Peri eyed the Doctor warily. He was doing something to the control panel, Peri guessed (well, anyone could guess, couldn't they?), but as a human unfamiliar with Gallifreyan technology, she had next to no idea just what he was doing.

"Doctor," she said nervously, desperately hoping he wouldn't shout at her, "just what are you doing, anyway?"

The Doctor looked up suddenly, accidentally dropping whatever tool he was using on the floor. "I don't think your mind's up to to the explanation," he informed her, retrieving the tool and continuing work.

Peri sighed. "Why?" she asked.

"Because," the Doctor replied, "what I am doing is in fact intensely difficult and you probably wouldn't be able to grasp the concept."

"Doctor," Peri protested. "I might be human, but -"

"But what?" the Doctor interrupted. "But what, Peri?"

"Stop mocking me," Peri ordered simply. She would have very dearly liked to go on to say that he should use his other body as an example as to the behaviour he should aspire to, but she realised that that would probably spark a shouting match off, which was not exactly the desired effect.

"Do you think I'm mocking you?"

"Yes," Peri replied quietly. "It's not very nice, you know."

"Compassion again, is it?" the Doctor said, sounding slightly angry now rather than merely stunned. "Peri, Peri, Peri. Peri."

"What is it?"

"You can't go on like that," the Doctor informed her. "Whether you like it or not, Peri, my old persona is not coming back. Not ever. Don't you agree that it would be a lot better, simpler and easier for you to merely adapt?"

"Well, I think you should have to adapt too!" Peri pointed out. "I was here first, you know - you've only been here a few hours!"

"Really, Peri. You humans get yourself so worked up," he stated matter-of-factly, adopting the same detrimental tone that had characterised his voice before.

"And I would appreciate it," Peri said, "if you would stop talking about the human race as though they were just an - oh, just an amusing little... specimen... or something..."

"Do I really do that, Peri?" the Doctor asked, before snorting with laughter. "Now look, Peri, you can go off to your room and have a little cry, if you like - I won't stop you. But whatever you do, Peri, no matter how many times you start carrying on, it won't change the fact that I am the Doctor now. I'm not even obliged to take you around the universe with me, you know Peri - I do it out of pure goodwill and generosity. Why, I could take you back to Lanzarote this minute."

"But Doct -"

"But you see, Peri, am I taking you back to Lanzarote? No, I'm not - so I'm not as bad as you seem to think I am, am I?"

Peri was not altogether too sure. "I'm going to get myself a cup of coffee," she announced, before departing the room, having decided to go with the Doctor's suggestion of crying.

The Doctor shrugged as he watched Peri go, and muttered to himself contemptuously, just one sentence: "I always seem to attract the complainers."