Imaginary Worlds

The Doctor moved the knight forward again, keeping sure to avoid the pawns. Three moves was all that he needed. There was a reason he stopped playing.

"Koschei had to have a reason. Maybe he's just curious about where he comes from. He's at that age." the Doctor said softly.

"I imagine he's curious, that's all this is, but sadly he's opened pandoras box. I never thought someone like Lucy should have children," She was pretty frustrating to watch with them,

It was never compromise or working with the other parent, she wanted to own and keep and all that did was make her reckless. "I have no worries, I'm a fully employed and well paid worker who has handled Koschei for all these years with no worries, they won't take him away," the Master explained as he moved another pawn to block the knight.

The Doctor shifted a bit as he regarded the board, using his knight to steal a pawn and adjusted the angle he was working on. He didn't back down that easily. And as for where Koschei was involved?

"Don't worry about that. Koschei will see what's what and, even if you would have them try and take the kid, you have a good lawyer." the Doctor assured lightly.

"I'm not worried. I just get annoyed, I spend 5 years with that kid raising him only for him to tell me that he likes his mom more because, what, she takes him skating," it was just ridiculous really.

He knew Koschei was just being a brat but it didn't make it any easier to hear, he moved his castle up behind a pawn. making sure it was safe before nodding to the Doctor. "You and Marnal doing better?"

"We are. It's hard to explain, but sometimes I just can't do it. I just...I try." he murmured softly. He couldn't explain what was wrong with him.

The Doctor just snapped from time to time. And he knew that it was a problem for him. There just wasn't anything he could do to help himself.

"Well it's been better than it was before, I mean you're a nice guy, I don't think you mean badly," but sometimes it was hard to miss house tense Marnal was at the table or how odd the Doctors standards are.

"Hopefully you and your son will be just fine, it's just some adjusting, that Iros guy throw you off a bit," And really, he should of ever been allowed near kids.

The Master didn't know the half of it. "It's fine. It always is. Even at its worst, it's fine. Check by the way." he murmured as he moved his knight once more.

And Iros hadn't helped. At all. The man was the sort to take an issue and cause it to worsen rapidly.

The Master simply took the knight and tossing the piece to the side. Clever tactic but very rookie, he smirked playfully. He'd seen that one before, there was no denying it.

"Do you ever worry that your boy might be scared of you?" It was something the Master had worried about himself, why wouldn't any one else? It was a horrible idea.

"I worry that sometimes. Other times I worry about more. He isn't capable of hating me or acting out. Not really. It's hard to explain." the Doctor admitted.

The way his son would seem almost pained by it. Sighing ing softly, the Doctor moved a pawn to free up his bishop. He hadn't expected his last tactic to actually win.

"Sounds odd, maybe he needs mental help. I mean, hating is natural, it helps us relieve stress and then usually, you just get over it," if the boy couldn't, it had to be pretty unhealthy.

The Master did worry, he couldn't help it, he worried that one day either the Doctor or Marnal would snap... he just wasn't sure which one. The Doctor did seem a bit unhinged.

"Don't worry about it. The kid has his moments, but he's usually fine. I mean, what else do you expect? He's just a kid." he murmured.

And that's what the Doctor would continue to believe. The Doctor couldn't think of a reason his son had so many issues. It had just always been that way.

"Having a mental kid isn't too bad, Kosch is a bit wacky sometimes," the Master remarked as he moved his castle along and let the Doctor make his move from there onwards.

It was more a fact of life than something to be ashamed of, kids always seemed a bit off around here.

"Koschei doesn't seem that bad. A bit odd, but I digress." he murmured softly. The boy was far from the worst he'd ever seen.

"Better than Epsilon is. That kid is a nutcase in and of himself. But I'm sure he isn't bad." the Doctor murmured softly as he brought his bishop out.

The Master moved his pawn and shrugged his shoulders. "I like Epsilon, he's had a lot to deal with. His parents just left him and Verica, as lovely as she is, has awful taste in boyfriends."

The poor sod had been through a lot, he'd barely had a chance. "Koschei isn't as bad but he's a cunning little bastard."

"I can sympathize with her." the Doctor admitted softly. "Don't really know her all that well. But she seems nice enough." he murmured.

And he couldn't deny a small fondness toward Epsilon. "Koschei is a lot to handle, but he knows when to stop when handled right." the Doctor murmured as he brought out his second knight.

"I feel sorry for her but she does my head in. She lets these bastards in then refused to listen to me until it's too late," and by then, the damage is done and Epsilon is miserable.

When that lad got back, he was going to try and give him something good in his life. "Koschei? Well sometimes, some days he gets it into his head that he's a mini God, impossible to stop him," the Master explained as he moved his castle into defence.

The Doctor nodded softly and moved his bishop forward once more. "I imagine that she's going to learn eventually. Epsilon will pull through." he murmured.

"And I can't imagine Koschei is all too bad. Not really." he assured. Even if the brat made him lose Marnal and his job, if only for a short time.

"He tried to get you fired. Look, you're a rich boy who doesn't have to worry but what if you weren't? What if that was your only means of living and it was gone?" the Master pointed out in frustration.

Because the Doctor never worried about money, he didn't get why this was such a terrible thing. "It was bad all round and it shouldn't of happened, you don't do that to someone."

"First off? Don't refer to me as a rich boy. Second? Think about it. Had he not pulled that stunt, you never would have shown up on my doorstep like that. We ended up dating. That's just how it worked out. I'm not upset." the Doctor said softly.

Moving his knight a final time, he smirked. "Finally? Checkmate." the Doctor informed, shrugging. Moving his king would only put the piece in line for his bishop. Leaving it be was a risk to his knight.

"I probably would of met you anyway, Koschei was bound to of done something to warrant an apology. Just-- don't act like you know him, he's a lovely kid. Sometimes.," the Master informed the man, no one knew Koschei better than him.

The boy had done some rather nasty stuff. The Master looked over the chess board before sighing. "You distract me, Koschei laways throws my mind out of place."

"I played to my advantage." the Doctor informed simply. And really? Any good player would do such a thing.

"Let me know if you ever wish to try a hand at fencing. But really? I don't mind your kid." the Doctor informed.

"We can fence tomorrow," the Master remarked as he crossed his arms and sat back. "It's not a matter of not minding, you just can't ignore that he's a little off. Even I see it and I love him more than anyone."

And the most frustrating part was he just didn't get it. "He had a great childhood and I raised him well yet his empath is shot and he never stops having nightmares."

"Nightmares aren't pleasant, but they aren't the end either. I get that he's off. But you can't take offense." the Doctor murmured.

Koschei was still a kid. It was the same as seeing Marnal at his worst. That didn't change his caring for the brat.

"I never like thinking anything bad about my boy but it's there and it's obvious sometimes," the Master remarked with a small shrug of his shoulders, it was just noticing things.

"I bet you see Marnal do odd things as well? And it worries you too?" the Master remarked with a small shrug.

"What I worry most about with Marnal, is that I will do something that hurts him. Doesn't have to be physical. But it's there. Every time I do something that causes him to push back or rebel. And it's not as if I handle things all too well myself then." the Doctor murmured.

No. He didn't worry about what Marnal did. The Doctor was absolutely terrified of what he might do personally. He couldn't even figure out where such a thing came from.