to change the course of history

[laser_not_sonic]

At precisely three o'clock in the afternoon, on- what is to Arthur Eddington, at least- the next day, a stray grandfather clock appears in his study.  Not to say that it simply blinks into existence with no fanfare whatsoever; it's accompanied by a strange, grinding noise that echoes faintly off the floorboards, and a glowing from behind the face

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[scienceandgod]

Arthur is too focused on his work to really pay any attention to the sound, at first at least. By the time he does look up, the Master is already in the room and grinning at him, looking anything but insulted. He quickly drops his pencil and reaches for a golden pocket watch laying on the desk amid a mess of notes, just within reach. A quick glance at it's face reveals that it is exactly three o'clock, which is good. For a moment the scientist had worried that time had flown by again, and he had missed the time of their meeting.

It's only once that worry is out of the way that it registers that the Master is in his house despite the fact that no doors were left unlocked, and that there is a grandfather clock resting against one wall that he knows was not there before. However, first things first.

'I apologize, though I don't seem to have lost track of time as much as I feared.' a pause. 'And you can call me Arthur.'

[laser_not_sonic]

The Master watches as a succession of emotions flicker over the man's face; he's quite as expressive as the Doctor, the Master finds with pleasure. Surprise, worry, and then something faintly disconcerted, as he surely takes in the unorthodox method of the Master's arrival. The Master smiles smoothly, brushing away his apology like a bothersome insect.

'Oh, it was time given to a worthy cause, I've no doubt. Arthur.' He adds Arthur's name almost like a postscript, and says it with relish. 'After all, I've all the time in the universe.'

Idly, he makes his way over to the desk, perching himself on the edge in a way which, entirely possibly, is an invasion of Arthur's space. Not that the Master's ever cared much for concepts of personal space. With amusement writ clear on his face, he surveys the pages and pages of notes and equations. Eddington, of course, has an extraordinarily inventive mind for his time, but the theories he's working over so laboriously really are laughably simple.

'Might I ask what was occupying you

[scienceandgod]

Arthur isn't used to having people sitting on his desk. He's not really used to having people this close, except perhaps for his sister, so it's a bit unsettling having the Master so close. He ignores the urge to move away, however and focuses on the papers before him. Discussing science, even in their current situation, seems to visibly calm Arthur.

When he begins to speak, the tone is more confident than before, less phased. 'The Hertzsprung-Russell diagram. I believe there's some correlation between mass and luminosity of stars, judging from the pattern. But I can't work out the exact equation.'

[laser_not_sonic]

If he's not used to it, he makes it quite clear; his discomfort positively radiates off him, and the Master thoroughly enjoys it. The Doctor's doppelgangers are always the objects of his harassment, simply because it's so damned fun, but he rather thinks that Arthur Eddington is going to get a bit more than that. Something a little subtler.

Because with Arthur Stanley Eddington, he could easily change the course of history. He's a revolutionary scientist; someone responsible for taking humanity in an entirely new direction academically and scientifically. Influence him in the right way, help him along here and there, and the world could be changed irrevocably- and perhaps not in any way Eddington himself might like. Not that such differences would seem to be a direct result of his work; causality, after all, is a lovely thing.

So he smiles indulgently. 'Ah, yes. And you're quite right, of course. Luminosity doesn't correlate directly with mass, which, I should imagine, should make things difficult for someone working within

[scienceandgod]

Arthur is, at this point, more than a little frustrated. He's been working longer hours lately, taking fewer breaks in between. Mostly, it's because he has little else to do, once his work at the University is done. He still goes on his routine bike rides, of course, but often times he finds himself riding either further out than intended or not going far enough, depending on how much sleep he got the night before. Partly, all this is due to having found a new theory to focus on, something that demands more of his attention than even the Astronomical Society, at times, though he still makes a point to at the very least make the meetings

[laser_not_sonic]

The Master watches in some pleasure as understanding quickly finds a place on Eddington's face. He is clever, without a doubt, and the Master enjoys that; human beings have such a limited intelligence, but Arthur Eddington manages to scrape just a little bit above that, struggling to understand the cosmos. He nods.

'As measured against what you'd call a main sequence star- one from about 80 to .08 solar masses,' he agrees, outlining the process further on the paper. 'Giants and supergiants don't quite adhere so neatly to the equation.'

He could go on, of course, sketching out the mass-luminosity relationships for O stars and G2 stars, but best, he rather thinks, to let Arthur get on on his own from here. He's perfectly capable of it, the Master has no doubt, and no scientist gets any great pleasure from having the answers handed to him. The Master's just given him a bit of a boost, so to speak. Something to speed things up. The tip of the pencil taps against the paper, indicating one of the new expressions- rad. p in

[scienceandgod]

Arthur is sure that, given enough time, he could have solved it. Come up with that solution on his own. But it would have been some time, and it's oddly relieving to know that he has at least been spared those hours of work. But he doesn't want the rest handed to him, not in the least. Then there would have been no sense in sitting here and spending his own time trying to figure things out himself.

He stares at the Master's new equation, making sense of it just as he did with the others. This one, at least, is somewhat easier to understand. But the Master's last comment makes him frown and look up, tearing his eyes away from the papers so that he can look at the Master, puzzlement obvious in his expression.

'There are better things to name it after, aren't there? Give it a more practical title.'

[laser_not_sonic]

Aww, and so modest. Bless. Eddington looks positively baffled at the suggestion, and the Master grins, letting the hand still resting on Eddington's shoulder trail lightly over his shoulders until it drops away entirely. It's difficult to resist the urge to pinch his cheeks or take his chin between finger and thumb, give him a condescending little smile. But that wouldn't do at all, and the Master is good at restraining himself.

'Oh, but people like to pay homage, don't they? Remember the clever ones, if only for their names. You live on, Arthur Eddington, you and your man Einstein.'

At that, the Master pushes himself off the desk with his hands, landing with a little hop that carries up through his frame as he bounces slightly on the spot. 'Anyway, easier for the layfolk to remember than some technobabble gobbledygook. But!' His tone takes a sudden turn for the upbeat. 'I believe I was here for tea, was I not? And you'll like my ship, I promise.'

[scienceandgod]

The touch still unsettles Arthur, though he's not really sure why. There's just something....different about it when it comes to the Master. Somehow it feels more intimate than it ought to be, despite the fact that it's only a simple hand on his shoulders. It's not an uncommon gesture, albeit with people that are more familiar with each other. He doesn't let his mind linger too long on it, though, and instead follows the other's movements, standing from his seat.

'I assume your ship has something to do with the grandfather clock on the wall?'

[laser_not_sonic]

Very much about the Master is unsettling; it's a talent he has. If dear Arthur thinks a hand across the shoulders is disturbingly intimate, oh, he should just wait. As Arthur's eyes slide over to Lolita, parked against one wall, the Master nods.

'The grandfather clock on the wall is my ship. A TARDIS, is what she's called. A ship composed entirely of dimensional physics.'

Or, well, mostly. The mathematics that made a ship like the TARDIS possible didn't entirely translate into a language as limited as English, but the Master made due. He knew, if nothing else, how to use to language best to his advantage, even when describing concepts it didn't really encompass. He cocked an eyebrow back towards the desk and its litter of papers.

'Sure I can drag you away from your numbers for a while?'

[scienceandgod]

Arthur is starting to think this might not be the best idea. Well, he'd had the thought since the beginning, but now it's been nudged to the very front of his conscience. There was something about the Master, his presence, the way he behaved....something he couldn't quite put a finger on, but knew was strange all the same. And it wasn't until he had met the man that it really occurred to him that he knew nothing about him, not really.

He had even been given a choice to turn back, if he so chose. Keep writing and working, as if nothing had ever happened.

But he wasn't going to back out. Couldn't, really. He was being offered too much, the chance to know so much more than he would if he simply stayed and work. Already, Arthur guessed that the Master was certainly a brilliant man. He wanted to find out the extend of that brilliance, see how much he could learn about the universe , all from this one chance.

'I'm sure it'll be more than worth my time.'

[laser_not_sonic]

'Good man!'

The Master grins that glittering, Prime Minister grin, inclining his head graciously at Arthur.

'I promise you, it will be even more than that.'

A bit of enjoyable harassment, certainly, and a great deal of science. The harassment would be mostly for his enjoyment, he concedes- though Arthur, if he unlaces himself a little, might be able to have a good time of it as well- but the knowledge he has to offer... oh, he knows Arthur won't be able to resist that. A scientist, a seeker after the truth, and here the Master was giving him more than he could possibly with to know.

This is going to be brilliant.

Gently urging Arthur towards the TARDIS with another faint touch of a hand on his back, the Master opens the door of the grandfather clock, stepping inside. Unlike the Doctor's TARDIS, a mess of coral and bits of this and that, wires tangled everywhere in confusion, Lolita's console room is beautiful, sleek and black as if carven from ebony. The scale is immense, vaulted like a cathedral, and the whole thing is

[scienceandgod]

Arthur follows along obediently,still somewhat unsure. But once the door is open and the Master steps inside, he can do nothing but stare.

The proportions are huge, indeed magnificent, and with a scale that reminds Arthur of the Grand Hall in the University. Except this is bigger, grander, and entirely unbelievable because it's the inside of a grandfather clock. He doesn't have to walk around to check it's size, this is bigger than the house itself, and besides that he doesn't think he could really make himself look away. Not that he wants to, not really.

Slowly, almost warily, Arthur takes a step inside. He's still looking around, trying to take in the sheer size and impossibility of this place. It's probably something that should make him back away, deny the Masters offer and return to his study. But it just makes him all the more curious, the more willing to stay and explore.

'Is this the whole of it, of your ship?'

[laser_not_sonic]

He loves it, that look that comes into their eyes when he first shows them the wonders that he commands. That wide open, mesmerised look, and without even any hypnotism necessary. It suits Arthur very well indeed, those dark eyes wide, lips faintly parted as he stares around himself, trying to comprehend, to rationalise, and a shark's smile curves the Master's lips.

At Arthur's words, he exhales a scornful little chuff of breath. 'The whole of it? Hardly. A TARDIS's interior is infinitely large, Mr. Eddington. We're standing in an entirely different dimension that that which exists outside.'

The Master strolls to the console, running delicate fingers caressingly along it. 'Keep walking,' he says musingly, 'and you'd never stop.'

((OOC: I say, have you got an AIM?))

[scienceandgod]

Perhaps because the Master claims it's infinite, Arthur begins to move forward. Deeper into the console room, into the TARDIS itself, all the while expecting to hit some sort of invisible wall. Something that tells him that no, it's not quite as large as it appears. It's all an illusion, because few things in this world are truly infinite. All things need an end, certainly those created by mortal hands.

But he doesn't reach an end. He doesn't reach a wall, or any sort of stopping point, and finally Arthur forces himself to cease taking steps forward and instead turn to the Master.

'It doesn't seem possible, any of it. But here I am, standing in the inside of a grandfather clock....'

[I'm Scarecrowfan on AIM]

[laser_not_sonic]

He watches patiently as Arthur sets off towards the far wall, down the nearest corridor that presents itself to him, idly tapping out a familiar, four-part drumbeat on the edge of the console. It's not long before he turns back around, and the Master almost sighs at the look on his face. He grins.

'Well, you know what they say about improbable impossibilities. Anyway, she's hardly an actual grandfather clock. Device called a chameleon circuit, allows the ship to change its appearance when necessary; camouflage, you know.'

The Master arches an eyebrow at Arthur, an expression that's somehow provocative. 'Tea? Nothing like superheated tannins to fire up the brain cells, after all, and perhaps I can do a little more explaining.'