32 // [Dream]

Jan 13, 2010 17:14

[The Master rarely sleeps. As an old acquaintance of his said once, "Sleep is for tortoises." And that's at least one thing he's said that the Master can agree with. Why sleep when there are so many more, interesting options for what he could be doing?

Of course, given long enough, he does need sleep, but that's not what's happening tonight. Tonight ( Read more... )

the master misses his tardis, more mastery than usual, affected by curse, secretly evil, dreamscape, the drums, time lord

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go wild; Jade can handle it trollomancer January 13 2010, 23:03:26 UTC
For just a moment, there's a young boy standing in the snow outside the TARDIS, reaching for it urgently.

"Professor--"

Then he blinks, and he's a full-grown man, a good quarter-century older, and he knows that can't be the house he once accidentally burnt down with an ill-advised arte, mortally injuring the woman inside. It's much too small. But for a moment it certainly looked that way.

Jade stands there in the snow of his hometown for a while longer, still smelling the fire, and regards the little hut in front of him. He waits until awareness trickles through to him.

"Hmm..."

He lays a hand on the door.

"The City will even interfere with dreams. How cruel."

But he's a curious man, and so he opens it.

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neverendingbeat January 14 2010, 00:46:44 UTC
If this was a normal TARDIS, the door would have opened into the control room. But that room is protected and distant in the Master's dream and instead the room ahead is filled with people, not so many that personal space is not available but enough that the gymnasium-sized room contains approximately 200 people. The room is grey and drab and so are the people. They are all dressed in the same grey shirts and trousers, men and women and children alike and they all have the same expectant, waiting air about them. The air is heavy with despair. The room is concrete, dimly lighted and empty, except for a high balcony at one end.

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trollomancer January 14 2010, 00:58:14 UTC
Once he's stepped into the room, Jade evaluates it--and allows himself a moment to frown. Of course, he's figured out that it's a dream, and not one of his usual ones--although how it's different, he's not sure. The only way to tell is to keep going. But still, he's a little dismayed at the lack of internal logic it shows. This room is far too big.

He notes the despair, but does not allow himself to be affected by it. The emotions of others are something he observes, not something he takes part in. The frown fading into his usual calm almost-smile, he makes his way for the balcony.

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neverendingbeat January 14 2010, 04:43:32 UTC
Someone catches at his sleeve when he's halfway through the room. A young woman, maybe only 18.

"You musn't, sir," she says urgently. "You're so obvious already...you shouldn't--" She cuts herself off from what she is about to say, and changes it to, "Our Master is merciful. Our Master is kind..." She seems desperate now, though her voice is still hushed. "But...but...you really musn't! Head to the corners, sir, it's the only way you might...the only way."

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trollomancer January 14 2010, 04:49:24 UTC
He stops as his sleeve is caught, not because he has to (he could easily shrug the girl off), but because what she has to say might be important.

Jade listens without the slightest change to his expression. "Thank you for your concern," he says when she's done, "but I think I'll decline your advice."

He turns back to the balcony, and it occurs to him for the first time that it's possible his artes won't work here. It's a dream created by the City, as far as he knows--he's not in control. But that only makes it more important to act like he is.

Besides, it's only a dream. He moves forward.

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neverendingbeat January 14 2010, 06:26:43 UTC
The people in the room suddenly get restless and it's soon evident why. From a door that wasn't previously there, the Master emerges onto the balcony, smiling down at them. Despite Jade's brightness in the grey surroundings, he doesn't seem to register him yet.

"Hello, sheep, room 475!" he says joyfully. The people are utterly silent. "Aren't you lucky to warrant the attention of your Master! Of course, lucky to an extent, obviously. As I've decided to remove you all entirely from the system. Now, now, don't be sad. It's nothing personal. It's completely arbitrary and only because I was bored." He raises his laser screwdriver and fires randomly into the crowd. A young man far off to the left of Jade screams and slumps to the ground. The people barely react. This makes the Master a little bit cross, and he aims more carefully this time, picking off a little girl.

"Go on!" he says. "Dodgeball! it's no fun if you don't run!"

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trollomancer January 14 2010, 15:56:12 UTC
Well, this changes things. It means this isn't just the City altering dreams--it's the City merging dreams. Jade remembers this man, although meeting on the Network is rather different than meeting in dreams.

He makes no effort to save the people around him. He can tell this is a dream, after all, and any heroics would probably be useless. Instead, he wonders, "Would you mind telling me if this is a memory or a fantasy?"

His own dreams hardly say nice things about him either. Jade isn't going to judge just yet.

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neverendingbeat January 14 2010, 16:22:48 UTC
The Master lowers his laser screwdriver to shoot the speaker and then halts.

"You're not really here," he says flatly. "Memory or fantasy, why does it really matter?" He moves his screwdriver to shoot a few more people instead, and the girl's mother who had moved to crouch over her body, becoming just another body, slumping over her. "If this were a proper fantasy, I should think they would run, wouldn't you?!"

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trollomancer January 14 2010, 17:59:00 UTC
"Of course," Jade agrees. "If I were really here, I'd be fighting you." His voice is still conversational.

He doesn't bother asking why, because he understands well enough. Instead he says, "There's no reason to expect them to run when it wouldn't make any difference. People give up."

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neverendingbeat January 14 2010, 19:16:05 UTC
"They shouldn't in my fantasy," says the Master, pouting a bit, and then he shrugs. "All right, I'll tweak it slightly."

And the scene shifts abruptly. There's only a dark tunnel, still grey and barely lit but it's empty. And then a man, one of the people from the previous room, runs past Jade, breathing hard. The Master's voice fills the tunnel suddenly, over some sort of intercom.

"You were right, I'll admit it. The little spark of hope, I was missing that. Now," and the vicious grin is audible in his voice, "let's see if you can find your way out!" He laughs and yells, "Run, sheep! The gate is open and there's a wolf in your folding!"

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trollomancer January 14 2010, 21:26:17 UTC
Jade watches impassively. Seeing people terrified is as nothing to him. He's caused that sort of expression enough times himself, after all.

He observes. There's nothing more to be done, and by observation, perhaps he can gain some way to deal with this man--or whatever he is--in the waking world.

When he finally speaks, his voice is still calm. "I see...so it's a distraction."

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neverendingbeat January 14 2010, 22:22:04 UTC
"Party pooper," says the Master, appearing in the tunnel ahead of Jade, arms folded like a petulant child. "Do try to be more specific. A distraction for me, to pass time? Or the distraction being the concept of freedom?"

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trollomancer January 14 2010, 22:36:32 UTC
"A distraction for you, of course." Now that Jade's annoyed the Master, at least a little bit, he feels more comfortable. No surprise there. "From the drums. Am I correct?"

On the inside, he's bracing himself, although for what, he's not sure. It's not like he can truly fight back here. But on the outside, he's as cool and composed as ever.

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neverendingbeat January 15 2010, 05:29:27 UTC
"You can hear them?" says the Master, seeming truly excited for a moment before reconsidering. "Of course, I could be projecting them into the dream." He sighs. "I don't do everything for them, really. I don't. This doesn't have to be... I'm just having fun. The distraction is a side-effect." He is very convinced of this, or at least, that's what it looks like.

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trollomancer January 15 2010, 20:30:34 UTC
"I expect anyone in this dream can hear them," Jade replies, as calm as ever. "You'll forgive me if I don't see what's so fun about this. After all, what are you learning about these people?"

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neverendingbeat January 16 2010, 01:47:17 UTC
"I already know they're sheep," says the Master. "I don't need to learn anything else. I'm sick of learning about humans. This is fun because--" Because he's proving that he's more powerful than them, that he's superior, even if their species is still alive and his isn't. Because there's a certain exhilarating joy in the hunt, in killing. Because the Doctor loves stupid humans and if the Master destroys them, if he can take them apart to find their core then maybe he'll be able to prove that the Doctor's wrong about them. Because he's always wanted to own what the Doctor wants, so that the Doctor can't have it.

"Different ideas of fun, I expect," says the Master thoughtfully. He doesn't need to explain himself. "You've only wandered into one specific dream." He ponders this a moment and then grins. "You're the exit, now. New rules: if they can take you down, they get to leave. Let's see what I can learn about you."

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