x02 [visual][Locked to the Doctor]

[beholdthedrums]

The Master has been productive since he’s left the other Time Lord to poke into the business of the city. Checking the lay of the land, keeping tabs on the people, begrudgingly thinking of how to deal with the woman preaching about the Ori. Currently he was leaning towards letting her go about her conversion attempts and possibly wiping out part of

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[visual]

[who_never_would]

The Doctor looks up from his place by the console when his PDA chirps at him, unpropping his feet and reaching over to pick up the little device. Noting the man on the other end of the line, he sets down his copy of The Fountainhead, and hits "accept" on the screen.

He gazes back at the Master for a moment, canting his head to one side. There's the working at the back of his head, something mixed between fear and good humor. The Doctor is in fairly high spirits at the moment, so he flashes the Master a devil-may-care grin, and twiddles his fingers at him.

"'allo," he replies, reaching over and dog-earing the page. "Something?"

[visual]

[beholdthedrums]

Well, at least the Doctor wasn't sulking in a corner, saturated with guilt. Who knew what sort of damage a companion could cause, after all. Perhaps he simply pushed her away and went on to ignore her for better things, like explosives. The Master painfully wants to ask about the girl, but he won't. He'll watch the former companions in the city without the Doctor knowing it, thank you. It's good to keep a running tally of his sources so that he can form a back-up plan (or several).

"Oh, you know," the Master replies casually, "I was curious if you've looked into what we discussed at all." Explosives, destruction - not getting bogged down by the past or trying to help sort out the people here from this Ori nonsense. Let those people be destroyed, Doctor. It'd do Taxon a favor, no doubt.

As if the preaching woman could destroy the Time Lords, after all. Right?

[who_never_would]

Who knows. He might have been before he started reading. After all, he is reading Rand, and who knows what that might signify. The Doctor leans forward, tapping at the screen on the console - it's gotten a little bit of an update since the Master's last used it, and he draws up schematics and chemical compound conducive to their last conversation, and turns the PDA so the little camera is no longer focused on him, but the screen instead

[beholdthedrums]

Okay, so showing his knowledge of one companion isn’t that much of a loss. This is where the Master’s ‘worry’ lies, so he might as well clear it up swiftly. Unfortunately for him, his knowledge of ‘Ace’ is very limited; they met very briefly, and at the time the Master had little care for her. He wanted off the Cheetah Planet, and he was able to get that from one of the girl’s friends. A shame he didn’t know of her talent with explosives.

“I’m sure you are, Doctor.” The Master scoffs, although there is a very faint, impressed flicker that crosses his gaze. That second design could do quite nicely, indeed. “And how is your dear old assistant?” That’s what the girl was at the time, after all. He leans forward, eyes narrowing in suspicion.

ugh short post is short..

[who_never_would]

"Not so well," replies the Doctor, looking to the side to avoid looking quite at the Master so much. "She uh, doesn't exactly believe it's me. You know, she knew Seven, and that was... blimey I don't even want to think about how long ago that was, really. Not a good time for you either, I should imagine."

fff no worries~

[beholdthedrums]

Oh good, they weren't all buddy-buddy, then. That still gave the Master a chance to 'win the girl over', so to speak. Just enough that he could have higher influence over her than the Doctor... after all, a moment like that must have been heartbreaking.

"You did leave me to die, Doctor," he tells the other, little of any emotion in his voice. He had of course been trying to kill the Doctor at the time, but that's completely besides the point. This may as well have been an everyday chat to him. He could bring bitterness into it, but he wouldn't.

[who_never_would]

Well, not so much. The Doctor certainly isn't happy about this, and it's unfortunately clear in his expression - despite the cheek and his usual gravity-defying act that he's weighed down a little by the idea that Ace doesn't really want to recognize him. Heartbreaking isn't really a strong enough word - more like, oh goodness, this person's just outed with a sledgehammer and a meat tenderizer and bashed the poor organ into a bloody pulp and then whirled it about in a food processor.

"Eh, let's let bygones be bygones," replies the Doctor, flashing the Master a wary, but cheerful grin. After all, the Master was trying to kill him. "You made it out, you always do one way or another. Keeps things interesting! What's life without a little peril anyway, little near-death experience. Boring!"

[beholdthedrums]

Still the same old, same old then. It seems he'll have to put up with this side of the Doctor for now at least, until he can harvest his darkness. But would this regeneration ever let up on it? Probably not. The Master had to keep his expectations low when he dealt with the other Time Lord.

"The universe does so much hate to let me go. What would it be like without 'the Master', hm?" Rhetorical question, that. He's really not sure whether or not he wants the Doctor to answer it, so he moves on, "This city is boring enough. How long have you had to suffer in it?" he asks, wrinkling his nose. "The only bit of excitement around here right now is that Ori business, but no doubt that'll blow over soon, and then what'll we be left with?" He laughs, over-gesturing with his hands, tossing them up and looking at a loss.

Of course there are those delightful little explosives the Doctor had just barely revealed to him.

[who_never_would]

"Oh, I dunno," the Doctor tilts his head back, staring at the ceiling of the TARDIS. He checks in with her mentally for a moment, asking how long the ship has been there, when he gets his answer, he turns his attention back towards the Master, or at least in his general direction. "Awhile. Long enough to be bored of it, right? The Ori nonsense seems fairly harmless in terms of destruction and all, the only people she seems to have convinced are those drones ambling about out there and if she's gets too pesky I'll deal with her. Or you can, though honestly, I don't think it's much worth the effort

[beholdthedrums]

He did mind.

The Master, of course, had no qualms with taking out a few citizens along with some buildings - the point of this was to get the city’s program to react with defenses, after all, correct? So, would it not jump more instantly to protect the people, as well as its property? Though there was a chance that if everything - except for the people - was simply made of program, and that was all that needed protection…

But the Doctor didn’t need to know he thought that.

Still, they had to start small; or, the Master had to have the Doctor start small, and then eventually work up to chaos. Not a care for human life - for any life! Compared to that of a Time Lord, any other was insignificant, and everyone in the universe needed a reminder of that. Always.

Taxon needed to know that in the first place

[who_never_would]

The Doctor does, though. For as weird and twisted as he's been getting he's not quite about ready for indiscriminate murder, and the Master should probably recognize that in the way the other Time Lord chews on the wire in his mouth, uncertainty showing in his features. "Yeah, my petty need to preserve life is pretty strong. I'm thinking some of the outer districts, maybe something prominent in the park with a smaller explosive, uh

[beholdthedrums]

His eyes scan over the blueprints and he takes down some shorthand notes out of sight; he would rather a look of his own, close up, at some of these places. The casual, interested tourist. Or lost. Which ever excuse sounds better at the time. Either way, he'd probably whisk up a different outfit for the occasion.

Can't have anyone being suspicious of him as the bomber now, can he?

Oh wait, yes he can. It's so much more fun that way! Stay away from the crazy Time Lord, or he'll find where you live and wreck it!

The Doctor may have caught a few moments of the Master's amusement over his face, before it settled back down to business. Once they knew where they would do it and the finer details, the Master could handle patiently waiting for things to calm down again. It gave him more time to 'socialize'. Draw people to his side, one way or another. Whether it was the 'innocent' side of Harold Saxon, or the 'corrupt' side of the Master. He could appeal to all kinds of people

[who_never_would]

"We're doing everyone a favor by drawing out the city's defenses. It'll give them something to rally against instead of moping about and doing nothing with themselves. If an enemy appears, it'll be interesting, and if not, well... then... I suppose the city will rebuild itself and that'll be that." The Doctor leans back in his chair with a weary exhalation.

"I'll send you all of this nonsense," and he does so. The Master's tablet should cheep at him cheerfully - or to whatever ringtone he's got set up for a data transfer as the TARDIS sends him [begrudgingly, she might add], the information for the explosives and the set points in the buildings where he'll place them.

The Doctor leans forward against the console, looking up at the Master.

"Go amuse yourself with that for the time being. I'll talk to you later, I've got some chemistry to do."

And with that, he clicks the PDA off and sets to work.