Imaginary Worlds

"I hated leaving but what with Lucy back and my debt and the stuff I need for my kid... I'm still struggling with money," he complained with a small sigh in his tone. It wasn't his fault his kid cost so much and he had no real way to sort that kind of thing.

Finishing up his wine swifter than he should, he turned his head to the kid and smiled somewhat. "So don't tell me you've just been moping around. You help your mom out around the house, right?"

Epsilon just smirked a bit as Verica refilled the glass of wine. "I'm not allowed near the sharp objects any more. I'm not allowed outside either. Or near rope, wires, electronics..." he murmured softly.

In other words? Verica had to keep the kid locked away in the basement where his room was to keep Epsilon from lashing out too much. It only made sense. Epsilon was angry.

"You should learn to manage that anger. You know, when I was a kid, I lashed out a lot. I was always frustrated," Well, drumming did that, he was always picking fights with his smart cocky mouth. Curse himself!

"Maybe Epsilon could come work with me on one of the weekdays?" the Master suggested to Verica with a small smile. "I mean I work at home some days but it'd be great if I could show him calmer things to do?"

Verica sighed softly and shrugged a bit. "Give it about six months. He's going to be rather far off in the next couple of days." she informed softly. They had a lot of work to do to get ready to go.

Pouting a bit, Epsilon picked at his steak, sighing softly. "I don't care. I'm being sent away." he muttered in a bitter fashion. What orphan would want that?

"Shame, you'd like the telescope. And you might like Marnal, he's Smiths weird kid, probably know him? He;s around a lot, little off but he is kind of human," the Master remarked as if that explained it all.

Epsilon looked so miserable the Master knew he didn't want to go, he wanted to argue but Verica was really struggling and if Epsilon couldn't behave then it was his fault.

"I know him. I don't like him. He's annoying." Epsilon said dismissively. And really? The kid just grated on his nerves. Period. It wasn't even anything specific.

"It's going to be fine. I am sorry to hear about Koschei and Lucy, though. Just know that you're welcome to come around whenever you want." she offered softly. It was the least that she could do.

"Timelords are soooo judgemental," The Master cooed playfully though he could hardly protect. Outside his very small circle of friends, he pretty much hated everyone around him.

"Yeah I tend to spend my weekends with Smith. I know hanging out at the bosses is lame but he's a great help, I miss the brat," the Master confessed with a small shrug and Marnal sort of filled that hole in a way, he wasn;t perfect but he felt like he was meant to belong to them. It was creepy. "We should hang out more though, you and me. And Epsilon, whenever he's around, always welcome to my lab."

Verica sighed softly and shook her head a bit. "I don't get you. I understand working for him because you need more money and the like. But why would you want to spend so much time with the guy?" she asked softly.

She meant no harm by it. She just didn't understand it. From what she knew of the Doctor now, he was eccentric and most definitely not the type of person the Master associated with.

"I don't know, I don't! Everyone asks me and I just--" felt horribly guilty for ditch Ailla and horribly confused as to why he was so deeply in love with such a soft headed idiot.

"Do you like him? Or would you ever like him? Just curious," the Master asked, gripping his glass. If Verica hated him then it would make it twice as bad if he left her friend for him.

"I don't know. I don't know him very well. I might have liked him had I gotten to know him better, but I don't know him very well. His first impression isn't exactly a positive one." she admitted softly.

Verica wouldn't choose the Doctor to spend time with on any given day, but she could accept the Master's choices. It was his life.

WI like him... please don't ask me why, all my effort is going into not thinking these days. Thinking makes everything not make sense," the Master explained as he fidgeted in his seat and cleared his throat.

To be fair, it wasn't like the Master had never appeared a bit ... well, huts, in front of Verica. He sipped more wine before smiling. "Sorry, I haven't asked, how has your love life been? Find anyone yet?"

"I have. He's the one that suggested the school for Epsilon." Verica admitted softly, biting her lip nervously. She wasn't sure how well the Master would take to all of that. "He's a writer and he lives down in the valley. I like him. A lot." Verica admitted with a small smile.

Something that made Epsilon scoff. "He's a jerk." he grumbled bitterly, stabbing his steak a bit too hard. And her boyfriend was. He couldn't help it if they didn't get along.

"Wait-- the school thing wasn't your idea?" Oh God, that sort of changed everything. Dropping his head in his hands, he rubbed at his eyes. So he was not perfect but he knew that was a bad sign.

"Is he liked the last one?" that was a fair question because Verica tended to date bastards and they always left her poor kid reeling. "I should meet him? We should have dinner. Tomorrow?"... Okay, maybe he was coming across push but he had to check.

"He didn't push or anything like that! He just...He suggested it as a possible solution and I agreed after looking into it. He's fine. Epsilon is just fussing over nothing." Verica informed, shooting her son a pointed look.

However..."We can go out to eat. It could be a double date! Bring Ailla along and we could go the the restaurant I set you up at." Verica granted softly.

"Oh... you know what? I just realised Monday is awful for me. Can I ring you?" the Master suggested, still not drunk enough to blurt out that he intended to leave her friend for the Doctor.

Pushing his empty plate alone, he gave Epsilon a sideways look. "Shame you have to send the kid away, didn't the Doctor offer to let him work in the labs?"

"To which you explained was illegal and the like. It's better to have him go to a new school. Don't worry about it." Verica asserted. That simple. Epsilon would benefit from it in the end. "Listen. She doesn't hit Epsilon. He doesn't have an anger issue. He's fine." she assured.

"He calls me an urchin that doesn't know my place. He says I'm not good enough for you." Epsilon listed in turn, bristling a bit. That simple. Verica just didn't think that was a problem when Epsilon was acting as he'd been lately.

Well..."He didn't say that, Epsilon, so knock it off. He said that Epsilon is a child that needs to learn his place, yes, but that Epsilon also needs to stop acting out so much." she clarified pointedly.

"Well it is illegal, yeah but in small bouts? I mean, kids like Epsilon need that touchy feely counselling stuff. I had it when I was a kid," now he no longer broke things for attention so that was one step in the right direction.

He had to have his doubts because Verica had this nasty pattern of letting her boyfriends do this sort of thing. "Just think, Verica. I won't tell you what to do but remember when you wanted to send him away the passed two times? ... Who's idea were they?" always all her boyfriends ideas, she wanted that kid for a reason.

Verica sighed softly and shook her head. "The last two times weren't my decision, no, but this time it is. I wanted to do something and he offered the school." she explained softly.

"The school is six months and it set up to help behavioral issues such as what's wrong with Epsilon. It's better than what I was thinking. I was thinking military school." Verica deadpanned.

"Make sure to visit, write and call," the Master remarked with a playful smile, not sure if this was entirely right but hey, she'd back her whatever she did like he hoped she would.

"We need to, erm, talk. After dinner, you and me," he was really hoping that Verica wouldn't do his head in by telling him off because that very idea kind of terrified him.

((Off to bed))

{Night~!}

Verica frowned softly, nodding as she collected the plates to put them away. "Epsilon? Why don't you go take a bath and get changed? It's going to be a long morning." she murmured, watching the kid sulk away.

She sat back down and smiled softly to the other. "So. What do you want to talk with me about?" Verica prompted softly. What? She wanted to know.

"You're going to hate me but you need to hear me out before you jump to any conclusions because I didn't plan this, okay? I just really liked Ailla but I dated her because Koschei felt bad for me being alone ... that may have been trigger from my break up," Rubbing the back of his neck, he sighed somewhat. "So I dated John, right? But I broke up with him because of Kosch."

Urgh, he felt like such a jerk. Rubbing at his eyes, he sighed. "... For reasons beyond my own understanding, I want to be with him but that would mean breaking up with Ailla who, surprisingly, I'm actually into as well," in other words, he was totally screwed either way.

Seriously? Verica stared for a moment and frowned. "I didn't know you had dated him to begin with. Why did you even ask me about her if you were still hung up on you ex?" she asked pointedly.

Seriously? The Master should have made sure that he was ready to move on before even humorist Koschei. "Do you know how much you're going to hurt her? She really likes you." Verica said softly.

"Because I thought I could move and I wanted to, I don't take break up well. Koschei was asking and I went for it," but, sadly, he felt horrible every time he even thought of this.

"I really like her, I did from the start, which is odd. I don't get any of this, the Doctor is just one giant mystery and I can't fathom Ailla either," the Master confessed as he put his hard in his hands.

"You want to know what I think about all of this? I think you beyond screwed up. Because you now have two people interested in you and that isn't right. You know somebody will be hurt." Verica scolded with a frown.

It wasn't a good thing. The Master was going to wind up screwing somebody up. "Can't you just stuck it out with her? Dating a boss is never a good idea anyway." she pointed out.

"Do you ever feel like something is very very wrong and you've just been dumped here?" the Master asked with a curious expression, tugging at his sleeve. Yes, he knew he was in loony territory but Verica knew he was mental by nnow.

"I know John somehow! I know him and I know I should be with him, don't ask me why-- I mean, I have nightmares about him sometimes? I can't fathom why," he had nightmares about Lucy as well, and himself, he was a monster half the time. He didn't think he was that person, not really, he was just a astrology department head. "Ailla is nice and normal, I should just get away from her before I go more damage."