"It's been a while, Doctor," Arthur noted that it been years since he had the chance meeting him as he led Paul and Taylor through his home towards the dining room.
Chewing on his inner lip, Paul responded with, "Indeed. I've almost forgotten what you looked like."
Having not seen him before, Paul worked on visual cues to lean into being the same man.
Though, it didn't seem to matter much, as Arthur couldn't see him, only hear him, and he noted that Paul sounded different than what he remembered.
"Oh, I've traveled," Paul explained why his voice wasn't the same as Arthur heard.
A nod, Arthur says, "Indeed. I myself been traveling since the last time we met."
Since that day, he's been swept up in every which way possible, going to London, New York City, name it, he went for his work at the university.
"What do you do, Mr. Williams?" Taylor inquired what he did, and he responded that he's become a historian.
It's a sharp change from literature, but Arthur felt that he learnt what he could, so better to focus elsewhere for the time being.
An odd thing for a blind man to say, but he hadn't problems adapting to the change, surprised his colleagues more than anything.
Taylor's emerald eyes lit up as she tells him that she worked for a museum as one of the curators.
Archaeology was one of her favourites!
Catching on, Arthur inquired why Taylor left the museum, but she explains that she switched to being curator part-time, well, she couldn't adventure and be a curator at the same time.
"A strange woman!" Arthur muses about Taylor's profession.
A sheepish shrug, Taylor says, "Well, mother always said I was never one to settle."
Believe her, poor mother always complained about growing a new strand of grey hair whenever Taylor done something unexpected.
Slightly embarrassed, Taylor adds, "But if it's any consolation, I think I was doing a great job!"
The conversation continued until they reached the dining room, where Arthur introduced the pair with the usual friendly smile on his face to the three other guests seated around the dining room table as Ethel poured drinks.
Chiefly among them, Professor Othello, drinking his requested bottle of brandy, a different age than the brandy he drank before, this time, he's pleased with the change.
"Mind them, they're not known for having filters," Arthur warned Paul and Taylor that while his guests meant well, they didn't quite understand context.
Something they learnt quickly with Professor Othello.
Noticing that he was a chair short, Arthur requests Ethel to bring another one and for the guests to make some minor adjustments to accommodate an additional person.
Sitting across from Taylor, Paul took the time looking at the other guests, one was a tall slender man from Calgary, his silver beard covered the entirety of his mouth, Dr. MacDonald, he specialised primary in Egyptian artifacts, which he quickly sparked a conversation with Taylor who happily talked with him.
It'd seem there's some discrepancies what this universe had and didn't have, which led to Taylor censuring herself on parts that didn't happen or haven't been discovered.
The next guest was Dr. Monroe, she was a pathologist turned scholar, an unusual change in careers, but she claimed that she wanted to expand her horizon, and well, what better way than to get into a different study all-together.
Paul chatted with her on her old career as a pathologist and she described her former career with candid responses.
Truthfully, Paul wanted to know if she encountered anything that'd signify the Drekkers' presence, but from her responses, it didn't seem to be the case, from her descriptions.
Paul wanted to be sure there wouldn't be any surprises, the TARDIS said nothing about them being here, but one couldn't be too sure.
Especially when Dr. MacDonald talked about a severe storm that came over the area not too long, ago.
With the revelation that the Drekker and their women can see and interact with tears caused by strong enough storms, one couldn't be too careful.
The conversations continued with them turning on Paul, since the three guests didn't know anything about him, or his connection with Arthur other than the sparse details he was willing to give.
It was a struggle, since Paul had no idea what the Doctor before him did for Arthur, he had to guess at every turn, hope for the best.
Taylor managed to keep the attention off him by talking about history and whatever else.
It helped give him time trying to peak into Arthur's mind, see what the previous Doctor did for him, but he hit a snag.
He couldn't read Arthur's mind.
It's not often that Paul encounters a mind he couldn't read much less peak inside, it perturbed him, and left him in a bind until he and Taylor returned to the TARDIS after the party.
Ah, Taylor came through for him, she spoke to Arthur, using her newness to lure him into talking about the Doctor, and why he wanted him here, tonight.
As he rested his glass on the coaster, Arthur tells her, "He gave me a new lease on life, Miss Taylor, it's only fair I repay him."
Something happened to the forty-five-year-old man and without the Doctor's intervention, things would've been different.
He didn't get a chance to properly thank the Doctor when he and Hammond had to leave.
"Hammond?" Taylor continued.
John Hammond.
An old acquittance of his, tragic, heart attack in his sleep.
He was always the boastful type, so it didn't surprise Arthur when the news was brought to him.
"Oh, I'm sorry," Taylor gave her condolences for the loss, but Arthur tells her that Hammond (he didn't like people using his first name) wouldn't want him to grieve too much.
An old Scot would sock him from beyond the grave if he did.
"I remember him, he was spry for his age," Dr. Monroe commented on Hammond, saying that despite his lifestyle he wasn't slow for his age.
Leading Dr. MacDonald to comment that Hammond held his drinks better than Professor Othello.
However, they all agreed that heart attacks are swift, unforgiving, and unfairly.
The dinner continued with the main course, a stuck pig, pieces of the crackly skin doled out to the guests before the meat, Professor Othello kept drinking his brandy while the others switched to drinks that fit the stuck pig and the accompanying dishes that best bring the meal together.
Despite his blindness, Arthur remained tact, reminding Ethel to watch as she pours the drinks, and to temper Professor Othello's glasses.
He reasoned that he didn't want Professor Othello to drink too much of the brandy, else he would need help returning home.
Snorting, Professor Othello stated that he can hold his liquor, but Arthur reminded him of an incident that happened two months back.
A certain professor drank more than he should and got into an altercation, almost a good thing someone was there to see reason in this madness.
The underlying displeasure helped prove Arthur's point and Professor Othello begrudgingly agreed to slow his drinking.
"So, what are you studying?" Taylor broached what Arthur's been doing since he became a historian.
A faint smile on his face, Arthur tells her he's become interested in studying family history.
Curious, Taylor asks, "Yours?"
It wouldn't surprise her, at all, lots of historians go through their own family history out of curiosity, and to get their start.
"No, not mine," Arthur smiles at her reaction, amused to find her so intrigued about such a simple fact.
"Is it fascinating?" Taylor raises her brow as she's intrigued and curious.
Arthur chuckles, thinking how to tell her, before finally saying, "Yes, it's quite fascinating."
Trying to ignore the curious expressions from the other guests, he added on, "And very educational, I found many things to learn from my studies and research,"
Curious, Taylor asks, "What family are you studying?"
Seeing Arthur wipe down his mouth with a napkin, she heard him respond with, "Oh, just a noble family. You probably don't know them."
A noble family, a lot of families have noble connections, though.
"Do I happen to know them?" Paul spoke up, his angel eyes moving towards Arthur with curiosity in them
Before answering, Arthur took a sip of his brandy, "No, I don't believe you do, Doctor."
Curiouser and curiouser.
"That's okay, then," Paul replied, giving a slight nod before taking a sip of his drink himself.
Though, his curiosity got the better of him, as he asked Arthur why he's become intrigued with the noble family.
Leading Arthur to tell him, "It became a hobby of mine, really."
He further dodged telling Paul anything about this noble family he'd been studying, and Taylor couldn't get him to tell her the name, despite her best attempts at goading Arthur into revealing it.
Perturbed Paul and Taylor, but after seeing the reactions from the other guests, it's not out of the norm for Arthur.
Roused the curiosity in Paul as he grew interested in finding out this noble family.
A bad habit, he knows, but he couldn't help it, something he inherited from his parents.
Though, his mum would argue against the notion, before his father would poke holes in her argument.
Dessert came and went, the party concluded in the parlor room, before Arthur saw his guests leave.
Her arm snaked around his, Taylor walked with Paul through the streets of Chester, en route back to the TARDIS.
"I know that look in your eyes," Taylor commented that something in Paul's angel eyes signified that he's thinking about something.
He affirmed with a nod as he goes, "It's a curse."
Miffed, Taylor reminded him as she saw him deep in his thoughts, "He doesn't have to tell us what family he's studying, Paul. By all means, it could be a political family and he didn't want to say anything out loud. I wouldn't blame him if he didn't."
She seen it a lot during her work, whenever someone dunged too deep into the family tree, they find something that the relatives didn't want exposed into the world.
Number of things, but typically it revolved around illegitimate children, and how they affected the perceived hierarchy of a family tree.
Typically, proponents against this investigation have more to lose having the children exposed.
"Mmhmm, I don't know. Something else bothered me, too, I couldn't read his mind," Paul brought up that he wasn't able to get even so much as a peak in Arthur's mind.
Furrowing her brow as she tilted her head in confusion, Taylor brought up, "You taught me that there's some people with willpower that can propel invasive telepathy."
Not common, but possible.
Slowly nodding, Paul affirmed this, before saying, "That may be true, but my mother taught me to trust my gut instinct, my dear."