What’s in a name?

[Ace McShane]

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Ace reached up and pulled her sunglasses down the bridge of her nose as she looked up at the university that she stood in front of, “Of all the places Professor.” She always made the joke that the reason she started calling him Professor instead of The Doctor was because when she first met him, he had looked like a retired college professor. Now, it seemed he was actually acting the part.

Pushing her glasses back up Ace watched as numbers swim across the sides of the lenses, stats mostly. Male, Female, ages, redundant things of that nature. It seemed Kate thought her mismatched eyes would give her away; She didn’t understand how as far as she could remember, The Doctor had never seen her with this face but she would have to admit, so far they were coming in handy.

Pulling the file Kate had given to her, Ace flipped through it a little; Kate had wanted to know what The Doctor was doing at this university, but she didn’t have anyone that would be able to get close enough without The Doctor seeing them from a mile away, that was where Ace came in.

Rolling up the file, Ace stuck the file in her back pocket and headed to see if she could find The Doctor. Or hell, maybe catch a lecture.

[Deleted]

The Doctor was in his element. Trapped? Check. From a decision admittedly of his own doing? Check. It wasn't something that he regretted. Saving Missy had been the right thing to do. He couldn't look her in the eyes and just kill her.

One thing led to another, and here he was at St. Luke's, grounded on Earth once again.

This time, he wasn't mucking about with UNIT. Too much risk of crossing his own time stream. Instead, he was teaching. Had been for decades now.

"Metamorphosis!" He told his class, gesturing with both arms. "It's something that you and I go through all our lives. Sure, it's slow when you do it. You aren't like a caterpillar. You don't build yourself a nice little house, then turn into goo inside it before growing into a uniquely new thing. But we're all still growing! Still changing! Sometimes it hits you like a lorry! Some mornings, you don't realize until you're looking at old photographs how different you are now.

"The question you all need to ask yourself is this. What kind of person do I want to become?"

[Ace McShane]

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She had had to ask several students in passing for directions to the Doctors classroom. Mostly to the tune of "Oi, mate which way to this guy's class?" Before holding up the picture that was in the file of The Doctor.

A couple of the people she spoke to gave her some strange looks, some laughed her off and pointed her in the direction of a smaller auditorium type classroom. "Thanks, sunshine." was all she told them before turning on her heel and heading off in the direction they had indicated.

"Metamorphosis!" Ace heard as she placed her hand on the door and turned the handle, slowly opening it she slipped inside the classroom letting the door close silently behind her. "It's something that you and I go through all our lives. Sure, it's slow when you do it. Ace laughed a little to herself as she made her way silently to the back of the room.

Pointing to a seat, she mouthed to one of the students asking if the seat next to them was available. Sitting down she turned her attention to what The Doctor was saying "Sometimes it hits you like a lorry!" softly, to herself "You can say that again Professor."

"The question you all need to ask yourself is this. What kind of person do I want to become?" she couldn't help but mentally reach out to him on that one, trying to disguise herself still, by hiding herself in the noise of the other students Hopefully a good one.

[Deleted]

The Doctor responded subconsciously to the telepathic prompt.

"Of course, you'll say that you want to be good! Most of you will probably say you are. It's a rare person indeed who sets out, explicitly, to be bad. Well, with any seriousness!" He paced to the other side of his desk, giving the class a half shrug as he tucked one hand into his hoodie briefly. "Even then, if you're rebelling against a system, one generally does so because you think the system is bad. So what is good? Is it succeeding in your courses? Is it petsitting your roommates goldfish, even though you're convinced they're identical to every other fish you've seen? Is it activism?"

He surveyed the room, noting students and friendly interlopers alike with the same wild eyed stare that bordered on entreaty.

"Is goodness the act of compassion? Or the decision - divorced of empathy - to be compassionate?"

[Ace McShane]

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As much as she had been through with The Doctor Ace never thought she could be surprised but, Ace was currently pleasantly, and thoroughly surprised at how quickly she was drawn in by the lecture.

She could see how his class had become so popular at St. Luke's. Maybe he was just here teaching, and Kates worries had been unwarranted.

"Is goodness the act of compassion? Or the decision - divorced of empathy - to be compassionate?" without being able to stop herself Ace answered out loud “Both.” Shit.

(sorry for the short reply)

[Deleted]

His attention turned to the speaker. Not a normal attendee of his lectures, he noted. At least, they hadn't attended enough for him to even begin to recognize their face.

"Is that what you believe?" He asked. "There's plenty of differing schools of thought on what separates goodness from ruthless. Callous from kind."

"You see," he turned the lecture hall as a whole. "I would argue that kindness is not goodness. You can abandon and kill things kindly. But that's my belief. I want to hear yours. Or rather, read them. Minimum of five thousand words, typed, and on my desk next lecture. And do try to not just regurgitate your favorite philosopher."

[Ace McShane]

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If she could have made herself small and disappear behind the desk she had sat in at the current moment, she would.

But, Ace held her ground and sat as still as a rod, for the most part. The only movement she made was to move her hands to the top of the desk, clasping her hands together and leaning forward a little, so she was leaning on her elbows.

She watched as the class started to pack up and filter out after The Doctor gave them their instruction for the next lecture, then she proceeded to wait patiently for the last one to leave.

When she heard the door close, Ace reached up and moved her sunglasses to the top of her head “The aim of a college education is to teach you to know a good man when you see one.” And they seem to certainly see one in you.” There was no malice in her voice more stating a simple fact.

[Deleted]

It was certainly interesting, the way this new interlining visitor behaved. Listening intently and perhaps taking umbrage with his words. They remained behind even as the class filtered out.

The Doctor looked over to Nardole, who was rather predictably trying to hurry him off to office hours.

"Why don't you start us a pot of tea. I expect I'll need one soon enough," he ordered before turning on his foot to address the one audience member left.

"Don't you think the point is to learn to think critically?" He quizzed the stranger, feeling a vague sense of unease around her now. The effect had been dampened by the crowd, but something about her had his senses jangling.

"I'm not sure if I am a good man. But I try to be. And someone once told me that was the important bit. What do you want?"

[Ace McShane]

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Ace watched as The Doctors friend seemed to fidget a little waiting for him "Why don't you start us a pot of tea. I expect I'll need one soon enough," Don't laugh, don’t laugh, don’t laugh, was all Ace could think to herself. Yeah, he would probably need some tea after a while, but Ace had no intention of giving away who she was too easily.

Ace got up and started down where The Doctor was, she couldn’t tell if she made him nervous or not "Don't you think the point is to learn to think critically?" Ace shrugged a little stopping and crossing her arms across her chest a little thinking over his question. “I think, for the most part, it is yes. But how much of education has changed to teach students memorization instead of learning, now.”

"I'm not sure if I am a good man. But I try to be. And someone once told me that was the important bit. What do you want?" Aces brow twitched a little at the directness of him asking her what she wanted. “Nothing, just a friend, checking on a friend, for another friend.”

[Deleted]

"Memorisation, regurgitation, it's the most basic form of learning," the Doctor replied. His Scottish accent even thicker than normal in his distaste. "If you don't think for yourself, you're no more than a robot. No." He shook his head. "Worse. Even Nardole thinks for himself occasionally. You're just an idiot. What a waste."

She dodged his question with about as much finesse as his last incarnation. A thing. A friend. His eyebrows furrowed angrily despite his own relative calmness. Mild irritation at best.

"That's a poor riddle. I'm against riddles," the Doctor grouched. "Am I to assume the friend you are checking on is me?"

[Ace McShane]

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"Worse. Even Nardole thinks for himself occasionally. You're just an idiot. What a waste." Ace moved her tongue over her teeth and made the suction noise that comes from sucking air through your tongue off your teeth and decided to let the idiot remark go but bit back with the same amount of Mild-Irritation in her attitude.

”That's a poor riddle. I'm against riddles," “Really? Cause your little bag of tricks used to be full of them.” Reaching up she flipped her sunglasses down so he couldn’t see her close her eyes to regain her calm, that was the one downside to her second form had a bit of a temper.

"Am I to assume the friend you are checking on is me?" Looking down a little “Yes, Kate Stewart was curious as to your reason for being at St. Lukes.” She said quietly.

[Deleted]

In fairness, the Doctor hadn't been trying to insinuate the woman in front of him was an idiot. Merely that anyone who learned only through memorisation was. But that misunderstanding wouldn't occur to him.

He shrugged off the comment about the bag of tricks with a faux bashful smile and a flicker of actual amusement.

"A good magician never reveals his secrets." The Doctor told her companionably.

The glasses went back down over her eyes. A strange enough decision that the Doctor reached just a little more, stiffening minutely as he realised he was in front of a Time Lord. Or Time Lady, if you like.

"Same thing I've been doing for decades. Teaching."

She called herself a friend, but she was neither his Susan nor Romana. While his former comrades had stood with him on Gallifrey, he couldn't think of why any other ally would leave the Homeworld to 'check on him'. Which rather implied enemy.

[Ace McShane]

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Just investigate what he was doing at St. Lukes that’s all she was supposed to do, not to bring attention to herself, that had been what Kate had told her to do, and she’d stuck her foot in her mouth. Sighing Ace placed her hands on her hips a little. “Well, this hasn’t gone as planned.”

Ace caught, for a second The Doctor flicker through her mind the retreat just as fast "Same thing I've been doing for decades. Teaching." “Yeah, you always did seem to me as a retired school Professor.”

“Look, I was just doing a favor for Kate Stewart. I’ll let her know what’s up and keep Unit out of your business.” She met his eyes behind her own shades “I am not your enemy.”

[Deleted]

"Things rarely go to plan when he's involved," Nardole piped up, causing the Doctor to pinch his nose.

"I thought I told you to - "

"Make a pot of tea? It's in your office. Along with some of your students."

The Doctor waved the cyborg off, focusing instead on the fact he had just been told this woman thought of him as a retired professor. Focusing on her so sharply his neck muscles protested, he examined the young woman in front of him again.

"Ace?"

[Ace McShane]

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"Things rarely go to plan when he's involved," “Nardole was it, I don’t think you realize how absolutely on point you are with that comment.”

She watched as The Doctor waved Nardole off before she returned her attention to The Doctor “I’m keeping you from your Students Doctor.” She tilted her head a little to the side watching him as it seemed the pieces were falling into place “If you focus on me too much you’ll pull a muscle.”

“Ace?” Ace smiled some and held her hands out to her sides a little, bowing a tiny bit at the waist before straightening back up and dropping her arms to her side. “Hello, Professor.”