Imaginary Worlds

"That is odd. But it's just a dream, usually it just means nothing, images in the back of your head forming an idea while you sleep," the Master remarked as he watched Pest bat the ball with his paw before picking it up.

"I'm sure no matter where you were, I probably wasn't far away. Not like I'd even leave you, huh?" the Master joked with a playful smile, trying to cheer her up.

That wasn't the problem. The problem was that it hadn't felt like a dream, but a memory. Koschei knew the difference between the two of them. He wasn't stupid.

"Right. It was nothing." Koschei conceded softly. Even if he hadn't wanted to. But it was just the way it was. Koschei had just been spooked a bit.

"If you get spooked again, come find me. I'll be here, I'm usually around and I always lave the door open," the Master promised with a small smile, clearly trying to reassure him.

Looking over his shoulder when the door knocked, he got up and grabbed his wallet, paying for the pizza and kicking the door shut behind him. "Dinners here!"

"I would have paid for it." the Doctor stated, if just for the point of saying it. Because really? It was only to be expected of him by this point.

He got out plates and set out the salad, not really pushing it as the kids sat down. If Marnal wanted some, then the lad would request it. The Doctor asking would just make his son feel obligated.

The Master shrugged and cut up the pizza with a nearby knife, making sure there were enough slices for everyone. "I don't mind," the Master remarked as he took a seat.

Marnal climbed into his seat beside his dad and bit his lower lip, lately this table had been like a battle field but pizza was easy, it was nice, how could it go wrong?

The Doctor served his son some of the pizza before serving himself the salad instead. Alright. So he was a bit on the health conscious side of things.

But was anything less to be expected of him? He was just a bit odd. The Doctor just ducked his head and ate, not really wanting to risk starting something.

"If we got a cat, what would you call it?" the Master asked Koschei, just to make conversation. The Doctor said dinner was usually a silent thing so the Master tried to make it... well, normal.

The attempt at conversation seemed to be something that contented Marnal, he ate slowly, listening to the other two. "I suppose we could maybe get a rescue cat? Adopt one instead of going off to track down a breeder?"

"I dunno. Depends on the cat." Koschei admitted softly. "I like the ones with spots." he admitted. What? He did! They were pretty.

"Are you sure a rescue cat would be a good idea with Sigma? I mean, they tend to be a bit more skittish." the Doctor cautioned. What? It was true!

"Sigma is a very laid back dog, I mean look at him with Pest," the Master turned around and smiled as he watched Pest stalk around the dog, occasionally sniffing like he was dangerous.

And all Sigma did was lie there, tail occasionally twitching. Marnal laughed as he watched Pest leap around, it was pretty fun-- well, until he remember the rule about not laughing at the table. Bad manners and all that.

The Doctor sighed softly at the way Marnal seemed to cut himself short. Not like he didn't understand why, mind. It was just tiring having to work around what Iros had done.

"Yes, well sometimes I feel that Pest is more like a dog than a cat. He used to ride about on my shoulders and play fetch. Sometimes I miss having him as a kitten." the Doctor admitted, not bothering to scold Marnal. Hopefully the kid would learn he wasn't going to.

"Sigmas still a pup but I dread to think what he'll be like when he gets bigger, we won't be able to carry him around like we do," the Master remarked, he was much easier to move that way.

He could be quite an awkward and stubborn dog, very lazy. Marnal offered a small smile at his dad and finished up his pizza, clearly much more relaxed now no one was yelling.

''How long have you had him?" the Doctor asked curiously. He didn't know why, but it didn't seem right for Sigma to still be a puppy. Just a nagging thought in the back of his head.

Looking to Marnal, he just raised an eyebrow. "Are you done? Or would you like some more?" he asked carefully, not wanting to upset his son again.

"Well he's about 1 now, we only got him last year, can't remember why," One was still a pup, it'd take another year for him to grow up properly and started to bulk out. He was still pretty small but he'd been a gift... for some reason. He couldn't fathom why. "How long have you had pest?"

Marnal finished up his slice and nodded his head before tentatively reaching out and taking a leaf of lettuce from the salad to have a bit of a munch on. He liked crunchy food like that.

"A little less than that. Just bought him for some odd reason." he murmured softly. And really? He wasn't entirely sure that it was a good reason. He'd just done it out of the blue.

Pushing the bowl a bit closer to Marnal, he offered a small smile. He couldn't help himself. If the lad wanted to eat it, then who was he to protest?

The Master smirked, his plan had worked. He watched the boy eat his pizza, occasionally taking a bit of salad to add to it and really, that was what the man wanted, right?

He smiled playfully and shrugged. "Pets are a mystery, I suppose. Often it's impulse."

The Doctor smiled softly and nodded in agreement. "It's definitely an impulse. I don't mean anything against it. I love Pest. It just wasn't the best plan of action to get a cat that big." he murmured.

But he did love the little freak. Even if he had to medicate the poor thing. Anxiety problems in that cat were more than an annoyance.

"But Pest belongs with us, he's ours," Marnal insisted, he didn't think there was anything odd about it and just because it wasn't planned doesn't mean it wasn't a good idea.

"You're his dad too," Marnal informed the man with complete seriousness and the Master had to hide his amusement.

"Yes he is and I do love him dearly. You don't have to worry about that. Really. Pest is here to stay." the Doctor assured.

But he did know why he bought the cat. It had been for somebody else. He was just the one who ended up with it.

"We should get a dog too," Marnal chipped in, smiling his best smile in the hopes of charming his father because he always did like having a companion to play with.

And Sigma was perfect, he almost didn't want to let the poor mutt go, he was fantastic.

"Maybe. I don't want Pest having another anxiety attack. We might not be able to have a dog with the poor cat." the Doctor informed softly.

He would give it a trial run, but really? The Doctor didn't have the highest of expectations. Because it was already a miracle Pest handled Sigma so well.

It was funny really, Marnal wanted a dog and Koschei wanted a cat, anyone would think they just needed to swap pets... problem was that the Master wanted to keep his dog and he as sure the Doctor wanted Pest.

The Master smiled somewhat before finishing up his pizza and pushing the plate aside. "You can always play with my dog till it gets sorted?"

"I'm sure that Marnal would love that." the Doctor murmured as he set about cleaning up. They were making some progress at least.

Not much, but some, and that was all that mattered. Because the Doctor wasn't sure what else to do at this point but to work on it. He had that mch going for him.

The Master helped to tidy up, amused at how this had been pulled off, Marnal had relaxed, talked, eaten everything and was still nibbling on bits of lettuce.

It was quite endearing really, he wasn't as bad as the Doctor thought with food, he just needed the options.

The Doctor offered a soft smile. Because he'd managed to not screw his son up this time around. A thin he was most grateful for.

"Thank you. I do appreciate it. A lot." he assured softly. Because the Master had actually had some good advice.

The Master smiled and nodded, heading into the living room to check his laptop and get a handle on what he was missing work wise and if there was anything to attend to.

Marnal, who was much happier now, helped his father with the dishes. And by help, he played in the water a bit and tried his hand at cleaning, careful not to drop any.