"It's not a mater of not having much to say, it's a matter of what you'd be willing to hear. Causality, and all that." He smiled, but it was thin and bitter. "You can be exceptionally frustrating, you know." Of course, he'd told Rory how frustrating it had been before, not knowing if the Doctor had any interest in him in his own right, if it was all a matter of being the last of their kind. Wasn't there a saying about being careful what you asked for?
"We've been so many things to each other. Childhood friends, deadly enemies, with so very much in between. You know I'll never just leave you be. What would be the fun in that?" He fidgeted restlessly in his seat. This was a speech more suited to pacing and sweeping arm gestures, but he didn't want to waste effort on set dressing. "It would be a bit extreme to say need, but there's a level of connection I'm not willing to give up. A sort of context no one else can provide."
The Master smiled again, and he'd regained enough composure for it to at least look genial. "It's the interaction that matters the most, I think," he mused. "The chance to watch you think. But setting the parameters, well, you tend to insist on that. I don't have to be your enemy. Here and now, at least, I don't have to be your enemy. But I will be, if that's the only role you'll allow. If that's all your imagination will permit."
Because he couldn't resist at least a bit of a challenge. And, really, would the Doctor be able to function without one?
no subject
"We've been so many things to each other. Childhood friends, deadly enemies, with so very much in between. You know I'll never just leave you be. What would be the fun in that?" He fidgeted restlessly in his seat. This was a speech more suited to pacing and sweeping arm gestures, but he didn't want to waste effort on set dressing. "It would be a bit extreme to say need, but there's a level of connection I'm not willing to give up. A sort of context no one else can provide."
The Master smiled again, and he'd regained enough composure for it to at least look genial. "It's the interaction that matters the most, I think," he mused. "The chance to watch you think. But setting the parameters, well, you tend to insist on that. I don't have to be your enemy. Here and now, at least, I don't have to be your enemy. But I will be, if that's the only role you'll allow. If that's all your imagination will permit."
Because he couldn't resist at least a bit of a challenge. And, really, would the Doctor be able to function without one?