New clothes, old faces, and lots of surprises. Tegan finds some numbers in a closet. The party has begun!
Tegan hurried across the dimly lit dance floor then out into the brighter gathering area. The light here was softly golden, evoking to her mind candlelight. The assembled guests parted to let her through to the Doctor, who held out his hand in invitation. In white and gold, he was the brightest figure present. She took his hand and let him settle her at his side.
The Doctor started to speak, but Tegan didn't take in a word he said. When she faced the crowd, she immediately saw Keludar standing at the back. The golden light picked out his blond head, but did little to illuminate his clothing. Just as the Doctor was the brightest figure present, Keludar was the darkest.
She felt a warning squeeze on her arm, though the Doctor continued speaking with no change in his voice. "May this gathering and all Gallifrey experience a peaceful Otherstide." The greeting concluded, he led her forward to circulate among the guests. People drifted off into smaller groups to speak with each other or partake of the refreshments.
A tall red-haired Time Lady moved into their path. Instead of a gown, she was wearing the military style jacket and trousers in Arcalian green. Her adoption of the military look included her hair. It resembled an old-fashioned sugar-bowl cut with straight, blunt ends. "Good evening, Lord President." Her blue eyes flicked to Tegan, and she added civilly, "And to you, madam."
"Good evening, Lithasomralirdan. I'm so glad you came; splendid trousers. Tegan, allow me to present Lady Lithasomralirdan, Gallifrey's Prime Director of Celestial Harmonics. Lady Litha, my companion, Lady Tegan of Sol 3."
"Hello," said Tegan breathlessly. What was this 'Lady Tegan' business all of a sudden? She was going to have a word with the Doctor when she could get him in private.
"Welcome to Gallifrey, Lady Tegan." Litha's stare would have normally been intimidating, but past her shoulder, Tegan could see Keludar. He glanced briefly in her direction.
"I hope you intend to dance, Litha. Very good exercise, dancing," the Doctor said enthusiastically.
"That is the intent behind these trousers. I find I approve of them." She glanced over at Chancellor Flavia.
"Perhaps there will be a trend and I'll have to wear a dozen meters of cloth only on the most solemn occasions."
"Or maybe just add a stalk of gilded celery?" Tegan asked to be saying something. The stately Lady Litha made her feel like a dwarf.
"Celery?" Litha looked bemused.
The Doctor coughed. "A sometime affectation of this incarnation. Excuse me, my lady, I promised to introduce Tegan to everyone."
She smiled and moved on. The Doctor and Tegan walked only a few steps before another guest came to them. This one was a tall man wearing a deep red Guard uniform with silver trim. His hair was a mass of blond curls, and he was powerfully built for a Gallifreyan. "Lord President." He inclined his head slowly.
The Doctor's arm tensed under Tegan's hand. "Commandant Maxil. How nice of you to join us."
"I'm on duty, as Commander Andred is attending. 'A guard may rest–'"
"'--but the Guard never does.' I have no doubt that you will oversee your duties tonight with the dedication I remember so well. Tegan, Commandant Maxil is the highest-ranking Guardsman. Commandant Maxil, this is Lady Tegan, my guest."
Maxil had the eyes of a policeman, observant but expressionless. "Otherstide greetings, Lady."
"The same to you," Tegan said a little shortly, unnerved by the hostility she sensed flowing between the Doctor and Maxil.
Maxil and the Doctor exchanged brusque nods, and Maxil took his leave.
"You meant it when you said everyone?" Tegan whispered to the Doctor, hoping against hope.
"Oh, yes. Courtesy demands it."
"That was courteous?"
"Last time we met, he executed me, or so he thought."
"Right. Lead on, then, must do the civil." She glanced back and saw Lady Litha approaching Maxil.
- o - O - o -
Everyone, Tegan; Tegan, everyone. If only it could have been done so, as Caligula had once desired the Roman mob to have one neck for the stroke of his sword.
She found the names stuck in her head surprisingly well. Tegan suspected the Doctor had something to do that. Turlough turned up when the Doctor found himself in a cluster of Academy students. He and Tegan took turns introducing them to the Doctor. It was a convivial group. They seemed excited at being in the presence of the President, an excitement she'd never felt from the Time Lords.
Keludar waited on the edge of the group. His clothes had the same military cut as the other outfits, but he'd chosen dark grey with silver trim that had the faintest tint of purple. It was a tiny concession indeed to Patrexean heliotrope. Turlough kept an eye on him, but he deliberately kept back so as not to be in a position for an introduction until he was last. Then he stepped forward to stand directly opposite the Doctor.
Seeing them so close together, Tegan was struck by their similarity of form, a resemblance heightened by the contrast of their clothing. Keludar wore his most brilliant, most reckless smile. "Won't you introduce me to your old friend, Tegan?" he inquired.
Tegan wanted to smack him one. She didn't know what he was up to, except that it was trouble. "You've already met, haven't you? When you invited me and Turlough to visit the Academy."
"So I have. I'm so sorry, Excellency, I seem to have forgot. I was there to see Tegan."
The Doctor used his driest voice. "My lack of consequence in that context is understandable. I'm glad to see you here and renew our acquaintance. It gives me a chance to thank you for looking after Lady Tegan. I appreciate your efforts."
"It was no effort on my part. I am sure you are not surprised to hear that I enjoy her company." Keludar tilted his head slightly, his smile never dimming.
That attitude, so like the Master's, made Tegan shiver. The Doctor's hand moved to her back. She looked imploringly at Turlough.
He stormed the breach. "I hope you also enjoy my company, Keludar, because I planned to ask you to dance. After Ambirren, of course."
The Doctor turned away, bringing Tegan with him. She was glad to escape the awkward scene.
"Why did you call me that?"
He didn't look at her. "It is a courtesy title you deserve as my friend and my guest and… mmm, it signals that I will not tolerate you being treated disrespectfully. Turlough has one, too."
"Thanks, Doctor, I suppose. It does feel a little like you're shoving me down these people's throats."
"What an alarming image." He cleared his throat. "Now, as for your friend, Keludar, he doesn't seem to like me very much."
Tegan looked up at the Doctor to find him now looking back at her. "No, he doesn't. I don't know what he thinks he's accomplishing with his antics but I don't like it."
The Doctor ruffled a hand through his hair. "He certainly has an knack for spectacle." He stared at her a moment longer, then asked, "Do you like him?"
"I like him," said Leela. She came up to them accompanied by Andred who was looking particularly wooden.
The Doctor blinked at Leela. She added, "He fights for what he wants. Not well, but he fights."
Andred muttered, "As long as he sticks to fighting with words, I don't care." Like the rest of the handful of Guard officers attending, he wore an actual uniform. Instead of the red with white trim of the Capitol Guard, he wore light grey with red. It was an odd but pleasing combination, and contrasted well with the smoky deep red of Leela's severe gown. This was almost Oriental, with a Mandarin collar and cap sleeves. Instead of a narrow sheath skirt, fabric flowed softly from a high waistline. It reminded Tegan of a gown that might be worn by a pregnant woman, but no extra bulge was present on that lean body.
"Come now, Andred, surely the Outer Guard is used to dealing with young scamps like that." The Doctor smiled innocently.
"True, Lord President. Our records on Academy security incidents go back a long way and hold names that now belong to senior Time Lords." Andred leveled a dark gaze on the Doctor. Leela grinned approvingly. Tegan giggled.
The Doctor coughed. "Ah, well, no use digging up the past. Have you tried the refreshments? I told them to put out all the traditional Otherstide food. I should see that Tegan gets something to eat."
"I can feed myself, Doctor," Tegan protested. "You're my date, not my nanny." She grinned at him and took herself off to the buffet. Apparently, buffet was a concept that spanned many civilizations. So was dating oh God, he was her date.
Tegan stopped in front of the table and stared blindly over the spread. She didn't see the prettily arranged pills, or the carefully constructed tidbits of actual food, nor the drink fountains. Of course it wasn't a real date. So what if he'd asked her to go with him? It was a formality. He was hiding behind her to avoid doing business. Like the female friend of a closeted homosexual, she was his beard. In this case, she was, well, his leisure suit.
"Have you tasted the cerub nuts?"
Unless the Doctor was gay. It had already occurred to Tegan that on a planet that was ninety percent male and ten percent female, that eighty percent were not going to have a Slot B for their Tab A. With a significant majority of both sexes opting out of the equation, the odds were that gentlemen preferred gentlemen.
"The lushberry liqueur is only served on Otherstide. You should try it."
He had been working with Turlough. And what about his old school chum, the Master? For all his attempts, the Master didn't actually seem that enthusiastic about killing the Doctor. Always had to make a game of it. Tegan shuddered.
"Are you all right?"
"What?" Tegan turned abruptly and bumped into a man who was unexpectedly close behind her. She took a step back and nearly lost her balance. He steadied her with a hand on the arm.
"Excuse me. I didn't mean to startle you."
Tegan recognized Lord Martusan, who worked under the Castellan. He had brown eyes and grey-flecked brown hair. He was quite good looking, and had a pleasant smile, which was currently on display. "Sorry, I was lost in thought. Did you say something about nuts?" And when I first met the Doctor, he was traveling alone with Adric…
"Yes. Cerub nuts." Without releasing her arm, Martusan reached past her, and retrieved what turned out to be a tawny nut. "They're hollowed out and refilled with a mix of the nut meat and sweetener." He smiled at her and popped the nut into his mouth while holding Tegan's gaze.
At the very moment Tegan realized that the Time Lord infringing on her personal space knew exactly where to find Slot B, the Doctor showed up.
"Hello, Martusan. Enjoying the party, I hope?" The Doctor's smile never faltered. Martusan carefully detached himself from Tegan's arm and withdrew a few crucial inches. Tegan knew an exchange of messages had taken place. She didn't think anything as rarefied as telepathy was involved; more sort of a Morse code by testosterone emission.
"Yes, Lord President. The company is… charming." Martusan cleared his throat and repositioned himself out of their conversational space.
Of course, there was that Time Lady. Adric was always wittering on about Rosanna. Or was it Romelda? Tegan turned around and found a dish of cerub nuts. She reached for one and found the Doctor putting a cup in her hand.
"Try the liqueur instead. You might find the nuts not to your liking. They're hallucinogenic. Oh, and they taste a little like truffles."
"Is this party going to be fun at some point?" Tegan took the drink. It had a pleasing sweet-tart berry flavor.
"I don't know how much more fun I can take," the Doctor sighed. He passed over the nuts too, and took a food pill.
"Have a cup with me, Doctor. It's traditional. What's next? That dramatic recitation, yes, and then the dance?"
The Doctor helped himself to the liqueur. "Yes, all traditional elements of Otherstide, apart from the dance."
"So it is just like a family holiday dinner. You have to do all the traditional stuff because it's what people expect and then the host makes everyone play some game they'd rather not, but they humor him because he bought the drinks." Tegan chuckled at the Doctor's pained expression.
"You have become prematurely blasé, Tegan. I think there are a few surprises yet in store for you."
Tegan had become accustomed to the sensation of being among people who knew more than she did. It was the very definition of the Gallifreyan tourist experience. So the Doctor's smug tone did not bother her at all. Not the slightest.
"If this was Christmas back in Brisbane, my cousins would be brawling in the yard over football."
"Is that a uniquely Australian custom at holidays?"
"I think it's just male," Tegan said sweetly. The Doctor did not do a spit-take, but he did give Tegan a narrow-eyed look over the rim of his cup. She savored it.
tbc