A boy and his scarf

Rikky:
*...Night has recently fallen and the sky outside the building a deep, smokey purple hue, with a gorgeous muted blue at the horizon yet... but the sun was fully down, the stars were winkingboldly at the mortals below, and Rikky felt very much at home among it all. He strolls at a casual gait, elegant long lines all grace, his carriage proud and self-assured... not that anyone really noticed. He was glanced at now and then, but no one seemed to notice anything out of the ordinary. No passerby stared at his ears, which were slender and pointed and very visible... no one furrowed their brows at his inhumanly large eyes, or their strange color, or his obviously /Other/ appearance. A glance at him, he might nod and smile, they might return it, and that was that. He wasn`t exactly sure where he was, he`d just had the techie punch in some nice location -and make sure it was nighttime, of course- and that it would hold interest for the you clone. So here he was, and while he could glean the location from the minds about him, he did not, preferring to be pleasantly surprised. Rural, yes... a city, but small. It wasn`t Oregon, that much he knew, and it was still in the States. Rikky pauses in his amble as he spies something of great interest... large and almost gothic in facade, old-looking, splendid... with a small gasp of excitement, he heads for the structure, a shrine to knowledge... the library*

Doctor:
*it was amazing the way the people of so many small towns passed off the unusual... at least the freakily unusual... like the way Rikky looked, and the way the TARDIS slowly materialised next to the library... they ignored the TARDIS` appearance... what they did not ignore was the Doctor himself when he stepped out.... that wasn`t freaky unusual... that was.. eccentric... who else would dress in such warm clothes? A scarf wound 30 times around their neck? A coat big enough for someone much more solid than the timelord... but he stepped out, his eyes focused on the library, not noting at first the arrival of Rikky*

*Rikky, dolled-up as Aerik (just in case... after all, he didn't know where he was, who might, somehow, know Aerik, and all that... it was a safeguard) and wound up in the night, which seemed to cling to him in a kind of living, adoring veil, alsodoesn`t notice the TARDIS as it appears beside the library. Perhaps he`s on the wrong side to see it, or it just works it... `magic... on him as well as others. Or something else entirely... he /was/ listening to the whispers in his ears, darkness speaking to him, still a bit too cautious to really tune it in, maybe scared what it would tell him... but he was starting to get used to it. It has always been this way, night seeming to be an embodiment of something when he was around.... breathing, moving, feeling... a sentient creature, not just a lowering of the sun, an absence of light, but... a sycophantic pet of some sort. Rikky lets it stream through his hair, like fingers, indulging it, smiling at its playfullness. Rounding the corner, he does note the doctor in his odd dress... and arches a fine brow high. Interesting. A brave fashion statement, indeed. Rikky himself, garbed as Aerik was, of course, stunning and his choice of attire simple and lovely. Pale skin like moonlight, hair black, black... but almost sparkling, as if stars were caught there in a web of nightsilk, Rikky chuckles to himself, assuming the Doctor, too, could not see him, amusement bright in his darkgold eyes as he then ignores the man and starts up the library stairs. As he passes by a little closer he feels it... and blinks. He stops in his steps, on foot atop the second stair, and slowly turns to view the man anew. Power. He could sense it, and the breeze turns warm, trickles things in Rikky`s ear, secrets as his attention is noticeably caught. A fellow psionic? Could it be? And hardly a weak one... huge shields, now that Rikky is `looking`, stand out brightly. Rikky doesn`t move again yet, or say anything or do anything but.... watch*

*and then the Doctor turned and noted Rikky... and it was quite obvious he /did/ notice the differences... and his next words might go part of the way of explaining that* Aerik. I wasn`t aware you ever came to Earth. *and whilst the shields /were/ sttrong... it was also obvious that they were rather relaxed... a weaker psionic might not have even noticed the depth.. they were very slight... but someone of Rikky`s ability would be able to tell that they could slam up in an instant... and be some of the strongest shields there were...*

*Aerik. /Aerik/. Imperceptibly, a change comes over Rikky, a kind of trigger given and responded to... many things happen in that one second, and before the Doctor is even done speaking, a change is made. No outward sign is visible. No psionic one either. Its purely internal and impossible to notice, but it happens. Aerik smiles faintly, brows raising elegantly. His shoulders square as he draws his next breath, back straightens naturally with the action, his lids fall just slightly after he blinks once, slowly, and inclines his head in acknowledgement* MS() A rare occasion. I was... bored. Or perhaps nostalgic. Have you tired of the tavern as well?() *he turns more fully, pulled to full height, hands clasped lightly behind his back, both feet solidly on one step now, and regards the man before him, who can /see/ him, with cool amusement. At this moment, even Eclipse himself would be fooled...*

*what was of course different about the Doctor from most likely nearly all of Aeriks other acquaintances... was that he`d never seen his arrogance... the first time he`d met him the Doctor had saved Aeriks life... the second time, Aerik had repayed the favour by saving his sanity... although all of this is shielded well enough from the casual psionic... someone willing to probe could actually get past his shields, as they stood now, rather easily* I don`t get bored easily. But the tavern was a bit... violent for my tastes. *his distaste of violence was far stronger than the words would suggest... though anyone could pick it up from his tone, at least if they were skilled with words*

*Aerik wasn`t exactly arrogant at the moment, just his usual calm, assured self. And if its one thing Aerik has learned about his parent twin, is that politeness is returned in kind. Aerik, neither of them, really had a taste for violence, though both could dole it out if necessary. One thing about the elder of the brothers... he was always, if not coldly, polite, and expected it returned. He didn`t /usually/ just lash out at people... not with power anyway. Words were more his style and this Aerik has seen that in the memories of others. This man was, so far, inoffensive. Now, Psiclone /does/ know about the Doctor saving Eclipse`s life... or at least that Aerik has met him before... Both Jesse and Sai were present on those occasions and both had opened their minds, one way or another, to this Aerik at various times. Jesse willingly, and often, and Sai... well, poor Sai had no choice in the matter. Aerik rifles through his massive memory of his brother quickly. He doesn`t recall ever mentioning this man in his file reports, however. Nor is /this/ incarnation familiar to him. More, its the memory of the sense/signature of the shields, which jesse would have recorded in some capacity, that clues Aerik in... its why Aerik didn`t recognize him at first. But as for what happened in the TARDIS, or Aerik`s own perceptions of the Doctor, Psiclone does not know... the images he holds are vague, filmy, old... he gathers enough, but again, as for the second meeting where Aerik assisted with the Doctor`s sanity... he`s clueless. Aerik smiles a bit more noticeably, humoured*MS*() I, myself, am hardly inclined to such devices either. *he glances pointedly behind him, towards the library* Quieter pursuits, I take it? Or maybe just... less hazardous ones...()

Certainly quieter. *the Doctor wouldn`t confirm that it was less hazardous... but then the Doctor frowned for a moment... Aerik being on Earth was a problem... in the tavern, to a certain extent, the Master was harmless... no matter his deviousness, he couldn`t exactly match the demons for raw power... but here on Earth? And a psionicist as well... he shook his head and withdrew a yo-yo from his pocket and started toying with it* As you`re here I`m waiting for disaster to strike. *a slightly eccentric grin crossed his face... he was joking* First time you were dying, second time I was going insane. I`m wondering what`s going to happen /this/ time. *oh the Doctor didn`t truly believe that.. the first time had been at the tavern, and thus not surprising one was dying... and the violence of his regeneration had led to the insanity the second time around... and in fact, even the /mind/ was slightly different each incarnation.. oh there was enough the same for the skilled psionicist to guess... but it was different enough to confuse them... especially considering the mind was the most alien thing about the Doctor... well, apart from the way his body worked... but he /looked/ human... it was only when you dipped into his mind that he wasn`t*

*As the Doctor has kept his mind to himself, so as Aerik done the same, which even the original would have done.... despite the compulsions screaming in his mind, /pushing/ at him like a warning alarm. /I am, I AM/ Aerik screams back at it... the overwhelming /shove/ to gather information on Aerik. This man was strange, he knew Aerik and was saying things of which Aerik was unaware... second time... insane?* *MS*() You are frowning suddenly...() *Psiclone`s heard tips, that smile still hovering on his lips, amusement a bright spark in his gold eyes as the yo-yo comes out*()Is my presence a harbinger of violence acts, then? *he too, was teasing and its strong in the tone of the sending* As for dying, as we both know, the experience is quite... disconcerting. I would rather not have to go through that again...()*Dying...yes, Aerik knew his brother had been doing that, but he still is murky on the -why- of it... blood, that he knew. Blood and Pain and Jesse shielding Aerik and Sai trying to give him a pain killer, making it worse, and then the Doctor assisting.... the images hit him in the mental face one after the other, things he had stored but had never /explored/, never needed to... they came in handy now. A sudden, wild idea... had the Doctor learned anything in that time, healing? If so, /what/? Aerik stifles his eagerness, very nicely* () Now insanity... well... *a small breath of mental laughter* () *Aerik, having not viewed the mind, didn`t know it was different, he was going solely by psionic `smell`*

Oh no it`s quite obvious isn`t it Aerik? *he chuckled* It`s only when we`re both in the area that violence occurs.... *the Doctor actually remembered little of that time when he was fixing up Aerik.. he always struggled to recall times just before and after regeneration... it could be compared to the fact that few people remembered their formative years.. and the way old people often grew forgetful* I`m just worried for you. *when he`d opened his mind to him to save his sanity.. he`d just noticed the barest traces of his power... enough to know that he was strong... but not enough to know if he could stand up to the Master... and then there was his fiendish cunning..*

*MS*() As we are now... *tiny pulse of laughter* The world could end. *bright eyes as Aerik finally steps down , one step, eyes always fixed on the Doctor and mentally stilling the too-fawning night. Or trying to... it really was, well... adoring. It started moving towards the Doctor as well, stretching out to touch, shadows slithering, a soft, smiling breeze brushing his cheek. It seemed interested, or perhaps was actually only an extension of Aerik`s own formidable interest. Anything was possible. He tries to make it `heel`. This Aerik, should the Doctor manage, somehow, to brush by his mind again, would find him exactly like the Aerik /he/ had touched before... the power levels were the same, the signature the same, the shields... now they were a bit different, but in design only and that was hardly anything to worry about. Some psi`s were not unlike artists and enjoyed altering their shields and making them pretty, as it were. The main crux of the shields, the structured core, the layers, the feel of them... those are the same. The Doctor didn`t meet up with original Aerik in his current power state, especially not after absorbed Razorshred. Aerik blinks, curiousity piqued, and quietly he quests after an asnwer*() Worried for me? Do you mean the quality of your own workmanship, or...? As for what you did for me, you know I am grateful. Would you, by chance, have any information stored away on... anything you learned of my body?()*okay, it was direct, but it /was/ a concern... Aerik desperately desired to learn what the hell he /was/...*

*the Doctor sighed and shook his head* My patching up of you was masterful. *and then he winced at the unwitting pun* I am worried that you might meet up with.. an acquaintance of mine. *trying to glide around this tricky area.. he didn`t wish to remind him that he was /not/ human if he could avoid it.... and at the next question he saw his chance..* I do have some information stored away.. *he gestured towards the TARDIS* In there. It`s been a while since I looked at the information you understand. *the Doctor didn`t query the fact that he should know more about his own body than the Doctor would have found out... for /that/ was not necessarily true...*

*Aerik glances at the TARDIS that escaped his attention before... and narrows his eyes. He nods slowly, but won`t be distracted so easily...*MS*() Worried about such an event... you must tell me why. I would... presume... that if you fear such a meeting, there is a good cause. *as for knowing the man wasn`t human... that information had been almost instantaneous and obvious. The scent wasn`t human... and the shadows, the night, also knew. It didn`t seem an important fact to Aerik, so he says nothing about it* () YOu have information... *he is, secretly, elated. He wouldn`t have to chance a meeting with Chalice after all, hopefully...* Would you share it with me? *he gives a tiny, slightly abashed look* It has been going through some minor changes of late, I am afraid. Forewarned is forearmed. Much like I should be concerning this aquaintance of yours...()

*he sighed* You`re right. There is good cause. He`s the most ruthless Gallifreyan I`ve ever come across. *a double diversion there... many, especially on Earth, thought Gallifrey was part of Ireland... and far more important than that, even if that gave away that he was alien... the timelord factor was still kept secret.. he didn`t know Aerik well enough to be certain that the power of time travel wouldn`t appeal to him* I`ll share them with you. It`s important you know all there is about your body.. *and he gestured towards the TARDIS* Will you come into my home?

*he shouldn`t... he really, really shouldn`t... but... Aerik nods and steps forward, to follow the Doctor to the TARDIS. Finally! He heaves a prelu internal sigh of pleasure. This might yet be a good night... as he takes the last step down and falls in line next to theDoctor, he frowns slightly, turning his head to face the man, blinking slowly*MS*() You are... waffling, Doctor. You seem more than a bit reluctant to speak of this man, despite the dangers about which you are so concerned, which affect /me/, apparently. Alright... he is Gallifreyan. Why does he have you in such a state? *then he nods. Yes, very important he knows what he is... he`s more than confused and eager, as the only ones who seem to really know are some elf (Aerik still has a hard time believing in /elves/) and his own brother twin* Thank you doctor... I aam most interested in learning...() *which was why he was at a library, though that was for another reason entirely*

Let me put it to you this way Aerik.. *as he led the way towards the TARDIS* He`s an alien... an alien from a race where every last one of them has some psionic ability... and is one of the stronger psionicists of that race. He has also lived for a very long time... he`s about my age, and I`m around 750. *all this.. immaterial... the only thing he would not tell was about the time travel abilities... and after that brief section, he took out the key and unlocked the TARDIS doors... and when he stepped in, if Rikky followed him he might notice something... the fact that in here, even the Doctors `relaxed` version of his shields were overpoweringly strong... it was as if it was some sort of place of power... something akin to a Gods home plane... oh he wasn`t a God, and wouldn`t be confused as one... but the sense of his shields, and psionics in general, inside the TARDIS as opposed to outside was similiar.. he already was moving to the databanks, bringing up all he knew of `Aerik`.... both what he personally had found out, and what he`d discovered when cross-referencing with other timelord files... this databank was possibly the largest currently on Earth... the link to the Lords of Time... it didn`t actually matter that no-one had informed the Doctor about the unnaturals... the timelords knew a reasonable amount already... enough to know that to them they were nothing..... they posed no threat to the universe at large so very little information had been gathered... they knew they existed... they knew far more than UNIT or any of the other top-secret organisations did... their knowledge was second only to those actually /involved/... but a bruise to the ego... they were considered unimportant*

MS*() A psionic? *now to the original Aerik, such a thing would be a challenge in itself... a sense of /oh, is that what he thinks he is?/ tho of course, he would never voice it, just find it amusing. THIS Aerik, however, while he arches a brow, doesn`t think the same way nor the same way. He understands the warning the Doctor is trying to make,... almost. He nods slowly* I see... and why should I be wary of him other than that you classify him as... what had you said? Wicked or evil? *His brother did not such classifications... he didn`t have a persobal concept of such things, only of `might makes right`. Psiclone /does/ understand, and is still confused, which he allows to show. The sudden overwhelming power he`s displayed, however, makes him stagger a moment, that step he takes inside the TARDIS, the sheer enormity of it, its crushing weight.. he pauses a moment, steadying himself with one hand on the jamb of the doorway, and is pleased the Doctor has already busied himself with the databanks and hopefully had not noticed. Once he pushes it aside, still very impressed by it, tho, he glances about, trying hard not to look awed. and he thought the GUARD was cutting edge... which they were for something as inconsequential as a human... but he takes it all in, remembers. he catches some of the data as he wanders nearer the Doctor, and has to divide his attentions between the interior of teh TARDIS and the infomation on the screen.... not easy and its like he`s watching a ping pong game or a tennis match. That unnaturals were considered unimportant meant little to Aerik... he wasn`t unnatural, he knew that now, but supernatural... and rather pleased that his friends and family were not considered a threat. Well, not enough of one to call the attentions of such creatures as /this/ down on their heads...* This place is... most... *he wants to say impressive...* Interesting, Doctor... *the rest, the alien and the ages, this he files away*()

*the Doctor struggled to explain.. then he had a better idea...* Aerik... please place your hands upon the console..... *and if Aerik did so, his mind would be flooded with the information that he`d discovered about Aerik... the timelords had surpassed needing to print anything out... the telepathics circuits were linked with the database, and the information could be transferred directly... he also called up the information on the Master, and whilst he used his control to cut-out the information about time-travel... he then sent the remaining information... quite obvious from the feel that in /here/, even the original Aerik would struggle... in reality, he would be taking on the entire timelord race... the feel from the Doctor was bad enough... if he touched the telepathic circuits, it was worse... though it wasn`t attacking.. it was simply /being/* There`s your information Aerik.

*Aerik hesitates... whets his lips, glances at the Doctor, then steps forward, palms for the console. He places them on the thing and gasps as the /flood/ of information hits him... but its not just that, its the realization of the sheer power held within the TARDIS, the psionics of an entire race, that rips through Psiclone. He tears his hands away, instant reaction, reeling from the sensations and the onslaught... another tiny look at the Doc, and he replaces his hands on the console, gingerly, now better prepared. Its still no less stunning, just easier for him accept, now ready for it. And its a very good thing the Doctor doesn`t know the original very well... for Eclipse would have reacted quite differently, tho Rikky`s response is far more a normal, even predicatable one. Psiclone uses his own abilities to control the pace, filtering and slowing down, even as the Doctor keeps the time-travel information from him. Honestly, with all that`s bombarding him, he simply would have never noticed anything being withheld, and since his search is narrowed down to two things... Aerik`s body and the Master... he probably would have missed the time traveling altogether. As for Aerik, the original, struggling in here... maybe he would. But he`d never show it, never admit it, never display any kind of discomfort or sense of awe... none of that. And all this display would be to Aerik was that he might... MIGHT... concede, internally alone, never aloud, that the entirety of the Doctor`s race, collected as it was here, in one place, MIGHT be considered equal to himself. MAYBE. Never would the idea of this harnessed power be thought of as superior or insurmountable. Only a Creator was that, even gods were not equals to Aerik. Such was his pride. But Rikky is not Aerik, and while he has pride, he doesn`t exactly have /arrogance/, and he knows when he`s outnumbered and outpowered... he knows he is now. It was all very incredible, the GUARD had nothing like this. Rikky`s head spins slightly at the demonstration of might, but hides it very very well in his role as Eclipse... but not knowing Eclipse`s mind, not really, just his actions as others saw them, he doesn`t know how Aerik would react. He does his best to predict it, squaring shoulders again, cool aloofness falling into place... he appears very capable of handling this influx, which he /is/... -now-... but the facade settles again, all in place. Indeed, however, even someone as close to Eclipse as Jesse was, under all /this/, would not have been suspicious of Rikky`s responses. They were totally understandable. The information transfers at the blinding speed of thought fired by psionics, far faster than normal lines of thought, and its less than half a minute later that Rikky steps back, filled with the knowledge he sought, large eyes seeking out the Doctor, and a single statement sent to the man...* MS*() Thank you ()

*the information about Aeriks body was pure fact... not the doctors interpretations... it spoke certainly of the fact that he wasn`t human... it told of all sorts of information that the Doctor came up with on the medical scan before starting work on him... both what had appeared to be wrong with him when a medical scan had been done... the Doctor had barely look at the information since gathering it... indeed, if he`d had to input the information himself it is likely that it would have been lost to his regeneration.... but as he`d placed him in the tardis medical centre, they had downloaded the information straight to the databanks, and as he`d inputted the name of subject as Aerik, the information had been gathered there as well... most things to do with the /physical/ body of Aerik would be in the information sent... but about the Master it was far more than pure fact... it told of his hypnotism... it even told of certain aspects of the TARDIS, the invulnerability of it.. the fact that the interior was in a very real sense in another dimension... not merely because it was inside... but that was how the interior was `as close to infinity as you can get`... you could spend years wandering the interior and never find out what it was... it told of the paralytic effect of touching the TARDIS if the controlling timelord didn`t accept you... told of the chameleon circuit which disguised the tardis as whatever you wanted... it told of the TCE... and told of many of the Masters plans for conquest, many of which had been foiled by the Doctor... and perhaps the most interesting thing, was the knowledge of his alliance with the Dalek race... and his betrayal of them when they had served their purpose.. and the fact that he had /survived/ the betrayal...*

*... the Doctor`s information on Aerik, while more complete, wasn`t much more than the GUARD`s scientists could offer. Never was there a mention of "Eshva", or that the body was a demonic construct... Jayde had revealed more to Rikky concerning his body`s origins than the Doctor had, and this disappoints Rikky deeply. The cold /facts/, while they would probably prove helpful at some point, weren`t what he was looking for. He knew he wasn`t human... he knew his odd bloodtype was unseen anywhere, at least by the GUARD and it would seem by the Doctor as well. The Doctor didn`t know what Rikky /was/... he was as clueless as the Clone himself. Maybe he -would- have to chance a meeting with this Chalice woman yet. An internal sigh. But the data on The Master was extremely interesting, and while Rikky would not mention the Doctor, if he could help it, in any reports, he would have to warn the GUARD of the Master... his powers and his history... which would upset more than a few GUARD conceptions of things. Maybe he wouldn`t tell them all of it... just certain parts. The TARDIS, hypnotism... not the Dalek, whihc meant little to Rikky, nor the fact that Master survived the betrayal, he doesn`t understand the significance of such a revelation... but the using, betraying, all that he`d tell. He wasn`t compelled to report THIS meeting, or THIS knowledge, but he would, and he`d protect the Doctor if he at all could...*MS() I am grateful. Unfortunately, beyond the information concerning the Master, which I am glad you shared, I learned little more than I already knew... *small sigh*

*the problem with most GUARD scientists, and the Doctor himself, was that they were all /scientists/... whilst the Doctor had more experience to call on, and he was perhaps a bit more open-minded about the `supernatural`, though he would not refer to them as such, he still knew little about what he was... whilst his knowledge of anything scientific was nearly unsurpassed, certainly in this century and on this planet... his knowledge of the supernatural was very vague... and the knowledge of /true/ supernaturals like the Eshva... mostly, when he`d come across demons or the like, they were only called that because they had a science which surpassed that of most during the time period... but the Eshva weren`t that... they were actually magical... something which in some respects, a peasant from the dark ages was better equipped to handle than a scientist of the Doctors knowledge... and he would be glad that Rikky would try to protect him... not because he felt he needed physical protection... but because the more people knew about him, the more talked to him... the more likely his secret about time travel would slip out... and if that happened... he could imagine that many would be after him to force his knowledge from him, force him to change history for them.... it could be arguable that he changed history anyway merely by saving Aeriks life and now informing him of what he knew... but as he learned little more, that was not so important* I am sorry I could not help you more. And I had to share the information about the Master... *though it was taking a risk... all the information about the TARDIS related to him just as much as it related to the Master..*