"It was no trouble for me to assist Miss Cheney." the Master said. Alison rolled her eyes, this was ridiculous. That stupid android-there was no way she was calling him "Master"-was driving her mad. She sat down and are the crepe she had prepared for herself, trying to avoid all eye contact with anyone.
Will and Nico smile a little, before Nico digs in. Will hesitated though before shaking his head. "Where is the doctor?" He asks.
"In human terms, he's 'Off His Face' drunk. It seems that you, Mr. Di Angelo, might have accidentally said a few things that triggered a few unwanted memories. There will be no lasting harm, but as of the current moment he is unavailable." the Master said. "It wasn't Nico's fault the Doctor went off to have a tantrum." Alison protested. The Master sighed. "I never intended to imply that it was. But the Doctor is so infuriatingly human at times, even the most trivial things can set him off, my dear Miss Cheney."
Nico leans back. "I don't regret a word I said. He needs to snap out of it. I know exactly what he's going through, and I'm only 16. I haven't been around as long as he has, but I've seen death, destruction, I saw my own sister die. Every one has their own hell." He growls. Will pushes away from the table. "I'm taking a walk." He says softly.
"Mr. Di Angelo, I do not think you understand the severity of his condition, nor what he has gone through. I would never expect you to understand, but I request you don't judge his actions as he performs them." the Master said calmly.
"I don't, but he needs to realize he's not the only one." Nico says, watching as Will leaves.
"You said you had watched your sister die. If I may ask, were you forced to kill her?" the Master said. "The Doctor has his reasons for being so melancholic and distant. He is the man who keeps running, never looking back because he dare not out of shame."
He looks down. "No… but she was… it's hard to explain. She was eaten alive… the monster exploded… she was dead before I could ever protect her." He draws a small mini-figure from his pocket. "This was the last thing she gave me. I was 11 when she died."
"A tragedy, I'm sure. But she knew the risks of heroics, they can get you killed in foolish ways." the Master said. "Oi, his sister is dead, show a little respect!" Alison snapped. "My dear, the dead stay dead. Well, in most cases. You shouldn't mourn for those who go, mourn for those who have to stay behind." the Master replied, unfazed by the Glare Of Death that Alison was giving him.
Nico stands, before leaving without a word.
"Now see what you've done!" Alison shouted. She stormed out, deciding to head to the library for a bit of peace. Unfinished dolls that Alison would make in her spare time lay strewn across one of the tables. Alison sat down at that table and started to tinker with a few of the limbs on one, unsure what to do next. Thirty minutes passed, and she hasn't made any progress. She took one of the unfinished dolls, a robot missing it's right leg, and looked at it only able to think of the Doctor's stupid robot companion. "I fucking hate robots!" she screamed, throwing the doll at the wall. Where she expected to hear a noise, she only heard a muffled slap, like a baseball hitting a catcher's mitt. "Miss Cheney, what a coincidence. You seem to have accidentally lost your grip on this toy, which appears to have flung it at the wall as a result. At suspiciously high velocity. In the exact direction of my face." the Master frowned. "Go away." Alison mumbled, backing up against the opposite wall. "Please don't be frightened, I didn't come here to harm you. Merely to apologize. I should not have said the things I had said." the Master remarked. "But I still stand by my opinions, despite how you might feel." he said, setting the doll onto the table closest to him. "Yeah, that isn't helping." Alison glared. She walked closer to him. "Listen, I don't care what you have to say to me. Leave me alone." she said, stepping past the android towards the door. "And you should be apologizing to Nico, not me." she said, exiting. Alison walked down the hallway, deciding to find somewhere else to relax. And possibly to find Nico or Will and apologize herself for what had happened in the kitchen.
Nico was sitting at the ocean side, his eyes watching the waves. He sighs softly, shutting his eyes.
Alison walked out to the beach and found Nico. "Are you alright?" she asked.
Nico looks up. He had been crying. He looks away, "I'm fine." His voice cracks.
"That was a rhetorical question. I know you're not okay. Wanna talk about it?" Alison asked.
He looks down. "My mother died… my father is the god of the underworld, and the only person that cared about me before Will was my sister, Bianca. I was alone… when she died. I had no one." He whispers.
"I'm sorry. That must have been hard to go through. It's probably still hard to." Alison said.
"It is… because she died… for me." He says softly.
"Listen, she cared about you more than anything. But it's not your fault that she died." Alison said. "Don't blame yourself for it. She loved you more than anything."
Nico sighs softly, "It still hurts." He says softly.
"I know it does." she said, putting an arm around Nico's shoulder comfortingly. "And I know that it's impossible to move on from something like that. I'm not asking you to. I am, however, asking you to allow yourself forgiveness. It isn't your fault."
Nico looks up at her then down at the ground. "Alright…" He mumbles.
"But really, are you going to be okay?" she asked.
"I'll be fine." he mutters in reply.
"Good. It's getting late, I'm pretty sure that there's a spare bedroom somewhere in this seemingly infinite-on-the-inside blue box. And I'm pretty tired myself. Tomorrow morning everything will feel okay again, for a little bit at least." she smiled.
He nods and stands. "Will!" He calls. Will appears close by. "Yeah?"
"Anyways, I'm glad we could talk." Alison said. "I'm glad to be able to help you when you need it."
Nico nods and watches as Will walks towards them.
"Hey, Will!" Alison waved to Will as he walked towards them.
Will waves in reply and smiles a little.
