"Such a young girl with a bright future," Loran exhaled sharply as he talked about the late Rommy, how she was the former Prime's apple in the eye.
It roused confusion in Paul as he goes, "Former?"
Slowly nodding, Loran explained that a "situation" arose and the former Prime could not see to his duties, thus he excluded himself from the role.
Curious, Taylor asks, "Why?"
A frown appeared on Loran's face as he informed her that he could not say anything more, else risks the ire of the Council.
Gesturing, Paul asked him, "Who became the new Prime?"
He's shocked when Loran told him it was Raan.
She took over her husband's duties as the new Prime, Loran frowning as he described how Raan went from being a "radiant star" to a despondent woman that it was night and day.
"What became of the former Prime?" Taylor grew curious what happened to the former Prime when he left his position.
Weakly gesturing, Loran summed, "He excluded himself."
It baffled Taylor as Loran said this before Paul clued in what Loran was inferring.
"Why would he do such a thing?" Paul asks Loran why the Prime would commit suicide.
Again, Loran can't say much.
Motioning with his hand, Loran mustered that Paul and Taylor didn't come here to gossip, causing Paul to admit that he hoped to speak to Raan.
When asked why, Paul pointed at himself as he reminds Loran, "I'm not welcomed here, Loran, figured she'd be willing to help me as she helped my father."
Shaking his head, Loran confirmed that Raan couldn't help Paul if she wanted since undertaking the process of becoming the new Prime.
"No one else to help, then," Paul frowned as he weighed his options.
Seeing the look in his face, Loran questioned why Paul came here, causing Paul to explain in a hushed tone that someone sent him a message from somewhere in Gallifrey in the old tongue.
Curiosity in those pink eyes, Loran mustered that he didn't think anyone still spoke it, much less knew it, and as Paul knew, nobody on Gallifrey would go out of their way to communicate with him.
Even if they know deep inside that he has a birthright to be here, just like they do, and unless he did something egregious, he cannot be barred from Gallifrey.
"Doesn't make sense why they'd sent the message to you, did they have a sigil on it?" Loran looked up as he questioned if the message Paul received had one.
Scratching the back of his head, Paul admitted that the message didn't include a sigil, it was electronically sent, so it was, and it baffled Loran as he mustered nothing can send messages off Gallifrey, much less communicate with the machine.
"Could it have been faked, then?" Taylor asks and Loran pondered this before asking Paul about the message in detail.
At the end, he became just as flummoxed as Paul before worry washed over his face.
"If this message came from here, then well, we must inform the Council," Loran gestures as he stated that if the message was dire as it sounded that the Council needed to hear it, however, Paul grew concerned that if they do, whatever's going on may become exaggerated.
Baffled, Loran pointed at Paul as he stated, "It's the Lord of Time's duty!"
Gesturing, Paul affirmed Loran's point, however, he insisted that they keep this quiet until they know for certain, since whoever sent the message to him clearly didn't want the Council knowing, given the lack of sigil.
"What if it's a threat to the Council… the President… the Prime?" Loran struggled as Paul held his hands together.
Pondering this, Paul stated, "If there's a threat, they wouldn't have messaged me, Loran, you're on the up-n-up, I'm sure, could you tell us anything that may be of value?"
Bringing them into the library, Loran discussed what he knew as he retrieved the books for the class tomorrow, which he stressed that he didn't know more than Paul, since much information was relegated to the Magister.
No doubt, if Paul tried to speak with Magister Ronin about this, he won't tell him anything, mostly due to fears of another "indiscretion" occurring, since Magisters were barred from bias.
They were held to the logical standards of the Council and needed to withhold said bias to perform their duties, less they be barred and replaced.
"Nothing's out of place, I know that much," Loran expressed with confidence that nothing was stolen from the Archives.
Chewing on his inner lip, Paul tried thinking about what reason someone could have sent for him, knowing full-well there's discourse about his heritage and then some.
Scratching the side of his chin as his long beard shimmered, Loran innocently brought up, "We do have that election happening soon."
Curiosity in her emerald eyes, Taylor echoes, "Election?"
Nodding, Loran gestures as he says it was the Council's idea, they thought it would "reinvigorate" things as it were.
He felt the jolt as Paul grasped his shoulders as he asked about the possibility that the message sent to him was a warning about the upcoming elections.
Shaking his head, Loran refused to believe the idea, stating that everyone gets vetted before taking part in the election, nobody can lie on Gallifrey.
Seeing how censured the Master's doings were, it's evident that Loran didn't know anything about the error of his words, and Paul couldn't explain how wrong he was without risking his banishment.
Instead, he chose to inquire more about the election and learnt with Taylor sitting next to him.
At the end of his long-winded explanation, Loran was certain that nothing would happen during the election, since everyone on Gallifrey knows of the consequences for interfering, but Paul wasn't convinced, as he asked Loran's opinion on him participating in the election as the others in conversing with the candidates.
He received a sharp jab by Loran as he chided Paul for speaking like an outsider, before reminding him that he had a duty to participate.
"There will be a dinner tomorrow where all the candidates for the Council come speak, you may converse with them there, but child, you must listen, if there is a threat, and we don't warn them…" Loran grew hushed at the end as he peered around the library.
Slowly nodding, Paul affirmed that he's aware of the consequences.
Chewing on his inner lip, Paul asks Loran if he knew a way to warn any threat to the presiding Council during the dinner should it come to pass and Loran affirmed with a swift nod that everyone knew how.
"Good. I don't know what's to come, Loran, but be on your guard, if anything happens, you must warn the Council. And if they ask any questions, tell them that the Doctor's here," Paul held his hands together.