Imaginary Worlds

"Koschei? Are you sulking? ... Come here," the Master insisted, rolling his eyes and not moving till the boy was over. Shifting the telescope, he adjusted it for Koschei and aimed it at the nearest cluster of stars.

"Bet you've never seen the universe up close. Go on, have a peak. If you're that bored, we can work together," the Master offered, it would be dull but he sort of owed them.

Koschei stared, eyes wide in a bit of awe. Because how could he not be taken in by the sight? It was definitely something else. And beautiful. It was definitely something beautiful to take in.

And it wasn't something he'd seen before. And it was amazing. "Pretty." he murmured, shaking his head softly. It was odd. He didn't get why his father was suddenly showing him these things. What was the point?

"Oh, look here," moving the telescope slightly, he managed to just catch a falling star, offering the boy an amused look. He was doing it because he was sharing his interest and having a good time.

Well, he couldn't help it, he liked sharing interests and they usually liked the same thing. They both liked books, trains, not being overly social and he really did like the solar system... he wanted to share his joy.

Koschei sighed softly and nodded. Because it was nice. Beyond nice, really. It was beautiful and he couldn't quite get over it. Because it was something being shared with him. How could he turn away from that? Really?

He smiled and stepped back a bit, glancing to the Master. "What else?" Koschei inquired rather curiously. It was something he liked. To see new things and whatnot. He was definitely the Master's kid.

The Master smiled and used his old notes to track down all the planets he could find, showing the boy different ones and their suns and moons, trying to zoom enough so he could see them properly.

"Okay, so the universe is officially massive, right? So much undiscovered. So I'm going to comb the universe to find something of interest," the Master remarked as he jotted down some co-ordinates.

(Just a heads up that I'm heading for the bus soon.)

Koschei grinned and nodded along. He could follow. He just liked it because it was pretty and large. But really? This was something Epsilon would be far more interested in. A fact that honestly sort of bothered him.

Because it wasn't fair. And another unfair thing? Koschei tensed up, his eyes widening suddenly. Because he just noticed he had misplaced his rat. A very bad little fact to notice.

He could sense Koschei tensing from a mile away and rubbed the boys back in a comforting motion before putting the cap back on the telescope and turned to see what he was tensing over.

"What? What happened?" ... Oh wait, where was the rat? Actually, that was kind of an issue now he thought about it. Looking around, he winced at the lack of any rat shaped things. "Where'd it go?"

((Okay then!))

"I set him down when you called me over. 'M sorry! I didn't mean to! I wanted to see an' he wasn't supposed to run away an' please don't be mad! I can find him!" Koschei assured quickly, dodging over to do just that.

He didn't want to upset his dad or to lose his pet. Particularly not after seeing just what upsetting somebody he cared about did. Who wanted to lose their parent as well as their friend?

"Calm down, kiddo. We can find the rat," the Master assured as he looked around the office, getting on his hands and knees to try and find the damn rat. He didn't need Koschei having a breakdown at work.

"The door was shut so he couldn't of gotten far, hopefully. We just have to keep looking," peering under the desk, he looked around, trying to hide back any annoyance he had for the lost rat.

Koschei scrambled a bit more before freezing. "Lights!" he declared, shutting them off quickly and looking about. It was a lot easier than looking for a rat. He just needed to locate the bright blue light.

Grinning, he flicked the lights back on and dashed over, climbing slightly on a shelf to grasp his pet. That was better. He could actually relax a bit now.

"Thank Rassilon it glows in the dark," the Master smiled and ruffled Koschei's hair before taking the rat from him and slipping it into its ball, just to be safe. They hardly needed it run out of his hands or something.

"There we go, Duke of Saxon is fine, little shaken up," the Master remarked as he got to his feet, smiling at Koschei before looking around. "Lets go on lunch, yeah? We'll have a walk outside, get some fresh air."

Koschei gently lifted the ball and gave a slow nod. Right. Okay. He was good. The Master didn't seem to be upset with him over this. Which was good. He didn't need the man to be upset with him.

"'Kay...Lunch an' a walk." Koschei murmured softly. And that was all he could honestly offer. Because he was in a bit of shock at not being yelled at for this. Not because that's what the Master did. But because that's what people had been doing to him lately.

The Master pulled out the lunch he'd back and passed Koschei's sandwiches down to him as they headed out the lab. He toyed with leaving a note but he assumed Smith wouldn't care. He didn't seem to anyway.

He walked along the pavement and detoured into the grass, just for them to have something to do really. He doubted Koschei liked being cooped up. "So, you nervous about school?"

The Masted just had to go with that topic. Koschei shrugged and ducked his head as he picked away at his lunch. "No really. It's school. Why would I be excited?" he asked softly, cocking his head to the side.

It was a legitimate question. Why would he be happy about going back to that public school? He'd fought to get put of it and that honestly sucked. Particularly since he'd been kicked out doing the right thing.

"Nervous isn't always excited. If you're worried or scared or just unhappy, you can tell me. Just remember, it's only temp," the Master reassured, he wasn't going to let his son rot in some public school.

They barely even met the kids learning problems last time and now? He had to find a better school that met support of those who struggled. Koschei was intelligent, just not great at showing it academically.

The kid sighed softly and shrugged. "I hate that place. An' I miss Epsilon. An' I don't wanna go through this." he murmured softly. Who could blame him? Koschei couldn't be expected to do well when constantly put down.

What? He wasn't going to be happy. Nor could he be expected to be. "Do I have to talk about it? 'Cause I don't like it." Koschei stated softly. Why should he be forced through that discussion?

"You don't have to but if you're that unhappy at the prospect of going, maybe I can get you a tutor... or look into a further away school. I don't want you unhappy," the Master offered and it was true actually, as hard as that could be to believe.

"I'm sorry about Epsilon but I'm afraid things will be awkward for a while but we can sort it, right?" the Master suggested, they were not the best people but he liked to think of himself and Koschei as a sort of team.

"'Kay...I don't wanna go away though an' you can't afford it." Koschei murmured softly, finishing his sandwich. He couldn't put the Master through all of that. Which really just meant one thing for him.

"I'll go. I don't wanna go, but I can go." he assured firmly. There. Koschei would be selfless again and put up with the public school system. Easily.

"Well, stick it out for two weeks then? And if you really hate it, we'll explore other options. That's my deal," Smiling, the Master ruffled the boys hair before binning the tin foil that was keeping his sandwich safe.

"Come along Kosch, we should get back in," the Master got up and stretched out before offering the boy a small smile. "Don't worry too much or you'll make yourself sick."

Koschei sighed softly and nodded along. He didn't have much of a choice. He would be goof along with the Master anyway. He wasn't going to quit the school simply because he wasn't happy. Not this time.

"We can go back." he agreed, following along obediently. Koschei wasn't complaining. He just didn't want to deal with this at the moment. At least the day was half over.

"Do you feel like doing anything here? I know its not exciting but maybe you could find something," the Master suggested as he walked the boy along the street and up to the lab once more. Once inside, he looked around with a frown.

So maybe he was trying to avoid the Doctor but that guy weirded him out and he was happier to just avoid his existence and hope for the best. "We'll look into space more, if you want?"

Koschei just shook his head. 'M just gonna play with my rat." he assured softly. This time without losing the critter. He didn't want or need to have the animal lost so quickly. He could be responsible.

And he was. He just sat down to play with his pet while the Master moved about. He could hear people moving about outside of the room and the Doctor's occasional instruction when he man happened to wander close. But they were left alone for the most part.

"Just be careful," the Master left the boy be and swiftly got to work, he was hoping that if he had something to show for today that he could go home early, he knew that it would be best.

Ordering a pizza ahead of time, he finished up his work and left it on his desk before ushering the other along. "Come on Koschei, I finish early, get a move on and we can make it home in time for pizza," the Master joked as he bypassed the Doctor and Marnal.

"Have a nice night. Also, an interview is set up tomorrow at noon. I'd appreciate your input as it's for your department." the Doctor bid lightly in passing. What? It was worth noting. The Master didn't have to attend. It was just strongly encouraged.

Glancing up, Koschei gave a small frown. Noon meant lunch. He wasn't givin that up with his father simply because the Doctor of all people was seeking an opinion. He wouldn't let that one go.

"Oh sure, definitely consider it," the Master remarked with a small nod. Well, he did kind of have to appease his Doctor as he was kind of his boss and all and he did really need to sort of suck up.

"See you," the Master offered before ushering Koschei and himself outside. Opening the door, he swiftly left that place behind and got into the car. "The faster we get home, the faster we get pizza."