Master/Tegan
Series Title: The Best Way
Series Summary: Tegan finds truth in the old adage "The best way to get rid of an enemy is to make him a friend."
Author: Psi Fi
Rating: Will vary per chapter
Chapter Title: A Night Out
Chapter Summary: Unexpectedly, the Master and Tegan end up at a concert together.
Chapter Rating: G
Thank you to narcissima for betaing!
"So, where are we headed this time, Doctor?" Tegan asked, watching as the Doctor rushed around the control console, cheerfully flipping switches and pulling levers.
"We're going to the planet Nyfmiq in the year 52,830. They're holding a rather marvelous science exposition there. It lasted an entire Earth year and some of the best scientific minds of the era attended."
"Oh, joy," Tegan offered, sardonically, causing the Doctor to give her a hurt expression. "Sorry, Doc, but science just isn't my thing."
"Yes, I know," the Doctor sighed. "That's why I'm landing us in the third month. Yewtx and the Bramrovs were there at that time, giving a series of concerts. That and seeing a few plays or shopping should keep you entertained."
"Yewtx and the Bramrovs?"
"Don't worry so much, Tegan," the Doctor assured her as the TARDIS landed, handing her a small wallet of the local currency. "There you are. Are we ready?"
"I am," Turlough offered. "I'm quite looking forward to this. I've heard a lot about this particular exposition."
"Have fun, then," Tegan dismissed. "Any concert sounds better than that."
The Doctor shot her a mildly offended look, but led his companions out of the TARDIS onto a busy city street.
"There you are, Tegan," the Doctor offered, pointing up the street to an intersection. "Just go up to that intersection and turn left. The concert hall is a large brick building, two blocks up. You can't miss it. It has a large sign on it, saying Haldine Concert Hall."
"All right, Doc. Meet you boys back here later," Tegan responded cheerfully.
Tegan followed the simple directions to the concert hall. Entering the building, Tegan approached the front desk, operated by a pretty alien female. She appeared mostly human, except there were mottled brown and tan feathers on her head and cascading down her back. Her eyes were a dark yellow, with the pupil of a bird. She had full lips, curved into a gentle smile, beneath a straight nose. A name badge proclaimed her name to be Pryta.
"Hello, I'd like to see the concert, please," Tegan greeted.
Pryta gave a nervous twitter, before apologizing, "I'm sorry, I'll have to see if there are any seats left. Yewtx is very popular and we filled up rather rapidly. He's about to begin. Give me just a moment."
Pryta rapidly pressed buttons on a datascreen in front of her, scanning rapidly. Her brow was furrowed and finally she stopped.
"There's one seat left, but it's at a table for two, with one other customer. Is that all right?"
"Sure, that's fine," Tegan assured her, smiling.
"Let me just go warn the other guest," Pryta instructed, taking Tegan's money for her ticket. Pryta disappeared for a few moments, then came back, the feathers on her head fluttering slightly.
"I'm sorry. The...gentleman agreed, but...he wasn't very pleased with the arrangement. If you'd like to come back tomorrow night, I can give you a ten percent discount," Pryta offered.
"No, that's all right. I can handle myself," Tegan assured her.
"Well, this man makes me a bit nervous," Pryta admitted. "You see all kinds in this business, but..."
Tegan considered, briefly, then shrugged.
"I'm just here to see the concert. I'm sure the gentleman and I can ignore each other peacefully."
"All right," Pryta conceded, nodding. "If you'll follow me, please."
Tegan followed Pryta into the auditorium. The musicians were playing to a limited audience, who were seated in comfortable chairs around small tables. The patrons were enjoying drinks and, if they chose, plates of food. The room held only about two hundred guests. Pryta led Tegan to a table towards the front and stopped. Tegan stared in disbelief at the back of the man whose table held an empty chair. She saw black velvet over broad shoulders, leading to a tall, silver-embroidered collar.
"Here we are," Pryta offered with false cheer. "I'm sorry for the inconvenience, but I'm sure you'll have a pleasant evening together."
"I came to see a concert, not to be set up on a blind date," the Master informed her brusquely, not bothering to turn around.
"It's not a date, it's simply sharing your table as a courtesy," Tegan snapped.
Tegan bit her lip, nervously, as the Master spun around in surprise. She was almost relieved to see he didn't appear angry anymore, but that feeling rapidly abated, when his lips spread slowly into a predatory smile. Tegan felt Pryta beside her twitch nervously, a small birdish sound of worry fluttering from her throat. The Master stood and gave their hostess only the briefest glance, before studying Tegan openly.
"Tegan Jovanka," he chuckled. "Well, this is a pleasant surprise!"
"Um, you know, there are some brothers I know attending the concert," Pryta offered, anxiously. "I'm sure one of them would gladly give his seat to you and share this gentleman's table."
"No, I'll be fine," Tegan assured her, hoping she was telling the truth. "We know each other. No need to disrupt someone else's evening."
"Are you sure..." Pryta began.
"She said so, didn't she?" the Master interrupted coldly. "You needn't be concerned."
"Well, it might help, if you stopped being rude," Tegan pointed out, sulkily. "She's just doing her job."
The Master's black brows arched in sardonic humor. Turning to Pryta, he smiled charmingly, giving a small bow.
"I beg your pardon, Miss Pryta. It was not my intent to be rude," the Master informed her silkily, his tone light and amused. "I assure you the young lady will be quite well. Would you mind having a waiter bring us two glasses of wine...a good Sauternes, perhaps?"
Pryta looked at Tegan, who nodded, giving a slight smile.
"As you wish, sir, miss," Pryta agreed, rushing off to place the order.
The Master watched her leave, chuckling slightly, then walked around the table and held Tegan's chair out for her. Tegan accepted the courtesy, placing her purse on the table and watching the Master as he sat down again. Her pulse raced slightly, as thoughts of their past encounters swirled in her head.
Putting their sexual encounter behind her had proved harder than Tegan had bargained for. She was disturbed by the fact that she could still remember his taste and the clean scent of whatever soap he used. Now, sitting at a table with him, Tegan tried to push all of that aside, reminding herself that, above all, the Master was dangerous.
"So, how did I gain the pleasure of your company this evening?"
Tegan shifted slightly, answering, "The Doctor and Turlough are at a science exposition. Science doesn't interest me much, so the Doctor recommended this concert to me. Why aren't you at the exposition?"
"I was," the Master informed her, smiling. "I attended it both yesterday and earlier this afternoon. You're a fan of Yewxt and the Bramrovs?"
"No, I've never heard of them," Tegan admitted. "I don't even know what kind of music they play."
"The music they play is called voxomplessa. Voxomplessa is where a vocalist leads a small band or orchestra, usually of less than seven members, with instruments such as piano, guitar, keyboard, and saxophone, without reference to any type of geographic region."
"That sounds like rock and roll to me!" Tegan exclaimed as a waiter came by, depositing two glasses of wine on the table. The Master took his glass and gave a careful sip, before nodding his approval to the waiter, who hurried off. Tegan took a careful sip of the wine and found it was sweet, tasting of honey.
"Thank you," Tegan offered the Master politely.
"You're welcome. Rock and roll is a type of voxomplessa, certainly. However, American country music is another type," the Master explained, nodding to the stage as Yewxt came out and began introducing himself to the audience.
As Yewxt began speaking, the lights turned down, leaving the stage bright and the audience in semi-darkness. Tegan turned her attention to the musicians, listening to the first song with interest and pleasure. The group was very talented and Tegan enjoyed watching the lead singer dance and sing. Engaged as her interest was, though, Tegan found herself shooting glances every so often at the Master, who was leaned comfortably back in his chair, sipping his wine. After awhile, the Master caught her gaze and smiled.
"Is the music to your liking?" he asked, the music loud enough to hide their conversation, but not so loud as to prevent it.
"Yes, it's very good. I wouldn't have thought it was your type of music, though," Tegan admitted, before she could stop herself.
"What sort of music did you think I would listen to?" the Master asked, visibly amused.
"I don't know," Tegan responded a bit defensively. "Something with...orchestras and military marches, I guess."
The Master laughed.
"Hm, I do enjoy those as well," he agreed. "However, Yewxt and his piano player are both very talented."
"They are that," Tegan conceded, allowing this new knowledge to reshape slightly her internal image of the Master. She stopped there, uncertain what to say, what questions he would tolerate, or even if she really had any she wanted answered.
Tegan turned her attention back to the concert, losing herself for awhile in the music, letting it sweep over her emotions and tickle her imagination. She wished she knew the words well enough to sing along a bit, if only under her breath, and made a mental note to buy some of the group's music to play in the TARDIS. Tegan studied the alien musician, comparing him to rock stars from her own time and place.
Yewxt himself was...well, not handsome in any human sense, but pleasant to look at, all the same. He was about seven feet tall, and very lean in the lines of his body. His leathery skin was a light brown, with a slight bluish tinge to it. The tips of large wings just poked up over his shoulders. Every once in awhile, at moments of great passion or importance, the wings would flare out, sending a slight breeze into the audience that Tegan was just close enough to feel. Yewxt's face was too sharp and his nose too undefined to look human, but his eyes were large and a beautiful brown color. His mouth was very small, but with full, well shaped lips.
"He's considered very handsome," the Master informed her suddenly, his tone even and indifferent, "and not just by women of his own species."
Tegan stared at him a moment, confused by his comment, then shrugged, replying, "He's nice to look at, I guess. I'm not sure I'd use the word handsome. Interesting, maybe."
The Master smirked at this, turning to face her a bit more.
"Many humans have disagreed with you, my dear. He's had quite a few of your species as lovers."
"I wasn't being...speciesist!" Tegan hissed, offended. "Maybe I'm just not the type to fall at the feet of every rock and roll star that comes along!"
"Actually, I'm fairly certain that speciesist isn't a word," the Master observed.
"It is now!" Tegan informed him, flatly.
"If you insist," the Master conceded, chuckling. "Still, you must admit there's something rather romantic about falling for musicians. They have a certain mystique that almost always appears in species that listen to music, particularly if their musicians travel a lot."
Tegan leaned forward, with her elbows on the table, resting her cheek against her hand. She studied the Master for a moment, trying to fit the pieces of him, both what he said and what she had experienced herself, into a rational whole. To her, the pieces seemed mismatched and confusing. The Master stared openly back at her, his expression curious, with the ends of his mouth quirked up in amusement.
"Well?" he prodded.
"I guess I'm just not the groupie type," Tegan answered, trying to steer the conversation to safer ground, but rather failing, when she couldn't resist adding, "and I wouldn't have thought you would be, either!"
The Master just shrugged, telling her, "Talent is always attractive, my dear."
"Yeah, fame and money don't hurt, either."
"How very cynical of you," the Master scolded, lightly, his voice rumbling slightly with laughter.
"It's not cynicism, it's just a fact," Tegan defended. "Look at Mick Jagger! Really, how many people would want to sleep with him, if he was selling used cars? Half the time people sleep with rock stars, it's just because of their fame, not because they find them attractive. Another quarter of the time, it's just cause they're confusing their feelings for the music, with feelings for the musician."
The Master blinked in surprise.
"You seem to have given the issue a lot of thought!"
Tegan gave an embarrassed chuckle, blushing a bit.
"Sorry about that. When I was at school, I had to talk a girlfriend out of running off with a local singer. She got all soft in the head over him and he wasn't even that..." Tegan broke off, shrugging, realizing the story couldn't be of much interest to him.
If unaffected by the history, the Master didn't seem bothered. He merely shrugged lightly at the information, responding, "Well, I did use the word romantic. I don't think many people would describe running off with a musician as rational."
"True enough," Tegan agreed, wanting to keep as much peace as possible.
The Master turned back to the music, chuckling softly. Tegan bit the inside of her lip, determined to make it through the rest of the concert silently. She reminded herself that she hadn't come here to socialize, certainly not with the Master, and she didn't need to make small talk. She sipped nervously at her wine, watching Yewxt spin around the stage.
Yewxt was playing faster songs than before and a pulse of joy and energy fueled his song. Tegan leaned back, smiling, and began tapping her foot to the beat. She found herself moving her shoulders and nodding her head, too, unashamedly losing herself in the upbeat music. Wanting to get a good look at the outfits on the background singers, Tegan looked to the left and found the Master staring at her, his lips quirked in almost rueful amusement. She stared defiantly back, which made the Master smile wider.
Tegan started to say something to the Master, but was interrupted by Yewxt himself.
"You've been a great audience, gentle beings. I have two more numbers to play for you, then it will be time to bid you goodnight. I hope you have enjoyed the show and I hope to see you again. This next piece is called More to You."
The audience clapped briefly, then quieted down as Yewxt began singing. Tegan pouted a bit, wondering what she would do with the rest of her night.
"You don't look pleased, my dear," the Master observed.
"Well, it was an awfully short concert," Tegan complained.
To her surprise, the Master gave her an incredulous look and laughed.
"What's so funny?" Tegan asked, annoyed.
"My dear, two hours is quite long enough for a concert, I should think," the Master laughed.
Tegan checked her watch and discovered the Master was right. Two hours had, indeed, passed. She blushed, not sure how to respond. She kept her eyes glued to the stage, until Yewxt wound up his show, taking multiple bows and thanking the audience again, before the opaque field that had replaced the traditional curtain turned on. The lights brightened and everyone began filing out.
Tegan stood to join the others, turning to the Master, who was standing and straightening his tunic. She started to wish him a good evening but he walked around to her and laced her hand through his arm.
"Come, my dear Miss Jovanka. I'll walk you out," the Master announced.
"All right," Tegan conceded reluctantly.
The Master led her silently outside, into the twilight of early evening, somehow managing to keep them from being jostled by the crowd. Tegan walked silently beside him, wondering why he was prolonging things. Tegan was relieved, when the Master turned them towards the exposition. Somehow, the Master led them unerringly to the TARDIS. He stopped within eyesight, turning to Tegan and letting go of her hand.
Tegan stared up at him, feeling a blush beginning to creep across her cheeks. The air felt charged and she felt a tingling deep in her lungs. She tried to find something sensible to say, but her mind felt sluggish. She looked helplessly at the Master, noting the way the light breeze ruffled his hair. She studied the planes of his face, noting the elegantly arched eyebrows and the strong jaw, with its neatly trimmed beard leading to his mustache. Tegan lost patience with herself, when she had to force herself to not linger on his mouth.
"Well, thank you for sharing your table," Tegan began, trying to find a way to say good night.
The Master didn't respond to her words, but reached out to her, tracing his fingers gently across her jaw to her chin and tilting her head up. He ran his thumb gently across her cheek.
"This lighting suits you, my dear," the Master informed her.
Tegan swallowed, unsure how to respond. She wasn't sure what the Master saw in her expression, but it made him laugh. He placed his hand on the back of her head and pulled her forward into a kiss. He let his mouth linger teasingly on hers, before withdrawing, wearing a pleased smirk.
"You really do love being contrary, don't you," Tegan chided calmly.
"You're getting to know me quite well, it seems," the Master acknowledged, smiling gently.
He took her hand and kissed it softly, keeping his eyes on hers. Tegan couldn't help smiling a little, charmed despite herself.
"Good night, my dear," the Master offered, ending the tension.
"Good night."
The Master bowed, then turned and began walking back the way they had came. Tegan watched him disappear down the street, before turning and hurrying to the safety and stability of the TARDIS.
Series Summary: Tegan finds truth in the old adage "The best way to get rid of an enemy is to make him a friend."
Author: Psi Fi
Rating: Will vary per chapter
Chapter Title: A Night Out
Chapter Summary: Unexpectedly, the Master and Tegan end up at a concert together.
Chapter Rating: G
Thank you to narcissima for betaing!
"So, where are we headed this time, Doctor?" Tegan asked, watching as the Doctor rushed around the control console, cheerfully flipping switches and pulling levers.
"We're going to the planet Nyfmiq in the year 52,830. They're holding a rather marvelous science exposition there. It lasted an entire Earth year and some of the best scientific minds of the era attended."
"Oh, joy," Tegan offered, sardonically, causing the Doctor to give her a hurt expression. "Sorry, Doc, but science just isn't my thing."
"Yes, I know," the Doctor sighed. "That's why I'm landing us in the third month. Yewtx and the Bramrovs were there at that time, giving a series of concerts. That and seeing a few plays or shopping should keep you entertained."
"Yewtx and the Bramrovs?"
"Don't worry so much, Tegan," the Doctor assured her as the TARDIS landed, handing her a small wallet of the local currency. "There you are. Are we ready?"
"I am," Turlough offered. "I'm quite looking forward to this. I've heard a lot about this particular exposition."
"Have fun, then," Tegan dismissed. "Any concert sounds better than that."
The Doctor shot her a mildly offended look, but led his companions out of the TARDIS onto a busy city street.
"There you are, Tegan," the Doctor offered, pointing up the street to an intersection. "Just go up to that intersection and turn left. The concert hall is a large brick building, two blocks up. You can't miss it. It has a large sign on it, saying Haldine Concert Hall."
"All right, Doc. Meet you boys back here later," Tegan responded cheerfully.
Tegan followed the simple directions to the concert hall. Entering the building, Tegan approached the front desk, operated by a pretty alien female. She appeared mostly human, except there were mottled brown and tan feathers on her head and cascading down her back. Her eyes were a dark yellow, with the pupil of a bird. She had full lips, curved into a gentle smile, beneath a straight nose. A name badge proclaimed her name to be Pryta.
"Hello, I'd like to see the concert, please," Tegan greeted.
Pryta gave a nervous twitter, before apologizing, "I'm sorry, I'll have to see if there are any seats left. Yewtx is very popular and we filled up rather rapidly. He's about to begin. Give me just a moment."
Pryta rapidly pressed buttons on a datascreen in front of her, scanning rapidly. Her brow was furrowed and finally she stopped.
"There's one seat left, but it's at a table for two, with one other customer. Is that all right?"
"Sure, that's fine," Tegan assured her, smiling.
"Let me just go warn the other guest," Pryta instructed, taking Tegan's money for her ticket. Pryta disappeared for a few moments, then came back, the feathers on her head fluttering slightly.
"I'm sorry. The...gentleman agreed, but...he wasn't very pleased with the arrangement. If you'd like to come back tomorrow night, I can give you a ten percent discount," Pryta offered.
"No, that's all right. I can handle myself," Tegan assured her.
"Well, this man makes me a bit nervous," Pryta admitted. "You see all kinds in this business, but..."
Tegan considered, briefly, then shrugged.
"I'm just here to see the concert. I'm sure the gentleman and I can ignore each other peacefully."
"All right," Pryta conceded, nodding. "If you'll follow me, please."
Tegan followed Pryta into the auditorium. The musicians were playing to a limited audience, who were seated in comfortable chairs around small tables. The patrons were enjoying drinks and, if they chose, plates of food. The room held only about two hundred guests. Pryta led Tegan to a table towards the front and stopped. Tegan stared in disbelief at the back of the man whose table held an empty chair. She saw black velvet over broad shoulders, leading to a tall, silver-embroidered collar.
"Here we are," Pryta offered with false cheer. "I'm sorry for the inconvenience, but I'm sure you'll have a pleasant evening together."
"I came to see a concert, not to be set up on a blind date," the Master informed her brusquely, not bothering to turn around.
"It's not a date, it's simply sharing your table as a courtesy," Tegan snapped.
Tegan bit her lip, nervously, as the Master spun around in surprise. She was almost relieved to see he didn't appear angry anymore, but that feeling rapidly abated, when his lips spread slowly into a predatory smile. Tegan felt Pryta beside her twitch nervously, a small birdish sound of worry fluttering from her throat. The Master stood and gave their hostess only the briefest glance, before studying Tegan openly.
"Tegan Jovanka," he chuckled. "Well, this is a pleasant surprise!"
"Um, you know, there are some brothers I know attending the concert," Pryta offered, anxiously. "I'm sure one of them would gladly give his seat to you and share this gentleman's table."
"No, I'll be fine," Tegan assured her, hoping she was telling the truth. "We know each other. No need to disrupt someone else's evening."
"Are you sure..." Pryta began.
"She said so, didn't she?" the Master interrupted coldly. "You needn't be concerned."
"Well, it might help, if you stopped being rude," Tegan pointed out, sulkily. "She's just doing her job."
The Master's black brows arched in sardonic humor. Turning to Pryta, he smiled charmingly, giving a small bow.
"I beg your pardon, Miss Pryta. It was not my intent to be rude," the Master informed her silkily, his tone light and amused. "I assure you the young lady will be quite well. Would you mind having a waiter bring us two glasses of wine...a good Sauternes, perhaps?"
Pryta looked at Tegan, who nodded, giving a slight smile.
"As you wish, sir, miss," Pryta agreed, rushing off to place the order.
The Master watched her leave, chuckling slightly, then walked around the table and held Tegan's chair out for her. Tegan accepted the courtesy, placing her purse on the table and watching the Master as he sat down again. Her pulse raced slightly, as thoughts of their past encounters swirled in her head.
Putting their sexual encounter behind her had proved harder than Tegan had bargained for. She was disturbed by the fact that she could still remember his taste and the clean scent of whatever soap he used. Now, sitting at a table with him, Tegan tried to push all of that aside, reminding herself that, above all, the Master was dangerous.
"So, how did I gain the pleasure of your company this evening?"
Tegan shifted slightly, answering, "The Doctor and Turlough are at a science exposition. Science doesn't interest me much, so the Doctor recommended this concert to me. Why aren't you at the exposition?"
"I was," the Master informed her, smiling. "I attended it both yesterday and earlier this afternoon. You're a fan of Yewxt and the Bramrovs?"
"No, I've never heard of them," Tegan admitted. "I don't even know what kind of music they play."
"The music they play is called voxomplessa. Voxomplessa is where a vocalist leads a small band or orchestra, usually of less than seven members, with instruments such as piano, guitar, keyboard, and saxophone, without reference to any type of geographic region."
"That sounds like rock and roll to me!" Tegan exclaimed as a waiter came by, depositing two glasses of wine on the table. The Master took his glass and gave a careful sip, before nodding his approval to the waiter, who hurried off. Tegan took a careful sip of the wine and found it was sweet, tasting of honey.
"Thank you," Tegan offered the Master politely.
"You're welcome. Rock and roll is a type of voxomplessa, certainly. However, American country music is another type," the Master explained, nodding to the stage as Yewxt came out and began introducing himself to the audience.
As Yewxt began speaking, the lights turned down, leaving the stage bright and the audience in semi-darkness. Tegan turned her attention to the musicians, listening to the first song with interest and pleasure. The group was very talented and Tegan enjoyed watching the lead singer dance and sing. Engaged as her interest was, though, Tegan found herself shooting glances every so often at the Master, who was leaned comfortably back in his chair, sipping his wine. After awhile, the Master caught her gaze and smiled.
"Is the music to your liking?" he asked, the music loud enough to hide their conversation, but not so loud as to prevent it.
"Yes, it's very good. I wouldn't have thought it was your type of music, though," Tegan admitted, before she could stop herself.
"What sort of music did you think I would listen to?" the Master asked, visibly amused.
"I don't know," Tegan responded a bit defensively. "Something with...orchestras and military marches, I guess."
The Master laughed.
"Hm, I do enjoy those as well," he agreed. "However, Yewxt and his piano player are both very talented."
"They are that," Tegan conceded, allowing this new knowledge to reshape slightly her internal image of the Master. She stopped there, uncertain what to say, what questions he would tolerate, or even if she really had any she wanted answered.
Tegan turned her attention back to the concert, losing herself for awhile in the music, letting it sweep over her emotions and tickle her imagination. She wished she knew the words well enough to sing along a bit, if only under her breath, and made a mental note to buy some of the group's music to play in the TARDIS. Tegan studied the alien musician, comparing him to rock stars from her own time and place.
Yewxt himself was...well, not handsome in any human sense, but pleasant to look at, all the same. He was about seven feet tall, and very lean in the lines of his body. His leathery skin was a light brown, with a slight bluish tinge to it. The tips of large wings just poked up over his shoulders. Every once in awhile, at moments of great passion or importance, the wings would flare out, sending a slight breeze into the audience that Tegan was just close enough to feel. Yewxt's face was too sharp and his nose too undefined to look human, but his eyes were large and a beautiful brown color. His mouth was very small, but with full, well shaped lips.
"He's considered very handsome," the Master informed her suddenly, his tone even and indifferent, "and not just by women of his own species."
Tegan stared at him a moment, confused by his comment, then shrugged, replying, "He's nice to look at, I guess. I'm not sure I'd use the word handsome. Interesting, maybe."
The Master smirked at this, turning to face her a bit more.
"Many humans have disagreed with you, my dear. He's had quite a few of your species as lovers."
"I wasn't being...speciesist!" Tegan hissed, offended. "Maybe I'm just not the type to fall at the feet of every rock and roll star that comes along!"
"Actually, I'm fairly certain that speciesist isn't a word," the Master observed.
"It is now!" Tegan informed him, flatly.
"If you insist," the Master conceded, chuckling. "Still, you must admit there's something rather romantic about falling for musicians. They have a certain mystique that almost always appears in species that listen to music, particularly if their musicians travel a lot."
Tegan leaned forward, with her elbows on the table, resting her cheek against her hand. She studied the Master for a moment, trying to fit the pieces of him, both what he said and what she had experienced herself, into a rational whole. To her, the pieces seemed mismatched and confusing. The Master stared openly back at her, his expression curious, with the ends of his mouth quirked up in amusement.
"Well?" he prodded.
"I guess I'm just not the groupie type," Tegan answered, trying to steer the conversation to safer ground, but rather failing, when she couldn't resist adding, "and I wouldn't have thought you would be, either!"
The Master just shrugged, telling her, "Talent is always attractive, my dear."
"Yeah, fame and money don't hurt, either."
"How very cynical of you," the Master scolded, lightly, his voice rumbling slightly with laughter.
"It's not cynicism, it's just a fact," Tegan defended. "Look at Mick Jagger! Really, how many people would want to sleep with him, if he was selling used cars? Half the time people sleep with rock stars, it's just because of their fame, not because they find them attractive. Another quarter of the time, it's just cause they're confusing their feelings for the music, with feelings for the musician."
The Master blinked in surprise.
"You seem to have given the issue a lot of thought!"
Tegan gave an embarrassed chuckle, blushing a bit.
"Sorry about that. When I was at school, I had to talk a girlfriend out of running off with a local singer. She got all soft in the head over him and he wasn't even that..." Tegan broke off, shrugging, realizing the story couldn't be of much interest to him.
If unaffected by the history, the Master didn't seem bothered. He merely shrugged lightly at the information, responding, "Well, I did use the word romantic. I don't think many people would describe running off with a musician as rational."
"True enough," Tegan agreed, wanting to keep as much peace as possible.
The Master turned back to the music, chuckling softly. Tegan bit the inside of her lip, determined to make it through the rest of the concert silently. She reminded herself that she hadn't come here to socialize, certainly not with the Master, and she didn't need to make small talk. She sipped nervously at her wine, watching Yewxt spin around the stage.
Yewxt was playing faster songs than before and a pulse of joy and energy fueled his song. Tegan leaned back, smiling, and began tapping her foot to the beat. She found herself moving her shoulders and nodding her head, too, unashamedly losing herself in the upbeat music. Wanting to get a good look at the outfits on the background singers, Tegan looked to the left and found the Master staring at her, his lips quirked in almost rueful amusement. She stared defiantly back, which made the Master smile wider.
Tegan started to say something to the Master, but was interrupted by Yewxt himself.
"You've been a great audience, gentle beings. I have two more numbers to play for you, then it will be time to bid you goodnight. I hope you have enjoyed the show and I hope to see you again. This next piece is called More to You."
The audience clapped briefly, then quieted down as Yewxt began singing. Tegan pouted a bit, wondering what she would do with the rest of her night.
"You don't look pleased, my dear," the Master observed.
"Well, it was an awfully short concert," Tegan complained.
To her surprise, the Master gave her an incredulous look and laughed.
"What's so funny?" Tegan asked, annoyed.
"My dear, two hours is quite long enough for a concert, I should think," the Master laughed.
Tegan checked her watch and discovered the Master was right. Two hours had, indeed, passed. She blushed, not sure how to respond. She kept her eyes glued to the stage, until Yewxt wound up his show, taking multiple bows and thanking the audience again, before the opaque field that had replaced the traditional curtain turned on. The lights brightened and everyone began filing out.
Tegan stood to join the others, turning to the Master, who was standing and straightening his tunic. She started to wish him a good evening but he walked around to her and laced her hand through his arm.
"Come, my dear Miss Jovanka. I'll walk you out," the Master announced.
"All right," Tegan conceded reluctantly.
The Master led her silently outside, into the twilight of early evening, somehow managing to keep them from being jostled by the crowd. Tegan walked silently beside him, wondering why he was prolonging things. Tegan was relieved, when the Master turned them towards the exposition. Somehow, the Master led them unerringly to the TARDIS. He stopped within eyesight, turning to Tegan and letting go of her hand.
Tegan stared up at him, feeling a blush beginning to creep across her cheeks. The air felt charged and she felt a tingling deep in her lungs. She tried to find something sensible to say, but her mind felt sluggish. She looked helplessly at the Master, noting the way the light breeze ruffled his hair. She studied the planes of his face, noting the elegantly arched eyebrows and the strong jaw, with its neatly trimmed beard leading to his mustache. Tegan lost patience with herself, when she had to force herself to not linger on his mouth.
"Well, thank you for sharing your table," Tegan began, trying to find a way to say good night.
The Master didn't respond to her words, but reached out to her, tracing his fingers gently across her jaw to her chin and tilting her head up. He ran his thumb gently across her cheek.
"This lighting suits you, my dear," the Master informed her.
Tegan swallowed, unsure how to respond. She wasn't sure what the Master saw in her expression, but it made him laugh. He placed his hand on the back of her head and pulled her forward into a kiss. He let his mouth linger teasingly on hers, before withdrawing, wearing a pleased smirk.
"You really do love being contrary, don't you," Tegan chided calmly.
"You're getting to know me quite well, it seems," the Master acknowledged, smiling gently.
He took her hand and kissed it softly, keeping his eyes on hers. Tegan couldn't help smiling a little, charmed despite herself.
"Good night, my dear," the Master offered, ending the tension.
"Good night."
The Master bowed, then turned and began walking back the way they had came. Tegan watched him disappear down the street, before turning and hurrying to the safety and stability of the TARDIS.