so earnest and pure as you, little golem. Nothing so patient."

[thefuturemrpond.livejournal.com]

"I'm not ...I'm not plastic now, don't call me that." Although the 'little' part was creepiest, honestly.

[theregothedrums.livejournal.com]

"But it will be written deeply into your brain," the Master observed cheerfully. "I will say, your kind have surprising adaptability at times."

[thefuturemrpond.livejournal.com]

"It never happened, any more." That was probably wrong gramatically, but he didn't care. "And maybe it is, but I'm still me, I'm still Rory."

[theregothedrums.livejournal.com]

"Oh, that's the most fascinating part." He looked at Rory closely. He did, indeed, seem entirely normal outwardly. "Because you shouldn't be. You should be hopelessly mad. I'd really like to know why you aren't."

[thefuturemrpond.livejournal.com]

It was true, of course. There'd been bad times but they should have been worse. He'd read about what things like solitary confinement did to people, and sleep deprivation - although that might not count if your body didn't need sleep - and of course he also had more memories in his head than he should have been able to cope with.

He had theories, but none he wanted to share. "...yeah, so would I."

[theregothedrums.livejournal.com]

"Such a shame neither of us have any telepathic abilities." The Master snickered, raising an eyebrow. "Oh! Silly me. I do."

[thefuturemrpond.livejournal.com]

Rory stood abruptly, pushing away from the table. "Oh no. You're not getting inside my head again."

[theregothedrums.livejournal.com]

"Oh?" He chuckled softly. "Well. Maybe your coping mechanisms aren't as strong as they seem on the surface. Be careful, little golem; you never know when the wrong thing might set you off."

[thefuturemrpond.livejournal.com]

About now, probably. But he could hide it. Mostly. He glared. "My name is Rory."

[theregothedrums.livejournal.com]

"Rory. From the Irish Ruaidhrí, meaning 'red king'. Do you aspire to kingship, then?"

[thefuturemrpond.livejournal.com]

"What? No." All right, coming from someone who insisted his name was 'The Master' Rory supposed that idea made sense, but he didn't like it. "But I'm not a golem, and - how old are you?" It had occured to him partway through the sentence that the Master and the Doctor weren't necessarily the same age even if they'd been at school together.

[theregothedrums.livejournal.com]

"You know, that's not a very meaningful question for a time traveler. Personal chronology, objective timelines, it gets awfully messy. You lose track. Even if you're trying, you lose track. And to be completely honest, most of us don't try very hard. I've seen the end of the universe, Rory. I've made galaxies crumble. The world that birthed me no longer exists. You really expect me to bother with something so meaningless?"

[thefuturemrpond.livejournal.com]

Rory took a deep breath. "All right. Maybe 'little' is fair, as far as you're concerned. I mean, I've only seen the end of most of the universe. But you still don't get to call me that."

[theregothedrums.livejournal.com]

That was just delightful, and what started as a chuckle turned into a full-blown belly laugh. "Do you think names are so important, then, Rory? Matters of identity, things that make us who we are. How you must have clung to that. It's always a bit tricky, maintaining your identity with no reference points."