Five Years Ago.
Thandel Everton surveyed the class in front of him through narrowed eyes. It was devastatingly clear to him that none of the young Gallifreyan students had any interest in his lecture.
"Yes, Mister Oakdown," Thandel smiled and pointed to Koschei Oakdown, the one student who was paying attention in a room of over one hundred students.
Koschei rose from his seat, notebook in hand. "The solution would be to construct a calibrator device," he stated matter-of-factly, before returning to his seat with a satisfied smirk on his face.
Thandel nodded in agreement and tried not to notice young Rysra Tinslety biting her lip and looking him up and down. He shot her an exasperated look for what seemed like the millionth time that day, tired of having to discourage her inappropriate advances every class.
"Right, so that brings me to your project," he perked up, relishing the groans he received in response. "You will be constructing a calibrator device according to the specifications I have discussed in today's lecture," more groans from the students who weren't paying attention, "and just because I know you all love when professors do this, I have decided to give you all partners of my choosing."
Thandel was beaming with delight at the reaction; in his opinion, it was one of the better parts of being a professor at the Time Academy. While shaping the minds of soon-to-be Time Lords and Ladies was fulfilling and all, it was the little things that made Thandel's job rewarding.
"Before you leave, check the sheet at the front of the room for your partner," he said, dismissing the class. He sat down behind his desk in the corner of the room and filed papers, pretending to not notice the few students who procrastinated in the room; they would undoubtedly delay his escape from the Academy for the night.
"Thandel," a particularly whiny voice drawled dramatically. Thandel's head lifted with an amused expression as he looked at the girl in front of him.
"How can I help you this time, Oliviana?" Thandel chuckled, knowing he was annoying his younger sister.
Oliviana pouted and was about to stomp her feet in mild frustration, but thought better of it and resorted to tossing her books on her brother's desk. "I really don't think I should have to do this assignment. Father says I need to practice my other courses more than this one. How am I supposed to do that when you assign me so much work?" she complained, absently twirling her brown hair around her fingers.
"Well, you tell father that if he wants to dictate how to teach almost-Time Lords, then he can become a professor."
Oliviana rolled her eyes and laughed at her brother's attitude. "Seriously, Thandel, how am I supposed to learn all of this? You know I don't understand any of it."
"Well," he drawled, smiling, "since you happen to be one of my favorite students, I decided to do you a favor and find you someone to teach you everything."
Oliviana grimaced, not particularly savoring the idea of someone in her year teaching her things she didn't want to learn in the first place. "Who's my tutor then?"
Thandel's face lit up in a large smile that barely hid his excitement. "Koschei, heir to House of Oakdown," he declared very audibly in a grandiose manner.
Oliviana's face flushed as the other students in the room fell silent and either looked at her or at Koschei, who was sitting over his notebook. At the mention of his name, Koschei's head snapped up and stared agape at Oliviana.
Oliviana's throat tightened and her mouth dried up instantly. She turned to her brother, hoping she had misheard him. "Koschei?" she hissed, narrowing her eyes at Thandel.
Oliviana raised her eyes upward and inhaled deeply, calming down. Oliviana couldn't deny that Koschei was captivating. No, captivating wasn't the right word, she thought, he was enchanting. His dark brown eyes that peaked out from under his dark brown hair smoldered whenever their eyes caught from across the room.
Thandel only grinned back at her, pleased with his arrangement, and even more pleased that his mother had suggested it to him, all done without Oliviana's knowledge. Lady Everton had asked him to pair Oliviana and Koschei up, to put the idea into Lord Oakdown and Lord Everton's heads to arrange a marriage between their two.
"Oliviana, I thought we would begin by constructing a calibrator device together," Koschei declared as he seated himself opposite Oliviana.
Oliviana was too intently focused on arranging one of the ringlets in her hair that had fallen out to notice Koschei had spoken. She was anxious, that much was evident, but she was also reluctant to cause Koschei think she was a simpleton like other girls in their year at the Academy were.
Mainly Rysra, Oliviana thought, smiling at the thought of Rysra trying to figure out how to build the device with Theta Sigma.
An hour into the task, Oliviana found herself beginning to nod off as Koschei lectured her about the individual components of the device they would have to construct.
There's only three more hours to go. Oliviana straightened her spine, set her jaw, and turned to her tutor with a reinvigorated sense of resolution not to be made the fool this time.
"Koschei, you're not doing your side of the calibrator properly," Oliviana sniffed, snatching the device from his hands. It was a lie, obviously; everyone in their year at the Academy knew that he was by far the most brilliant student.
Koschei's dark eyes scrutinized Oliviana's smug face with righteous indignation. "Oliviana! What the hell do you think you're doing with the calibrator? You don't know the first thing about it!"
Oliviana simpered at her tutor's consternation. Truth be told, she took pleasure in vexing Koschei.
Picking up a tool, she faced her incensed partner. "Calm down. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you blew a gasket in your brain, dear Koschei," she teased, tampering with the calibrator.
"Anyways, why do you think I don't know anything about this? Look at my side of the device, it's flawless!"
"Flawless!" Koschei exclaimed, scarcely believing her audacity. Anticipating his next actions, Koschei briskly seized the device from Oliviana's control while she was grabbing another tool.
Before she could object, Koschei cut her off. "We have to complete this project before we graduate from the Academy, Oliviana, and for that to happen, we need to stop this arguing. You work on this side of the calibrator," he pointed to the smaller, trivial part of the device, "and I'll work on the other side of it, okay?"
Conceding that her tutor was probably right, Oliviana resumed working on the device, albeit on her small part of it. "So what are your plans for after graduation?" she inquired, in part because she enjoyed making small talk and in part because she knew he despised it.
Koschei didn't look up from the device as he replied. "My father wants me to go into politics, so I'll probably do modest assignments for the High Council at first, maybe work my way up to be a Council member after some time."
Oliviana let out a faint, impressed whistle. "Sounds utterly riveting," she jested. She knew that his father wanted him to go into politics like every other male of the Oakdown family, despite the fact that Koschei was a mastermind in the fields of engineering and inventing.
Koschei chuckled at her reaction, "It's not like you will be doing anything more useful, is it?"
"You know my parents don't have any ambitions for me," Oliviana scowled in chagrin.
"And why would they?" Koschei asked rhetorically. "Your family is very prestigious. Your responsibility as the heiress is to secure a formidable marriage alliance."
Oliviana rolled her eyes at his undisguised mirth. "I am flattered that you are finding the energy to mock me, Koschei. Real sympathetic."
Koschei finally raised his gaze from the calibrator and looked fixedly into Oliviana's eyes. A subtle smile graced his enticing lips and Oliviana blushed upon realizing that she just described his lips as enticing. "And I am flattered that you are finding the energy to adore me, Oliviana."
Oliviana sputtered and looked away, praying her cheeks didn't flush even further at being discovered. "I was not adoring you."
"I beg to differ," he stated matter-of-factly. He continued to work on the calibrator, complacent with the knowledge that he disconcerted Oliviana.
"Well no one asked you for your opinion anyway."
"Admit it," Koschei chuckled, knowing that he was about to send Oliviana's hardly-present concentration into a tail-spin, "you are attracted to me."
Oliviana's jaw dropped along with the tool she was holding. She took a few moments to regain her composure as she bent below the table to retrieve the tool. Sitting back up she looked directly into Koschei's eyes in defiance. "So what if I am?"
Koschei hadn't anticipated for her to challenge him. Instead of Oliviana being the one caught off-guard, it was Koschei who found himself in that position.
The drums in his mind, which had been muffled for a few moments, began hammering away again, albeit more accelerated, corresponding to the hammering of his hearts.
Koschei put the calibrator down onto the table and reciprocated Oliviana's gaze. "Then that changes everything."
Oliviana's hearts careened as her stare challenged his. "Meet me at my estate tonight for dinner."
Koschei laughed in surprise. "Isn't it a little too early to be dining with your parents and brother, Oliviana?"
"No of course it is! They won't be home tonight."
"Isn't it a little too early for relations such as those that would require the absence of your parents and brother?"
Oliviana's eyes widened as she discerned exactly what Koschei was getting at. "No! That's not what I meant!" she stuttered, fretfully trying to make up for the misconception.
"I know," Koschei laughed, entertained once more at her discomfort.
Composing herself, Oliviana continued, "It's only that I know you like to explore and there's this hidden area on the grounds of the estate that is absolutely bewitching at dusk and I think you might like it."
"I'll be at your estate then," Koschei smiled, his hands caressing hers for the slightest moment, before retracting it under the table. "I'll be there."