A/N: Thanks for all the wonderful reviews. This is a shorter chapter but lots of detail to it and we meet a few more characters to the story and what part they play.
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Chapter Three: The Collector
Ms. Lora Lai sat down in her office, an office that was a perfect replica of a library from Victorian era London. The room seemed warm and cheery and a fire burned in a nearby fireplace. Her clothing was in the same Victorian fashion. She wore a blue dress with a white lacy bodice. Around her neck she wore a string of pearls, from Old Earth, a very pricy heirloom to have, as Earth had exploded over one million years earlier. But Lora, who also went by the nickname Lokei, loved the style of the Victorian era and she went to an extracting amount of detail to replicate a Victorian style in the year six billion and forty-three. But among the old fashion décor, Lora installed the technology of the age in her room. She sat down for tea in a warm brown hewed chair with an antimacassar on it, close by the roaring fire.
She had many servants, for Lora Lai was rich and extravagant, and very much an elitist of the highest caliber. Her tea was poured and serviced by a reptile looking alien, which was called a Kai'cha. He wore a suit, but it did not suit him. Kai'cha rarely wore clothing; clothing limited the graceful movement of their body. His scales were green but shone various colors of reds, blues, purples, and oranges as it reflected the light of the room. His tail casually twitched back and forth and his tongue occasional came forth tasting the air. He hissed out, "Will that be all Msss. Lai?"
Lora smiled lightly, "Yes, that is all and don't forget to serve Mr.Wilden as well."
The servant hissed, "SSScertainly, Mssss Lai." And the servant carefully poured out tea to Ms. Lora's guest.
Mr. Charles Wilden was a human that looked to be over 45 years old. He was a bit stout and had a bit of a brown mustache, which Lokei had basically badgered him to grow. Although he hated to dress up in the fashion of Old Earth Victorian era, anyone who saw her was basically forced to dress up in the same style as she did. Charles wore a nice brown suit. But he knew one thing and that was you did not play games with Lokei, for she held a powerful temper and was not to be crossed by any means.
Lora smiled, "How is my latest acquisition to my menagerie doing, Mr. Wilden?"
Mr. Wilden sighed, he did not exactly approve of Lokei's collection, some of the exhibits, were dangerous to hold onto and Mr. Wilden feared that one of these days she would end up biting off more than she could chew.
"He's doing well, Lokei. Considering the methods you went to obtain him."
She frowned, "Are you questioning my methods, Charles? As far as I could remember, I have always wanted the last of the Time Lords. His kind died out a long time ago. He is the last one, the only one. His history can be found scattered among the fragments of Old Earth history and then some. Don't tell me what I can and can not have, Charles."
He shivered lightly; he knew full well that some of Lokei's staff occasionally disappeared, only perhaps to turn up later in one of the more primal exhibits.
"No, Lokei. I am not questioning what you do. I just…" He sighed, "I could never say no to some of your more eccentric hobbies. When you asked to go on that archeological expedition to Katora V, did I ever say you couldn't? When you went out of your way to start your menagerie, did I complain once? But this has got to stop, Lokei, you'll drive yourself mad with trying to replicate golden ages and classic periods. I know how fond you are of various histories and how fond you are of the terrors and marvels of the universe. But it's got to end one of these days, Lokei. I…I care for you. More so than anyone else, I just wish we could settle down, live a normal life and forget trying to scavenge the universe for rare curios. I have seen how much effort and resources you have poured into finding the last Time Lord. Now that you have found him and posses him as your own, can we please leave Patmos VII? Go on holiday perhaps. It would do us both good."
Lora sighed, "Charles….I never knew you felt this way. But….I am so close to acquiring my next piece to my menagerie, I can't leave now. I can't possibly find the time to do so."
Charles got up from his chair; his tea was cold, as he had not touched it. "I am sorry Lora, but I can't live like this anymore. From one rare find to the next. I am sorry. I love you, but you clearly love something else more than me. Good bye..."
He took his hat and plopped it on his head, "If you ever…"
She glared at him, "Get out….. Get out….before I change my mind."
Charles rushed out of Ms. Lai's office. He did not see her cry bitter tears into the arm of her chair.