"I can't believe you had the nerve to suggest that!" Tegan snapped.
"Look, I'm telling you this, as your friend," Turlough huffed. "We're talking about the Master, for goodness's sake! It's not like you have a lot to offer someone like him!"
Tegan's jaw dropped and her hands twitched, before she folded her arms firmly across her chest. She didn't want to ruin the evening, before it even started, and giving Turlough a sharp slap across the face would probably do just that! She took a calming breath, but her eyes were filled with rage.
"Fortunately, the Master doesn't seem to see it that way!"
"Oh, look I didn't mean it like that!" Turlough urged, impatiently. "It's just...you're not rich, nobility, or a scientist who builds weapons! If he can't use you to conquer the universe, that really only leaves him with one motive, doesn't it?"
"That might leave you with only one motive," Tegan countered. "The Master is more mature!"
"You're giving him far too much credit and you're going to end up hurt!" Turlough scolded. "Doctor, please, talk some sense into her!"
The Doctor came forward reluctantly, plastering on a fake smile and hoping to defuse the situation.
"We can't make her decisions for her, Turlough. Tegan has the final say, the only say, in her personal life. True, the Master isn't trustworthy, per se, but he's usually fairly honest about his intentions. And, he is capable of affection. Remember, he used to be a very good friend of mine."
"Oh, yes, until he started in with the murder attempts," Turlough scoffed.
Tegan snorted and gave Turlough a pointed stare. He blushed, looking down, then back at the Doctor, pleadingly.
"Tegan, mistaken in his ideas about the Master or not, Turlough does only have your best interests at heart," the Doctor reminded her sternly. "Now, why don't we end this for now? I suggest we find a table."
The Doctor led his companions to the tables that were set up on one side of the ballroom. Most of the room was set aside for dancing, but there was a buffet, as well. The prince and princess of Regelon IV were celebrating their third wedding anniversary and the Doctor had a standing invitation to their parties. Tegan sat down at a table near the dance floor, still smarting from Turlough's insinuations. Each table held a platter of hors d'oeuvres and two bottles of wine, red and white. The Doctor sighed silently and glanced with feigned interest at the offerings, while Turlough twisted his napkin, frowning slightly.
Tegan jumped, when she felt something smooth and cool brush across the back of her neck.
"You don't seem to be enjoying yourselves, my dears. Surely, the food isn't disappointing?"
"Well, hello, you," Tegan greeted the Master, beaming.
"Good evening, Master," the Doctor offered cordially.
"Doctor, Turlough," the Master greeted, giving a small bow. He lifted Tegan's fingers to his lips for a brief kiss, before taking a chair and sitting down beside her.
"Master," Turlough acknowledged, unable to keep from sounding a bit sulky.
"Is there a problem?" the Master asked with feigned mildness.
"They're young," the Doctor informed him, dismissively. "They tend to quarrel more than is necessary."
"I just wonder what your intentions towards my friend are, actually," Turlough burst out, unable to refrain from speaking his mind. "You're not exactly trustworthy, you must admit."
"As a matter of fact, I do admit it. Go on, boy. What advantage do you think romancing Tegan gives me...beyond the pleasure of her company, of course?"
"None that I can think of," Turlough admitted, pointedly, "which leads me to conclude that a certain pleasure is all that you are after!"
Tegan winced and the Doctor tensed, both expecting the Master to lash out at the rash young man. The Master, however, merely sat back, chuckling.
"You were foolish enough to suggest that to her?" the Master inquired, his lips spread into a sardonic smirk.
"You said yourself that romancing her gives you no advantage," Turlough persisted. "What other use could you have for her!"
"You underestimate her," the Master corrected, frowning. "Tegan has many fine qualities that I appreciate, even if you do not."
"I do appreciate them..." Turlough began, fuming.
"Excellent," the Master interrupted. "Then you'll accept that our relationship is mutually satisfying in more respects than one and leave it at that."
"Yes, I agree-innocent, until proven guilty, and all that!" the Doctor interrupted. "I think that's enough for one evening, Turlough. Why don't you find someone to dance with?"
"Fine," Turlough agreed, resignedly, marching off to the dance floor with wounded dignity.
"Actually, I think that's a good idea," the Master agreed, standing. "Would you like to dance, Tegan?"
"I'd love to," Tegan agreed, smiling, though the Master noticed her expression wasn't as bright as it usually was, under similar circumstances.
The Master led Tegan to the dance floor, placing one hand on her waist and the other around her fingers. She settled in to the dance position, with a small sigh. The Master began leading her around the dance floor, giving her a moment to fall into rhythm, before addressing her again.
"You shouldn't heed that foolish boy, Tegan," the Master instructed, his tone cool and calm, while his hand caressed her waist gently.
"He did a bit of a number on my ego," Tegan admitted, soberly. "I never claimed to be a great intellect or scientist, but I never thought of myself as being completely useless, either."
"Nor are you. Let me put it to you this way, my dear," the Master explained. "Gallifrey is full of intellects and scientists. It's considered, by the Time Lords who choose to remain there, to be nearly a paradise, a place where scientists can pursue intellectual pursuits to their hearts' content...yet, the Doctor and I both fled the place, getting as far away from it and its people as we could. We prefer to be out here, among species that don't always value science and intellect for their own sakes."
"There is that," Tegan admitted, her smile a bit brighter, a slight tease entering her voice. "Though, you and the Doctor have expressed some impatience with us lowly humans in the past!"
The Master just smiled serenely.
"Well, as for the Doctor, arrogance is another specialty of Time Lords. We're taught at the Academy to be careful of other species and how our behavior and superior knowledge can unduly influence them. Even the Doctor can't find it easy to throw off over a century of indoctrination."
"O-kay. That's his reason. What's yours?"
"Oh, my motive for denouncing other species is even simpler. It irks the Doctor!" the Master admitted, grinning smugly.
Tegan burst into giggles, her ill humor vanishing. The Master smiled in triumph.
"You two really are a couple of schoolboys!" Tegan scolded merrily. "I feel sorry for your teachers, I really do!"
"Hah!" the Master scorned, grinning. "They deserved everything they got, believe me! Anyway, it wasn't so bad for them. Back then, the Doctor and I got along splendidly, despite the damage we did to each others schoolwork."
"Yeah, he said as much," Tegan admitted, smiling softly and wishing she could get a glimpse of those boys from long ago.
"Did he?" the Master asked, a bit surprised. "That's unusual."
"I was surprised," Tegan agreed. "He almost never talks about his past, not in any detail, anyways."
"That's not very surprising. His life on Gallifrey isn't worth talking about and his life since has been much as it is now."
"You make it sound like a terrible place," Tegan observed, tilting her head back to study his expression.
"As I said, the Doctor and I both fled," the Master agreed, sounding mildly amused. "Oh, it's marvelous, in some ways, with no crime and little poverty or other social ills. Still. Its society is corrupt and stagnant, never changing and never learning. Neither of us could bear it."
"So you fled to conquer the universe and the Doctor to save it," Tegan concluded wryly.
"That gives us each a credit for organization and foresight that we don't deserve," the Master contradicted, sardonically. "Neither of us had such grand plans. We just wanted to be out in the universe and living, rather than existing! If we thought about it at all, I suppose we imagined ourselves pursuing science and higher learning."
"Yes, you two do love your science," Tegan agreed, exasperated.
The Master just laughed, spinning her around by her hand.
"How very tedious of us, inflicting dull science on such an active young lady," the Master mocked, gently.
"Absolutely terrible," Tegan agreed cheerfully.
The Master's reply went unvoiced. Turlough approached, looking a bit sheepish.
"I'm sorry, Master, but would you mind, if I cut in?"
The Master arched an eyebrow, then turned to Tegan, his expression inquiring. Tegan hesitated, then gave a nod, smiling ruefully.
"As you wish," the Master agreed amiably, bowing and giving her hand a brief kiss, before handing it over to Turlough.
The Master went back to their table and sat down across from the Doctor. He studied the young ones for a moment, but they seemed to be getting along well enough. Tegan was smiling, now, and Turlough looked almost apologetic. Satisfied, the Master turned to his old friend and nemesis, who was finishing up describing a cricket play to a lady at the neighboring table. Sensing the Master's presence, the Doctor looked from him to the dance floor, not bothering to hide his curiosity.
"Turlough's apologizing, I believe," the Master informed him, shrugging.
"Ah, yes, good! Tegan certainly seems much more relaxed," the Doctor agreed, smiling cheerfully.
"I must say, I'm rather pleasantly surprised. I thought you would object to my relationship with her."
"Well," the Doctor began, shrugging helplessly, "it's really none of my business, is it? Anyway, if you were going to romance a companion as part of some scheme, I imagine you would have done it a long time ago, perhaps with Jo Grant. There certainly would be more logical choices than Tegan."
"True," the Master agreed, smiling. "She certainly has a will of her own."
"Yes and a rather sharp tongue to go with it," the Doctor observed drily.
"I did say she has qualities that I admire," the Master reminded him.
"Indeed, you did. Then again, if this were part of some scheme, it's taking you quite a long time to spring your trap. Five months is a bit excessive."
"Ludicrously so," the Master agreed, amiably.
"So, I have to conclude that your interest in Tegan is personal and nothing to do with me or your ambitions. Of course, that doesn't mean that I don't feel concern for her, either," the Doctor finished, a slight warning tone entering his voice.
"She's as likely to hurt me, as I am to hurt her," the Master observed, acknowledging the threat with a slight tilt of his head.
"I'm rather surprised, all things considered. I thought you despised humans on principle."
"I'm not that petty. They've done me no wrong."
"Yes, well, no, they haven't," the Doctor agreed, "but you thought..."
"I was mistaken and that was a long time ago," the Master interrupted, coldly. "Life forces all of us to grow up sooner or later."
"Growing up doesn't have to mean growing cynical."
"Perhaps not, but it does mean accepting the darker nature of the universe and not hiding behind sentiment and platitudes. Like it or not, Doctor, the universe is not kind."
"All the more reason for us to be! I'd rather cast light, no matter how dim, than be overcome by darkness. You used to shine, Koschei!" the Doctor lamented.
"You're idealizing the past, my friend, but there's little point in arguing. Our philosophies are too far apart these days."
"I just wish you would listen to reason!"
"What an interesting accusation for you to be making!" the Master said pointedly.
The Doctor sighed, nodding, "All right, yes, I do owe you an apology for the Death Zone. I'm sorry I assumed you were guilty. I should have given you a fairer hearing."
"Thank you," the Master acknowledged simply, satisfied.
Smiling, the Doctor opened a bottle of wine, pouring them each a glass of the rich, red fluid. He handed one to the Master, who took it graciously. Tegan and Turlough soon re-joined them, helping themselves to wine.
"Are you two getting along?" Tegan asked, trying not to seem worried.
"Well enough, my dear," the Master assured her, smirking.
"And what of you and Turlough?" the Doctor asked. "Are you getting along?"
"Well enough, thanks," Turlough quipped.
"I'm glad to hear it. Now, perhaps, we can enjoy the ball," the Doctor suggested.
"Yes, a night of dancing and good food is just what we need," Tegan agreed.
"Ah, but how are you going to convince the Doctor to dance?" the Master teased.
"I've no objection to dancing," the Doctor protested.
"No? Yet, you can so rarely be persuaded."
"Well, maybe he doesn't enjoy dancing," Turlough speculated.
"I do enjoy dancing, thank you, Turlough!"
"What is this, "pick on the Doctor" night?" Tegan objected.
"Oh, I wouldn't want to confine that to a single night!"
"Yes, we have noticed that, Master," the Doctor assured him sardonically.
Tegan stood up, laughing.
"Come on, you," she urged the Master. "You can practice what you preach, instead."
Chuckling, the Master leaned back in his chair, staring up at her in amusement. Tegan waited patiently, grinning and stubborn. Laughing harder, the Master stood and bowed to her, before taking her hand.
"She's also somewhat bossy," he pleasantly reminded the Doctor and Turlough.
"Oh, now that is one of my better qualities," Tegan confirmed, as the Master led her off to dance, the Doctor and Turlough watching in bemusement.
"Better him than me," Turlough vowed, shaking his head.